Schools In Scotland Research Articles

Delivering the promise: Embedding care experienced young people’s voices into education planning and service design

Educational Psychologists (EPs) play a key role in ‘Keeping the Promise’ by helping to ensure that care experienced children and young people (CECYP) receive all they need to thrive. The Independent Care Review highlighted that transitions can be scary and upsetting for CECYP and Scotland must work to ensure that transitions are limited, relational, planned, and informed. The lived experiences of three care experienced university students in relation to their transition out of high school in Scotland, were explored through semi-structured interviews using the online platform Microsoft Teams. Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (Smith, 2009) was used to identify themes. The key themes of ‘feeling a lack of control’ and ‘ambitions stuck in the side-lines’ highlighted that damaging stereotypes, organisational pressures, and feeling voiceless, were all barriers to a positive transition out of high school for the participants. The research findings are discussed in relation to the foundation of ‘Voice’, as outlined in The Promise Scotland. Implications for EP practice are discussed both in relation to the transition out of high school and into university for CECYP, but also with a broader lens of embedding CECYP’s views into educational practice.

Pupil Support Assistant/Teacher Assistant, A Pedagogical Tool Without Recognition, Essential For Educational Inclusion. Scottish Experience

INTRODUCTION: The role of the Pupil Support Assistant (PSAs) has been defined in Scotland from the mid-20th century to the present day. Its original function was to perform basic tasks of assistance and help in aspects such as changing clothes, cleaning and tidying up the classroom to become, in the 21st century, an essential part of educational inclusion. Scottish classrooms present a great diversity not only related to the attention to diversity that has grown since 2010 where 215,897 students with Special Educational Needs (SEN) were registered, representing 30.9%, but it has also been represented by students with English as Additional Language (EAL), from 33,929 in 2010 to 57,859 in 2019. METHOD: An analysis of the existing literature on the subject, based on different qualitative and quantitative studies that describe the experience and intervention of the PSAs in schools in Scotland. RESULTS: This role has evolved over time, gaining greater presence and responsibility in the educational center through the presence and performance in activities related to educational inclusion, becoming a fundamental pillar in the social and cultural support for students. DISCUSSION: It is a priority that the professionals who are present in the processes of educational inclusion obtain better working conditions, in order to be able to provide the right support to the pupils in the 21st century.

The relationship between student's perceptions of their school environment and academic achievement.

Research within an educational context has demonstrated the importance of variables such as socioeconomic status, gender and school attendance as predictors of academic achievement, however research investigating the role of the physical learning environment on academic achievement is more limited and what research has been conducted often focuses on objective characteristics such as temperature, air quality and noise. In contrast this study measures students' subjective perceptions of their physical school environment and explores how these perceptions along with socioeconomic status, gender and school attendance relate to academic achievement. In addition, we also examined a range of other important variables that could be potential mediating factors between environmental perceptions and academic achievement. The study was conducted with 441, S5 students in five secondary schools in Scotland. Students completed a questionnaire that measured their perceptions of their school environment, their behavior in school, and their learning goals. In addition, data on student academic achievement, attendance and socioeconomic status was provided by the Local Authority. Regression analysis indicates that students' subjective perceptions of their physical school environment, along with attendance, socioeconomic status and gender are all significantly related to academic achievement. In addition, subsequent analysis indicates that the relationship between students' subjective perceptions of their physical school environment and academic achievement is mediated by important "in-school behaviours," namely engaging behavior and environmental difficulty. The implications of these findings are discussed in terms of the direct and indirect relationship between student perceptions of their school environment and their academic achievement.

Evaluating the feasibility of delivering a sleep education programme in secondary schools

Background: School-based sleep education programmes can promote the importance of sleep health and may improve adolescent sleep. To date, only limited research has examined the feasibility of integrating sleep programmes into the school curriculum. Objectives: This study evaluated the feasibility, acceptability and preliminary efficacy of the Strathclyde intervention to encourage good sleep health in teenagers (SIESTA). Methods: A total 171 students (12–15 years, 53% women) from secondary schools in Scotland participated in the study. Recruitment and retention, data collection and design procedures were assessed to establish feasibility. Qualitative feedback on acceptability was collected via focus group discussions. Outcome measures assessing insomnia symptoms, sleep hygiene, depression, anxiety and stress were completed at baseline and post-intervention to explore the preliminary effects of SIESTA. Results: All schools that were approached consented to participate, and most students completed assessments at both time points (171) with a dropout rate of 5%. Assessment measures provided sufficient data to compare baseline and post-intervention values. Training and delivery manuals ensured successful delivery of the programme. Qualitative feedback indicated SIESTA was acceptable, and students spoke favourably about the content, delivery and techniques. Students reported that SIESTA was age-appropriate, relevant and the techniques were beneficial. There were significant improvements in insomnia and stress, but no improvements were noted for sleep hygiene, depression or anxiety. Conclusion: The findings suggest that SIESTA is feasible and acceptable for delivery via the school curriculum. The results indicate that a controlled trial is required to further investigate the efficacy of SIESTA implemented in an educational context.

Social Places and Senior Pupils' Identity in a Secondary School Environment: An Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis

:This paper investigates the relationship between the school environment and senior pupils' identity development in a secondary school in Scotland. The study used semi-structured interviews and Photovoice along with Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis, to explore senior pupils' experience of the social places within their school. The findings reveal the relationship between the places that pupils can access for social interaction and their sense of identity, and their use of territoriality to protect these specific places. The findings are considered in the context of the role of the school environment, pupils' needs and their implications for school design and planning.

‘A Summerhill in Scotland’? Experiences of freedom and community at Kilquhanity School (1940–1996)

Abstract In 1940, John and Morag Aitkenhead set up Kilquhanity School in rural Galloway, inspired by the writings of A.S. Neill and the practices at Summerhill School. In 1962, Aitkenhead wrote that he had swallowed ‘hook, line and sinker’ Neill's theories and that ‘but for him and his example, there could never have been this free school in Scotland’. Historians and commentators have tended to share his view, for example, describing Aitkenhead as a ‘disciple’ of Neill and Kilquhanity as an ‘approximate’ of Summerhill with its weekly meeting, informality of relations between adults and children and a valuing of freedom and happiness over academic achievement. However, this article, drawing on primary research with ex-pupils and staff, uncovers significant differences of philosophy and practice between the two schools, particularly in relation to pupils’ contribution to the Kilquhanity School community through the daily practice of ‘useful work’. These differences raise questions about the positioning of Kilquhanity as simply a less well-known and less radical ‘Summerhill in Scotland’ and expose an often neglected fault line within the progressive and radical movements with which both schools are associated.

The Role of School Connectedness and Friend Contact in Adolescent Loneliness, and Implications for Physical Health.

The current study investigated how adolescents' loneliness relates to school connectedness, classmate support, teacher support, and offline and online communication with friends. We also examined the association between loneliness, physical health, and sleep. Data came from the Scottish Health Behavior in School-aged Children (HBSC). The total sample was 2983 adolescents (F = 1479 [49.6%]) aged 14-17years (M = 15.66, SD = 0.39) from 117 secondary schools in Scotland. Results showed that (1) higher teacher support, classmate support, and offline contact with friends predicted lower levels of loneliness, (2) online friendship engagement predicted higher levels of loneliness, and (3) poor health and sleep were positively associated with loneliness. The study offers new findings, highlighting the role played by classmates/peers and teachers in reducing loneliness. Supporting previous research, we also found associations between loneliness, poor sleep, and worse physical health.

Ready or Not to Adopt a Pedagogy of Play for Children Starting School in Scottish Primary Schools-Is this a Major Transition for Teachers?

By drawing on empirical data, this article will question how ready Scottish primary teachers are to adopt a pedagogy of play as opposed to more traditional didactic teaching approaches when planning and delivering an early years curriculum for children starting school. Children transitioning to school have traditionally been expected to be ‘school ready’; preparing them for a culture where play has yet to be consistently and universally embraced as pedagogy. The author draws on the results of a small-scale qualitative study which explored the multiple realities of ensuring curriculum continuity and progression in children’s learning between the early learning and childcare sector and primary school sector in Scotland. The study demonstrated that realising a play-based curriculum while consistent with pedagogical practice in the two early learning and childcare settings was not yet common practice in the three Primary 1 classes. Furthermore, children experienced two early years curriculum <em>traditions</em>: the <em>nursery curriculum tradition</em> and the <em>Primary 1 curriculum tradition</em>. Each tradition is rooted in the different sociocultural norms and structures which exist in the early learning and childcare sector and in the early stages of primary schools in Scotland. Children starting school needed to adjust <em>how</em> they learned in readiness for the Primary 1 <em>curriculum tradition</em>. The implications for policy makers and others include empowering teachers to embrace playful pedagogy through cross sectoral collaboration so that children starting school can benefit from a continuous play-based curriculum experience. Future research could explore contested understandings of school readiness that persist, influencing curriculum content and pedagogical approaches nationally and internationally.

Cost and Affordability of School Uniform and Child Poverty

Abstract Although there are no attendance or registration fees in the UK for publicly funded school education there are hidden costs in attending compulsory education. This article investigates one of the hidden costs: school uniform. We investigate the affordability of school uniform in Scotland, looking at what is required in school uniform policy (class uniform and Physical Education kit), the costs of uniform and to what extent the national minimum clothing grant makes uniform affordable for households on low incomes. For this research we use a unique national dataset of the school uniform policies of all 357 publicly funded secondary schools in Scotland and responses to Freedom of Information requests sent to all local authorities (n = 30). From analysis of the uniform policies and the requirements and application processes for the national minimum clothing grant we are able to draw together recommendations for the Scottish Government, local authorities and schools. We also found a compelling need for detailed data collection on how much it costs to clothe children for a whole school year.

Employability and school uniform policies: Projecting the employer’s gaze

This article examines employability discourse within school uniform policies as a way to justify uniform. The uniform policy of every publicly funded secondary school in Scotland ( n = 357) was studied using content and discourse analysis. Employability discourse was grouped into three themes: School as preparation for work; school to replicate a work environment; and young people creating a good impression for employers. The rationale of the uniform is revealed as a technology through which the employer’s gaze is projected onto pupils.

‘Citadels of spiritual resistance’: the Italian schools in Scotland, 1924–1940

AbstractThis article focuses on Italian schools in Scotland during the Fascist ventennio. The Italian-Scottish case study will be helpful to understand one of the principal means, the schools, that the Fascist regime used from the early 1920s in order to preserve the Italian identity of second-generation Italians. From the first half of the 1930s, the schools also became one of the key channels for spreading Fascist ideology and propaganda. Nevertheless, in Scotland, the schools also had a social significance, as Italians began to gather and socialise through them as a community. Accordingly, the foundations and educational, social and political roles of the schools will be examined. The article offers an insight into a topic neglected by Italian and British scholars, despite the second biggest Italian diasporic community in Britain residing in interwar Glasgow.

Changes and differences in school food standards (2010-2021) and free school meal provision during COVID-19 across the UK: Potential implications for children's diets.

This paper explores changes to school food standards from 2010, free school meal provision during the COVID‐19 pandemic across the UK and potential implications for children's diets. To obtain information on UK school food policies and free school meal provision methods we reviewed several sources including news articles, policy documents and journal articles. School food is an important part of the UK's health agenda and commitment to improving children's diets. Each UK nation has food‐based standards implemented, however, only Scotland and Wales also have nutrient‐based standards. School food standards in each nation have been updated in the last decade. Universal free school meals are available for children in the first 3 years of primary school in England and the first 5 years of primary school in Scotland, with plans announced for implementation of free school meals for all primary schoolchildren in Scotland and Wales. There is a lack of consistent monitoring of school food across the UK nations, and a lack of reporting compliance to the standards. Each nation differed in its response and management of free school meals during COVID‐related school closures. Further, there are issues surrounding the monitoring of the methods to provide free school meal support during school closures. The role of school food has been highlighted during COVID‐19, and with this, there have been calls for a review of free school meal eligibility criteria. The need for improved and consistent monitoring of school food across the UK remains, as does the need to evaluate the impact of school food on children's diets.

Indoor CO2 and Thermal Conditions in Twenty Scottish Primary School Classrooms with Different Ventilation Systems during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Healthy indoor environments influence the comfort, health and wellbeing of the occupants. Monitoring the indoor temperature, relative humidity and CO2 levels in primary schools during the COVID-19 pandemic was mandated by a local authority in Scotland. The aim was to investigate the comfort and safety of the teachers and their pupils. This paper presents the measurements of indoor climate in 20 classrooms in four different primary schools in Scotland. The schools were of different architypes. The classrooms were of different sizes, orientations and occupancy, and had different ventilation systems. Ventilation was achieved either by manually opening the windows, or by a mechanical ventilation system. Indoor air temperature, relative humidity and carbon dioxide (CO2) concentrations were continuously monitored for one week during the heating season 2020/21. Occupancy and opening of the windows were logged in by the teachers. The ventilation rates in the classrooms were estimated by measuring the CO2 concentrations. On the 20 classrooms of the study, data of 19 were analysed. The results show that four of the five mechanically ventilated classrooms performed better than natural ventilation, which indicates that opening the windows depended on the customs and habits. Classrooms in naturally ventilated Victorian buildings have the worst average ventilation rate (4.38 L/s per person) compared to the other classrooms (5.8 L/s per person for the more recent naturally ventilated ones, and 6.08 L/s per person for the mechanically ventilated ones). The results of this preliminary study will be used as the basis to find ways to ensure adequate ventilation in natural ventilated classrooms.

Chinese students’ engagement with linguistic landscapes during a summer school in Scotland

ABSTRACT This article examines visiting Chinese undergraduate students’ engagement with the linguistic landscape (LL) in the city of Edinburgh as they participated in a University summer school. A pedagogical approach was taken involving capturing LL on display during a ‘camera safari’; reflecting on questions through dialogic discussion and in writing and sharing results through oral group presentations. The article begins with a discussion of the LL literature associated with different dimensions of education, followed by a description of the multilingual research site and the LL pedagogical intervention activities. The evidence suggests the LL project supports claims of the importance of LL as a pedagogical tool for students to gain new understandings and reflect on their own learning in an increasingly globalised world. Finally, a critical examination is given of the effectiveness of LL as a pedagogical tool in educational settings.

Assessing School Travel Safety in Scotland: An Empirical Analysis of Injury Severities for Accidents in the School Commute

School travel has been a significant source of safety concerns for children, parents, and public authorities. It will continue to be a source of concerns as long as severe accidents continue to emerge during pupils’ commute to school. This study provides an empirical analysis of the factors influencing the injury severities of the accidents that occurred on trips to or from school in Scotland. Using 9-year data from the STATS19 public database, random parameter binary logit models with allowances for heterogeneity in the means were estimated in order to investigate injury severities in urban and rural areas. The results suggested that factors such as the road type, lighting conditions, vehicle type, and age of the driver or casualty constitute the common determinants of injury severities in both urban and rural areas. Single carriageways and vehicles running on heavy oil engines were found to induce opposite effects in urban and rural areas, whereas the involvement of a passenger car in the accident decomposed various layers of unobserved heterogeneity for both area types. The findings of this study can inform future policy interventions with a focus on traffic calming in the proximity of schools.

Precarious provision and mixed messages: religious education, school inspection, and the law in Scottish non-denominational secondary schools

ABSTRACT The focus of this article is on the legal requirement for schools in Scotland to ensure Religious and Moral Education (RME) is taught to all children in non-denominational secondary schools. In particular, the article pays attention to the mediating role of inspection in the relationship between the legal requirement and provision in schools. The paper is based on the findings from a documentary research project that uses the inspection documentation from fifty-four schools dating from August 2016 to August 2020. The article makes three main contributions. First, it offers fresh evidence on the degree of compliance with legal requirements. Second, it highlights the inspectorates’ role in drawing schools’ attention to the legal requirements surrounding RME. Finally, it is argued that the inspectorate’s mediatory role in relation to the legal requirements is a significant factor in understanding the continuing precariousness of the position of RME in Scottish non-denominational secondary schools.

The effect of student voice on the perception of student agency

Student voice and agency are important topics in education, but related initiatives remain under-investigated. This study investigates the link between student voice and perception of student agency through the introduction of a student-led committee using a longitudinal mixed-method approach in an independent secondary school in Scotland. Paired-samples t-tests were conducted for the students’ (n = 95) responses showing an increase in mean effect (p = 0.025) of the introduction of the committee on student perception of student consultation and decision making in the school. Committee members reported a reduction in their sense of agency (n = 5, p = 0.045). Qualitative data is presented to support the discussion of results which suggest student-led committees affect the perception of student agency and wider school ethos is important.

The components of content of elementary education at three stages of elementary education development in Great Britain in the 19 th century

The article investigates the issue of the experience in theory and practice of elementary education organizing in Great Britain during the 19 th century. Special attention is given to elementary education content. The role of changing content at three stages of elementary education development has been defined according to social and political, cultural and pedagogical prerequisites. The content components of elementary education at three stages of elementary education development in Great Britain in the 19 th century have been analyzed. Lack of common, compulsory and legal content at first two stages has been proved. Dependence of elementary education content on the types of elementary education schools and pupils social classes of Great Britain of the 19 th century has been determined. General orientation of elementary education content at three stages of elementary education development has been identified. It is concluded that content of elementary education at three stages has its own characteristics. The main disciplines are Writing, Arithmetic, Reading Catechism and Craft. Secondary disciplines are the Sciences. Condensed character of elementary education at the first two stages has been denoted. Elementary education content was characterized by case studies on English, it was based on work education and teaching of writing, reading and arithmetic at the third stage. It was a lack of common curriculum in the elementary education schools at first two stages. One of the significant disadvantages of elementary education content at the first two stages is the prohibition of learning national languages at schools of Scotland and Wales. Elementary education content at the third stage has been expanded by compulsory curriculum in English writing, reading and arithmetic for all elementary education schools throughout the country. Sciences and Art disciplines have been introduced at the third stage. Compulsory religious education at the third stage has been prohibited for all elementary education schools. Content of elementary education at the third stage has been concretized by elementary education schools committees, Ministry of People Education and its commissions.

Teachers Working in Special Schools in Scotland Acting with Practical Wisdom: Supporting Children with Additional Needs in COVID-19 Lockdown

The COVID-19 lockdown has substantially disrupted the established facets of teacher engagement with their students, and, given the significance of this multidimensional interaction, it brings into question what we know as teachers’ identity. The lockdown has offered a dilemmatic context where the processes of teaching and learning and being(s) a teacher are being re-visited and re-negotiated. This paper looks specifically at the perceptions of two teachers of their lockdown experience working within a special education context in Scotland, supporting children with disabilities and/or learning difficulties while at home. The question that this paper addresses is: what is the understanding of these two teachers of their role in a specialised educational context while in COVID-19 lockdown? This paper uses ‘practical wisdom’ (also known as phronêsis) as its theoretical basis, where the focus is on teachers’ judgements at precisely those moments where guidelines and procedures are unclear, and the criteria open to multiple interpretations. The COVID-19 pandemic certainly provided this context. Richard Smith’s interpretation of phronêsis as ‘attentiveness’ are central to this paper. In-depth interviews carried out with teachers are analysed through this theoretical framework and two themes are discussed.

Risk of hospital admission with covid-19 among teachers compared with healthcare workers and other adults of working age in Scotland, March 2020 to July 2021: population based case-control study

ObjectiveTo determine the risk of hospital admission with covid-19 and severe covid-19 among teachers and their household members, overall and compared with healthcare workers and adults of working age in...