Progress towards the British Government's goal of 50% of young people undertaking higher education has been slow, particularly among pupils from working-class backgrounds. This study examines the range of viewpoints held by 53 Year 12 pupils in a former coalfield area, all of whom were eligible to apply for university. Each completed a Q-sort on…

This small-scale study explored some aspects of the use of Pastoral Support Programmes, which were introduced by the DfEE in 1999 to promote social inclusion by reducing school exclusions. Issues explored were the level of involvement of educational psychologists (EPs), pupils, parents and other agencies, the conceptualisations of Pastoral Support…

Twelve educational psychologists in training on the M.Sc. course at the University of Strathclyde were provided with e-mail and on-line computer conferencing facilities with the aim of developing critical thinking and transferable information technology skills. A follow-up 6 months after the end of the course revealed that the use of…