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Neighbourhoods and Schools: PASCAL Project for the Scottish Executive

Published Wed, 08/08/2007 - 10:16 Tags:
John Tibbitt PASCAL Observatory

This project is a contribution to on-going analytical work in the Scottish Executive to underpin elements of the regeneration strategy, People and Place, published in February 2006.   The Scottish Executive is interested in better understanding ‘neighbourhood effects’, and the factors and processes that produce them.   A particular aspect of this relates to the complex impacts of neighbourhoods on schools within them, and conversely of schools on the neighbourhoods in which they are situated.   PASCAL associates co-ordinated by John Tibbitt have reviewed the knowledge-base relating to these issues and have just provided a ‘state-of –the art’ report to the Executive. It is envisaged that the full report will be made available more widely at a future point.


The key questions to be explored are as follows:

1. The Influence that neighbourhoods have on primary and secondary schools

  • Is there evidence of area effects?
  • Do children from poor backgrounds do worse in schools located in poor areas than similar children who go to schools in more mixed areas?   (in terms of levels of attainment, but also proportion with no qualifications, truancy, exclusions etc)
  • In what ways does being poor in a poor neighbourhood affect performance at school?
  • What is the importance of area effects compared with effects of personal/family characteristics, and school practice?
Can one compensate for the other?
 
2. The influence of quality (real or perceived) of primary and secondary schools on the popularity of neighbourhoods in which schools are situated or draw their intake
  • Do ‘good’ schools make some areas popular?
  • Do ‘poor’ schools make other areas unpopular?
  • To what extent could improved schools contribute to successful regeneration of areas?

(Indicators of popularity of areas might be migration, house prices, demand for public housing).

It is anticipated that the study will draw on a cross-disciplinary knowledge base.    For example, for the first set of questions, there is significant work in the school effectiveness and school improvement literatures to draw from.    In relation to the second, perspectives are likely to come from work on housing markets, economic and geographical studies of migration patterns and other social policy work on community change, and on factors influencing school and housing choices.
The project is being co-ordinated by PASCAL Associate John Tibbitt, and will involve several other Associates located in different parts of the world, in order to bring a global perspective to these issues.
 

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