Session Information
05 SES 04, Impact of Extended Schools and Area Based Initiative
Paper Session
Contribution
The relationship between disadvantage, place and low educational outcomes has proved challenging to break for educators across Europe. Rather than a simple deterministic relationship, it appears there are complex interactions between material deprivation, social group cultures and family characteristics and dynamics (Cassen & Kingdon, 2007; Duckworth, 2008; Raffo et al., 2007). Children and their families living in deprived neighbourhoods typically experience a variety of problems including high levels of unemployment, ill-health, teenage pregnancy, illiteracy and innumeracy, welfare dependency, and unfit dwellings (Palmer et al, 2007). Area-based Initiatives (ABIs) have been used across Europe to try and address these problems of spatial inequality; examples include Zones d’Education Prioritaire in France, Portuguese Territórios Educativos de Intervenção Prioritária and Education Action Zones in England. Such interventions are often put into practice at a sub-local level through a partnership between central and local government who use schools as an access point.
This paper describes an ongoing research project which focuses on tracking the development of an innovative approach to spatial inequality using area-based solutions. Unusually, the initiative has been implemented by a joint partnership between a school and a social housing provider catering for a deprived suburb in the North West of England. The school is part of the Academies Programme, a policy introduced in 2001 where schools with low academic performance are replaced by schools which are state-funded, independent from local authority control, and managed by sponsors (DCSF, 2008). Weston Academy opened in 2008, Weston Housing Trust, set out with a clear vision; aiming to improve the life chances of their pupils, their families and the wider community by not only providing a higher standard of education but also develop a more sustainable community; improving living conditions, opportunities of employment and develop community cohesion.
The fact that Weston Academy’s area initiative has been implemented at a local level by two important service providers is significant in a number of ways. Firstly, housing and education providers are natural partners; experiencing different aspects of the same problems associated with deprived communities (Thornhill and Kent-Smith, 2009). Secondly, research has shown that area-based solutions have had limited impact and in most cases failed to achieve the expected outcomes (Rees et al, 2007; Dyson et al, 2009). Reasons for this include; insufficient resources, lack of strategic direction in policy guidelines and inadequate consideration for contextual factors (Power et al, 2005; Dyson et al, 2009). Weston Academy therefore presents an interesting opportunity to assess whether a new approach, where the partners’ concerns are rooted in the community they serve, is able to make more of a significant impact. To achieve this, the research described in this paper involves tracking the lives of twelve families whose children attend Weston Academy. Through recurrent qualitative data collection exercises, the research aims to understand the impact that Weston Academy is having upon their lives, in an effort to assess whether an area-based solution of this type can make a difference.
Method
Expected Outcomes
References
Cassen, R. & Kingdon, G. (2007). Tackling low educational achievement. York: Joseph Rowntree Foundation. DCSF, (2008) What is an Academy? Retrieved from; www.dcsf.org.uk/schoolscommissioner/academies.shtml Duckworth, K. (2008). The influence of context on attainment in primary school: interactions between children, family and school contexts. London: Centre for Research on the Wider Benefits of Learning, Institute of Education. Dyson, A. Jones, L & Kerr, K. (2009) Inclusion and social disadvantage in the English education system: the role of area-based initiatives. Retrieved from; http://www.education.manchester.ac.uk/research/centres/cee/publications/ Palmer, G. MacInnes, T. and Kenway, P. (2007) Monitoring Poverty and social exclusion JRF and NPI. Retrieved from; http://www.poverty.org.uk/reports/mpse%202007.pdf Power, S. Rees, G. & Taylor, C. (2005). New labour and educational disadvantage: The limits of area-based initiatives. London Review of Education, 3(2), 101-116. Raffo, C. Dyson, A. Gunter, H. Hall, D. Jones, L. & Kalambouka, A. (2007). Education and poverty: a critical review of theory, policy and practice. York: Joseph Rowntree Foundation Rees, G. Power, S. & Taylor, C. (2007). The governance of educational inequalities: the limits of area based initiatives. Journal of Comparative Policy Analysis, 9(3), 261-274. Thornhill, J. Kent-Smith, J. (2009) Housing, Schools and Communities. A Policy and Practice report by the Chartered Institute of Housing. Retrieved from; http://www.cih.org/policy/fpp-HousingSchoolCommtys-nov09.pdf Yin, R. (1994). Case study research: Design and methods (2nd ed.). Beverly Hills, CA: Sage Publishing
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