Nicola Brimblecombe

Teachers’ Perceptions of School Inspection: a stressful experience

Abstract Research into inspection is increasing, although in the past much of it tended to focus on either the perspective of the school management or the inspectors themselves. As part of a 3 year study into inspection, Brimblecombe, Ormston and Shaw have completed a national questionnaire survey and in‐depth interviews focusing on the classroom teachers experiences of inspection. Whilst the analysis is still in the preliminary stages, several interesting issues have emerged. This paper focuses on one of them‐‐the stress on teachers generated by inspection‐‐and examines what causes it, how it is managed, what forms it takes and what impact it has on the inspection process, the inspection outcomes and the teachers themselves

Widening inequality in mortality between 160 regions of 15 European countries in the early 1990s.

This paper presents maps of geographical patterns in mortality for the 160 mainland regions of the 15 countries of the European Union. Standardised mortality ratios (SMRs) for all ages are presented for all causes of death and for lung cancer, ischaemic heart disease, road traffic accidents and suicide. All cause standardised mortality ratios (for deaths under the age of 65) for the years 1990 and 1994 are presented. These data show that while most regions of Europe had decreasing SMRs over this time period, SMRs increased for the 10% of the population with the highest SMRs and the gap between the most and least healthy regions grew. Possible reasons for the observed patterns, the limitations of currently available data and the limitations of studying nation states, are suggested.

Teachers' Intention to Change Practice as a Result of Ofsted School Inspections:

The issue of whether schools immersed in a market culture will be more consumer responsive has been much debated in the UK and elsewhere. This paper examines the extent and ways in which school managers seek to identify parental viewpoints, so that these can influence school decision-making. It suggests schools vary in openness towards the receipt of parental viewpoints, managers placing a great deal of reliance upon informal and ad hoc means of feedback as opposed to-though not necessarily more valid-systematic and planned approaches.

Life Chances in Britain by Housing Wealth and for the Homeless and Vulnerably Housed

In this paper new findings on the average life expectancy of the population of Britain arc reported according to housing wealth. In addition, estimates of mortality rates for rough sleepers, hostel residents, and bed and breakfast residents are presented. The results indicate that the death rates of bed and breakfast residents are four to five times those of the housed population, death rates for hostel residents are seven times greater, and death rates for rough sleepers are 25 times greater than those of the housed population. At the extremes, people living in the most salubrious housing in Britain (holding over £100 000 of equity in their properties) can expect to live, on average, more than twice as long as those sleeping rough on the streets.

Changing the map: health in Britain 1951–91

It is accepted that within Britain there are persistent and growing inequalities in mortality between groups of people as defined by their social class. This paper shows that similar persistent and growing inequalities prevail between groups of people defined by district of residence. Although there is some confusion between these two ways of grouping people - there is a slight tendency for people of the same class to live in the same district. This paper reviews the geographical literature which may shed light on why inequalities in mortality are widening between districts in Britain. The authors present new data for a set of 293 unchanging districts by amalgamating published reports from the 1950s, 60s and 70s with individual postcoded mortality records from the 1980s and 90s, aggregated to the 293 districts using a Geographic Information System and Census data from 1971, 1981 and 1991 (including estimates of the residence of the missing million). They find that a growing proportion of premature deaths in Britain can be attributed to some aspect of rising spatial inequalities. Changing geographical inequalities in health are not simply a passive reflection of social inequalities. To begin to investigate them, however, they first need to measure them properly.

Where the poor die in a rich city: the case of Oxford

Research to date has established that there is a relationship between high mortality rates and area deprivation in Britain. However, the majority of this research has looked at the regional level and the few studies that have looked at a smaller area level have tended to focus on London or the North. At a national level a relationship between housing tenure and mortality has also been found. This paper considers the relationship between mortality and place and in particular housing, at ward level in a city in the South East of England. It is found that, in Oxford, there is no straightforward relationship between housing tenure and mortality rates. Rather, it is pockets of poverty within Oxford, expressed in different types of housing, that are associated with high mortality rates. Whilst the very poorest live in the worst quality and least preferred housing, the extent of this relationship is likely to differ in different areas, according to the historical and current patterns of housing provision. A method of identifying such areas nationally is needed, as a reliance on national studies, particular those on tenure, is likely to obscure the true picture and extent of geographical inequalities in health.

Gender Differences in Teacher Response to School Inspection

Summary Teachers’ responses to inspection were investigated using a questionnaire survey of a random sample of 821 secondary school teachers who had undergone a full OFSTED inspection and in‐depth interviews with a further 35 teachers. The research found that inspection causes additional stress and that female teachers, regardless of level of seniority, felt more nervous about inspection than male teachers. Both male and female teachers felt more nervous when an inspector of a different gender to themselves was observing them in the classroom. Teachers’ affective responses to inspection alter their behavioural ones, thus affecting the resultant picture not only of the school itself but also of schools in this country‐‐a picture on which future advice and policy may be based. Explanations for gender differences are sought using the frameworks of stress and power differentials.

The Effectiveness of Paid Services in Supporting Unpaid Carers’ Employment in England

This paper explores the effectiveness of paid services in supporting unpaid carers’ employment in England. There is currently a new emphasis in England on ‘replacement care’, or paid services for the cared-for person, as a means of supporting working carers. The international evidence on the effectiveness of paid services as a means of supporting carers’ employment is inconclusive and does not relate specifically to England. The study reported here explores this issue using the 2009/10 Personal Social Services Survey of Adult Carers in England. The study finds a positive association between carers’ employment and receipt of paid services by the cared-for person, controlling for covariates. It therefore gives support to the hypothesis that services for the cared-for person are effective in supporting carers’ employment. Use of home care and a personal assistant are associated on their own with the employment of both men and women carers, while use of day care and meals-on-wheels are associated specifically with womens employment. Use of short-term breaks are associated with carers’ employment when combined with other services. The paper supports the emphasis in English social policy on paid services as a means of supporting working carers, but questions the use of the term ‘replacement care’ and the emphasis on ‘the market’.

Childhood bullying victimization is associated with use of mental health services over five decades: a longitudinal nationally representative cohort study

BACKGROUND Research supports robust associations between childhood bullying victimization and mental health problems in childhood/adolescence and emerging evidence shows that the impact can persist into adulthood. We examined the impact of bullying victimization on mental health service use from childhood to midlife. METHOD We performed secondary analysis using the National Child Development Study, the 1958 British Birth Cohort Study. We conducted analyses on 9242 participants with complete data on childhood bullying victimization and service use at midlife. We used multivariable logistic regression models to examine associations between childhood bullying victimization and mental health service use at the ages of 16, 23, 33, 42 and 50 years. We estimated incidence and persistence of mental health service use over time to the age of 50 years. RESULTS Compared with participants who were not bullied in childhood, those who were frequently bullied were more likely to use mental health services in childhood and adolescence [odds ratio (OR) 2.53, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.88-3.40] and also in midlife (OR 1.30, 95% CI 1.10-1.55). Disparity in service use associated with childhood bullying victimization was accounted for by both incident service use through to age 33 years by a subgroup of participants, and by persistent use up to midlife. CONCLUSIONS Childhood bullying victimization adds to the pressure on an already stretched health care system. Policy and practice efforts providing support for victims of bullying could help contain public sector costs. Given constrained budgets and the long-term mental health impact on victims of bullying, early prevention strategies could be effective at limiting both individual distress and later costs.

The role of youth mental health services in the treatment of young people with serious mental illness: 2-year outcomes and economic implications.

This study aims to evaluate the outcomes and economic case for a UK innovative youth‐specific mental health service for 16–25 year olds.