UK Secondary Schools Research Articles

Dissemination of EAACI food allergy guidelines using a flexible, practical, whole school allergy awareness toolkit.

BackgroundEssential training for emergency adrenaline auto‐injector administration alone provides an inadequate safeguard in school environments. Recent UK deaths have reinforced the urgency for embedding whole school (WS) allergy awareness to minimise risk. We documented the development of a practical, flexible WS Food Allergy Awareness Toolkit for UK secondary schools.MethodsWe used a multidisciplinary participatory action research methodology, involving successive modification and retesting of a pragmatic toolkit in 3 case study schools. A School Allergy Action Group drives WS risk assessment, helping schools gradually implement best practice policy in line with their particular needs. Additional schools self‐piloted the resulting toolkit with only remote monitoring. School surveys, based on EAACI guidelines were developed to identify priorities and assess change.ResultsEffectiveness of the resulting process toolkit, now available online, was independently demonstrated via pre/post‐intervention questionnaires from 24/10 pupils with food allergy (FA) and 97/6 pupils without FA, respectively. Pearson correlational analysis showed strong negative relationships between Food Allergy Quality of Life Questionnaire (FAQLQ) at T0 and School Support (SS) at T0 (r = −0.8, P<0.01), and between SS and Self‐Efficacy (SE) (r = 0.73, P<0.05). Mean FAQLQ scores improved between T0 (3.3) and T1 (2.5). SE improved for those with FA (mean difference = 1.0). In those without FA, SE (mean difference = 0.9) and Attitudes and Knowledge (mean difference = 0.7) also improved.ConclusionsFull stakeholder involvement in toolkit development encourages usage and, therefore, improves WS community awareness; reduces risk of reactions; fosters a more accepting societal attitude and empowers pupils with/without allergies to self‐manage effectively.

Multi-age organisation, complexity theory and secondary school reform

PurposeAt a time when many education systems are grappling with the issue of school reform, there is a concern that traditional UK secondary schools are organised in a way that makes them unable to respond to increasingly complex environmental demands. This research-based paper uses complexity theory to gauge the organisational differences between (1) the traditional model of schooling based on same-age organisation and (2) a form of organisation based on multi-age tutor groups, one that schools call a vertical tutoring (VT) system. The intention is to highlight the organisational changes made by schools that choose to transition from their same-age iteration to the VT system, and expose organisational assumptions in the dominant same-age structure that may account for the failure of reform.Design/methodology/approachThe author's consultancy and research work spans two decades, and includes around 200 UK secondary schools, and others in China, Japan, South Africa, Australia, Qatar, Germany and Colombia. This conceptual paper draws on the recorded discourse and critical reflections of leadership teams during programmes of transformative learning, the process involved in the transition from one system to another. Using descriptions of school organisation abstracted from the complexity literature, differences in the two models not otherwise apparent, come into sharp focus. These not only reveal a substantive connection between organisation, complexity, and individual and organisational learning, but offer insights into the challenge of school reform.FindingsSame-age organisations act in ways that regulate and restrict the agency of participating actors (staff, students and parents). The effect is to reduce a school’s learning capacity and ability to absorb the value demand on its system. Such a system is closed and non-complex. VT schools construct an open and fluid learning system from the base, deregulating agency. By unfreezing their structure, they intervene in processes of power, necessitating the distribution of leadership to the organisational edge, a process of complexification. The form of organisation chosen by a school explains the failure of reform.Originality/valueInsights from VT schools cast considerable doubt on the viability of traditional same-age structures to serve complex societies and communities, while highlighting the critical role played by complexity theory in organisational praxis. If correct, the current emphasis on teacher “will and skill”, curricular editing, pedagogy and the “what works agenda” will be insufficient to bring about reformational change and more likely to contribute to systemic stasis.

“I didn’t want to say something and them to go outside and tell everyone”: The acceptability of a dissonance-based body image intervention among adolescent girls in the UK

Cognitive dissonance-based interventions (CDIs) have been well established as effective programs for the prevention of eating disorders. However, limited research has qualitatively explored adolescent girls experience of such interventions. The present study examined the acceptability of a cognitive dissonance-based body image intervention among adolescent girls in UK secondary schools. Adolescent girls aged 14–18 years (N = 99; Mage = 14.87, SD = 0.97) who opted to participate in the intervention were invited to provide intervention feedback via open-ended questions and small focus groups. The findings suggest that the intervention was largely acceptable among adolescent girls. Peers played an important role. Despite initial concerns about sharing within the group, the groups provided a sense of belonging and participants no longer felt alone in their experience of body dissatisfaction. Participants discussed a transition from negative to positive body image following the intervention. Although acceptability was generally high, the data provides some interesting insights into potential considerations and modifications which may be advantageous in future CDIs. These include enhancing authenticity through reduced reliance on the script, inclusion of more personal content from the peer-leaders, and more interactive activities and physical movement.

Alcohol use, cigarette smoking, vaping and number of sexual partners: A cross-sectional study of sexually active, ethnically diverse, inner city adolescents.

ContextThere are few UK data on the prevalence and clustering of risky behaviours in ethnically diverse adolescents.ObjectivesTo investigate the prevalence of reported alcohol use, smoking and vaping, and explore whether these behaviours are associated with increased numbers of sexual partners.DesignQuestionnaire survey of ‘Test n Treat’ chlamydia screening trial participants.Setting and participantsSexually active students attending six London technical colleges completed confidential questionnaires and provided genitourinary samples.ResultsThe median age of the 509 participants was 17 years (IQR: 16‐18), 47% were male, 50% were of black ethnicity, 55% reported ≥2 sexual partners in the past year (67% of males and 45% of females) and 6.2% had chlamydia infection and 0.6% gonorrhoea. Almost half (48%) reported getting drunk in the past month, 33% smoked cigarettes and 7% had ever vaped.A larger percentage of students with ≥2 sexual partners than 0‐1 partners reported getting drunk in the past month (53.7%, 144/268% versus 42.2% 94/223, adjusted prevalence ratio: 1.33, 95% confidence interval: 1.11‐1.61) and smoking cigarettes (36.6%, 100/273% versus 30.2%, 67/222, 1.34 (1.05‐1.70)). By contrast, multiple sexual partners were not associated with vaping or chlamydia infection, but numbers were small.ConclusionsWe found high prevalences of risky behaviour and an association between multiple sexual partners and smoking and/or getting drunk. Findings support the introduction of compulsory sex and relationship education in UK secondary schools, including information about the adverse effects of alcohol and smoking.Public contributionParticipants helped with study design, conduct and interpretation.

Translation in the UK language classroom

AbstractPedagogical translation in UK secondary school language classrooms appears to have returned to favour after years of demonisation brought about by Grammar Translation pedagogy and the rise of L2-only approaches. This renewed interest is reflected in the recent inclusion of translation in the reading and writing sections of GCSE exams (taken by students in all countries within the UK except Scotland). However, there is still some uncertainty around how translation is perceived and utilised in the language classroom. What function has translation been thus far ascribed within language education? What could it be used to achieve? This article presents an overview of where translation currently sits within the secondary Modern Foreign Languages (MFL) landscape in the UK. It then examines how translation may be redefined as ‘dynamic’ and used as a communicative, creative activity to aid students with various aspects of their language learning. Examples of such activities are provided and explained. Finally, recommendations are made as to how to make Dynamic Translation accessible to students in future, namely through task-based translation projects and new forms of pedagogical translation assessment.

Evaluation of the iHEART mental health education programme on resilience and well-being of UK secondary school adolescents

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to present the findings of a preliminary study based on a novel structured mental health education programme – Innate Health Education and Resilience Training (iHEART) – in a cohort of secondary school adolescents in the UK.Design/methodology/approachA curriculum-based ten-week programme was delivered by trained facilitators. In total, 205 students enrolled in the study. An additional 64 participants were within an age-matched non-intervention control group. A non-randomised control mixed methodology approach was used. All students, pre- and post-programme, completed a quantitative questionnaire – the Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Well-being Survey. Qualitative measures were used to assess participants’ perceptions of changes in their resilience and mental well-being.FindingsThose who received the intervention showed a small improvement in mental well-being relative to those who did not, with a similar change in resilience. Qualitative findings regarding impulse control and emotional resilience provided positive findings.Originality/valueiHEART may be a promising new intervention offering a step change in mental health education for improving resilience, mental well-being and the ability for participants to navigate psychological challenges.

Do gender differences in academic attainment correspond with scholastic attitudes? An exploratory study in a UK secondary school

AbstractResearch has examined how standardized tests give rise to gender differences in English and STEM attainment, but little research has explored gender differences in classroom‐based attainment and the degree to which these correspond to differences in school‐related attitudes. To explore the extent to which gender‐achievement gaps in classroom‐based performance parallel differences in self‐perceptions and scholastic attitudes. An independent sample of first (n = 187, age 11–12, Study 1) and second‐year students (n = 113, age 12–13, Study 2) from a UK comprehensive secondary school completed a questionnaire measuring academic mindset, self‐efficacy, self‐concept, competence beliefs, personal and social self‐esteem, and endorsement of gender‐subject and career stereotypes. Responses were then matched to their respective classroom grades in English, mathematics, science, and computing. Girls outperformed boys in English in their first year but reported lower global self‐esteem and greater endorsement of science‐career stereotypes. Conversely, girls outperformed boys in mathematics in their second year, but paradoxically reported lower self‐concept and competence beliefs in mathematics and science, and higher competence beliefs in English. Across both studies, mindset, self‐efficacy, competence beliefs, and social self‐esteem were positively related to English attainment; academic self‐efficacy was positively related to mathematics attainment; and mindset, self‐efficacy, self‐concept, and competence beliefs were positively related to science attainment. Gender‐achievement gaps in classroom‐based academic attainment are complex and highly nuanced; they appear to vary between school subjects across years and may not correspond with similar differences in self‐perceptions and scholastic attitudes.

Chasing pedagogy: Searching for a new school portrait, or can this be a school if it doesn’t look like one?

Possible School was a research project undertaken with students studying art in a UK secondary school. Used as a research tool, student-initiated practice explored what an image of school might be and how, through those images, school might be constituted differently. In this project, the pre-existent, fixed meaning of the school portrait extends the concept of imaging beyond the production of compliant students who will conform to the normalized reproduction of themselves as school subjects. The image of school and reflection on what it means to be a student become purposeful and powerful modes of exploration, where – through art practice – school might critically show itself to itself.

Resilience-based alcohol education: developing an intervention, evaluating feasibility and barriers to implementation using mixed-methods.

Alcohol education must ensure that young people have appropriate information, motivation and skills. This article describes the fifth phase in a program of intervention development based on principles of social marketing and intervention mapping. The aim was to enhance drink refusal self-efficacy (DRSE) and help develop skills for non-drinking or moderate drinking. We conducted a mixed-methods feasibility trial that measured intervention effects among 277 UK secondary school students aged 14-16, and used qualitative methods to explore four teachers' experiences of delivering the intervention. The intervention did not produce the desired changes in DRSE or alcohol use, but nor did it increase alcohol use. In the qualitative process evaluation, time constraints, pressure to prioritize other topics, awkwardness and embarrassment were identified as barriers to fidelitous delivery. A more intense and/or more prolonged intervention delivered with greater fidelity may have produced the desired changes in DRSE and alcohol use. This study illustrates how principles of social marketing and intervention mapping can aid development of resilience-based education designed to help students develop skills to drink moderately, or not drink. It also highlights the need to consider the constraints of micro-social (school) and macro-social (societal) cultures when designing alcohol education.

Participatory performance in the secondary music classroom and the paradox of belonging

ABSTRACTParticipatory performance, as defined by Thomas Turino, holds the potential to contribute to enhanced social bonding, cooperation, and the realisation of community among participants – despite the conflict or ‘paradox’ between self-expression and collective affiliation which it often provokes. This study considers how managing this underlying ‘paradox of belonging’ can positively contribute to the development of participatory performance’s social benefits. It presents a case study of practitioner research situated in a UK secondary school, in which pupils (aged 11–13) faced the paradox of belonging during participatory performances of Terry Riley’s In C. Pupils perceived an emerging conflict between individual ability and interpersonal affinity, and in response proposed and practised different models of leadership to avoid, activate, and transcend the paradox. The study concludes by evaluating how these same responses could allow other participatory practices in secondary music classrooms to equip pupils to negotiate the paradox of belonging.

Factors affecting the implementation of a whole school mindfulness program: a qualitative study using the consolidated framework for implementation research

BackgroundPreventing the onset of poor mental health in adolescence is an international public health priority. Universal, whole school preventative approaches are valued for their reach, and anti-stigmatising and resilience building principles. Mindfulness approaches to well-being have the potential to be effective when delivered as a whole school approach for both young people and staff. However, despite growing demand, there is little understanding of possible and optimal ways to implement a mindfulness, whole school approach (M-WSA) to well-being. This study aimed to identify the determinants of early implementation success of a M-WSA. We tested the capacity of the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research (CFIR), to capture the determinants of the implementation of a mental health intervention in a school setting.MethodsKey members of school staff (n = 15) from five UK secondary schools attempting to implement a M-WSA were interviewed at two-time points, 6 months apart, generating a total of 30 interviews. Interviews explored participants’ attitudes, beliefs and experiences around implementing a M-WSA. Interview data were coded as CFIR constructs or other (non CFIR) factors affecting implementation. We also mapped school-reported implementation activity and perceived success over 30 months.ResultsThe CFIR captured the implementation activities and challenges well, with 74% of CFIR constructs identifiable in the dataset. Of the 38 CFIR constructs, 11 appeared to distinguish between high and low implementation schools. The most essential construct was school leadership. It strongly distinguished between high and low implementation schools and appeared inter-related with many other distinguishing constructs. Other strongly distinguishing constructs included relative priority, networks and communications, formally appointed implementation leaders, knowledge and beliefs about the intervention, and executing.ConclusionsOur findings suggest key implementation constructs that schools, commissioners and policy makers should focus on to promote successful early implementation of mental health programs. School leadership is a key construct to target at the outset. The CFIR appears useful for assessing the implementation of mental health programs in UK secondary schools.

Developing young adolescents’ psychological need satisfaction: a feasibility study of a pupil-focused intervention in secondary schools

ABSTRACT Education-based interventions traditionally focus on the teacher to better support pupils’ motivation. Grounded in self-determination theory, the study investigates the feasibility of a pupil-focused intervention to help pupils become more active in their search for basic psychological need satisfaction (BPNS). Focus groups and a 2-week pupil completed diary-log were administered with 22 UK secondary school pupils from Years 7 and 8 (aged 11–13 years; 45% male, 55% female) and 12 teachers (42% male, 58% female). Despite perceived value from teachers, a written diary-log appeared to be ineffective in engaging pupils. Pupil-focused initiatives may benefit from support sessions to provide guidance on pupils’ reflections, should be incorporated into normal school practices with a showcase event, and be designed in an interactive electronic format. The study offers theoretical considerations regarding pupils’ intrapsychic experience of motivation, and provides teacher and pupil insights into the practicalities of conducting pupil-focused interventions based upon BPNS.

Drawing out: Encounter, resistance and collaboration

Abstract This collaborative paper is written against the backdrop of a current crisis in art education and provision in UK secondary schools. Education policy and the introduction of the European Baccalaureate (EBacc) has led to an increasing decline in the hours of arts teaching and number of arts teachers in England's secondary schools (). The results of this educational turn are well documented and the effects are being felt now in higher education, in wider culture and in the outcomes for young people in their creative capabilities, global outlook and wellbeing. Drawing pedagogy is considered with reference to this wider context and through the lens of Gert Biesta's philosophy of education that brings children and young people into dialogue with the world. It juxtaposes Tim Ingold and John Dewey in a discussion of a collaborative drawing project, Ailleurs (Elsewhere), an exchange between Plymouth College of Art (PCA) and Ecole Supérieure des Beaux-Arts Montpellier Contemporain (MoCo ESBA) in 2017. The intention is to bring a pedagogy of collaboration, resistance and encounters to bear, to argue for drawing as a singular means of working within this set of tensions. The text concludes that as research or enquiry-led teaching is at the root of an increasing amount of University teaching, finding a route into this from results-led education is a clear challenge to higher education and it sets out a collaborative, peer-to-peer learning strategy as an approach to drawing pedagogy.

Process evaluation of the school-based Girls Active programme

BackgroundGirls Active is a physical activity programme, delivered in UK secondary schools, with the aim of increasing moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) in girls aged 11–14 years. This study presents the process evaluation as part of a 14-month cluster randomised controlled trial designed to evaluate the effectiveness of the Girls Active programme and which showed no difference in the primary outcome (MVPA at 14 months) between intervention and control arms.MethodsQuantitative and qualitative data were collected from intervention schools over the course of the 14 month trial. Feedback forms and attendance records were completed at the end of all teacher and peer leader training and review days. At 7- and 14-months, semi-structured interviews were conducted with the lead Girls Active teacher in all intervention schools (n = 10) and staff from the intervention provider (n = 4) and hub school (n = 1). At 14 months, separate focus groups with peer leaders (n = 8 schools), girls who participated in the evaluation component of the trial (n = 8 schools), and a sample of boys (n = 6 schools) were conducted. All participants in the intervention schools were asked to complete an exit survey at 14 months. Teachers (intervention and control) completed a school environment questionnaire at baseline, 7- and 14-months.ResultsThe Girls Active programme, i.e., the training and resources, appeared to be well received by teachers and pupils. Factors that may have contributed to the lack of effectiveness include: some initial uncertainty by teachers as to what to do following the initial training, a predominant focus on support activities (e.g., gathering opinions) rather than actual physical activity provision, and school-level constraints that impeded implementation.ConclusionsGirls Active and what it was trying to achieve was valued by schools. The programme could be improved by providing greater guidance to teachers throughout, the setting of timelines, and providing formal training to peer leaders.Trial registrationISRCTN, ISRCTN10688342. Registered 12 January 2015.

Survival in the badlands: an exploration of disaffected students’ uses of space in a UK secondary school

This article considers the understandings of space and place amongst a group of disaffected students within an institution that had been in a state of flux over a number of years. The article explores ways in which students are positioned by institutions into specific spaces, ways in which they use those spaces to challenge authority and ways in which they appropriate both space and place to assert new, and often playful, identities. The authors consider the meanings of the spatial behaviour of students through notions of space and place as developed by Doreen Massey, with reference to a Foucauldian understanding of power. In some ways, the students might be perceived as being marginalised, victims of a hierarchical environment in which their status is low. Yet they also emerge as active agents, forging new interpretations of their surroundings and robust group identities, and reinforcing in-group relationships through spatial behaviour.

Socioeconomic Differences and the Potential Role of Tribes in Young People's Food and Drink Purchasing Outside School at Lunchtime.

Socioeconomic deprivation has been linked to food consumption practices, but studies investigating the food environment around schools provide mixed findings. Peer influence and marketing cues are considered important influencers of young people’s behaviors. This study used a tribal theory lens to investigate the factors affecting pupils’ purchasing and consumption of food/drinks outside schools at lunchtime. A survey was conducted with 243 pupils from seven UK secondary schools of differing socioeconomic status (SES). A purchasing recall questionnaire (PRQ) was developed and administered online at the participating schools to capture food and drink purchasing, intake, and expenditure. No significant differences were found in terms of energy and nutrients consumed or food/drink expenditure between pupils from schools of lower and higher SES. Enjoyment of food shopping with friends was linked with higher food energy intake and spend. Higher susceptibility to peer influence was associated with greater influence from food advertising and endorsements. Without ignoring the impact that SES can have on young people’s food choices, we suggest that tribal theory can be additionally used to understand pupils’ eating behaviors and we present implications for social marketers and policy makers.

Introducing Physically Active Lessons in a UK Secondary School: A Pilot Cluster-Randomised Controlled Trial

Introducing Physically Active Lessons in a UK Secondary School: A Pilot Cluster-Randomised Controlled Trial

Poster PresentationsAssessment practice amongst educational psychologistsEducational psychologists’ use of motivational interviewing: Findings and implications for practicePerfectionism in UK secondary schools: The relationship with anxiety and depression, and how pupil views can inform interventionStepping over the boundary: Educational psychologists work with familiesResilience: Perspectives from a health needs education hub

Poster PresentationsAssessment practice amongst educational psychologistsEducational psychologists’ use of motivational interviewing: Findings and implications for practicePerfectionism in UK secondary schools: The relationship with anxiety and depression, and how pupil views can inform interventionStepping over the boundary: Educational psychologists work with familiesResilience: Perspectives from a health needs education hub

Socio-Economic Factors, the Food Environment and Lunchtime Food Purchasing by Young People at Secondary School.

The aim of this paper is to report on the lunchtime food purchasing practices of secondary school students and some of the factors related to this purchasing, including the influence of socio-economic status (SES) and the food environment within and around schools. A mixed-methods study incorporating an online purchasing recall questionnaire and multiple qualitative methods was undertaken at seven UK secondary schools. The analysis shows that SES was intricately woven with lunchtime food practices. Three-quarters of participants regularly purchased food outside of school; those at low SES schools were more likely to report regularly leaving school to buy food. Young people’s perception of food sold in schools in areas of low SES was often negative and they left school to find “better” food and value for money. Taste, ingredients and advertisements were factors that mattered to young people at schools with low or mixed SES; health as a driver was only mentioned by pupils at a high SES school. For public health initiatives to be effective, it is critical to consider food purchasing practices as complex socio-economically driven phenomena and this study offers important insights along with suggestions for designing interventions that consider SES. Availability of food outlets may be less important than meeting young people’s desires for tasty food and positive relationships with peers, caterers and retailers, all shaped by SES. Innovative ways to engage young people, taking account of SES, are required.

Introducing physically active lessons in UK secondary schools: feasibility study and pilot cluster-randomised controlled trial

ObjectivesAssess feasibility, acceptability and costs of delivering a physically active lessons (PAL) training programme to secondary school teachers and explore preliminary effectiveness for reducing pupils’ sedentary time.Design and settingSecondary schools...