In this paper, we consider the relationship between the existence of private schools and public attitudes towards questions about educational provision. Data from the 2010 British Social Attitudes survey suggest that parents who choose to send children to private schools may become more entrenched in their support for more extensive forms of…

In recent years, education and family policy in the UK has sought to incorporate the views of children and young people through an active participation agenda, in the fulfilment of children's rights under the obligations of the UN Convention for the Rights of the Child. Drawing on empirical evidence, this paper suggests that this aspiration is…

The rise in the measured prevalence of autism has been accompanied by much new research and research investment internationally. This study sought to establish whether the pattern of current UK autism research funding maps on to the concerns of the autism community. Interviews and focus groups were conducted with autistic adults, family members,…

A questionnaire was developed and trialled in an inclusive high school with the aim of understanding factors that contribute to parental confidence in school provision for students with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND). Parents of all students at School Action, School Action Plus and those with Statements of special educational…

Generational differences are seen as the cause of wide shifts in our ability to engage with technologies and the concept of the digital native has gained popularity in certain areas of policy and practice. This paper provides evidence, through the analysis of a nationally representative survey in the UK, that generation is only one of the…

This article is essentially written as two linked parts. The first part considers how space, spatiality and history can contribute to understanding and "doing something about" the sustainability of rural communities. This is done by extensive reference to Soja's (1989 & 1996) space and spatial theorising and selective perspectives of…

This article describes the methodology and observational data from a project that sought to, first, investigate the prevalence of alcohol related harm and alcohol misuse in Cardiff's night-time economy and, second, deliver a targeted server training intervention to premises identified as at risk of misselling alcohol. The bulk of the work is…

This article accounts for a project that rests on a collaboration between the Leadership for Learning group at the Faculty of Education and the county council in King's Lynn and West Norfolk to address a concern regarding the low aspirations in the community. At the heart of the project was the development of a cadre of "Learning…

Background: There is an increase in people with learning disabilities with offending and other disturbed behaviour who are placed in the local community and out of their area of origin. Aims: To compare clients placed locally and out of area. Method: All authorities in an English region were surveyed and interviewed about their clients placed…

This paper takes as its central thesis Martha Nussbaum's normative proposition that social arrangements should be evaluated primarily according to the extent of freedom people have to promote or achieve functionings they value. Using this as a lens the paper explores the housing circumstances of older people in the UK. The paper makes three…

This book gives the views of parents in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland about ways in which elementary schools should use the time they have with students. Although the parents' comments were collected during the course of a 1985 survey on health education in elementary schools, the whole context of the education of 4- through 12-year-olds…