The views of primary pupils on school attendance at Key Stage 2 in Wales

This paper provides new empirical evidence on primary pupils’ views on school attendance in Wales at Key Stage 2. The research was conducted as part of the specific evidence commissioned by the Welsh Assembly Government (WAG) for the National Behaviour and Attendance Review (NBAR) in Wales which was chaired by the lead author. The findings indicate that nearly every child and young person who participated in the specially convened focus groups, in practically every setting, had a good awareness of the benefits of attending school regularly. They were all acutely aware of the potential consequences of non‐attendance both within their current setting and as it could potentially affect their later chances in life. They also understood the law regarding school attendance. They were clear about the attendance regulations within their own school settings. They were however, particularly concerned about bullying in all its forms, the use of supply teachers and “boring” teaching styles. Rewards for good attendance were generally appreciated. The implications of the findings are considered. This paper is the first of its kind to be undertaken in Wales and in the field of school attendance and opens up considerable possibilities for further research.     

An Evaluation of Using Data Set in Teaching and Learning within a Further and Higher Education Context

Abstract

This study aims to establish the effectiveness of an industrial data set in the delivery of an active approach to teaching and learning across a range of programme levels from NVQ to MSc within Further Education (FE) and Higher Education (HE) Institutions in North Wales. The result described in the paper reinforces in FE and HE the advantages of active learning involving an industrial data set as a link between theory and practice. Implementing the data set as a learning resource, combined with field visits allowed an active approach to teaching and learning. For the FE groups this was an established approach, while not so for the HE institutions. The use of an industrial data set by adopting an active approach was found to be effective, as judged by student satisfaction, enriched the educational experience for both FE and HE groups. The overall response for all questions by all groups for the Strongly Agree/Agree categories (SA/A) was between 86% and 95%. The Disagree (D) responses ranged from 0% to 3% and the Undecided/Blank/Not Applicable (UD/B/NA) ranged between 5% and 14%. Students found the lectures of interest and enjoyed active learning. The analysis has heightened the benefits of relating education to its respective industry and adopting an active approach for all programme levels within FE and HE.