Our goal is to create a world-class school system that ensures every child is taught a broad and ambitious knowledge-rich curriculum by highly skilled teachers, so they can achieve their potential. We need to continue to develop the evidence base around effective teaching practice and curriculum design, with teaching increasingly viewed as an applied science (akin to medicine) where evidence-based approaches are widely utilised, and skilled teachers draw upon expert support and professional communities. We also need to build our understanding of how best to replicate the success of high performing schools, and how school trusts can improve the effectiveness and efficiency of their schools, including through management of the school estate. A key part of this is building evidence on the most successful school approaches to improving attendance.
If you would like to discuss previous, ongoing or potential research into any of the areas in this document, please contact research.engagement@education.gov.uk.
This question was published as part of the set of ARIs in this document:
Significant social inequalities in educational attainment are well-established in Scotland and elsewhere. Closing the poverty-related attainment gap has therefore been identified as the key priority in Scottish education...
Funded by: ESRC
Lead research organisation: University of Strathclyde
This project directly investigates the drivers of school absenteeism and their impact on educational attainment, aligning with the question.
When primary school children return in the Autumn, they will have missed more than a term of usual school provision. The disruption may exacerbate existing inequalities in academic attainment, and potentially create new ...
Funded by: COVID
Lead research organisation: University of Leeds
While this project focuses on the impact of school closures, it partially addresses the question by examining factors affecting pupil progress during disruptions.
Parents with children who were born around school year cut-off dates face a dilemma: Should they send their children to school as soon as possible, thus entering them into primary school as the youngest members of their ...
Funded by: ESRC
Lead research organisation: University of Strathclyde
This project does not directly address the drivers of school absenteeism or factors influencing pupils being at risk of persistent absence.