The name is absent

The importance of context

school progress were much larger than the effects of pupil background characteristics.
For example, school membership accounted for 24% of the variation in reading
progress during primary schools, compared to only 6% due to background factors. In
other words, the school was approximately four times more important in accounting
for differences in reading progress than background factors.

The wealth of evidence that exists in this area, however, suggests that schools are
differentially effective. For example, pupils make greater progress in schools with
more socially advantaged intakes. Similarly, children from lower socio-economic
backgrounds are more likely to attend socially-deprived schools and, in turn, make
comparatively less progress than their socially advantaged counter-parts. Value-added
analysis of pupil progress during KS1 in Wandsworth LEA showed that the
composition of a school’s intake can have a substantial effect on child outcomes over
and above effects associated with individual prior attainment of family background
(Strand, 1997; see also Feinstein & Symons, 1999; Mortimore et al., 1994; Robertson
& Symons, 2003). Moreover, league tables may give schools an incentive to ‘cream
skim’ their students, i.e. select children in order to maximise their performance
results.

Ability grouping

Ability grouping practices are often justified by a person-environment fit perspective:
people will be more motivated to learn if the material can be adapted to their current
competence level. However, much of the available evidence suggests that such
practices only serve to widen the attainment gap; students assigned to high-ability
allocation streams do better than in mixed-ability groups while placement within low-
ability groups has a negative impact on pupil attitudes to school and motivation.
Evidence here suggests that pupils in lower ability groups are disadvantaged primarily
because they are often provided with an inferior education experience and diminished
support (see Ireson & Hallam, 2001).

Peer group influences

As noted above peers are an important context in and of themselves. However, as
within the context of neighbourhoods, peer groups are an integral part of children’s
experiences at school. Much of the classic work on peer group influences, however,
has focused on the negative effects of the peer context. More recently, investigators
have given greater credence to the positive influences of peers as well. The evidence
suggests that children cluster together in peer groups sharing similar motivational
orientations and preferences and in doing so further strengthen in-group identification
(e.g. Ball, 1981; Berndt et al., 1990). Positive and negative influences thus depend on
these group characteristics. High achieving children who seek out other high-
achievers develop even greater positive academic motivation over time. Conversely,
children with lower motivational achievement are at increased risk of becoming even
less motivated (see Brown, 1990; Kinderman, 1993).

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