The study aimed to investigate how students in lower secondary schools in England perceive the subject of music in terms of its importance and enjoyment. Following findings from the first survey phase of the project, it specifically sought to shed light on the reasons why the majority of students decide not to choose music as one of their optional…

This report is focused on the uptake of GCSE subjects in England in 2021. Uptake in a GCSE subject is defined as the number or percentage of students at the end of Key Stage 4 (KS4) taking the subject. This report was produced using publicly available data from the Department for Education's (DfE) "Find and compare schools in England"…

The use of emotional intelligence in peace-building has grown significantly during the past few years. Many projects across the world include some form of art activity to help victims of conflict, both individually and together across conflicting parties, in shaping a political process which enables a more profound understanding of each other with…

There has, for some years, been a growing concern about participation in university-entrance level mathematics in England and across the developed world. Extensive statistical analyses present the decline but offer little to help us understand the causes. In this paper we explore a concern which cannot be explored through national data-sets,…

Approximately 7 out of 10 pupils in England choose to exercise their right to drop history as a school subject as soon as they are able to do so (at the age of 13 or 14). However, this 30% overall take-up rate conceals massive variations between schools, with over 80% of pupils continuing to study the subject in some schools, and under 5% in…

These proceedings contain the papers of the 14th International Conference on Cognition and Exploratory Learning in the Digital Age (CELDA 2017), 18-20 October 2017, which has been organized by the International Association for Development of the Information Society (IADIS) and endorsed by the Japanese Society for Information and Systems in…

The author argues for English schools to develop a common five-year secondary curriculum for all their pupils, insisting that, under the current "optional" system, pupil freedom of program choice is in fact illusory, especially for lower ability students. (Editor/SJL)

These comments on open education, team teaching, focus on skills, individualized learning; and, felxible and community electives are part of a report written for the Ford Foundation by the former director of the Curriculum Laboratory of Goldsmith's College, University of London. (JM)

In this article, the author relates how he has been enthralled after reading "Summerhill: A Radical Approach to Child Rearing" by A. S. Neill. The book describes a boarding school in England that Neill founded in 1921. Classes at Summerhill were optional; instead of being bored all day by mind-numbing lectures, one could do what he or…

By altering the school schedule, one English school has made room at the end of the day for a special activities period during which eleven to fourteen year olds participate in extracurricular activities, private study, or special elective courses. Pupils' reactions to the scheme are noted. (SJL)

A survey of secondary schools in England and Wales indicates that, due largely to sex stereotypes, a minority of male students is likely to study home economics. Among strategies to ensure equal educational opportunity, "special escalator" and "equal outcomes" approaches are more effective than "unlocked door" or…

A five-year longitudinal investigation was undertaken to identify factors influencing secondary school students in their choice of sixth-form courses and possible careers. The influence of intelligence, personality, aspirations, and family were studied. (Author/BW)