Peer relations at primary school

This report by the Centre for Research on the Wider Benefits of Learning
explored friendship patterns and children’s general relationships with their peers between the ages of 8 and 10 and examined how children’s early development (ages 3 to 4) may predict their later development in terms of social behaviour including likelihood of becoming a bully.

Key Points:
- Three quarters of the sample belonged to one of three positive friendship groups - positive, many friends (48 per cent), positive but fallout with friends (18 per cent), and positive but few friends (10 per cent). Normal 0 false false false

- The remaining quarter of the sample had poor social relationships characterised by few friends and a higher prevalence of bullying and or victimisation than the other groups.

- Victims and bully/victims had poorer social relationships than other children, and were more likely to have limited early language skills and social development. Difficulties (e.g. low self-esteem, depression, antisocial behaviour) had existed from age 3 to 4 through primary school years and were most acute for bully/victims.

- Socio-demographic influences on friendship were complex. Children from the positive, many friends cluster were more likely have privileged backgrounds and victims more disadvantaged backgrounds. However, bully/victims did not significantly differ from the other clusters in terms of income and maternal education, although their parents were less likely to be married.

- Some friendship-patterns had a strong gender bias with positive, few friends and bully/victims more likely to be boys. The other groups were more balanced.

Parenting in ordinary families

This JRF report examined the literature around parenting.

Key points:
- Research into cultural differences and similarities in parenting indicates that aspects of parenting relevant to all cultures include parental sensitivity to the child’s needs, socialisation towards cultural norms and support for the child’s need for autonomy across time. The parenting to which a child is exposed may act as a buffer against adversity if it is warm and supportive or, alternatively, it may increase the risk of poor child outcomes if it is hostile or rejecting.
- Within the literature, a variety of parenting themes have emerged but those which recur consistently include sensitivity towards the needs of the child, management of the child’s behaviour and qualities of the parent–child relationship, including warmth and support, hostility and rejection.
- There is evidence that childhood anti-social behaviour increases in conjunction with increases in physical punishment but another school of thought proposes that, as long as its use is rare and only backs up other types of discipline, the effects of physical punishment may be beneficial.
- Much of the literature has focused on the parenting undertaken by mothers but it is important that paternal parenting is also examined.
- Although there were some aspects of parenting which were affected by factors which are immutable (maternal age, education and ethnic group), these were few and far between. Younger parents were more likely to be ambivalent about the timing of the child’s arrival but older mothers were more likely to report that they felt less fulfilled and that they had less time for themselves.
- Mothers who had spent fewer years in formal education reported that, on the whole, they felt less confident in caring for the child and they were less likely to report that they spent time teaching the child. It is difficult to draw any firm conclusions with respect to the effects of ethnic group on parenting.
- Parenting varies little by ethnic group, maternal age or education and that on the whole parenting is warm and supportive in all groups.
- There was a large amount of variation in parenting across time: parenting remained stable for fewer than one in five families. In part, this is likely to be a function of the increasing age of the child.
- The factors which had the most influence regarding changes in parenting score were mother’s mental and physical health. Deteriorations in health were associated with reduced parenting scores and, in contrast to all other variables, improvements in health predicted increased scores.

Young people and social networking services

This report by Digizen investigate how social networking services can and are being used to support personalised formal and informal learning by young people in schools and colleges. A good guide for those wanting a grounding in these dynamic subject area.

The report opens by asking “What are social networking services?” This section investigates current definitions of social networking services and provides a comprehensive review of current social networking service types and activities.

In Evaluating social networking services, the report then describes how to use a toolkit – a social networking evaluation chart covering six different social networking services, and an accompanying checklist, which are available to download from the Digizen website:
(www.digizen.org/socialnetworking/ checklist.aspx) – to evaluate services. The chart is not definitive, but provides a comprehensive framework covering significant relevant issues such as site age restrictions, the presence of adverts, collaborative tools, security issues and data management restrictions.

The benefits and opportunities to individual users, as well as outlining some of the opportunities that educators and schools using social networking services might take advantage of are also laid out. This section looks at issues around digital literacy and social engagement, skills and identity development, and opportunities for better understanding e-safety and data management issues.

Then the barriers and risks section looks at current barriers to using social networking services within education, including staff development and support issues, and risk evaluation and management approaches. Risk areas that educators should be aware of are outlined, and approaches to manage these are addressed.

Issues include users’ perceptions of the environment they are posting in, personal data management, and cyberbullying and potentially illegal behaviours.

An ideas and examples section showcases innovative practice, providing links to a range of projects and examples where social networking services have been successfully used to support both teachers and students. Links to current debates around specific services are also included.

Finally, the Glossary describes some terms that readers may be unfamiliar with.

Customer Perception of DCSF, young people's view

This survey by the BMG, for the DCSF, follows a similar survey directed towards parents. It asks young people (10-19) for their views, as aligned to the DCSF Departmental Strategic Objectives.


Key points:
- Young people report that their parents are generally involved in their school or college life (82% disagreed that their parents prefer not to get involved), they feel supported by their parents in their work (95%) and they generally always tell their parents how they are getting on in their education (85%). The majority of young people also reported that their parents usually know what kind of homework they have (as 72% disagreed that their parents do not know what kind of work they have).
- In general, car usage amongst this group is the exception rather than the norm, as two in five (41%) young people report that they never travel to school, college, university or work by car, and a further one in four do so rarely (26% travel by car less often than not). The remaining one in three (32%) travel by car every day or more often than not.
- All young people were asked whether they have someone they could talk to about things that matter to them if they were feeling worried or angry. The majority of young people feel they definitely have someone they could speak to in such a scenario (71%), while a further one in four (23%) feel they probably have someone they could speak to. A minority of 6% feel they do not have someone to talk to, or are unsure of whether they do.
- Overall, young people feel that there is not very much of a problem of bullying in their school or college, as reported by over eight in ten (84%). This comprises one in four (24%) who feel that bullying is not a problem at all, while six in ten (60%) feel it is not very much of a problem.



- Around nine in ten young people feel safe during the day in the given situations. Over nine in ten feel it is safe in school or college, 93% feel it is safe in the local community, and just fewer feel safe on public transport during the day (91%) or travelling to and from school or college (91%).

- Amongst all young people primary schools are rated positively (good or very good) by the highest overall proportion (97% rate them as good), followed by universities (96%) and 6th form colleges or Further Education colleges for those aged 16-19 (94%). Secondary schools are also rated positively by the majority (88%). However universities are rated as very good by the highest proportion (39%), followed by sixth form colleges and further education colleges for 16-19 year olds (37%) and then secondary schools (27%), with primary schools rated as very good by one in five young people (20%).

- Young people were asked how they would describe pupil behaviour at their school or college. Half feel that pupil behaviour is generally good (51%), while just over one in three (37%) feels it is acceptable, and one in eight feels it is poor (12%).

DCSF Customer Perception Survey

BMG (commissioned by the DCSF) have undertaken this customer perception survey by interviewing 1000 respondents across the UK (a sample designed to be broadly representative of the general public). The survey is structured on the 6 Department Strategic Objectives which the DCSF have.

Key points:

- 65% believe it is very important that 3-4 year olds attend some form of pre-school.

- 80% believe that bullying is a problem in schools, to some degree. Females being more likely to assert this claim.

- The majority of respondents feel that all situations are safe for young people during the day, although opinion is divided when considering situations for young people at night.

- The majority of general public respondents feel that the current quality of publicly funded education is good, with a minority rating any stage as poor to any degree.

- Respondents were most likely to rate the current quality of university or higher education as good as almost nine in ten gave a positive rating here (87%). This is followed by the younger education stages as nurseries, pre-schools and early learning were rated positively by 85%, while 84% feel that the quality of primary education is good. 6th Form colleges or Further Education colleges were felt to provide good quality education by 81%. Secondary schools were most likely to be rated as very or quite poor, by a third of general public respondents (34%), although still the majority of respondents rate secondary schools as good (66%).

- The majority of respondents feel that pupil behaviour is generally good (30%) or acceptable (40%), while around a quarter (27%) feels that it is poor.

- Seven in ten respondents agree that England is a good country for children to grow up in, while just over a quarter disagree that this is the case.

Involvement of business in education

This DCSF review of the most robust evidence on the impact of education links with employers
specifically focused on measurable impacts.

Key points:
- There are positive impacts of employers’ involvement with education. However, there have been only a few studies that provide evidence of a measurable improvement in grades, or other measures of students’ attainment.
- Other positive impacts include preparedness for work, developing job and work skills, improving work-based competencies, attitudes and behaviours, enhanced employability and higher initial wage rates. Although not directly related to student attainment these findings provide valuable evidence of the impact and importance of business involvement in education.
- In ‘Business Involvement in Mathematics’, communication and exchange of ideas between teachers and the business community about the curriculum and teaching was a key contributory factor to the positive impacts.
- For mentoring to be effective it should be part of whole-school approach to raise attainment, and that there should be clear selection criteria for students receiving mentoring.
- In the Increased Flexibilities Programme, which provided vocational learning opportunities for young people, having employers as visiting speakers contributed to students gaining higher qualifications.
- Having employees working with schools as an actual work assignment, rather than as an extra-curricular activity, was a key feature of the success of the IBM business links with education.
- Positive impacts on students’ outcomes other than objective measures of student
attainment included:
• Lower drop-out rates, improved attendance, increased academic course taking, and the increased likelihood of graduating on time. (Kemple and Snipes, 2000).
• Higher rates of enrolment and continuity in post-secondary education, sustained higher levels of employment, and higher hourly wage rates.
- Of the higher quality studies, some found positive impacts on academic attainment. But, a similar number did not detect any impact.
- No high quality research has detected a negative impact on attainment.

White boys from low income families: good practice in schools

This report by Ofsted is based on a small survey of good practice in the education of white boys from low-income backgrounds. It is based on a study of six primaries, 10 secondaries, 3 special schools and 1 pupil referral unit.

Key points:
- Examples of good practice are grouped under the following questions that inspectors asked schools during the survey.
~ What teaching and learning strategies work best to raise standards?
~ How do schools promote the personal development and well-being of white boys from low-income backgrounds?
~ What do schools need to do to understand and meet the needs of white boys from low-income backgrounds?
~ How do schools support white boys from low-income backgrounds to become independent learners?
~ How should schools make use of increased flexibility in the curriculum to support white boys from low-income families?
~ How should schools seek to engage parents and carers?
~ How should institutions make the best use of resources?
~ What are the roles of others beyond the school in helping to personalise teaching and learning?

- Schools that are successful in raising the attainment of white boys from low income have these features:
~ an ethos which demonstrates commitment to every individual and which
treats staff and pupils with fairness, trust and respect
~ consistent support to develop boys’ organisation skills and instill the importance of perseverance; any anti-school subculture ‘left at the gates’
~ rigorous monitoring systems which track individual pupils’ performance against expectations; realistic but challenging targets; tailored, flexible intervention programmes and frequent reviews of performance against targets
~ a highly structured step-by-step framework for teaching, starting with considerable guidance by the teacher and leading gradually to more independent work by the pupils when it is clear that this will enhance rather than detract from achievement
~ a curriculum which is tightly structured around individual needs and linked to support programmes that seek to raise aspirations
~ creative and flexible strategies to engage parents and carers, make them feel valued, enable them to give greater support to their sons’ education and help them make informed decisions about the future
~ a strong emphasis on seeking and listening to the views of these pupils
~ genuine engagement of boys in setting individual targets, reviewing progress, shaping curricular and extra-curricular activities and making choices about the future
~ key adults, including support staff and learning mentors, who are flexible and committed, know the boys well and are sensitive to any difficulties which might arise in their home
~ a good range of emotional support for boys to enable them to manage anxieties and develop the skills to express their feelings constructively
~ strong partnership with a wide range of agencies to provide social, emotional, educational and practical support for boys and their families in order to raise their aspirations.

Danish model reduces youth crime in Scotland

In 2005 East Renfrewshire Council (ERC) made a commitment to implement an approach to preventing and addressing youth crime and anti social behaviour, based on Danish principles. The resulting project, School, Social Work, Police and Community (SSPC) is led by Social Work.

This report examines the funding, delivery of outcomes and output of the programme.

Some key points:
- An integrated response is the most effective and beneficial approach to dealing positively with vulnerable, damaged or difficult young people.
- Shared aims, practice, and ethos are at the core of what is making the approach operate successfully.
- It is a key strength of the Group, and exemplary practice that members do not say "this is not my remit". If something needs to be done they are in a position to do it then they do so.
- The approach fits with the relevant standards for the quality of the youth justice process and fits with the standards for the range and availability of programmes.
- We recommend, as a preventative measure, targeting resources on the transition from primary to secondary education, and in the first term of the first year at high school.

Youth Crime Action Plan

The UK Government have published their Youth Crime Action Plan, a joint plan between the Ministry for Justice, DCSF and Home Office. The plan which has a focus on early intervention and none-negotiable challenge and support.

Key points:

- Extension of family intervention projects.

- More use of ASBO's and Parenting Orders and sanctions for those parents who do not engage.

- More "community" work for offenders, overseen by new citizen's panels.

- More support for young offenders on release of custody.

- Local Authorities to take responsibility for education and training of young people in custody.

- Everyone over 16 found to be carrying a knife can expect prosecution.

- Increasing the provision of youth services at times when offending is likely.

- Making permanent exclusion from school an automatic trigger for Common Assessment Framework assessment of needs.

- Expanding Safer School Partnerships.

- Working closer with Local Authorities to improve family support which will help ensure problems are addressed early.

- Plus a series of longer term changes to legal processes for the most serious offenders.

See BBC news article

"On Track" evaluation - reducing youth crime and anti-social behaviour

This is the final report from the second phase (March 2003-April 2006) of the national evaluation of On Track, a multi-component initiative which operated in 24 areas of high crime and high deprivation in England and Wales (including Bradford, Scarborough and Sheffield in Yorkshire & Humber region). The aim of the programme was to reduce the propensity of youth crime and anti-social behaviour for children aged 4-12 and their families. The evaluation included monitoring and tracking of 1,100 On Track services and 17,000 service users, longitudinal surveys of primary and secondary school staff and pupils in On Track areas, as well as a longitudinal cohort study which compared On Track area residents with similar families in non-On Track areas.

Key points:
- On Track was primarily a multi-agency, cross-sector programme with partners drawn from education, social services, youth offending services, health and local councils.
- Overall, home-school partnerships accounted for the greatest proportion of On Track services (33%), and by the second phase of the evaluation in some areas On Track was almost entirely school-based.
- Referrals to On Track projects came from a variety of routes, and overall education agencies were the largest single source of referrals comprising 35% of all referrals.
- Three quarters of all service users were children (53% girls), and almost a quarter were parents (mostly mothers – 88%).
- Across the programme as a whole, nearly seventeen thousand children and parents were recorded as users of On track in the second phase of the evaluation.
- Children in On Track areas and those using On Track services reported increasing warmth and praise from parents over time, and a decrease in hostility and criticism. Primary aged children were most likely to report these findings.
- In the primary school range, both children and their parents reported increased communication over time, and younger children were reported as reading more often with parents.
- Overall, there was no clear impact of On Track on school truancy and exclusions rates. However, there was some indication that for primary school children and for children and young people in a booster sample of high-need families that temporary exclusions had dropped over time. Results were also mixed for the impact of On Track on bad behaviour and bullying at school.
- Older children’s attachment and enjoyment of school showed significant positive changes over time including increased involvement and participation at school.

The Extra Mile - Raising Aspirations in Deprived Communities

This DCSF paper is the first of a series which will explore in detail the barriers which face the children from deprived communities at school and seek ways to improve their chances of success. It is a project which is focused on children whose families have been poor for generations, in this sense it links to other research on persistent poverty (click here). The project focuses on the cultural attitudes between poverty and aspiration.

Key points:

- Generational poverty adds to material deprivation the weight of historical expectation and ingrained culture.

- Despite a closing gap, there is still significant difference of attainment of those on free school meals (FSM) and those not.

- By visiting 50 secondary schools working in the most deprived wards in England, but with a great track record of success with their pupils, it was seen that they do similar activities to any great school: they have dynamic leaders, who lead from the front, set the tone and establish a ‘can do’ culture; they have strong systems for quality; they are passionate about the quality of the classroom experience; they shape the curriculum to serve the needs of their intake; they track the progress of pupils with ardent regularity and intervene immediately if anyone falls off trajectory; they are unusually creative about recruitment and retention.

- these schools also go the extra mile for the children of their community. They implement some deliberate extra measures specifically targeted at the most disadvantaged. The research found 12 "extra mile" practices:
1: To increase interactive and participatory learning
2: To develop a listening campaign
3: To promote a culture of respect for local values
4: To broaden pupils’ horizons
5: To develop a culture of achievement
6: To offer a more relevant curriculum
7: To build pupils’ repertoire of language
8: To develop pupils’ social, emotional & behavioural skills
9: To cultivate traditional values
10: To track pupils’ progress and intervene promptly
11: To develop effective rewards and incentive schemes
12: To support pupils at transition points

Outcomes of early childhood education

The New Zealand Ministry of Education commissioned this literature review into the impact of early childhood education (ECE) on children and families. The authors explored 117 international and New Zealand texts to addresses three questions:

(a) What developmental, educational, social, and economic outcomes are associated
with participation in ECE for learners and their families?
(b) Are different outcomes associated with different population groups and under different circumstances/ contexts? Considering whether there are adverse impacts more likely and for whom?
(c) How do different outcomes interact/relate with one another?
i. What is the size/significance of the different impacts of ECE? How long do the effects last?

Key findings:

- ECE participation is positively associated with gains in mathematics and literacy, school achievement, intelligence tests, and also school readiness, reduced grade retention, and reduced special education placement.

- the small number of studies that examined associations between ECE participation and learning dispositions found positive impacts.

- There are mixed findings on the impact of ECE participation on antisocial and worried behaviour.

- There is a suggestion that children may catch more infections (ear, nose, and throat) through ECE participation, and that young children attending all-day centres may experience higher cortisol levels (symptom of stress). Where centres are good quality, cortisol levels tend to be lower.

- Studies found cognitive gains for children from low-income/ disadvantaged homes could be greater than for most other children in mathematics and literacy.

- Children for whom English is an additional language, and children from some ethnic minority groups (including Black children), made greater progress on numeracy and pre-reading measures during ECE participation than the white U.K. children or those for whom English is a first language in the English EPPE study.

- Longer duration of ECE experience is linked with cognitive (“academic”) gains for children from all family socioeconomic backgrounds but full-time attendance has no benefits for cognitive outcomes over part-time attendance in studies of children from a range of socioeconomic backgrounds.

- A small number of international studies found an early starting age before age 2 or 3 is associated with higher levels of antisocial or worried behaviour at the time of attendance or shortly after school entry. These associations were generally found in centres rated as low-quality.

As the diagramme shows, early childhood services that contribute to positive child and family outcomes are settings characterised by:
- intentional teaching;
- family engagement with ECE teachers and programmes, where social/cultural capital and interests from home are included, and both family and teachers can best support the child’s learning; and
- a complex curriculum involving both cognitive and non-cognitive dimensions

External factors for school success

This Audit Commission report from November 2006 focuses on the external factors to school success, rather than the internal ones. It also offers examples of practice and tools to assess effectiveness. Drawing on research from 12 councils, serving deprived areas, the authors concentrate on regeneration and renewal; social housing; community safety; arts, sports and recreation; and youth services.

Key points:
- School improvement and renewal are inseparable issues from neighbourhood improvement and renewal, particularly in the most disadvantaged areas.
- Community safety partnerships and agencies can work with schools to help tackle crime and antisocial behaviour, both in and out of school, thus contributing to neighbourhood renewal and supporting high aspirations and educational achievement in school.
- Housing conditions affect children’s health and ability to learn; and the profile of housing stock in an area affects the intake of a whole school and very often the performance of its pupils.
- Arts, sports and recreation services can support schools in many ways. They may provide additional facilities or resources to deliver the curriculum. They may help build children’s confidence and self esteem in a different context from the classroom, and give disaffected young people a more constructive alternative to crime and antisocial behaviour.
- Making effective use of both universal and targeted youth services can help to foster more successful schools, through linking young people to wider opportunities for personal and social development, and helping to tackle the root causes of underachievement and disaffection through individual support.

Australian - Brighter Futures Intervention programme

Brighter Futures is an Australian voluntary program that provides targeted support tailored to meet the needs of vulnerable families with children aged under nine years or who are expecting a child. Brighter Futures provides families with the necessary services and resources to help prevent an escalation of emerging child protection issues. It aims to strengthen parenting and other skills to promote the necessary conditions for healthy child development and well being. This report provides a baseline of activity in the Program up to September 2007.

Key points:
- The Brighter Futures children are typically under the age of six with a strong representation in the age group of two to four years. More than a third of the children had a medical condition and half of the children had a development delay.
- Nearly half of the children were identified to require intervention for behavior problems. Most of the children also had socio-emotional problems.
- Warmth, hostile parenting and consistency were three dimensions of parenting that had been identified in previous research as having an important impact on children’s subsequent health and development. Parental warmth was identified to significantly correlate with children’s behavior score. On average, the Brighter Futures parents scored slightly higher on the hostile parenting measure than the Australian population as a whole.
- On average, the primary carers assessed themselves as a ‘better than average parent’. However 13 per cent of participants stated that they had some trouble or were not very good at being a parent, compared to less than two per cent of the overall Australian population.
- More than half of the primary carers stated that they sometimes felt that they needed support but could not get it from anyone and 37 % stated that they often or very often felt that way.
- Primary carers demonstrated high levels of satisfaction with the services and the amount of service they received from the Brighter Futures program.

School bullying

This paper examines bullying and its impact on young people’s health and well being, and the significance of family relationships in dealing with bullying behaviour. Created by the Australian government it is a short summary of major research on this subject.

Key points:
- The paper explores school based bullying, peer bystanders, the importance of the family as well as suggesting anti-bullying strategies, building well-being and building positive relationships with families.

Classroom inclusion: using talents

This action research report - Growing Talents for Inclusion (GTI) - uses Appreciative Inquiry in order to improve the classroom environment. Originally focused on a year 8 class, the research was expanded to primary and secondary schools.

Key points:
- Appreciative Inquiry focuses on recognising the positives that already exist within a situation, and building on these.
- The researchers also suggested that Appreciative Inquiry could be used in a range of contexts. Are there other challenges within your class that could use Appreciative Inquiry? Can you identify other talents which could be developed?
- This project focused on improving social inclusion in classes. This was done by identifying behaviours that promote inclusion.
- The dynamics of a group can be improved if there is a common purpose like the class project in GTI which involves working with the class to democratically choose a class project that the students plan and carry out themselves.

Head teachers might like to consider the following implication:
- The researchers found that Growing Talent for Inclusion helped to improve relationships within individual classes. How might appreciative inquiry play a part in focusing discussions about enhancing citizenship and emotional literacy as part of the Every Child Matters agenda in your school?

Peer mentoring

This pilot (supported by the DCSF) is in operation in 180 English schools and exists where one student forms a non-judgemental relationship with another pupil (mentee) for a sustained period of time, usually when the mentee is going through a transition, in order to voluntarily give support and encouragement. It is a formalised arrangement with training and support delivered by the Mentoring & Befriending Foundation.

Key points:
- Mentees were ‘pleased to have a mentor’; felt the ‘mentor was helpful; and were ‘confident there was someone to go to’.
- Mentors were ‘pleased to be a mentor’; thought it would be good for them/was good for them and felt it would be helpful to the pupils being mentored.
- 55% schools stated that ‘improved academic performance/ attainment’ was the long term aim of their peer mentoring schemes, followed by reduction in bullying (29%), improved attendance (8%) and fewer exclusions (6%).
- Evidence suggested that mentor and mentee matching seemed to be most successful when pupils were put together according to similar interests/hobbies and or similar personality characteristics.
- Programme co-ordinators in schools reported improved transitions most frequently (64%) as an outcome of the programme, and 63% thought that the programme had improved pupils’ confidence and self esteem. However, the programme was thought to have had less impact than expected on raising pupil attainment, and reducing incidences of bullying.
- Mentee expectations were high and were largely met. The vast majority were pleased at having a mentor; found their mentor helpful, and thought that the relationship with their mentor got better over time.
- 90% of mentees felt that being mentored had helped them. Mentees said that being mentored had improved their attitudes towards school; helped them attain better; and increased their confidence at school.
- Successful factors of peer mentoring programmes were: mentor enthusiasm; staff support; strong lead from school peer mentoring co-ordinator; and mentee engagement.

Personal tutors in secondary schools

This study by the University of Bath looked at the use of personal tutors to support secondary school pupils in the use of their personal development plans.

Key points:
- The quality of the personal tutoring is dependent upon the learning guide and student.
- These relationships should provide an encouraging interchange that identifies and considers strategies for learning, criteria for success and an understanding of critical self-assessment. An effective learning guide engages in a dialogue which focuses on personal goals, motivational factors and steps for achievement.
- Challenging but realistic expectations and targets should be set with clear and specific feedback given to students.

Evaluation of Education related Parenting Contracts

The DCSF have evaluated the use of Education Related Parenting Contracts, which are voluntary agreements between parents and schools or local authorities, intended to be used to assist children at risk of exclusion or who have poor attendance.

Key findings:
- Difficult to assess effectiveness due to different understanding of what the parenting contract is.
- Parenting contracts are more likely to be used for attendance than behaviour.
- Where they are used they are seen as effective in improving attendance and behaviour and the relationship with the school.
- Local Authorities reported offering a range of support to parents through their contracts. The main support was referral to parenting classes followed by referral to mental health services.
- Parent contracts tend to be used for attendance once a poor record (80%) is seen to exist. For behaviour parent contracts are introduced after other attempts (such as Pastoral Support Plan) has being tried, however there is evidence that earlier use of the parenting contract might be better here.

Impact of teachers and school on primary children

This report by the DCSF investigates the way school and classroom processes affect the cognitive progress and social/behavioural development of children between the ages of 6 and 10 in primary schools in England.

Key findings:
- Both teachers’ classroom practice and overall school-level factors make a significant difference to children’s academic and social/behavioural progress after controlling for the influence of child, family and home learning environment.
- Classroom factors, (particularly overall Teaching quality and Child positivity) and Parental support have an important influence on children’s progress in Reading between 5-10. School-level factors were relatively less important for Reading.
- Progress in Mathematics, however, is relatively equally influenced by factors at classroom-level and school-level (Quality of school leadership, School communication with parents, Use of homework and school standards).
- The influence of overall Teaching quality on Reading and Mathematics is stronger than the net influence of some background factors such as gender and family disadvantage but weaker than the influence of Early Years Home Learning Environment and mothers’ qualifications.
- The influence of primary schools upon Children’s social/behavioural developmental progress appears to operate more through school-level characteristics (such as academic ethos, Use of homework and school standards and the extent of recent school Improvement since last inspection) rather than classroom-level factors.
- It is possible to classify teachers into groups according to differences in their overall Teaching quality across a range of different dimensions of classroom behaviour and practice.
- Overall Teaching quality is a significant predictor of cognitive progress for children across the ages 5-10. Children in schools where overall Teaching quality was observed to be High do significantly better in both Reading and Mathematics than those attending schools where Year 5 quality was observed to be Low.
- The overall quality of teaching as measured by the instruments had a consistent influence on children’s academic progress but not on children’s social/behavioural development.