Key policy documents and links
Coalition education policies: still puzzled? If your brow still furrows when you wonder about the why’s and wherefore’s and rationale behind the Coalition’s education policies, here is a handy briefing from Children England. It covers academies, pupil premium, funding and other issues.
Extended services in practice: a summary of evaluation evidence for headteachers This DfE-commissioned research published in September 2011 shows the benefits of extended services on both pupils and their families.
Early Years Provision: latest national statistics These data from the Department for Education were released on 22nd June 2011.
Other data: coming soon: Keep an eye on the list of school-related statistical reports listed under 'coming soon' at this link.
What are extended services? A summary on the Department for Education website.
Study Support Toolkit: making it work in schools A toolkit developed by teachers for teachers
Evidence that extended services have a positive impact This is a two-page summary on the Department for Education website which pulls together (in a broad way) the evidence that extended services have a positive effect.
Extended services: everything you need to know A list of FAQs on the Department for Education website.
Children and young people The Department for Education's doorway to news, documents, policies about services for children and young people.
Extended services documents, fact sheets, reports and guides This link goes to a search engine page showing all the extended services material presently on the Department for Education website.
Encouragement for extended services practitioners In the recent report from the Education Select Committee, here is Recommendation 8, grist for the case that many are making to local authority and cluster employers about the importance of their roles in helping schools to develop their extended services.
Support for extended services until March 2011 A letter from Peter Rogers, Director of National Programmes at 4Children and Dawn Gilderoy, National Extended Services Lead at ContinYou, outlining what the support from 4Children and ContinYou entails.
The Guide to Literacy Resources Online This great new online literacy resource collection is searchable by key stage, subject area, format and other criteria. Resources are regularly updated to ensure they are appropriate and the site offers teachers an online discussion forum where they can share advice and information.
Raising attainment of children on free school meals This is an article from the Key: the Service for School Leaders, which makes an initial foray, with many useful links, into advice for schools on using the pupil premium to raise the attainment of disadvantaged groups of children.
Tackling disadvantage and inequality; raising attainment Please note: This page will take you to a search engine page on the Department for Education website, which lists a range of briefs, research papers, evaluations and other useful documents related to the tackling disadvantage, child poverty, early interventions for children and families experiencing challenges, developing extended services that help raise achievement, and so on. The Learning Exchange will highlight a few of these each week in Gems.
Insight 2: Social inequality: can schools narrow the gap? This critical review of literature around the issue of narrowing the achievement gap and what role schools play in it is from the British Educational Research Association. (Authors: Mel Ainscow, Chris Chapman, Alan Dyson, Helen Gunter, Dave Hall, Kirstin Kerr, Olwen McNamara, Daniel Muijs, Carlo Raffo and Mel West.) You can download it from this link, free of charge, but the document has had the references removed. If you wish to read the document with its references, you will need to go to the BERA and Manchester University websites. (Also in the Library, on pages: Disadvantage: narrowing the gap; and De Montfort Extended Services module: Partnership for change.)
The Foundation Years: preventing poor children becoming poor adults Frank Field's independent report advocates moving funds into teaching parenting skills and ensuring schools engage with parents.
Promoting inclusivity in extended services This Teaching Expertise article looks in detail at methods and ideas for inclusivity improvements you can make to your extra-curricular activities.
Positivity in practice: approaches to improving perceptions of young people and their involvement in crime and anti-social behaviour An NFER study about tackling perceptions on both local and national levels.
Full rundown of ministerial positions related to children's policy Includes all those responsible in the Departments for Education, Justice, Work and Pensions, and Health.
Equality Act 2010: What do I need to know? What voluntary and community organisations (and others) need to know about the Equality Act 2010, which becomes law in October.
Extended schools: London economics research (DCSF) 505kb: This DCSF-commissioned report seeks to establish a baseline methodology to estimate the impact of the extended school services.
National challenge: a toolkit for schools and local authorities The national challenge toolkit provides practical advice and guidance to those schools with the lowest GCSE results on how to improve their performance.
Why we need extended schools – evidence (Institute for Education) 1.13mb: This is an overview of Leon Feintstein’s groundbreaking research on the need for extended services.
Sustainable development: what it means for schools Download useful tips and guidance here.
Sustainable development: involving pupils Advice on exploring education for sustainable development in schools.
Northern Ireland: good news about extended schools In the July 2010 Evaluation of Extended Schools, the top comment by evaluators was: 'In most of the schools visited, the quality of Extended Schools is good or better, and in a majority is very good or better'.
Research
A new relationship between schools and government This Institute for Government article comments on issues such as: What local accountability might look like; the possibility that unequal devolution of power may have a negative impact; empowering professionals; the school as part of the community; the growing importance of information; managing risk in a devolved system; the role of Local Authorities.
Longitudinal and Life Course Studies: International Journal A series of studies, which may be useful to students, has just been published by this journal. PLEASE NOTE: You will need to register on their website to download the studies. The studies are:
Children’s educational attainment and the aspirations, attitudes and behaviours of parents and children through childhood (Alissa Goodman, Paul Gregg, Elizabeth Washbrook); The socio-economic gradient in early childhood outcomes: evidence from the Millennium Cohort Study (Lorraine Dearden, Luke Sibieta, Kathy Sylva; The socio-economic gradient in child outcomes: the role of attitudes, behaviours and beliefs (Paul Gregg, Elizabeth Washbrook); The role of attitudes and behaviours in explaining socio-economic differences in attainment at age 16 (Haroon Chowdry, Claire Crawford, Alissa Goodman); Explaining the socio-economic gradient in child outcomes: the inter-generational transmission of cognitive skills (Claire Crawford, Alissa Goodman, Robert Joyce).
Research-engaged schools This particular page on the Practical Research for Education website offers free, downloadable documents covering various aspects of how schools and teaching can be improved when they are engaged with research.
Education in England: a brief history by Derek Gillard This was first published online in January 2000 and has now been updated. Here is the latest version. (Please note the copyright and the citation and reference requests.)
The Schools White Paper 2010: The Importance of Teaching How schools choose to fund extended services will determine how and who co-ordinates the services; that there will be less ringfencing we already know. The Schools White Paper 2010: The Importance of Teaching: The Schools White Paper 2010 Behaviour is covered in Chapter 2; School improvement in Chapter 7; School funding is in Chapter 8.
