This is the third and final report from the evaluation of the new Offenders' Learning and Skills Service (OLASS). The evaluation examined the impact of OLASS on: (1) Assessment of learners; (2) Monitoring procedures; (3) Information, advice and guidance (IAG); (4) On the offender learning/criminal justice workforce on provision for offenders (in…

The results reported in this document are from a large scale survey of employers, apprentices, Local Learning and Skills Councils (LLSCs), and providers carried out by the National Foundation for Educational Research (NFER) between June 2005 and March 2006, which explored their views and experiences of the use and impact of training allowances.…

The integrated Aimhigher programme was established in 2004 to widen participation in higher education by raising the aspirations and developing the abilities of young people from underrepresented groups. In order to explore the extent to which young people subsequently made a successful transition at 16 and intended, or had decided, to continue…

The Increased Flexibility Programme for 14 to 16 year olds (IFP) was introduced in 2002. The aim of the programme was to "create enhanced vocational and work-related learning opportunities for 14 to 16 year olds of all abilities who can benefit most", including supporting provision of the GCSEs in vocational subjects. The first cohort of Year 10…

Aimhigher: Excellence Challenge (initially known as Excellence Challenge) was specifically established by the Department for Education and Skills (DfES) in 2001, with the aim of increasing the number of young people from disadvantaged backgrounds who had the qualifications and aspirations necessary to enter higher education. The analysis conducted…

The Citizenship Education Longitudinal Study, conducted by the National Foundation for Education Research (NFER) on behalf of the Department for Education and Skills (DfES), aims to identify, measure and evaluate the extent to which effective practice in citizenship education develops in schools so that such practice can be promoted widely. The…

From preschool parents to Pentagon chiefs, people are calling for more foreign language instruction. Factors driving the demand include China's economic growth, which has prompted the College Board to add Chinese to its list of Advanced Placement tests. Meanwhile, President George W. Bush, citing national security concerns, has called for the…

Vocational education and training (VET) represents one of the most significant reforms to the senior secondary curriculum in Australian schools over recent decades. Introduced to expand curricular options and provide work-based training and qualifications, the numbers of students participating in VET have more than trebled since the mid-1990s.…

This report focuses on the transition to full-time employment of young people who do not go to university. The majority of Australia's school leavers do not enroll in university, and it is important to better understand the pathways that they follow. The report uses a substantial longitudinal dataset to map the dynamics of the youth labour market,…

In 2005 the Welsh Local Government Association (WLGA) commissioned the National Foundation for Educational Research (NFER) to gather evidence on local authority (LA) and school approaches to nutrition in schools in order to inform the work of the WLGA Schools Food Task and Finish Group. This report presents the findings of that research.…

This paper examines the relationships of pupils' on-task orientation at school and their opposition to teachers with perceived cognitive competence, perceived relevance of schoolwork, and the belief that going against school norms increases peer status. The study was conducted as a survey among a national representative sample of 3834 pupils in…

The purpose of this study is to examine effects of the admission system to higher education on background diversity of students and study efficiency. By using data from a longitudinal project, the students admitted to medical education on different admission grounds are compared. The results indicate that admissions based on upper secondary grades…

Evidence which suggests that university and college students are more vulnerable to psychological distress than the general population has generated increasing public concern. This study presents psychometric data on Norwegian undergraduate students' psychological distress (N= 1750). Psychological distress was assessed by applying the 12-item…

This paper seeks to explore the impact of IT on school and teacher cultures. It reports on Swedish teachers' use of IT in different school subjects by means of a case study comprising one school, four teachers (2 men and 2 women), and their pupils aged 9-12. The methods of data collection used were interviews and observations. The aim of the study…

Eleven groups of students performed a 24-session intervention based on Aggression Replacement Training (ART) as part of their further education programme. Subjects were 65 children and young people with varying degrees of behavioural problems. Forty-seven subjects received the ART programme. Eighteen received standard social and educational…