New publications

Although school libraries play an important role in improving literacy outcomes and access to knowledge, many school libraries in Britain are under-resourced or under-utilised, or are poorly integrated into the wider school culture. This report makes recommendations for how school library provision can be improved, such as through the processes of integrating the library into the school culture, drawing on student perspectives and teacher perspectives in doing so; offering support and funding as well as helping to develop partnerships with appropriate external agencies; and aiming to extend the services provided by the school library. The full report is available online.

Findings are reported from research into on young people's experiences of internet use in Britain. The report examines the impact of government initiatives to reduce the digital divide. One in five of the 250 people interviewed had no access to the internet, a finding which has implications for their futures in education and the workforce. A quarter of respondents were not able to use the internet in a safe and private place, which has implications for young people's ability to access resources such as health-related material. Many also struggled with using the internet, and finding and understanding information. Adapted from the report's introduction.

This publication reports on the percentage of British students participating in at least the recommended 120 minutes of curriculum physical education (PE) on a weekly basis, as measured by the annual PE and Sport Survey. At a national level, the statistical release shows that: across Years 1–11, 86 per cent of pupils participated in at least 120 minutes of curriculum PE each week, up from 81 per cent in 2008/09, while across Years 1–13, 82 per cent of pupils participated in at least 120 minutes of curriculum PE each week, up from 77 per cent in 2008/09. The data showed that 81 per cent of girls and 84 per cent of boys in Years 1–13 participated in at least 120 minutes of curriculum PE each week. On entry to secondary school, decreases in the numbers participating becoming clearly evident. Adapted from the executive summary. The full report is available online.

This report examines the strategies used by teachers to measure and evaluate their continuing professional development activities. While most teachers plan their professional development well, many do not effectively consider how they will measure the impact of their PD on their teaching, or on their pupils' achievement. While some teachers effectively monitor their ongoing PD and adjust their goals accordingly, many do not, or rely on other teachers to do so for them. Teachers are generally good at evaluating the outcomes of their professional development, but could draw on pupils' perspectives more often. Teachers who were less confident in evaluating the effectiveness of their PD tended not to devote as much time to reflection. ICT was used by many teachers to monitor their PD. The full report is available online.

Using data from the Australian Census from 1981-2006, this paper estimates the rates of return to post-school education. The expected private rates of return from investment in bachelor degrees increased over time for males, from 13.1 per cent in 1981 to almost twenty per cent in 2001, and then dropped to 15.3 percent in 2006; the range was 18.0 percent to 17.3 percent for females over the same period. Taken from the report's summary. The full report is available online. 

This report examines incidents of assaults on school grounds over a five year period. A statistically significant increase in the rate of recorded assault incidents between school-aged children on government school premises, during school hours was found. The typical assault occurred in the afternoon in a government secondary school, involved two students, usually boys, aged between 13 and 15 years, involved no weapon, and usually resulted in either no injury or only minor injuries to the victim. The most common locations for incidents were play areas, or school corridors, hallways, toilet blocks or the gymnasium. Most offenders were not charged. While the results indicate an increase in assaults, this trend may in fact be due to higher levels of reporting of such incidents. The full report is available online.