Most research into parental involvement and engagement examines the perspectives of teachers and parents, but often not pupils. Additionally, the focus is commonly on younger children. This study addresses these gaps. A questionnaire was distributed to pupils in Primaries 5, 6 and 7 (ages 9-12), which, after data cleaning, resulted in a sample of…

Impairments of emotional awareness and regulation are recognised features of autism spectrum conditions and are known to impact school experiences and outcomes. However, most research in this field takes place within clinical settings, and there is a scarcity of literature describing how these difficulties are addressed within schools,…

Supporting pre-service primary teachers to develop the required specialist knowledge for teaching mathematics is a complex task. The knowledge required for mathematics teaching at primary level is multi-faceted and the efficacy of mathematics teaching is inextricably intertwined with a teacher's own beliefs and attitudes about mathematics and…

This qualitative research study concerns mentoring primary education student teachers within the context of Scottish Initial Teacher Education. With reference to partnership in ITE, it focuses on understandings about relationships between local authority and school, and between school and university within the mentoring process. Within an…

This paper argues that play should be central to children's lives throughout early childhood, including their time in school. First, it charts the history of early childhood education in Scotland through four stages: (1) pioneer of kindergarten; (2) early adopter of formal education; (3) promise of a recalibration through Curriculum for…

In Scotland, the "Curriculum for Excellence" ("CfE") provides education practitioners with the opportunity for transformational change through the delivery of a holistic, broad and general education. This paper explores the extent to which play can be used as a pedagogical tool in developing the capabilities of children to…

The starting point of this paper is the Scottish School Grounds Survey of 2005, which provided nationwide insight into the extent to which school grounds were being used as learning environments for children in nursery, primary, secondary and special schools in Scotland. Reflecting specifically on provision for play and the way in which play…

This is the opening paper in a "Scottish Educational Review" collection on "Making Space for Play in Scottish Education." It is acknowledged that, historically, a perception of divergent purpose enabled education both to enlist play and to curb play to achieve desired educational outcomes. However, a new understanding of play…

It is widely accepted that children in Scotland, as in other high-income countries, are not engaging in sufficient moderate-to-vigorous intensity physical activity (MVPA), the consequences of which can be adverse for health and wellbeing. In this paper, it is contended that active play (a form of gross motor or total body movement in which…

Profound socio-environmental changes taking place at a planetary scale are threatening food security (Godfray et al., 2011), with food production located at a critical nexus between land-use, reduced availability of fossil fuels and the urgent need to reduce emissions (Harvey & Pilgrim, 2011). While debates on food security and energy…

Leadership has been identified in contemporary policy as a critical factor in taking forward school improvement and enhancing outcomes for pupils (Pontz, Nusche and Moorman, 2008) in many educational systems including Scottish education. A second policy driver in Scottish education currently is focused on "closing the gap" (Scottish…

"Successful learners" is one of the four capacities, or purposes, of "Curriculum for Excellence" (CfE). This paper reports on a project which aimed to clarify its meaning, explore children's understanding of the term, and consider possible implications of both for classroom practice. The project was thus conducted in two parts:…

Education systems in Sweden and Scotland are currently undergoing reforms which have shifted curricula from content driven to student focused approaches. In Higher Education, the shift from elite to more accessible mass education may bring direct implications for teaching and learning. Institutions continually seek evidence of the effectiveness of…