Search

This article provides a review of existing research on youth transitions within regional, remote and rural communities. Results were organised according to the Systems Theory Framework of Career Development, highlighting the importance of geographical location as an environmental influence within the career decision-making process. By deploying a scoping review methodology it was determined that educational institutions, the employment market, socioeconomic status and families are the most significant influences on the career decision-making processes for young people in regional, remote and rural communities. Future research in this area would involve an examination of these four areas.

This paper presents ethnographic work conducted to investigate how notions of culinary capital have the potential to shape the everyday experiences of children during mealtime in school. Children's early experiences with mealtimes and food are critical determinants for eating behaviour over the life course. The paper presents an account of conceptual debates based on longstanding ethnographic work on school food with a particular focus on a case study of Maple Field Academy to frame the research. Research methods used included semi-structured interviews, fieldnotes and photographs with the aim of capturing a rich picture of the school. This paper introduces Laird's sensory theory to frame the discussion. This research calls for the need to recognise the social good that can be realised from participating in mealtimes and school is a microcosm of society, which means it can function as a driver for social change. The paper calls for more engagement with social theorising on studies which focus on researching food in school.

The education systems of the four UK nations are diverging, and the education system in Wales is undergoing major reform with substantially increased emphasis on health and wellbeing. Understanding the implementation of major policy and system reforms requires an understanding of system histories and starting points. This study aimed to explore the perceived roles of schools in contemporary society, and how this role has evolved over time; the aims of the reforms, with a particular focus on health and wellbeing; and perceived barriers and facilitators for implementation. Interviews were held with senior stakeholders in the Welsh education system who held a strategic role in shaping the reforms. These included senior members of government and schools with a remit in either design of the curriculum or educationalists' professional learning, Wales's school regulatory body, and those with a multidisciplinary remit in health and education. Interviews were subjected to thematic analysis, which produced a number of themes related to each objective, including 'a changing society and increasing expectations on schools', 'the perceived role of schools in supporting health and wellbeing', 'the aims of the reform', 'what will success look like?', 'national level barriers and facilitators' and 'community and school level barriers and facilitators'. Findings suggest that education system reform requires change at multiple levels of the education system. Consideration of each level, and the interactions between them, is necessary for achieving change.

The members of the governing boards of schools, colleges which provide vocational education and training, and universities in the UK have traditionally been volunteers. In some contexts, however, for example, colleges in Northern Ireland, governors are now paid. Whether volunteer governors in other or all settings should be remunerated is the subject of debate. This article analyses the various aspects of that debate. It considers the nature of volunteering; the socio-political context of volunteering; and the growing momentum for the remuneration of governors of all UK educational institutions. The article also considers the arguments for and against governor remuneration, which include remuneration and: the way governors and the governing of educational institutions are valued; the visibility of governing; governor recruitment; the diversity of governing board membership; the quality of governing; the remuneration of other publicly funded agencies and organisations; the accountability governors experience in their role; the market for school governors; and whether a policy which implemented governor remuneration could be reversed. The article also considers aspects that would need to be resolved in practice: who would be paid and for what; the level of remuneration; the funding of governor remuneration; and the organisation of remuneration.

This paper argues that Ofsted's initial approach to the use of criteria encouraged a misguided view of how inspection judgements should be made and, at worst, militated against the professional discussion between inspectors and schools that should always have been at the heart of the process.

Grade inflation is a global phenomenon that has garnered widespread condemnation among educators, researchers, and the public. Yet, few have deliberated over the ethics of grading, let alone the ethics of grade inflation. The purpose of this paper is to map out and examine the ethics of grade inflation. By way of beginning, we clarify why grade inflation is a problem of practical ethics embedded in contemporary social practice. Then, we illuminate three different aspects of grade inflation--longitudinal, compressed, and comparative--and explore the ethical dilemmas that each one raises. We demonstrate how these three aspects may be seen as corresponding to three different victims of grade inflation--individuals, institutions, and society--and hence also to three potential agents of harm--teachers, schools, and educational systems. Next, we reflect upon various compelling reasons that these agents inflate grades, whether from an ethic of care, fiduciary responsibility, or simple self-preservation. Subsequently, we consider a variety of means of combatting grade inflation, and invite more educators and philosophers to delve into the complex practical ethics of grade inflation.

Online education in institutional contexts means new organizational problems. The fact that universities need to change to accommodate the impact of technology on learning is already known and accepted. Coping with changes from adoption until institutionalization of online education represents a formidable management challenge for universities. Online education, under the umbrella of e-learning was perceived by several early researchers as an innovation per-se, "established and embedded" in educational institutions. Nevertheless, the Department for Education and Skills of UK insists that e-learning is not embedded at any stage of education. The focus was strongly set on technological, practical and pedagogical aspects but there are relevant reports about failures in embedding innovations in educational institutions. The institutional lack of strategies to cope with international students and new technologies as well as supporting for future online developments clearly appeared in recent studies. Competition in the market of Higher Education has pushed universities towards the adoption of sophisticated organizational practices to ensure effectiveness. These new institutional models require changing traditional functions and roles, as online education does not usually fit into the existing university structure. The transition from on-campus to online education evolves in new roles, either in the pedagogical or in the administration domains. Organizational factors, more than teachers and students attitudes or technological features seem to mark the differences in the general perception about technology-mediated education getting successfully embedded in institutional new programs, roles, procedures, culture and structures. The aim of this paper is to revisit the existing theoretical background about the process from adoption until institutionalization of online education and explore the needs for further research. The overall purpose is to encourage researchers to fill the gaps of knowledge helping university managers to address a more clear understanding of the individual and organizational interactions that influence the development of strategies and institutionalization of emergent online educational initiatives. Exploring the current theoretical background it could be found that IT-innovation adoption models describe very extensively organizational issues, but they mainly take into account educational innovation take-up, adoption and implementation as isolated stages. They focus on factors and prescribed practices, but not on the human interactions during the transition from individual adoption until institutionalization. The disconnection between individual and organizational IT adoption research was remarked by the Diffusion Interest Group in Information Technology (DIGIT) in their 2004 conference. Since then, several authors have claimed for a better understanding of this linkage. The lack of clearness about the phenomena and a description of how individual and group-level processes enable and/or hinder the development of organizational routines, were reported as a still under-developed topic and according to the findings of this review it seems to be still an ongoing theme. Consequently, under the circumstance of the transformation that universities are undergoing, the need for a systematic study analyzing the implementation of emergent IT innovations in education appears as significant. Particularly, the process from its adoption at individual level until its institutionalization and the linkage between individual and organizational purposes need to be addressed. (Contains 6 tables.)

This paper presents a critical discourse analysis, situated within a broad Foucauldian framework, focusing on the construction of food and eating within the context of youth, schools and education, drawing on speeches, documents and public texts produced or sponsored by members of the UK Coalition Government (2010-2014). Michael Gove, the then Secretary of State for Education, spoke of the "clear moral purpose" (June 2011) of the education reform agenda, one key policy of which was the provision of free school meals for all infant school pupils from September 2014. Gove has said of this policy that "the reason that is so important is they won't just get the right nutrition, they will get the right values" (October 2013). The analysis draws on such statements, and other speeches, policy documents and public availably texts to delineate six discourses. These are the discourses of: School (Attainment and Community); Health; Party Political Identity; "Manners Maketh Man"; Economics; and "Good Parent/ Bad Parent". Within these, two overarching themes emerge: a tension between neoliberalism and liberal paternalism, and a link between meals and morality.

This paper reports on a "proof-of-concept" for evidence-informed practice, whereby schools are provided with tailored support in accessing research evidence and help in implementing evidence-based approaches. Two aspects of intermediary brokerage are explored: (a) creating tailored summary materials for schools, based on education research, and (b) developing an iterative process of engagement, whereby leadership teams interact with this information and relate it to practice. The model supports an emerging view of research use as a dynamic and social process, which is enhanced by supportive interactions between research providers and users.

This paper asks whether schools and colleges should be regarded as institutions as well as organizations, and if so what are the implications. Different conceptions of "institution" are examined including an attempt to distinguish "institution" from "organization". It is suggested that institutions are committed to a set of values beyond the transmission of knowledge and skills, as well as to breadth in education and the importance of continuity and a degree of stability. Positive and negative connotations of the idea of institution are briefly reviewed. The discussion is placed in a wider context of the debate about the public realm and its boundaries. Institutional theory is drawn on regarding the interplay between schools and colleges and their environments. Finally there is a brief discussion of the conception of "civic institution", and its implications concerning the ownership of publicly-funded schools and colleges.

Colin Ward (1924-2010) was an anarchist and educator who, together with Anthony Fyson, was employed as education officer for the Town and Country Planning Association in the UK during the 1970s. He is best known for his two books about childhood, "The Child in the City" (1978) and "The Child in the Country" (1988). The book he co-authored with Fyson, Streetwork. "The Exploding School" (1973), is discussed in this article as illustrating in practical and theoretical terms Ward's appreciation of the school as a potential site for extraordinary radical change in relations between pupils and teachers and schools and their localities. The article explores the book alongside the "Bulletin of Environmental Education," which Ward edited throughout the 1970s. It argues that the literary and visual images employed in the book and the bulletins contributed to the powerful positive representation of the school as a site of potential radical social change. Finally, it suggests that "fleeting pockets of anarchy" continue to exist in the lives of children through social networking and virtual environments that continue to offer pedagogical possibilities for the imaginative pedagogue.

Collaboration in the digital domain offers an opportunity to provide enhanced digital services and extended reach to the community. This article adopts a service-oriented perspective through which it considers environmental drivers for digital library collaboration; discusses emergent collaborative partnerships across UK educational institutions, social services, health services, private industry, and cultural sectors; considers associated challenges; and identifies best practices. Existing and potential synergistic relationships are explored across the broader cultural sector--in particular, with the respective processes of libraries, museums, archives, arts and broadcasting organizations comprehensively identified and mapped (commonality), and the relationship to service-oriented architecture highlighted. The degree of digital service collaboration is also explored through an indicative review of Scottish public library websites, encompassing thirty-two regional library networks and including the National Library. Collaboration is found to be evident but limited in the digital domain, with strategic and architectural recommendations made. (Contains 2 figures and 6 footnotes.)

Informational resources are essential for communities, rooting them in their own history, helping them learn and solve problems, giving them a voice in decisionmaking and so on. For digital inclusion and inclusion in the informational and democratic processes of society more generally it is essential that communities retain the skills, awareness and motivation to create and manage their own informational resources. This article explores a model for the creation of online content that incorporates the different ways in which the quality and relevance of information can be assured. This model, "Aggregate-then-Curate" (A/C), was developed from earlier work concerning digital inclusion in UK online centres, models of informal e-learning and ecologies of resources. A/C shows how creating online content can be viewed as a 7-step process, initiated by individuals but bringing in "digital learning champions", other community members and formal educational institutions at different stages. A/C can be used to design training to help build the capacity to manage community informational resources in an inclusive way. The article then discusses and evaluates MOSI-ALONG, a Joint Information Systems Committee (JISC) funded project founded on these ideas, which illustrates how A/C can be used to design training to help build the capacity to manage community informational resources in an inclusive way. This conclusion is supported by evaluations of the work done so far in MOSI-ALONG. (Contains 1 note.)

Over more than a decade, specialist Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) schools or classes for children with autism have developed in the UK and Ireland. However, very little is known internationally about how ABA is defined in practice in school settings, the characteristics of children supported in ABA school settings, and the staffing structures used. To answer these questions, the focus of the present research was a nationwide census of ABA schools throughout the UK. As far as it was possible to ascertain, we achieved a 100% return rate. There were 14 ABA schools and classes throughout the UK, supporting 258 children with autism, and employing 382 staff that supported ABA teaching. The mean ratio for ABA staff to children was 1.4 staff members: 1 child (range 0.7:1-2:1). The majority of all staff members were graduates or had a higher academic qualification (67.7%). This census methodology, if repeated, may help to identify future trends and can provide a baseline for developments in ABA schools/classes in the UK. (Contains 6 tables and 1 figure.)

As the tectonic plates of technology shift across human networks, dedicated and determined educators understand that the integration of digital mediated texts and the new literacies competencies they engender, amount to little without pedagogical ingenuity, innovative adaptation, and creative application. This article is a response to the rapidly expanding digital engagement of youth and the young. New literacies proponents are looking at literacy practices and literacy events of the young and through their scholarship they call on schools and educational institutions to embrace the new media landscape and its participatory cultures for the learning potential they offer. Research out of the UK based "London Knowledge Lab", tells us that whilst the young and youth are increasingly engaged in digital environments there are only "a few embryonic signs of criticality, self-management or metacognitive reflection" (Luckin, Clark, Graber, Logan, Mee & Oliver, 2009). (Contains 12 figures.)

The economic proverb "There is no such thing such as a free lunch" applies also to open educational resources (OER). In recent years, several authors have used revenue models and business models to analyse the different sources of possible funding for OER. In this article the business models of Osterwalder and Chesbrough are combined with research on the motives of the participants of OER to analyse possible funding models. If the motives of governments (knowledge economy), educational institutions (efficiency, marketing), individual producers (reputation, academic interests) and users (intermediary educational products, learning) are combined, it is shown that the only long-term sustainable independent business model is based on subsidies. However, this conclusion depends both on the definition of openness (in the sense of at no cost) and on motives. More research on both aspects could alter these conclusions. (Contains 2 tables.)

This short paper is a response to Nel Noddings's article on schooling for democracy. Whilst agreeing with the basic premises of Noddings's argument, it questions the possibility of parity between academic and vocational tracks given the inequitable social and educational contexts the two types of learning would have to coexist within. Drawing on the educational philosophies of John Dewey and R. H. Tawney, I argue that both the United States and the United Kingdom need to create educational systems that reduce the social distance between people rather than, as the current systems do, exacerbate them. This is an issue of hearts and minds as well as policies and practices. As Dewey pointed out a hundred years ago, what is required is education that results in "mutual regard of all citizens for all other citizens," and the paper concludes that both countries are still far away from achieving this.

Potential employers require graduates to be able to demonstrate competent teamwork skills in initiating ideas and solving problems cooperatively. Teamwork is prevalent in educational institutions and often included as a way of enriching learning and assessment. Whilst group working can provide a rich opportunity for cooperative learning, its assessment can be the cause of much anxiety amongst students. This paper examines the phenomenon of "free-riding" and explores methods of managing potential abuse. Six approaches were trialled in a UK university business school on modules of study involving assessed group work and the views of students and tutors analysed. Findings from the study indicate that students (like academics) value teamwork even when it is assessed. Any method to moderate "free-riding" is appreciated by students. (Contains 1 table.)

In the "age of austerity", educational institutions in many countries are under pressure from a variety of sources to work more closely, reduce costs and raise educational performance. There are a number of possible outcomes that follow on from developing closer institutional ties: sharing of professional expertise through best practice networks, developing greater coherence within the local curriculum and opportunity for students' progression within the education system, and of course, ultimately merger and take-over. The environment within which institutions operate is in a state of flux but is moving clearly towards meeting the challenges presented by Central Government. There has been a shift in British Government policy during the past three decades which has been influenced by ideas drawn from economic instrumentalism, New Public Management and Public Choice theory. Colleges are increasingly viewed by Central Government as a convenient vehicle for local, economic and social regeneration, as they are able to act both independently or as part of a local hub of diverse educational providers. This research project investigated the nature of change, focusing on four case studies of new organisational forms. The findings are contextualised within a wider discussion of organisation theory. Is there a future for British colleges beyond their once traditional educational remit, and what is the future balance between state and private sector providers, are questions at the heart of this investigation. Although there was some opportunity for targeted interviews, the research was primarily desk-based and involved the analysis of documentary material. (Contains 2 figures and 2 tables.)

This article discusses the key features of the common European framework for work-based learning (WBL) of the "Developing European Work Based Learning Approaches and Methods" (DEWBLAM) project (2003-2006). It examines the context of recent European initiatives and comments on the potential implications for policy, practice and theory, with specific reference to the triple helix metaphor of economic development and lifelong learning. It also focuses on why WBL in Higher Education and Training (HET) and Vocational Education and Training (VET) represents a challenge to educational institutions in Europe and how, on the other hand, it can provide substantial benefits to innovation in educational policies and practices and make a significant contribution to the development of lifelong learning. (Contains 1 table and 3 notes.)

Over recent years there has been considerable confusion over the use of the term "e-book", and this article examines the variety of definitions used to date while proposing a definitive construct. Beginning by examining the definitions of "book", the paper moves on to consider the essential element of a book--the content, and to examine publishing and structural aspects of e-books, as well as their place in libraries, before arriving at a final definition. The definition and its derivation embrace all of the issues that affect the way in which e-books are understood and used today. In conclusion, the article looks at both the genesis of e-books, and the stage of acceptance and adoption that they have reached, with brief reference to 3rd-generation e-book readers available at the time of writing. (Contains 1 table and 3 figures.)

Vetting those who work with children and vulnerable adults is an emotive topic and one which can prove a challenging area for employers. The legitimate interest that parents, carers and employers have in screening those charged with the care of others can be in direct conflict with the most fundamental principles of economic freedom and employees' human rights. The desire to balance these conflicting objectives is at the heart of the Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups Act 2006, which introduces what is being heralded as the most inclusive and comprehensive vetting and barring system to date. The changes dramatically widen the scope of workers who are subject to vetting and barring processes, covering employees, volunteers and contractors in the education, care and health industries, and affecting some 11.3 million people in the UK. This new scheme is of particular relevance and importance to schools and other educational institutions, who will be directly affected by the changes. This article will examine the practical employment implications of the new regime and the new obligations that the Vetting and Barring Scheme creates for both employers and employees. (Contains 11 notes.)

Here we examine New Labour's education policy concerning social justice and the organisation of educational provision with reference to social capital as policy vocabulary. The central focus is on policy discourses and practices in relation to networking between schools and other partners. We identify three policy phases for reducing inequalities and social exclusion, while supporting human capital formation: (1) EAZs in the late 1990s; (2) refocusing on specialisation and beaconisation, 2000-2003; and (3) transformations signalled by the diversity and choice agenda of the White Paper 2005, academies and trusts. We detect a drift in policy targets and aspirations from the early idealised "new and exciting" kinds of educational participation and democracy, returning to more traditional professionalist arrangements in specialisation/beaconisation, and currently moving in the direction of post-democratic governance in the academies programme, while doing little to challenge processes of stratification of educational institutions or outcomes. We develop the argument concerning the "post-democratic" turn in education policy by exploring the possibilities and limitations of policy-making which deploys social capital vocabulary and mechanisms, ending with the paradox of social capital as a theory of democracy articulating with "post-democratic" educational structures. (Contains 2 tables, 3 figures and 5 notes.)

A cursory review of academic headlines would suggest that educational institutions can be perceived as formalized, regimented and systematic--intellectual factories that reward those staff and students who conform best to rigid systems which ensure the efficient processing of quantity. Is this the reality? Do prevailing economic and bureaucratic pressures in higher education, at best, stifle creativity or, at worst, actively eradicate creative thought? This paper asks whether there is a place for the successful teaching and development of marketing and entrepreneurial creative skills within the UK educational system, and if so how these newly merging pedagogical areas can be nurtured. The paper explores the interplay between creativity and conformity within a modern university system. It takes as a case study a marketing enterprise module taught within a Department of Design to highlight the issues faced and the outputs achieved. The investigation reviews current thought from the social sciences and management literature relating to creativity, creative marketing, entrepreneurship and creative problem solving. (Contains 2 figures.)

This dialogue centers on the following questions: (1) How can schools help a society select or identify new elites who are hopefully as good as and perhaps even better than those individuals who belong to the existing elite system?, and (2) How can we create learning situations that provide the most general learner with a broad basic education? The first question is rejected as highly inadequate and unsatisfactory partly because it makes a number of mistaken assumptions about how schools can best meet the educational needs in modern countries (such as the United States, the United Kingdom, and Canada). The second question is deemed extremely worthwhile; it should be at the heart of educational dialogues in liberal democratic societies. The discussion is mainly about the desirability of replacing the first problem (of selecting new elites) with the second problem (of a broad basic education) by the way of commentary on the development of Western educational thought from Plato to Popper and beyond. A major aim of this dialogue is to upgrade the way elites in liberal democratic societies attempt to reform and improve our educational institutions.

While methods and results of school-based studies have been reported widely in the literature, little published information exists on the practical aspects of recruiting schools and students into a study. This paper reflects on the experiences of a UK-based sexual health survey among 3007 students aged 15-18 years. The survey explored beliefs, attitudes and behaviours in relation to sexual health. This case study highlights significant aspects of planning and conducting successful large-scale research in schools, focusing on the process of conducting the research rather than outcomes. As such, the paper will benefit those intending to sample a school-based population. The key features of effective and feasible research in schools are outlined in four areas: (i) adopting suitable research tools, (ii) selecting and contacting schools, (iii) selecting students within schools and (iv) the importance of fieldworkers. On-site and post-data collection feedback from teachers are incorporated into the discussion of good practice in partnership working with schools and students in research. We conclude by discussing fieldwork experiences and outlining key recommendations for researchers across disciplines engaging in school-based studies.

This article draws upon 10 years of pedagogic experience in developing and delivering work-based learning programmes within the United Kingdom national social work post-qualifying framework. The article is a retrospective, reflective and thematic account of our work. It briefly outlines the history of post-qualifying social work education and describes the evolution of two curricula managed and developed through an action research orientation. The discussion highlights some of the issues that have emerged for learners and describes how the programmes have responded to their needs. Through our discussions and the writing of this article, critical questions have arisen about the framing of autonomous work-based learning. In conclusion the writers reflect upon the feasibility of using action research as a curriculum development tool. (Contains 7 notes, 1 table, and 2 figures.)

The research documented in this article investigates the impact of faculty appraisal at two higher education (HE) institutions, located about 15 kms apart, in the same Middle Eastern country. Specifically, the research investigates the systems of faculty appraisal at "Rihab", a newly-established university, and at "Al Fanar", an older, more established vocational college, in order to determine firstly, how far each particular system embodies paradigms (meaning goals and values, key assumptions and management ethos) of professionalism and/or managerialism, and secondly, how far each particular system is seen by informants as appropriate to an educational context. On a more general level, the research also looks at the extent to which changes in HE in the West, principally, the United Kingdom, North America, Australia and New Zealand, find resonance in a Middle Eastern context, where HE institutions are staffed almost exclusively by faculty and administrators from those same Western countries, but are subject to quite different employment laws and practices. In this article, the author argues that there are certain unique contextual features affecting perceptions of the two appraisal systems. He also argues that despite the very different context, the tensions highlighted by the research are present in all educational institutions and the underlying dilemmas are encountered by academic leaders everywhere. (Contains 1 table.)

There is currently strong interest among policy-makers internationally in the idea of transformative learning, and considerable evidence that existing educational institutions are not equipped to provide this kind of learning experience for young people. Definitions of transformative learning are problematic, however, and few take full account of the radical sociocultural changes resulting from the introduction of digital technologies such as the Internet, wireless connectivity and digital imaging. This paper derives from research carried out collaboratively between university-based researchers, teachers and students in four schools, spanning the age range 8-16. A working definition of transformative learning is the starting point for an investigation into new ways of planning learning events using a generic pedagogic framework derived from activity theory. The paper explores the implications of the outcomes of this empirical work, and develops a theory of transformative learning, grounded in sociocultural theories including the work of Turkle, McLuhan and Wartofsky. (Contains 2 figures and 1 note.)

Purpose: To report on the progress of Digital Media U, a tailor-made portal, learning environment and management system. Design/methodology/approach: Discusses the design of the learning content domains, acquisition of the content and the systems for managing the curriculum in the future, including the application of a new model of accreditation. Findings: Digital Media U applies the theories and concept of corporate universities to the digital media business sub-sector, providing continuing professional development that supports regional and individual business strategies. DM-U creates a "sectoral learning community" in the supply chain of project partners, educational institutions, learners and their organisations. DM-U curriculum offers choices of topic, delivery, price and location, accommodating the learning needs of micro and SMEs from "just in time/just enough" through to accreditation. Originality/value: Provides information on a new learning community and network for small and medium-sized enterprises. (Contains 10 notes.)

Education systems are constantly changing. The changes are driven by two main pressures. One type of pressure arises from changes in the economic, demographic and technological environments within which education operates. The other type of pressure arises from changes in society's normative values, beliefs and expectations. These two sets of factors can change very quickly while educational institutions, and the regulatory frameworks which govern them, tend to change more slowly. Educational change often involves trying to modernise institutions to bring them into line with recently changed values and environmental conditions. This article presents a conceptual framework for exploring the problems that generate changes to the education system and uses this to highlight how recent policy initiatives by central government, which are intended to address problems, are concurrently creating additional problems. This analysis helps to explain why some education managers might currently feel as if they were being asked to "run up the "down" escalator." (Contains 1 figure.)

The Foundation Degree was introduced into the United Kingdom awards system by the Government in 2000 as part of a wider strategy to widen participation and to enhance the development of vocational awards at higher education level. The award was controversially called a "degree," despite the fact it was of only 2 years duration and not at honours degree level. This appears to fly in the face of the European Bologna Declaration. At the heart of the Government's vision for this degree was the concept of partnerships involving higher education, further education and business, in consortia-based development and operation of programmes. The authors examine the concepts of partnership and consortia, and the role they have played in the introduction of the Foundation Degree in the United Kingdom. They focus on the key players including national agencies, educational institutions, employers and students in order to examine the benefits and pitfalls, which can be identified in partnership and consortia arrangements in the development and delivery of vocational awards.

This newsletter contains articles in French and English on events relating to educational policy in various European countries. Part 1 contains an essay on the essential aims of education and a suggestion for incorporating work and study in university education. Part 2 includes the following news items: Austria's school education act; Belgium's open university at Charleroi; a selection policy for university applicants in Spain; in France, a reform of secondary education, a survey of students leaving the university, and developments in continuing education; in Germany, recommendations by the Education Council, the Hagen University for Distance Study, and vocational training; Iceland's incorporation of agricultural with academic work; parent participation and reform of teacher training in Ireland; a new contract for Italian teachers; the restructuring of the Dutch education system; progress in educational "unification projects" in Scandinavian countries; the financial future of Swiss canton universities; in Sweden, a statement of education policy, a new bill on education leave, and the state cultural policy; and in the United Kingdom the pressure to introduce comprehensive schools, the rise in unfilled university places, the relevance of post graduate education, and gifted children. (JH)

The threat of the National Health Service being privatised has led to such strong opposition that the Government has been forced to backtrack; and yet, through the development of "Academies" and "Free Schools", our education system is being stealthily privatised, right under our noses, without so much as a word from politicians or journalists who claim to believe in social democracy. Why is this?

Our food system is giving rise to a growing social, health and environmental crisis. Much of the food consumed in the United Kingdom is cheap, nutrient‐poor and highly processed, leading to under‐consumption of essential foods such as grains, beans, vegetables and fruit. This has contributed to a rise in diet‐related diseases, with approximately 22% of primary school leavers being overweight or obese. Food production is unsustainable with agriculture responsible for 10% of the UK's greenhouse gas emissions and intensive farming practices have led to a significant loss of soil carbon and a decline in biodiversity. COVID‐19 increased inequalities in our food system. Therefore, there is an urgent need for interventions to counteract these adverse social, health and environmental impacts. Education can play a crucial role as an intervention to address challenges in the food system. We tested an innovative school initiative using portable aquaponic pods and aligned to the national curriculum, to engage pupils in food production and foster learning about sustainability, climate change and healthy eating. The evaluation, based on teacher surveys, aquapod chart data, student blogs and postcards and feedback from the development team, revealed positive impacts on students' environmental awareness, as well as sustainability and practical food production knowledge. However, the programme encountered logistical challenges and we therefore highlight future improvements to produce a curriculum programme that can be delivered at scale to enhance food education and empower pupils to drive the agenda on tackling food sustainability and climate change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The present study investigated school absence among 1,076 5–15 year-old children with neurodevelopmental conditions (intellectual disability and/or autism) approximately one year following the start of COVID-19 in the UK. Methods: Parents completed an online survey indicating whether their child was absent from school during May 2021 and the reason for each absence. Multi-variable regression models investigated child, family and school variables associated with absenteeism and types of absenteeism. Qualitative data were collected on barriers and facilitators of school attendance. Results: During May 2021, 32% of children presented with persistent absence (missing ≥ 10% of school). School refusal and absence due to ill-health were the most frequent types of absence, accounting for 37% and 22% of days missed, respectively. COVID-19 related absence accounted for just 11% of days missed. Child anxiety was associated with overall absenteeism and with days missed because of school refusal. Parent pandemic anxiety and child conduct problems were not associated with school absenteeism. Hyperactivity was associated with lower levels of absenteeism and school refusal but higher levels of school exclusion. A positive parent-teacher relationship was associated with lower levels of absenteeism, school refusal and exclusion. Child unmet need in school was the most frequently reported barrier to attendance while COVID-19 was one of the least frequently reported barriers. Conclusion: COVID-19 had a limited impact on school attendance problems during this period. Findings highlighted the role of child mental health in different types of absence and the likely protective role of a positive parent-teacher relationship. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: The addition of fluoride to community drinking water supplies has been a long‐standing public health intervention to improve dental health. However, the evidence of cost‐effectiveness in the UK currently lacks a contemporary focus, being limited to a period with higher incidence of caries. A water fluoridation scheme in West Cumbria, United Kingdom, provided a unique opportunity to study the contemporary impact of water fluoridation. This study evaluates the cost‐effectiveness of water fluoridation over a 5–6 years follow‐up period in two distinct cohorts: children exposed to water fluoridation in utero and those exposed from the age of 5. Methods: Cost‐effectiveness was summarized employing incremental cost‐effectiveness ratios (ICER, cost per quality adjusted life year (QALY) gained). Costs included those from the National Health Service (NHS) and local authority perspective, encompassing capital and running costs of water fluoridation, as well as NHS dental activity. The measure of health benefit was the QALY, with utility determined using the Child Health Utility 9‐Dimension questionnaire. To account for uncertainty, estimates of net cost and outcomes were bootstrapped (10 000 bootstraps) to generate cost‐effectiveness acceptability curves and sensitivity analysis performed with alternative specifications. Results: There were 306 participants in the birth cohort (189 and 117 in the non‐fluoridated and fluoridated groups, respectively) and 271 in the older school cohort (159 and 112, respectively). In both cohorts, there was evidence of small gains in QALYs for the fluoridated group compared to the non‐fluoridated group and reductions in NHS dental service cost that exceeded the cost of fluoridation. For both cohorts and across all sensitivity analyses, there were high probabilities (>62%) of water fluoridation being cost‐effective with a willingness to pay threshold of £20 000 per QALY. Conclusions: This analysis provides current economic evidence that water fluoridation is likely to be cost‐effective. The findings contribute valuable contemporary evidence in support of the economic viability of water fluoridation scheme. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: This multicentre, assessor‐blinded, two‐arm cluster randomized trial evaluated the clinical and cost‐effectiveness of a behaviour change intervention promoting toothbrushing for preventing dental caries in UK secondary schools. Methods: Pupils aged 11–13 years with their own mobile telephone attending secondary schools with above average free school meals eligibility were randomized (at year‐group level) to receive a lesson and twice‐daily text messages or to usual care. Year‐groups (n = 84) from 42 schools including 4680 pupils (intervention, n = 2262; control, n = 2418) were randomized. Results: In 2383 participants with valid data at baseline and 2.5 years, the primary outcome of presence of at least one treated or untreated carious lesion (D4‐6 MFT [Decayed, Missing and Filled Teeth] in permanent teeth using International Caries Detection and Assessment System) was 44.6% in the intervention group and 43.0% in control (odds ratio [OR] 1.04, 95% CI 0.85–1.26, p =.72). There were no statistically significant differences in secondary outcomes of presence of at least one treated or untreated carious lesion (D1‐6 MFT), number of D4‐6 MFT and D1‐6 MFT, plaque and bleeding scores or health‐related‐ (Child Health Utility 9D) or oral health‐related‐ quality of life (CARIES‐QC). However, twice‐daily toothbrushing, reported by 77.6% of pupils at baseline, increased at 6 months (intervention, 86.9%; control, 83.0%; OR 1.30, 95% CI 1.03–1.63, p =.03), but returned to no difference at 2.5 years (intervention, 81.0%; control, 79.9%; OR 1.05, 95% CI 0.84–1.30, p =.69). Estimated incremental costs and quality‐adjusted life‐years (QALYs) of the intervention, relative to control, were £1.02 (95% CI −1.29 to 3.23) and −0.003 (95% CI −0.009 to 0.002), respectively, with a 7% chance of being cost‐effective (£20 000/QALY gained threshold). Conclusion: There was no evidence of statistically significant difference for caries prevalence at 2.5‐years. The intervention's positive 6‐month toothbrushing behaviour change did not translate into caries reduction. (ISRCTN 12139369). COVID‐19 pandemic adversly affected follow‐up. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Schools are increasingly positioned as sites for intervening on the bodies and minds of children in the here and now in order to bring about health gain for the future. Public health interventions for schools bring together coalitions of commercial, statutory and philanthropic actors with children and their teachers and carers. Drawing on ethnographic case studies in London, UK, this paper explores two such interventions: one aiming to increase levels of physical activity and one to reduce exposure to air pollution. Both interventions not only evoke care for children's own current and future wellbeing but also fold in imaginaries of collective health futures, which orient and legitimise particular intervention logics and actions. As interventions unfold, children are recruited as monitors of health risks in the present. They are also positioned as risk ambassadors, who will leverage care about unhealthy environments and lifestyles across space, to risky domestic environments, and into imagined health futures. These 'futuring' school‐based interventions open up small alternative spaces in which imaginaries of collective and resistant public health practices emerge. However, in the here and now, children appear to be bearing a disproportionate burden of responsibility, as ambassadors for, and imagined saviours of, public and environmental health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mindfulness is increasingly offered in schools around the UK, as well as internationally. Previous research has focused on the efficacy, the implementation, and the wider meaning of mindfulness in education, rather than sociological interests, such as matters of equality and social justice. This article draws on qualitative data from the 'Mapping Mindfulness in the UK' study, to investigate how mindfulness practitioners discuss and address issues of equality and diversity in relation to school-based mindfulness. Lynch and Baker's key dimensions of equality are used to analyse participants' accounts, including on adjustments to curriculum and pedagogy to accommodate diversity, practitioners' responses to socio-emotional vulnerability, and the dynamics of choice and compulsion in the classroom. By highlighting several issues of concern in these areas, the research makes original contributions to sociological understandings of mindfulness and other similar initiatives in schools, whilst offering new insights on theories of equality in education more broadly. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Parental anxiety and over-involved parenting behaviour are consistently associated with an increase in child anxiety symptoms. Primary school aged children also often develop a strong and influential relationship with their class teacher and how educators respond to anxiety therefore warrants investigation. Preliminary research has shown that educators use anxiety-promoting techniques, such as avoidance. However, there has been little empirical investigation of the factors that influence the management of anxious children by primary school educators in the classroom setting. Objective: This study investigated the relationship between the anxiety literacy of primary school educators, anxiety symptoms experienced by primary school educators and the management of anxious children by primary school educators. Methods: A total of 73 primary school educators in the United Kingdom completed an online survey. The survey measured participant anxiety and anxiety knowledge, as well as utilising vignettes of hypothetical scenarios to measure the use of anxiety-promoting and autonomy-promoting responses. Results: Educator anxiety literacy predicted a reduced likelihood of using anxiety-promoting responses but did not predict increased use of autonomy-promoting responses. Educators' anxiety was not found to predict anxiety-promoting or autonomy-promoting responses when managing anxious children. Conclusions: The findings suggest that promoting anxiety literacy in primary educators may reduce the frequency with which educators use anxiety promoting responses with anxious students. The findings highlight the importance of further clarifying the quality and forms of anxiety mental health knowledge and training which educators receive. This type of data may be useful in developing ways to equip educators with the skills to respond and manage anxiety in the classroom. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In putatively meritocratic societies, doing well in school is a pivotal precondition for accessing further and higher education, which, in turn, has a pervasive, long-term influence on adulthood development. Yet, doing well in school may also predict "real-life success" outside formal education settings and independent of the educational qualifications that a person attains. Such predictions are likely to become salient during emerging adulthood, a life period characterized by career explorations and social-emotional adjustment. Here, we tested the predictive validity of end-of-compulsory school grades at age 16 years in a U.K.-representative population cohort sample of up to N = 6,488, who were born between 1994 and 1996, for a broad range of occupational, financial, and social-emotional outcomes at age 23. End-of-compulsory school performance accounted for 1%–20% of the variance across occupational, financial, and social-emotional outcomes in emerging adulthood. Educational attainment attenuated these associations only slightly, with school grades at age 16 accounting for variance in emerging adulthood outcomes independent of later educational attainment. We found that school grades were equally predictive for boys' and girls' outcomes. In children from lower family socioeconomic status (SES) backgrounds, school grades were more predictive of their educational attainment, financial attitudes, and anxiety compared to higher SES children, with varying effect sizes (i.e., 0.3%–4.2%). Our findings suggest that school-leaving grades facilitate the successful transition from adolescence to adulthood, independent of educational attainment, and that they might enable children from low-SES families to compensate for some of their background disadvantages. Public Significance Statement: The findings from this study indicate that school grades are important predictors for a wide range of financial, occupational, and social-emotional development in emerging adulthood, independent of an individual's highest educational qualification. In particular, school performance is more predictive of educational attainment for students from under-resourced backgrounds, suggesting that good grades may be a key factor in compensating for family background disadvantages. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]