Studies consistently show the detrimental effect of school absences on pupils' achievement. However, due to an accumulation of multiple risks, school absenteeism may be more harmful to achievement among pupils from lower socioeconomic status (SES). Using a sample of upper-secondary students from the Scottish Longitudinal Study (n = 3,135), we…

Studies consistently show associations between school absences and academic achievement. However, questions remain about whether this link depends on the reason for children's absence. Using a sample of the Scottish Longitudinal Study (n = 4,419), we investigated whether the association between school absenteeism and achievement in high-stakes…

The impact of socio-economic background on mathematics performance in England can be seen from the most to least disadvantaged. As socio-economic background of pupils increases, so does average mathematics performance; the gap between the most and least disadvantaged is equivalent to over three years' of schooling. However, many factors other than…

This article begins by examining the Scottish Executive's published figures on exclusion from school to argue that while they show small reductions in the use of temporary exclusions from year to year, there is as yet no evidence of a substantial reduction. In addition it argues that the published data fail to give an accurate picture of the…

In this study, the data suggest that rising unemployment increases pupil motivation and thereby acts as an instrument of social control in schools as well as in the labor market; less equivocally, the data challenge current arguments alleging the demotivating and demoralizing effect of unemployment on school pupils. (Author/CT)

This document presents findings of a 9-month study conducted by the Scottish Council for Research in Education (SCRE) that explores: the statistical relationships among attendance, truancy, and student performance in examinations; the impact of truancy on students, teachers, and teaching; and factors of truancy in seven primary and seven secondary…

Examines how school attendance/absence is perceived in Scotland, as reflected in educational research, policy, and practices. Suggests that the largest cause of absence--medical reasons--be disaggregated and addressed, both to support the education of students whose absence is inevitable and to improve the school attendance of children whose…

From an analysis of attendance records of pupils in a comprehensive secondary school and their attendance at primary school, the authors describe weekly and daily patterns of absence. They also conclude that the potential truant from secondary school can be identified from his primary school attendance record. (Author)

A survey was conducted of young people who left school in Scotland in the 1993-94 academic year (the 1994 leavers). The survey sought information on the educational and employment activities of young people after they leave school, and their views and experiences of school itself, as well as background characteristics, such as parents' level of…

TWO STUDIES ARE REPORTED AND THEIR IMPLICATIONS DISCUSSED. IN THE FIRST STUDY AN ATTEMPT WAS MADE TO AVERT DELINQUENCY IN CHILDREN (AGED 12 AND 13) BY IDENTIFYING THE DELINQUENCY PRONE AND TREATING A PORTION OF THEM BY FAMILY CASEWORK METHODS. THROUGH USE OF THE DELINQUENCY PREDICTION INSTRUMENT AND THE BRISTOL SOCIAL ADJUSTMENT GUIDES, 33…