Mark Ramsden

The best, the worst and the average: secondary school choice and education performance in East London

In this paper we investigate whether the distance between school and the pupil’s home is related to social background in a six borough area of East London. Also investigated is the extent to which schools in the area perform in line with expectations on the basis of the social composition of their intake. The research involves analysis of the Pupil Level Annual School Census (PLASC) to which geodemographic codes supplied by Experian have been attached. We demonstrate that the six schools in the area which achieved the highest average points score at GCSE recruit pupils widely from within the area (and to a lesser extent outside), whilst the lowest performing six schools recruit from much more narrowly defined catchment areas. In terms of school performance, we show that whilst we might expect schools to perform better as they become more distant from inner East London and nearer to the M25, this is not necessarily the case. In our conclusions we argue that these data support the claims made on the basis of ethnographic data about the class nature of school selection and parental choice.

The Contribution of Business Associations to SMEs Strategy, Bundling or Reassurance?

This article assesses the motives for membership of associations by established SMEs with one or more employee. The article concludes that membership motives span a complex ‘bundle’ of services, ranging from individual supports to collective lobbying. Bundling gives advantages of scale and scope to specialist providers, but also combines individual and collective benefits in order to mitigate the effects of free riding. Established SMEs also seem to look on associations, as a whole, as a bundle, belonging to an average of 1.85 associations per firm. There is some size segmentation of the association market, but, in general, size variation appears less important than the target markets which associations cover: the sector (trade and professional bodies), the locality (chambers of commerce), the specificness of the SME (such as FSB, FPB), or the role of the SME owner as director (such as IoD).

Developing fledgling social enterprises? A study of the support required and means of delivering it

Purpose – To explore what type of support is required by social enterprises, how this is different from mainstream business, what the preferred approaches to learning and working with support providers are, and how the provision of social enterprise support can be co‐ordinated and the capacity of support providers built up.Design/methodology/approach – The study examined the different approaches and indicators used in conventional evaluations of social enterprises. Uses the literature and the views of those delivering support for the pilot projects to identify indicators to include social enterprises’ perceptions of the process of support provision, changes in their operations and behaviour and the extent of constraints faced. Describes the three pilot projects, comprising: Areas of Industrial Decline (Ex‐coalfield areas) pilot project, based on work with 11 eleven existing and 4 pre‐start social enterprises in Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire, UK, exploring the use of tools developed for conventional micro...

The Learning and Skills Council and the Institutional Infrastructure for Post-16 Education and Training: An Initial Assessment.

Using secondary data and new survey evidence from local LSCs, this article assesses the progress of the Learning and Skills Council (LSC). It does so with particular reference to three current policy priorities: to ensure national coherence but with sensitivity to the local context, to increase the demand‐led element of education and training, and to increase partnership with others. The article finds that the LSC is much more coherent and nationally orientated than the structures it replaces. However, this centralisation has come at the expense of local flexibility. Evidence suggests that the LSC is less collaborative with other agents than previous structures and is less demand‐led, focusing on national strategic planning and using other agents and partners only where they help to meet national objectives.

Short‐term policy and the changing institutional landscape of post‐16 education and training: the case of learning partnerships in England, Scotland and Wales

This article assesses the role of Learning Partnerships in England and equivalent bodies in Scotland and Wales, as an example of a post‐16 education and training initiative and its articulation via public sector institutions. The article uses new survey evidence across Britain. It demonstrates that Learning Partnerships have been one further element in the ever shifting landscape of post‐16 education and training and its institutional structures. The initiative has tended to be short‐term, leading to uncertainty and confusion among actors. In England changes are characterized by a tendency for central government to exert more control in an attempt to improve coherence. Each new initiative has tended to be piled upon old ones. For English Learning Partnerships the result has been an emphasis on operational issues such as labour market infrastructure, rather than strategies, with the involvement of business in target setting and management of Learning Partnerships more symbolic than real. In Scotland and to a lesser extent Wales, however, the experiment of Learning Partnerships has been more positive. Nevertheless, their future depends still further on central government bodies, such as the Learning and Skills Council in England, Careers Scotland and the Welsh ELWa. As a result, our assessment shows that in most cases Learning Partnerships, except in Scotland, are peripheral to strategic policy arrangements and are likely to remain so.

‘I wanted my child to go to a more mixed school’: schooling and ethnic mix in East London

The minority ethnic population of Britain has grown rapidly in recent decades, but the percentage of minority ethnic pupils has increased more rapidly. This is particularly the case in inner London where over 50% of secondary school pupils are now from minority ethnic groups. The paper examines the issue of schooling and ethnic mix in East London with a focus on parental perceptions of school ethnic mix and parental decision making. It draws on secondary data on school ethnic mix and in-depth interviews with parents. It shows that, while most parents are happy with some degree of ethnic mix, the mix found in many schools is far from their ideal mix, particularly for White parents, and influences their decision making, possibly intensifying the segregation of ethnic groups in schools. The situation is made more complex by an element of class avoidance and attraction to schools with a strong aspirational and attainment ethos, irrespective of their ethnic mix.

Local economic development initiatives and the transition from Training and Enterprise Councils to new institutional structures in England: partnership, discretion and local flexibility

Current British government economic development policy emphasises regional and sub-regional scale, multi-agent initiatives that form part of national frameworks to encourage a ‘bottom up’ approach to economic development. An emphasis on local multi-agent initiatives was also the mission of Training and Enterprise Councils (TECs). Using new survey evidence this article tracks the progress of a number of initiatives established under the TECs, using the TEC Discretionary Fund as an example. It assesses the ability of successor bodies to be more effective in promoting local economic development. Survey evidence is used to confirm that many projects previously set up by the TECs continue to operate successfully under new partnership arrangements. However as new structures have developed, and policy has become more centralized, it is less likely that similar local initiatives will be developed in future. There is evidence to suggest that with the end of the TECs a gap has emerged in the institutional infrastructure for local economic development, particularly with regard to workforce development. Much will depend in future on how the Regional Development Agencies deploy their growing power and resources.Current British government economic development policy emphasises regional and sub-regional scale, multi-agent initiatives that form part of national frameworks to encourage a ‘bottom up’ approach to economic development. An emphasis on local multi-agent initiatives was also the mission of Training and Enterprise Councils (TECs). Using new survey evidence this article tracks the progress of a number of initiatives established under the TECs, using the TEC Discretionary Fund as an example. It assesses the ability of successor bodies to be more effective in promoting local economic development. Survey evidence is used to confirm that many projects previously set up by the TECs continue to operate successfully under new partnership arrangements. However as new structures have developed, and policy has become more centralized, it is less likely that similar local initiatives will be developed in future. There is evidence to suggest that with the end of the TECs a gap has emerged in the institutional infrastructure for local economic development, particularly with regard to workforce development. Much will depend in future on how the Regional Development Agencies deploy their growing power and resources.

The End of TECs: A Challenge for Partners and Successor Bodies to Maintain Discretionary Activity

This paper examines the scale and form of discretionary activity in Training and Enterprise Councils (TECs). Discretionary activity was a key aspect of TECs. In particular it underpinned their role to be flexible local agents offering leadership and finance to lever partnerships with other agents. The paper examines TEC discretionary activity at the peak of its development in 2000. This amounted to about 200m per annum. Their activity covered fields of economic development, business support, education and training, and workforce development. TECs were abolished from April 2001. The paper examines the challenges faced by successor bodies (the Learning and Skills Council, Regional Development Agencies, and the Small Business Service) in maintaining significant local initiatives. TEC projects chiefly depended on the TEC for both leadership and finance. Without a continuation of both, many local projects will disappear and employer commitment is endangered. Employer commitment is shown chiefly to have involved large national firms, or significant local and regional employers. Their commitments and the need for leadership appear to be the most fragile elements, which are hence most vulnerable.

LOCAL ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT INITIATIVES AND THE TRANSITION FROM TRAINING AND ENTERPRISE COUNCILS TO NEW INSTITUTIONAL STRUCTURES IN ENGLAND

Current British government economic development policy emphasises regional and sub-regional scale, multi-agent initiatives that form part of national frameworks to encourage a ‘bottom up’ approach to economic development. An emphasis on local multi-agent initiatives was also the mission of Training and Enterprise Councils (TECs). Using new survey evidence this article tracks the progress of a number of initiatives established under the TECs, using the TEC Discretionary Fund as an example. It assesses the ability of successor bodies to be more effective in promoting local economic development. Survey evidence is used to confirm that many projects previously set up by the TECs continue to operate successfully under new partnership arrangements. However as new structures have developed, and policy has become more centralized, it is less likely that similar local initiatives will be developed in future. There is evidence to suggest that with the end of the TECs a gap has emerged in the institutional infrastructure for local economic development, particularly with regard to workforce development. Much will depend in future on how the Regional Development Agencies deploy their growing power and resources.Current British government economic development policy emphasises regional and sub-regional scale, multi-agent initiatives that form part of national frameworks to encourage a ‘bottom up’ approach to economic development. An emphasis on local multi-agent initiatives was also the mission of Training and Enterprise Councils (TECs). Using new survey evidence this article tracks the progress of a number of initiatives established under the TECs, using the TEC Discretionary Fund as an example. It assesses the ability of successor bodies to be more effective in promoting local economic development. Survey evidence is used to confirm that many projects previously set up by the TECs continue to operate successfully under new partnership arrangements. However as new structures have developed, and policy has become more centralized, it is less likely that similar local initiatives will be developed in future. There is evidence to suggest that with the end of the TECs a gap has emerged in the institutional infrastructure for local economic development, particularly with regard to workforce development. Much will depend in future on how the Regional Development Agencies deploy their growing power and resources.