National examinations, children's well-being and academic achievement
Lead Research Organisation:
University College London
Department Name: Quantitative Social Science
Abstract
High-stakes national examinations are an important part of England's education system. The key stage 2 and GCSE examinations at the end of primary and secondary school are not only used to measure the academic competencies of pupils, but also play a fundamental role in school accountability. Yet there is growing concern amongst parents, teachers and education policymakers about the examination stress that young people suffer, and how this is potentially linked to the development of serious mental health issues. This concern has only increased in recent years, particularly amongst secondary school pupils, with the recent reforms made to GCSE examinations (with much more emphasis now placed upon the end-of-Year 11 tests). For instance, a series of media articles have highlighted how England's examinations are leading to "panic-attacks and crying" (https://www.theguardian.com/education/2018/jun/22/how-new-gcses-affected-pupils-panic-attacks-crying-exams), that they are causing "serious stress and anxiety" (https://www.theguardian.com/education/2018/may/17/stress-and-serious-anxiety-how-the-new-gcse-is-affecting-mental-health), with Lucy Powell MP (former shadow Secretary of State for Education) reportedly describing this as a "mental health ticking time bomb" (https://inews.co.uk/news/education/lucy-powell-mental-health-time-bomb-gcses/).
The aim of this project is to provide new insight into the link between high-stakes examinations and young people's mental health within two research strands. In strand A we will investigate how indicators of pupils' mental health and well-being vary over the academic year and if "spikes" in mental health problems can be observed at key timepoints (e.g. during the examination season, during GCSE results week). For primary school pupils, the analysis will focus upon self-reported questionnaire data designed to measure children's mental well-being, collected as part of the Millennium Cohort Study (MCS). For secondary pupils, administrative data on GP appointments and hospital admissions will be used to explore the emergence of particularly serious mental health issues (e.g. incidence of self-harm). Together this will provide important new evidence about young people's well-being and mental health, whether such problems coincide with the approach of high-stakes national examinations and if it is possible to identify key mental health "flash-points" at certain points during the academic year.
Of course, poor mental health in the lead-up to examinations (e.g. high levels of anxiety) can also affect young people's performance upon these tests. For instance, high levels of test anxiety or generally low-levels of well-being may affect young people's motivation at school, their capacity to revise and their ability to function adequately in an examination setting. We will explore this issue within strand B of the project by investigating the link between pupil's mental health/well-being and their achievement in high-stakes tests. Specifically, the project will analyse Millennium Cohort Study (MCS) and Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) data linked to the National Pupil Database to provide new insights into this issue. In doing so, we will generate important new evidence on the importance of well-being for young people's academic attainment.
The aim of this project is to provide new insight into the link between high-stakes examinations and young people's mental health within two research strands. In strand A we will investigate how indicators of pupils' mental health and well-being vary over the academic year and if "spikes" in mental health problems can be observed at key timepoints (e.g. during the examination season, during GCSE results week). For primary school pupils, the analysis will focus upon self-reported questionnaire data designed to measure children's mental well-being, collected as part of the Millennium Cohort Study (MCS). For secondary pupils, administrative data on GP appointments and hospital admissions will be used to explore the emergence of particularly serious mental health issues (e.g. incidence of self-harm). Together this will provide important new evidence about young people's well-being and mental health, whether such problems coincide with the approach of high-stakes national examinations and if it is possible to identify key mental health "flash-points" at certain points during the academic year.
Of course, poor mental health in the lead-up to examinations (e.g. high levels of anxiety) can also affect young people's performance upon these tests. For instance, high levels of test anxiety or generally low-levels of well-being may affect young people's motivation at school, their capacity to revise and their ability to function adequately in an examination setting. We will explore this issue within strand B of the project by investigating the link between pupil's mental health/well-being and their achievement in high-stakes tests. Specifically, the project will analyse Millennium Cohort Study (MCS) and Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) data linked to the National Pupil Database to provide new insights into this issue. In doing so, we will generate important new evidence on the importance of well-being for young people's academic attainment.
Planned Impact
The aim of the project is to investigate the link between high-stakes national examinations and young people's mental health. The following groups will be the major beneficiaries of this work.
1. Teachers and school support staff. This group will benefit by the project providing new information on the characteristics of young people who are most likely to need support with their mental health and, critically, when during the academic year. For instance, if we find there to be a spike in severe mental health issues for children with specific characteristics in the lead-up to Key Stage 2 / GCSE examinations, then extra preventative measures may be put in place at this timepoint in order to effectively support this group. Results from strand B will also help teachers and educators to better understand the links between pupil well-being and national examination outcomes, and hence the extent that effectively tackling such problems (e.g. reducing stress and anxiety around high-stakes tests) may lead to improvements in their grades. Teacher unions are also likely to be engaged in this work, given that they have recently conducted a poll amongst their members about the issue of high-stakes examinations and pupils' mental health. This has since been used to suggest that the recent reforms made to GCSEs is harming children's mental health (https://neu.org.uk/latest/changes-gcses-and-levels-are-damaging-students-mental-health-and-increasing-teachers).
2. Young people and families. The evidence generated will help young people and their families better understand the mental health risks around the time of high-stakes exams. This is likely to be particularly relevant to those young people who have previously suffered from mental health issues and for whom problems may re-emerge. It may, for instance, highlight particular points where young people (and their families) may need to be particularly vigilant about their mental health.
3. Mental health charities. A number of mental health charities have shown interest in the link between high-stakes exams and mental health, such as Mind (e.g. https://www.mind.org.uk/information-support/your-stories/14-ways-to-beat-exam-stress/#.XDxxb83LfIU) and Young Minds (e.g. https://youngminds.org.uk/blog/exam-results-stress-advice-for-young-people/). These charities will benefit from the project by it further raising the profile of one of the key issues that they are interested in, while also providing new large-scale quantitative evidence that can help support their work. For instance, if we were to find spikes in negative mental health outcomes at particular points in the year (e.g. GCSE results week) then this may help inform the timing of interventions and campaigns that such charities run.
4. Policymakers. Mental health is currently a key priority at the Department for Education and Department of Health, with more than £300 million recently being committed to support the mental health of young people through schools (https://schoolsweek.co.uk/government-names-first-25-areas-to-get-school-mental-health-support-teams/). This project will help inform these government departments increasing policy interest and investment in this area by highlighting the groups (and hence schools) where interventions are most needed and the point(s) when serious mental health problems emerge.
5. Public health services. As the organisation responsible for young people's mental health, the Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service (CAMHS) will be a key stakeholder in this work. This organisation is likely to benefit from this research providing new evidence on the epidemiology of young people's mental health which may feed new information into their service provision and planning. For instance, it may help to identify areas or schools where there is a concentration of young people with a high-risk of developing mental health issues and the time during their education when these problems are most severe.
1. Teachers and school support staff. This group will benefit by the project providing new information on the characteristics of young people who are most likely to need support with their mental health and, critically, when during the academic year. For instance, if we find there to be a spike in severe mental health issues for children with specific characteristics in the lead-up to Key Stage 2 / GCSE examinations, then extra preventative measures may be put in place at this timepoint in order to effectively support this group. Results from strand B will also help teachers and educators to better understand the links between pupil well-being and national examination outcomes, and hence the extent that effectively tackling such problems (e.g. reducing stress and anxiety around high-stakes tests) may lead to improvements in their grades. Teacher unions are also likely to be engaged in this work, given that they have recently conducted a poll amongst their members about the issue of high-stakes examinations and pupils' mental health. This has since been used to suggest that the recent reforms made to GCSEs is harming children's mental health (https://neu.org.uk/latest/changes-gcses-and-levels-are-damaging-students-mental-health-and-increasing-teachers).
2. Young people and families. The evidence generated will help young people and their families better understand the mental health risks around the time of high-stakes exams. This is likely to be particularly relevant to those young people who have previously suffered from mental health issues and for whom problems may re-emerge. It may, for instance, highlight particular points where young people (and their families) may need to be particularly vigilant about their mental health.
3. Mental health charities. A number of mental health charities have shown interest in the link between high-stakes exams and mental health, such as Mind (e.g. https://www.mind.org.uk/information-support/your-stories/14-ways-to-beat-exam-stress/#.XDxxb83LfIU) and Young Minds (e.g. https://youngminds.org.uk/blog/exam-results-stress-advice-for-young-people/). These charities will benefit from the project by it further raising the profile of one of the key issues that they are interested in, while also providing new large-scale quantitative evidence that can help support their work. For instance, if we were to find spikes in negative mental health outcomes at particular points in the year (e.g. GCSE results week) then this may help inform the timing of interventions and campaigns that such charities run.
4. Policymakers. Mental health is currently a key priority at the Department for Education and Department of Health, with more than £300 million recently being committed to support the mental health of young people through schools (https://schoolsweek.co.uk/government-names-first-25-areas-to-get-school-mental-health-support-teams/). This project will help inform these government departments increasing policy interest and investment in this area by highlighting the groups (and hence schools) where interventions are most needed and the point(s) when serious mental health problems emerge.
5. Public health services. As the organisation responsible for young people's mental health, the Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service (CAMHS) will be a key stakeholder in this work. This organisation is likely to benefit from this research providing new evidence on the epidemiology of young people's mental health which may feed new information into their service provision and planning. For instance, it may help to identify areas or schools where there is a concentration of young people with a high-risk of developing mental health issues and the time during their education when these problems are most severe.
Publications
Viner RM
(2021)
Reopening schools during the COVID-19 pandemic: governments must balance the uncertainty and risks of reopening schools against the clear harms associated with prolonged closure.
in Archives of disease in childhood
Jerrim J
(2021)
National tests and the wellbeing of primary school pupils: new evidence from the UK
in Assessment in Education: Principles, Policy & Practice
Jerrim J
(2022)
The power of positive emotions? The link between young people's positive and negative affect and performance in high-stakes examinations
in Assessment in Education: Principles, Policy & Practice
Jerrim J
(2022)
THE BENEFITS OF MEETING KEY GRADE THRESHOLDS IN HIGH-STAKES EXAMINATIONS. NEW EVIDENCE FROM ENGLAND
in British Journal of Educational Studies
Jerrim J
(2022)
Test anxiety: Is it associated with performance in high-stakes examinations?
in Oxford Review of Education
Jerrim J
(2021)
The mental health of adolescents in England: How does it vary during their time at school?
in British Educational Research Journal
Description | Key Stage 2 tests are not related to a downward (or upward) shift in pupil wellbeing. The increase in mental health problems during pupils time at school seems to be driven not by differences/changes in school year groups, but more likely due to the change in age per se. Failing to achieve a C/4 grade in GCSE English / mathematics does not seem to be associated with future mental health outcomes. The association between test anxiety and GCSE outcomes is weak, with no evidence of a non-linear association. There is little evidence of a strong association between teenagers emotions - including fear of failure - and their performance in their GCSEs. |
Exploitation Route | To provide further evidence on the links between high-stakes tests and mental health outcomes. Including longitudinal data collection, particularly among primary pupils. Less focus should be given to how wellbeing impacts upon high-stakes assessment outcomes - there the evidence seems weak. |
Sectors | Education |
Description | 1. My work looking into the data quality of PISA has been used by the UK Statistics Authority to remind various government departments about the importance of openly and transparently reporting limitations with the data they collect. 2. The findings have been used by the Department for Education to help inform their policy thinking around assessment. 3. The work has challenged conventional narratives and thinking around the link between testing and wellbeing/assessment. |
First Year Of Impact | 2021 |
Sector | Education |
Impact Types | Societal Policy & public services |
Description | Involvement in AQA research board |
Geographic Reach | National |
Policy Influence Type | Participation in a guidance/advisory committee |
Description | Letter from UK statistics authority to government departments |
Geographic Reach | National |
Policy Influence Type | Implementation circular/rapid advice/letter to e.g. Ministry of Health |
Impact | In the next PISA results, we should see the results reported more transparently. Also, there is now a much wider appreciation of the issues with the PISA data, including overinterpretation. |
Description | Participation in Ofqual Research Group |
Geographic Reach | National |
Policy Influence Type | Membership of a guideline committee |
Description | Times Research Commission |
Geographic Reach | National |
Policy Influence Type | Contribution to a national consultation/review |
Description | EPI research collaborations |
Organisation | Education Policy Institute |
Country | United Kingdom |
Sector | Charity/Non Profit |
PI Contribution | Working together on educational research, including mental health and wellbeing issues. This includes webinars and roundtables with key stakeholders. |
Collaborator Contribution | Helping to facilitate webinars and roundtables. Also in putting together ideas for future research collaborations. |
Impact | Upcoming roundtables and webinars in March/April 2022. |
Start Year | 2021 |
Description | FFT Education datalab |
Organisation | Fischer Family Trust (FFT) |
Country | United Kingdom |
Sector | Charity/Non Profit |
PI Contribution | I am now seconding one day a week to this charity. We are collaborating together on international quantitative education research. |
Collaborator Contribution | They are experts in education data. They are helping to stimulate research ideas, and promote results from the research to consumers (e.g. schools, parents, teachers, policymakers). |
Impact | Co-produced reports and papers. |
Start Year | 2016 |
Description | National audit office - Sweden |
Organisation | Swedish National Audit Office |
Country | Sweden |
Sector | Public |
PI Contribution | Providing expert knowledge on the PISA study - helping Sweden's NAO understand limitations with the data. |
Collaborator Contribution | They are producing a report looking into the PISA 2018 data for Sweden. It will build upon some research I conducted using PISA. |
Impact | Report is forthcoming |
Start Year | 2020 |
Description | Ofqual research advisory board |
Organisation | Ofqual - The Office of Qualifications and Examinations |
Country | United Kingdom |
Sector | Public |
PI Contribution | Providing advice around examinations and evidence, including the National Reference Test. |
Collaborator Contribution | Facilitating the group. Hosting meetings. |
Impact | . |
Start Year | 2016 |
Description | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue - AQA advisory board meeting. 12th June. |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | National |
Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
Results and Impact | A meeting with the AQA examination board, where issues surrounding assessment (including national examinations) were discussed. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
Description | A meeting of the Education Support research group |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | National |
Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
Results and Impact | A meeting of the Education Support advisory board. As part of this, I touched upon the upcoming work on testing and wellbeing in schools. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
Description | A policy roundtable on learning inequalities and wellbeing. |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | National |
Primary Audience | Policymakers/politicians |
Results and Impact | A discussion about learning inequalities and wellbeing, particularly in the light of the COVID pandemic. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
Description | AQA advisory board meeting |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | National |
Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
Results and Impact | Meeting as part of the research advisory group of the AQA examination board. This includes discussion of mental health and wellbeing issues at times, including potential links to schooling examinations. Resulted in increased awareness of evidence surrounding such issues. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021,2022 |
Description | Conversation with reporter from Expressen |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Media (as a channel to the public) |
Results and Impact | A conversation with a reporter from a Swedish newspaper about the PISA data, which were one of the data sources used as part of this project. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
Description | Department for Education "Teach-in" session |
Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | National |
Primary Audience | Policymakers/politicians |
Results and Impact | Led a "teach-in" session at the Department for Education, focusing on my work looking at Key Stage 2 tests and children's wellbeing. This sparked discussion about the evidence base and where future work is needed. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
Description | Discussion with the Department for Education about policy. |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | National |
Primary Audience | Policymakers/politicians |
Results and Impact | A discussion about upcoming policy development at the DfE, and providing thoughts / feedback. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
Description | Discussion with the Department for Education on their work looking at long run effects of obtaining different grades. |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | National |
Primary Audience | Policymakers/politicians |
Results and Impact | A conversation about missing high-stakes test thresholds / grades and future outcomes. Building on their work looking at labour market effects, with my work looking at mental health impacts. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
Description | Discussion with the Swedish National Audit office about the Swedish PISA data. |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Policymakers/politicians |
Results and Impact | I used the PISA data as part of the ESRC project into tests and wellbeing. As part of this, I highlighted some issues with the PISA data in terms of non-response rates. I engaged with the Swedish National Audit Office about similar issues with their PISA data. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
Description | EPI - collaboration on events |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | National |
Primary Audience | Third sector organisations |
Results and Impact | A meeting about collaboration on events surrounding young people's mental health and wellbeing |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
Description | Engagement with Scottish government about PISA data. |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | National |
Primary Audience | Policymakers/politicians |
Results and Impact | A discussion with the Scottish government about the PISA data. These are data that I used as part of the ESRC project, but found some challenges with. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
Description | Engagement with Times Educational Commission |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | National |
Primary Audience | Third sector organisations |
Results and Impact | A meeting with the Times Education Commission about their work, including looking into the future of examinations https://www.thetimes.co.uk/society/education/education-commission . Fed into their ideas and helped them to understand the evidence base. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
Description | High-level roundtable about education policy, including wellbeing / mental health issues |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | National |
Primary Audience | Policymakers/politicians |
Results and Impact | Roundtable organised by Loic Mendez. Attended by special advisor to the education secretary, the children's commissioner, MAT CEO. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
Description | Letter to UK stats authority |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A magazine, newsletter or online publication |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Media (as a channel to the public) |
Results and Impact | As part of the ESRC funded project I am using PISA 2018 data. Partly through my work on the project, I found some important limitations with the data, that were previously not well reported. I hence wrote an open letter to the UK Statistics Authority about this issue, asking them to investigate: https://www.tes.com/magazine/news/general/investigate-serious-flaws-englands-pisa-data |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
Description | Meeting about wellbeing in schools |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | National |
Primary Audience | Policymakers/politicians |
Results and Impact | A meeting in November 2021 with a group working with the DfE, to understand more about wellbeing and mental health in schools. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
Description | Meeting with Department for Education |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | National |
Primary Audience | Policymakers/politicians |
Results and Impact | A discussion about assessments in schools. It sparked discussion about assessment policy and the pros and cons of different alternative approaches. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
Description | Meeting with ESTYN (Welsh school inspectorate) |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | Regional |
Primary Audience | Policymakers/politicians |
Results and Impact | A discussion about issues surrounding PISA, including how Wales performs in this assessment, including issues relating to Welsh language. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
Description | Meeting with FFT Datalab |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | National |
Primary Audience | Third sector organisations |
Results and Impact | A lunch meeting with FFT Education datalab to discuss issues relation to education and schools, including evidence on mental health, wellbeing and education. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
Description | Meeting with Mouvement L'école ensemble |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
Results and Impact | A conversation with a Canadian think-tank about the PISA data, which were one of the data sources used as part of this project. It led to an impact on their thinking, including putting in a Freedom of Information request to a government authority. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
Description | Meeting with NEU |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | National |
Primary Audience | Industry/Business |
Results and Impact | A discussion with the NEU about recent research evidence that I have produced. As part of this discussion, we touched upon the work I have been doing on wellbeing in schools. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
Description | Meeting with Ofqual. |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | National |
Primary Audience | Policymakers/politicians |
Results and Impact | A discussion of the evidence from the National Reference Test. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
Description | Meeting with the Department for Education about links between testing and mental health |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | National |
Primary Audience | Policymakers/politicians |
Results and Impact | A meeting with the DfE to discuss issues surrounding testing and mental health. Focusing upon my work - yet to be released - on the links between hitting/missing high stakes thresholds and future outcomes (including mental health).. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
Description | Meeting with the Department for Education about links between testing and mental health. 6th September |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | National |
Primary Audience | Policymakers/politicians |
Results and Impact | A presentation and discussion of the findings from the project with the Department for Education. It led to further follow-up activities. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
Description | Meeting with the Department for Education about organisation of schooling |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | National |
Primary Audience | Policymakers/politicians |
Results and Impact | A meeting with the Department for Education about potential policy plans, including the organisation of the school day. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
Description | Meeting with the DfE - September 29th |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | National |
Primary Audience | Policymakers/politicians |
Results and Impact | A meeting with the Department for Education about the issue of assessment and its link to wellbeing. This led to discussion around the issues and policy, and led to follow-up activities afterwards. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
Description | Meeting with the UK statistics authority |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | National |
Primary Audience | Policymakers/politicians |
Results and Impact | A discussion about some of the data challenges that I became aware of when using the data for my ESRC project on testing and mental health. This was in response to an open letter I wrote to the UK Statistics Authority about some of the limitations that I found in the data, partly through my work in this project. This led to them writing a letter to various National Governments warning them about how they present statistical data and evidence See https://osr.statisticsauthority.gov.uk/correspondence/ed-humpherson-response-to-professor-john-jerrim-request-to-undertake-an-independent-review-of-the-pisa-data-across-the-uk/ |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
Description | Ofqual research advisory group meeting |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | National |
Primary Audience | Policymakers/politicians |
Results and Impact | Meeting in November 2021 as part of Ofqual reserach advisory group. Helped provide expert advice on research around examinations and assessment. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
Description | Podcast on mental health and wellbeing in schools |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A broadcast e.g. TV/radio/film/podcast (other than news/press) |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
Results and Impact | A podcast - organised by a group in the United States - about mental health and wellbeing in schools (https://t.co/ffjsRIYQZ1) |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
Description | Presentation to the Secretary of State for Education |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | National |
Primary Audience | Policymakers/politicians |
Results and Impact | A presentation of the evidence on mental health and wellbeing in schools to the Secretary for State for Education. The session was also attended by Her Majesty's Chief Inspector. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
Description | Press release and associated media activity on release from a paper |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A broadcast e.g. TV/radio/film/podcast (other than news/press) |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Media (as a channel to the public) |
Results and Impact | The UCL press release can be found here: https://www.ucl.ac.uk/ioe/news/2021/nov/school-not-key-factor-rising-levels-poor-mental-health-teenagers It was accompanied by blogs on the UCL and FFT Education Datalab websites: https://blogs.ucl.ac.uk/ioe/2021/11/05/how-do-mental-health-problems-vary-during-secondary-school/ With an example of the pick-up available from here: https://www.tes.com/news/girls-face-more-mental-health-issues-secondary-school |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
Description | Press release and associated media activity surrounding a release of a paper |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A broadcast e.g. TV/radio/film/podcast (other than news/press) |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | National |
Primary Audience | Media (as a channel to the public) |
Results and Impact | A press release and associated media activity surrounding my paper on the link between Key Stage 2 tests and wellbeing. This included a live interview with GB News, and several media reports online / in the press. Including The Guardian, Schools Week, Times Educational Supplement etc. For example, see https://www.theguardian.com/education/2021/sep/24/primary-school-sats-tests-england-harm-mental-health-ucl |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
Description | Stats training at Ofsted |
Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | National |
Primary Audience | Policymakers/politicians |
Results and Impact | Providing training to colleagues within Ofsted surrounding statistical analysis. This includes use in some of the data I used within this project. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021,2022 |
Description | Training session. July 2021. |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Postgraduate students |
Results and Impact | Two teaching sessions about some of the data I used as part of this ESRC project on pupil wellbeing. This was attended by a mix of policymakers and postgraduate students. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |