State-funded Schools Research Articles

Impact of special educational needs provision on hospital utilisation, school attainment and absences for children in English primary schools stratified by gestational age at birth: A target trial emulation study protocol.

One third of children in English primary schools have additional learning support called special educational needs (SEN) provision, but children born preterm are more likely to have SEN than those born at term. We aim to assess the impact of SEN provision on health and education outcomes in children grouped by gestational age at birth. We will analyse linked administrative data for England using the Education and Child Health Insights from Linked Data (ECHILD) database. A target trial emulation approach will be used to specify data extraction from ECHILD, comparisons of interest and our analysis plan. Our target population is all children enrolled in year one of state-funded primary school in England who were born in an NHS hospital in England between 2003 and 2008, grouped by gestational age at birth (extremely preterm (24-<28 weeks), very preterm (28-<32 weeks), moderately preterm (32-<34 weeks), late preterm (34-<37 weeks) and full term (37-<42 weeks). The intervention of interest will comprise categories of SEN provision (including none) during year one (age five/six). The outcomes of interest are rates of unplanned hospital utilisation, educational attainment, and absences by the end of primary school education (year six, age 11). We will triangulate results from complementary estimation methods including the naïve estimator, multivariable regression, g-formula, inverse probability weighting, inverse probability weighting with regression adjustment and instrumental variables, along with a variety for a variety of causal contrasts (average treatment effect, overall, and on the treated/not treated). We have existing research ethics approval for analyses of the ECHILD database described in this protocol. We will disseminate our findings to diverse audiences (academics, relevant government departments, service users and providers) through seminars, peer-reviewed publications, short briefing reports and infographics for non-academics (published on the study website).

Local authority variation in primary school-recorded special educational needs provision among children with major congenital anomalies: A research protocol

Introduction: Special educational needs (SEN) provision has been called a “postcode lottery” in England, but the extent to which this represents underlying inequities has not been sufficiently investigated. This study will focus on children with similar underlying health characteristics to explore sources of systematic variation in SEN provision by local authority (LA) in England. Methods and analysis: We will use linked individual-level state-funded hospital and school records from the Education and Health Insights from Linked Data (ECHILD) database, alongside open-source school-level data. Our cohort will be defined as singleton children with major congenital anomalies born in England between 1 September 2003 and 31 August 2012. We will identify major congenital anomalies from diagnoses in hospital records in the first year of life using European Surveillance of Congenital Anomalies (EUROCAT) guidelines. LA (152 in total) will be defined by child’s residential address reported in education records at entry into year one of school (aged five years old). SEN provision will be defined by a recording of an educational health and care plan or SEN support in any census in Reception, year one or two of primary school (ages four/five to six/seven). To quantify variation in SEN provision we will fit multilevel logistic regression models to the individual records, with a-priori selected individual-, school- and LA-level characteristics. We will report the estimated intraclass correlation coefficient at each stage of the model, signifying the percentage of remaining variation in the odds of recorded SEN provision that is due to differences between LAs. Ethics and dissemination: We have existing research ethics approval for analyses of the ECHILD database described in this protocol. We will disseminate our findings to diverse audiences (academics, relevant government departments, service users and providers) through seminars, peer-reviewed publications, short briefing reports and infographics for non-academics (published on the study website).

Greenness and biodiversity of open spaces in primary schools and their local surroundings in England

SummaryThere is increasing disconnect between children and nature in the UK. Given that childhood nature experiences are important for the development of nature connection, well-being benefits and aspects of children’s development, mapping the existing biodiversity that children are exposed to on a daily basis in schools and their grounds is vital to identifying areas of low biodiversity and to developing strategies to increase exposure to nature. Despite children spending a large portion of time at schools, there has not yet been an in-depth, in situ assessment of the biodiversity present in school grounds. Using a sample of 14 English schools, including state-funded and non-state-funded schools, we used remote images to quantify green-space area within a 3–km buffer around (buffer greenness) and within (school greenness) each school, including the school’s grounds surrounding the buildings, and in situ images to quantify vegetation visible to children within each school’s grounds (visible vegetation). We also surveyed trees, ground plants, ground invertebrates and birds within school grounds. School greenness correlated positively with visible vegetation, but buffer greenness was not related to either school greenness or visible vegetation. Buffer greenness correlated positively with plant richness, and school greenness correlated positively with tree abundance and richness. Visible vegetation correlated positively with tree abundance and richness, maximum tree diameter at breast height, plant richness and invertebrate abundance. Non-state-funded schools had higher visible vegetation than state-funded schools. Our sample indicates that schools can support considerable biodiversity and that this is broadly consistent across state-funded and non-state-funded schools. We suggest that increasing the amount of vegetation, through planting of trees, shrubs and borders, may be the most effective method of increasing school biodiversity, as visible vegetation had effects on the greatest number of taxa.

Factors associated with COVID-19 vaccine uptake in adolescents: a national cross-sectional study, August 2021–January 2022, England

ObjectivesTo assess socioeconomic and geographical factors associated with COVID-19 vaccine uptake in pupils attending state-funded secondary schools in England.DesignCross-sectional observational study.SettingState-funded schools in England.ParticipantsPupils aged 12–17 years attending state-funded schools...

Developing an undergraduate business analytics program for a public state-funded business school

Business Analytics has gained the attention of academia and industry due to three main trends namely, availability of data, methodological developments, and explosion in computing power and storage capacity. Many higher education institutes show interest in developing an undergraduate business analytics program. This paper develops a framework including all the detailed steps needed to create and implement such a program for a business college in a state-funded public university. It first focuses on program justification and program development process. Then, it tackles program structure, learning outcomes, and resources. Finally, the lessons learnt are shared.

A national survey of gendered grouping practices in secondary school physical education in England

ABSTRACT Background Gendered grouping practices and curriculum provision are matters of long-standing contention and debate in physical education (PE) policy, research, and practice internationally. In England, there is a long tradition of single-sex grouping in PE in secondary schools, with accompanying gendered patterns of staffing and many boys and girls taught different activities in the curriculum. Research on the incidence of single- and mixed-sex grouping in PE is however scarce, dated, and limited in scale. At a time when education, sport, and society are challenged to move beyond binary discourses and critically review structures and practices that uphold stereotypical and established gendered power relations, this study sought to provide an evidence base and stimulus for researchers, policy-makers, and PE professionals to (re-) engage with grouping practices in PE. Specifically, the study was designed to provide a national picture of current single- and mixed-sex grouping arrangements in PE in secondary schools in England. Method Data were collected by a web-based survey of all 2873 mainstream state-funded co-educational secondary schools in England. The survey was addressed to Subject Leaders of PE and was open between September and October 2021. A total of 818 surveys were completed giving an overall response rate of 28.5%. Results The responses indicated that single-sex grouping is the most common arrangement in core (compulsory, non-examination) PE in Key Stage 3 (Years 7–9) and Key Stage 4 (Years 10–11), whilst mixed-sex grouping is dominant in General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE) and/or Business and Technology Education Council (BTEC) PE in Key Stage 4. It was noticeable, however, that very few schools were using the same arrangement for all PE lessons in Key Stages 3 and 4, and some were using single-sex grouping within mixed-sex PE lessons, particularly in physical contact activities such as rugby and football. The responses highlighted that single- and mixed-sex grouping decisions in PE are complex and contingent on several interrelated factors, including curriculum content and structures, school timetabling, staffing arrangements and preferences, the nature of the student cohort, and specific considerations relating to safety in some sport contexts. Data indicated that in many instances grouping arrangements in secondary school PE in England serve to reproduce and legitimate restrictive binary gender discourses. There was some but limited evidence of grouping approaches positively supporting gender diversity within PE, with a small number of schools organising PE in mixed-sex classes to be more inclusive of transgender and non-binary students. Discussion and conclusion This study highlights the role that grouping approaches play in either impeding or advancing work to strengthen gender equity and inclusion in PE and identifies teachers’ knowledge, skills, and understandings relating to grouping approaches and gender diversity as an important focus for initial teacher education and professional learning. The paper also calls for engagement from research and professional communities internationally to inform future policies and practices regarding the use of grouping approaches in PE.

Children’s technologies of the self within neoliberal governmentality at the educational transition to Gymnasium in Zurich

ABSTRACT Over the last two decades, research in children’s geographies and governmentality studies have contributed significantly to the study of children’s experiences in neoliberal educational contexts. This paper furthers this debate by examining the ways children govern and are governed within the neoliberal governmentality at the educational transition to Gymnasium: the only school that offers a direct path to university education within the state-funded school system in Switzerland. Drawing on an ethnography with eight students aged 13–15 during their preparation for the selective entrance examination to Gymnasium in Zurich, this article makes two points: Firstly, it demonstrates how Zurich’s education system thrusts students into taking individual responsibility for their educational success at this transition. Secondly, the article draws on Foucault’s later work to explore the particular ‘technologies of the self’ that children adopt coping with this individualized responsibility. This paper argues that these technologies reveal insights into the neoliberal governmentality of this educational transition. Finally, the article argues to critically examine children’s technologies of the self to understand their relationships with the education systems they navigate. This line of inquiry serves as a pathway to answer and expand earlier calls to grant children an active voice in research on education.

Does England have a bias against ethnic minority teachers?

Does England have a bias against ethnic minority teachers? 85% of teachers in England are White British, and 46% of schools have no racially diverse teachers at all. Does this mean England has a bias against ethnic minority teachers? Beng Huat See from Durham Evidence Centre for Education explores. Around 70% of the working population is recorded as White British, but 85% of all teachers in state-funded schools in England are White British. This makes teaching a particularly White profession. Around 66% of the student population is White British, but 86% of teachers and teaching assistants and 93% of school leaders are White British by ethnic background (Gov.UK 2021). There represents a mismatch between the ethnic makeup of teachers and pupil numbers overall.

Teacher-Made Materials Based on Meaningful Learning to Foster Writing Skills.

This qualitative action research study explores the contribution of teacher-made materials based on meaningful learning to the development of tenth graders’ writing skills. It was carried out with 35 students at a state-funded school in Florencia - Caquetá, Colombia. The instruments used for data collection were students’ artifacts, teacher’s field notes, and a focus group interview. The findings evince that the implementation of well-informed teacher-made materials based on a Materials Development (MD) framework contributes to the development of the learning activities and fosters language learning and use. Besides, meaningful learning occurs as a result of contextualizing content and localizing and personalizing experiences in the learning activities proposed in the workshop to engage students in their completion. Moreover, the students’ writing skills enhance by scaffolding the construction of their texts through the process approach procedures and the cooperative work, as the learning approach that underpinned the development of the writing activities. Finally, giving and receiving feedback served as the source of learner-learner and teacher-learner identification of the state of progress in students’ writings.

A national survey of ability grouping practices in secondary school physical education in England

ABSTRACT This research sought to generate large-scale yet sophisticated data relating to ability grouping practices in physical education (PE) in secondary schools in England, with the intent of extending knowledge of the various ability grouping practices being adopted within and across schools. The prevalence of particular ability grouping practices, processes associated with their application, and factors influencing their use and non-use were explored. Data were collected via a web-based survey of all (3197 at the time of study) mainstream state-funded secondary schools in England. A total of 903 responses were received, giving a response rate of 28.2%. The findings reveal that overall, mixed-ability grouping is the most common ability grouping practice in PE, although the extent and nature of this practice (and other ability grouping practices) varied by year group, Key Stage, gender of students, and/or curriculum activities. Setting was the predominant approach in PE in Year 8 (aged 12–13) and Year 9 (aged 13–14). The use of variants on these practices (including mixed-ability grouping with a separate top and/or bottom set) and descriptions of how and why different grouping practices are enacted in specific contexts, illustrate the significance of discourses of ability, gender, and pragmatism in grouping practices in PE.

Diasporic education in the mainstream school: creative pedagogies of belonging across time and space

ABSTRACT This article builds upon a theoretical framework for “diasporic education” to explore the impact of such an educational approach in a state-funded primary school in England. Diasporic education refers to curricular, pedagogic and political processes that utilise as educational resource the transnational connections of racially and religiously minoritised, or “migrant”, communities. The paper draws on collaborative research with an educational theatre company and a diverse class of year-six (10–11-year-old) children in Birmingham, UK, to show that the inclusion of diasporic education in mainstream schooling can have immediate and deep-running educational benefits. In this way, the paper unifies two strands of research on the education of minoritised communities, one focusing on their “supplementary” educational activities and the other on their chronically disadvantaged position in mainstream schooling. Exploring two themes, (1) the “diasporisation” of educational spaces, and (2) the complexities of home and belonging, I argue that diasporic education helps to redress some of the educational inequities wrought by myopic nationalist policies and discourses that chronically affect minoritised youth. This happens through a reimagining of the learning and teaching of, among other subjects, values and history. Diasporic education also opens avenues for creative teaching practices that are tangibly linked with the local yet transnationally connected urban contexts in which many minoritised pupils live their daily lives.

Heterogeneous effects of school autonomy in England

A 2010 education reform gave English schools the option to become academies, autonomous but state-funded schools. Academies can opt for two different models of governance by choosing to remain standalone schools or join an academy chain. We investigate the causal effect of the governance model on student achievement and school inputs. We find that students in academy chains have higher end-of-primary school test scores, with stronger effects for low achievers and early converter academies. School chains are more efficient than standalone academies, achieving better results while spending less overall. Survey data suggest that chains favor management changes, whereas standalone academies make changes related to educational practices.

What different education professionals know about ADHD and their attitudes towards it

ABSTRACT Teachers and school counsellors play a key role in the detection of symptoms associated with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and in interventions. The present study aimed to analyse differences in knowledge about and attitudes towards ADHD between five different types of educator: infant education teachers, primary education teachers, special education teachers, school counsellors, and secondary education teachers. The participants were 206 professionals from state-funded and independent schools in the north of Spain who completed the Questionnaire for the Evaluation of Teachers’ Knowledge of ADHD (which included four dimensions: general information, symptoms, aetiology and treatment) and the ADHD-Specific Knowledge and Attitudes of Teachers questionnaire (to assess attitudes towards ADHD). Results of univariate analysis of variance showed statistically significant differences between the five different types of educator. School counsellors and special education teachers exhibited greater knowledge and better attitudes towards ADHD. Training programs for teachers in infant, primary and secondary education, should be provided to improve knowledge and attitudes in relation to ADHD.

National and regional prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 antibodies in primary and secondary school children in England: the School Infection Survey, a national open cohort study, November 2021SARS-CoV-2 antibody prevalence in school children

SARS-CoV-2 infection rates are likely to be underestimated in children because of asymptomatic or mild infections. We aim to estimate national and regional prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 antibodies in primary (4-11 years old) and secondary (11-18 years old) school children between 10 November and 10 December 2021. Cross-sectional surveillance in England using two-stage sampling, firstly stratifying into regions and selecting local authorities, then selecting schools according to a stratified sample within selected local authorities. Participants were sampled using a novel oral fluid-validated assay for SARS-CoV-2 spike and nucleocapsid IgG antibodies. 4980 students from 117 state-funded schools (2706 from 83 primary schools, 2274 from 34 secondary schools) provided a valid sample. After weighting for age, sex, and ethnicity, and adjusting for assay accuracy, the national prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 antibodies in primary school students, who were all unvaccinated, was 40.1% (95%CI37.3-43.0). Antibody prevalence increased with age (p<0.001) and washigher in urban than rural schools (p=0.01). In secondary school students, the adjusted, weighted national prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 antibodies was 82.4% (95%CI79.5-85.1); including 71.5% (95%CI65.7-76.8) in unvaccinated and 97.5% (95% CI96.1-98.5) in vaccinated students. Antibody prevalence increased with age (p<0.001), and was not significantly different in urban versus rural students (p=0.1). In November 2021, using a validated oral fluid assay, national SARS-CoV-2 seroprevalence was estimated to be 40.1% in primary school students and 82.4% in secondary school students. In unvaccinated children, this was approximately threefold higher than confirmed infections highlighting the importance of seroprevalence studies to estimate prior exposure. Deidentified study data are available for access by accredited researchers in the ONS Secure Research Service (SRS) for accredited research purposes under part 5, chapter 5 of the Digital Economy Act 2017. For further information about accreditation, contact Research.support@ons.gov.uk or visit the SRS website.

Who Chooses Single Sex Schooling and Why? Evidence from Ireland

ABSTRACT A common decision parents face is the choice of school for their children. In Ireland, somewhat uniquely in an international context, this choice includes a large number of state-funded single-sex schools, to the point that this can be considered a realistic option for many parents. Focusing on secondary-level education and using the PISA 2018 dataset, we examine whether different parental attitudes help explain the selection of single-sex versus coeducational schools in Ireland. Focusing on those households that have a degree of choice in secondary school selection, we find that parents who place a greater emphasis on factors such as religious ethos and academic achievement rather than subject choice or the climate of the school tend to have children in single-sex schools. The importance of a school’s academic achievement seems to be particularly relevant for those from higher socioeconomic backgrounds.

Kongsberg Vision Meeting Abstracts 2022

Kongsberg Vision Meeting 2022: Abstracts&#x0D; Kongsberg Vision Meeting was held at the University of South-Eastern Norway in Kongsberg, for the 14th time, on November 7–9, 2022. The meeting was organised as a three-day meeting with a lighting design dayfollowed by two clinical optometry and vision research days. Rigmor C. Baraas, Sylvia Pont, Helle K. Falkenberg, Vibeke Sundling, Tove Lise Morisbakk, Gro Horgen Vikesdal, Lotte-Guri B. Steen, Trine Langaas, Randi Mork and Are Røysamb organised the three-day meeting. The theme this year was Light &amp; Vision in a Public Health Perspective. Keynote speakers for the lighting design day was Wout van Bommel and for the research day were Bruce Moore and Vibeke Sundling. Lee Turner from the Department for Education, His Majesty’s Government, UK and Mark Mon-Williams, University of Leeds and Bradford Institute of Health Research, UK held a special session on the randomized control trial (RCT) Glasses-in-Classes, a project run in state-funded primary schools based in the Metropolitan area of Bradford (UK) to ensure that children who need eyeglasses both have access to an eye examination as well as two pairs of glasses. Teachers are informed and trained to ensure children who have been prescribed with glasses wear them at school, and that their spare pair is available if they attend school without their home pair. Preliminary results from the RCT show that wearing eyeglasses over one school year significantly improves reading and literacy skills when a child who need eyeglasses wears them as compared with those who need eyeglasses, but do not wear them. The abstracts from the other invited and contributed talks on the different days are presented in the order they were given.&#x0D; &#x0D; Received October 1, 2022. Accepted November 1, 2022.

Out-of-State Students at State Medical Schools and Increasing Medical Education Debt.

Medical school tuition has increased at alarming rates ahead of inflation over the past 20 years. The authors investigated whether state-funded medical schools have had an increased number of out-of-state matriculants, which may create a diaspora of displaced in-state medical students matriculating to out-of-state programs and incurring substantial debt. Publicly available data from the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) were accessed from 2004 through 2019 for applicants and matriculants at U.S. state-funded schools. Schools listed as public that reported tuition charges in the AAMC Tuition and Student Fees reports were included in this study. The numbers and trends of medical school applications and trends in tuition costs and average indebtedness were summarized for in-state and out-of-state matriculants. Values were analyzed by group as median and interquartile range (IQR). Group differences were assessed via t tests. P values less than .05 were considered statistically significant. From 2004 through 2019, the annual number of out-of-state matriculants in state-funded schools increased 7% (16%-23% [7,195-11,144]). Among 74 schools with data in 2004, the median percentage of out-of-state applications increased from 60% (IQR, 31%-74%) to 80% (IQR, 57%-85%; P < .001), and the median percentage of out-of-state matriculants increased from 13% (IQR, 5%-23%) to 17% (IQR, 11%-33%; P < .001). In 2004, the mean (standard error) debt upon completion of medical school (inflation adjusted to 2018 dollars) was $144,100 ($10,950); by 2016, the mean debt had increased to $251,600 ($32,040), a 75% increase over 12 years. Since 2004, substantial increases have occurred in out-of-state matriculants at state-funded medical schools. This may displace residents from attending their in-state schools, causing them to attend out-of-state or private medical schools, where tuition is typically much higher.

Association of an Early Interest in Orthopedic Surgery with Match Rate into Orthopedic Surgery.

Orthopedic surgery residency is considered one of the most competitive specialties in which to match. Studies examining the factors associated with a successful match have neglected whether participation in an orthopedic interest group (OIG) improves the chances of orthopedic residency match. The goal of this study was to test the hypothesis that participation in the OIG would improve matching into an orthopedic surgery residency. We performed a retrospective cohort study between May 2017 and 2019 at one state-funded medical school. All of the applicants in orthopedic surgery from 2004 to 2019 were identified and contacted for OIG membership status. The Office of Student Affairs provided academic performance data (US Medical Licensing Examination scores and third-year clinical clerkship grades), Alpha Omega Alpha and Gold Humanism Honor Society status, and demographics (race and sex) of applicants. Between 2004 and 2019, 67 students (56 OIG and 11 non-OIG) applied for orthopedic surgery residency match. The match rate for the OIG was 86% compared with 64% for the non-OIG group, resulting in an adjusted odds ratio (adjusted for academic performance) of 10.23 (95% confidence interval 1.14-92.3, <i>P =</i> 0.038). OIG membership was associated with a significantly higher rate of orthopedic surgery residency matches. The higher rate of match associated with OIG membership may be the result of opportunities to diversify a residency application. Future studies are needed to further evaluate the potential association between OIG involvement and orthopedic surgery match.

The Assessment of School Lunches in the Form of Food Packs during the COVID-19 Pandemic in Latvia.

During the pandemic, Latvian schools switched to remote learning which required looking for solutions to provide state-funded school lunches for pupils at home. The aim of study was to analyse the type of support received by pupils for provision of school lunches, the compliance of the composition of food packs with Latvian healthy diet recommendations and parental assessment of the food packs received. With the help of the questionnaire data on the composition of food packs, parental assessment was obtained by interviewing 1495 parents of pupils in grades 1–4 (age 6–11 years). The composition of food packs was evaluated in accordance with the recommendations for a healthy diet. Food packs were the main choice for the provision of school lunches in all regions (90.70%). The emphasis in the food packs was on protein-rich products like canned meat and meat products (93.36%) and milk (91.37%). 81.71% of food packs contained both vegetables and fruits. Food packs covered basic needs but improvements would be needed. The parents appreciated the support received, 90% of them rated it as positive/partially positive. In the event of a pandemic recurrence, the state would need to work with food producers to provide smaller packaging of products for food packs to ensure food diversity.

Studying region, network, fluid, and fire in an educational programme working against social inequalities

Debates on the neoliberalization and privatization of education have recently contributed fresh impulses to the critical engagement of geographies of education, which is known for its longstanding interest in the reproduction of social inequalities. This paper furthers this engagement in two ways. First, it draws on an empirical study of a private, nonprofit preparatory programme that trains aspirational students from disadvantaged backgrounds for a highly selective entrance examination for state-funded secondary schools in Zurich, Switzerland. In doing so, the paper moves beyond the Anglophone pivot in the field, which has been a source of self-critique. Second, we take this empirical site a point from which to think through the study programme as an ‘object multiple’ that is engrained in Actor-Network Theory. Drawing on the four ontological metaphors of region, network, fluid, and fire, we assert that educational transitions serve as magnifying glasses which lay bare complex social effects of supplementary education on students, increasing social inequalities and subtle forms of conforming to and resisting of the neoliberalization of education and uncomfortable, yet thought-provoking aspects of discrimination. We conclude that the replication of white supremacy requires more reflection not only within a programme that was installed with the intent of supporting young people from disadvantaged backgrounds but also in our engagement as critical geographers within educational schemes.