Our research constructed school life histories with 23 'lower-attaining' primary school children in England. Previous research has often failed to focus on the social justice aspects of this group, and no attempt has been made to contextualise children's misrecognition experiences within their full school life history, nor to hear primarily from…

While concepts of care and caring have a long history, the terms have become especially prominent in recent times. Care and caring, I argue, have emerged as what philosopher Charles Taylor calls 'moral sources,' uber-concepts that allow for moral deliberation, the prioritization of preferences, and our identity formation as persons. Linking the…

This report looks at the provision of A level subjects in England in 2018. Provision in a subject is defined as the number or percentage of schools with at least one student taking the subject. It could be argued that this may not cover all of the 'provision' since schools might offer to provide a subject, but none of their students wants to study…

Within the wealth of research on 'ability' in education, there is a missing perspective: the perspective of the child. Whilst 'ability' informed practices such as 'ability' grouping are commonplace in the UK, how these are experienced by the young child has previously received only limited attention in research. Using case study evidence, this…

This paper analyses English Millennium Cohort Study data (N = 4463). It examines two respective predictors of children's maths self-concept at age 11: earlier in-class maths 'ability' group and earlier teacher judgements of children's maths 'ability/attainment' (both at age seven). It also investigates differential associations by maths cognitive…

Primary and secondary school teachers in the London area discuss their understanding and operationalising of the concept of ability as applied to their students. Combining elements of achievement and potential, 'ability' is not clearly and consistently defined by teachers and is, strictly speaking, not a necessary concept since other terms account…

This article explores the notion that asking and exploring so-called "big questions" could potentially increase the diversity and number of students who aspire to work in science and science-related careers. The focus is the premise that girls are more interested than boys in the relationships between science and other disciplines. The…

U.K. higher education research routinely pinpoints the racialized nature of academic performance, but it often fails to even consider if racism contributes to such a pervasive racial or ethnic disparity. While research in the area often focuses on comparing the attainment of home white and ethnic minority students, little attention is given to the…

A compositional effect is when pupil attainment is associated with the characteristics of their peers, over and above their own individual characteristics. Pupils at academically selective schools, for example, tend to out-perform similar-ability pupils who are educated with mixed-ability peers. Previous methodological studies however have shown…

Identity construction for individuals with dyslexia is significantly moulded by their transition to and experiences within secondary education. This is an interview-based study with 20 participants living in England. Support-related school experiences, relationships with teachers, societal perceptions about the importance of literacy and academic…

Using data from the Millennium Cohort Study, this article contributes to research on disproportionate special needs identification of ethnic and language minority students in England. It addresses the reasons behind such disproportionalities. By considering a comparatively broad set of indicators on students' abilities, behaviours and exposure to…

We examine recent research across countries and cultures in regard to the issues related to the formation of gifted and talented education perspectives, policies, and practices. Many modern cultures and subcultures have developed formal and informal definitions of what it means to be gifted and talented, and when we compare the perceptions,…

'Learning gain' has become an increasingly prominent concept in debates about the effectiveness of higher education across OECD countries. In England, interest has been heightened by the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE)'s major research initiative on learning gain, launched in 2015, and by the new Teaching Excellence Framework…

The T Level Transition Programme is a study programme targeted at students aged 16 to 19 years (or young people with Education and Healthcare Plans to age 24) who are not ready to start a T Level but have the potential to progress onto one following a tailored preparation programme. The Transition Programme is expected to be a full-time study…

Predisposing factors of perceived physical education (PE) ability and perceived PE worth within the Youth Physical Activity Promotion Model are positively associated with young people's daily physical activity. The aim of this study was to qualitatively investigate the origins of students' perceived PE ability (perceived competence and…