This research note shows that secondary school segregation by poverty in England has recently started declining again. By comparing the long-term pattern of school compositions with an economic indicator, it is possible to link this decline to the recession, but only if a further, and contentious, assumption is made about what happened in the…

This paper builds upon an earlier analysis presented in this journal. Using official figures for school compositions and for outcomes at KS4 from 1997 to 2007, this paper considers each of the annual cohorts of new Academies in England, from 2002 to 2006. It shows that their level of success in comparison to their predecessors, national averages,…

Published indicators of school "performance", such as those shown annually in league tables in England, have been controversial since their inception. Raw-score figures for school outcomes are heavily dependent on the prior attainment and family background of the students. Policy-makers in Wales have reacted to this fundamental flaw by withdrawing…

A programme of City Academies was announced by the Secretary of State for Education for England in 2000. These schools would be independent of local government control, have voluntary and private sector sponsors, and would break the cycle of failing inner-city schools. The first three Academies opened in 2002, and this paper considers how they…

Considers the notion of schools in a "spiral of decline," in which less popular schools within a market system lose numbers and increase their proportion of socially disadvantaged pupils over time. Using data derived from all secondary schools in England from 1989 to 1999, finds little evidence for any increase in the existence of such schools.…

Uses a new data set to consider the relative effectiveness of secondary schools in England and Wales. Once socioeconomic factors are considered, there is no evidence that students in Wales, whether taught in English or Welsh, do worse than their counterparts in England. Implications are discussed. (Contains 50 references.) (MLH)

Creation of technologically based "virtual education" has been portrayed as a means of widening access to lifelong-learning opportunities for those currently excluded. An examination of these claims in light of UK nonparticipants' characteristics and common barriers reveals that technological fixes will solve some problems, create others, and…