News Release

Schools culture of testing and targets squeezes support for 'at risk' youngsters

Peer-Reviewed Publication

Economic & Social Research Council

The current competitive culture of standards, targets and formal curriculum makes it hard for schools to be inclusive and support children with the greatest social and learning needs, according to new research funded by the ESRC.

And Government initiatives to avoid children being excluded from primary schools will have limited success unless changes are made in how support agencies work together, warns Dr Sheila Macrae, of the Department of Education and Professional Studies at King's College, London, who led the study.

The findings fuel growing debates about the problems of short-term initiatives and the gaps between the theory and practice of different professional agencies working together.

Joint projects involving professionals in fields such as education, health and the family were seen as solutions to existing failures of the system, but lack of time meant there was often little consultation with those intended to benefit.

Researchers found that more positive outcomes were likely where schools and families were drawn into solving their problems with the help and support of outside agencies, often on a long-term basis. Quick fix solutions seldom produce lasting results.

The study focused on how current national policy was interpreted and implemented in a complex, urban area with a cluster of schools with high levels of 'difficult' and vulnerable children and a high proportion of black and minority ethnic youngsters, including refugees.

Researchers examined a scheme funded through a local health action zone partnership and led by a team from child health and education (statutory agencies) and the family services unit (a voluntary agency), including two psychologists and a social worker.

Whilst there were visible benefits from joint initiatives, there were also some problems in the ways they worked which must be addressed if longer-term projects are to be effective, says the report.

There were 'significant variations' in the ways in which professionals understood and interpreted problems and the work of the initiative, including key terminology.

Time and case load pressures, the emphasis on measurable outputs, staff turnover, the demanding nature of the work and the short-term life of the initiative made working together difficult, as well as limiting what could be achieved.

And the need to present the initiative to the funding body in a positive way, emphasising success and highlighting only its benefits, militated against openness and honesty about any short-comings in the ways the agencies worked together, says Dr Macrae.

Activities under the initiative included working with individual children or small groups to manage anger. There was play therapy for younger children, and anti-bullying techniques as part of school in-service education.

Team members were available to parents at times and in ways that teachers were not, and valuable work was done breaking down barriers between parents and the school or other agencies.

The initiative offered valuable practical help in reducing the risk of exclusions, and some schools felt it had left them in a stronger position to help vulnerable children. Others, however, felt it filled a gap which re-opened once the initiative was over.

Said Dr Macrae: "If what is needed is an emphasis on creating a positive environment to promote social and emotional learning, this may require much more time and effort than is allowed, especially in short-term initiatives.

"The current competitive climate of standards, attainment and formal academic curriculum does not readily leave room for wider emotional and mental health needs. This is particularly so in disadvantaged areas where schools and teachers are already hard pressed."

###

For further information, contact: Dr Sheila Macrae on 020 7848 3081, e-mail: sheila.macrae@kcl.ac.uk
Or Iain Stewart or Lesley Lilley at ESRC, on 01793 413032/413119

NOTES FOR EDITORS
1. The research report 'Starting young: challenging exclusion in the primary school' was funded by the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC). Dr Macrae is at the Department of Education and Professional Studies, King's College, LONDON SE1 9NN.
2. The ESRC is the UK's largest funding agency for research and postgraduate training relating to social and economic issues. It has a track record of providing high-quality, relevant research to business, the public sector and Government. The ESRC invests more than £76 million every year in social science. At any time, its range of funding schemes may be supporting 2,000 researchers within academic institutions and research policy institutes. It also funds postgraduate training within the social sciences thereby nurturing the researchers of tomorrow. The ESRC website address is http://www.esrc.ac.uk
3. REGARD is the ESRC's database of research. It provides a key source of information on ESRC social science research awards and all associated publications and products. The website can be found at http://www.regard.ac.uk.


Disclaimer: AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert system.