Targets and league tables block efforts to include children

The primary school culture of league tables, targets and formal
curriculum makes it harder for schools to be inclusive and support
the children with the greatest social and learning needs, new
research has found.

A study by academics at Kings College, London has found that the
success of a local initiative to avoid children being excluded from
primary school depended very much on the individual school’s
culture.

The research also found that attempts by agencies to work
together to support children with emotional and behavioural
difficulties were being severely hampered by professionals’
different understandings of what caused the difficulties.

The Economic and Social Research Council-funded research
suggested that short term interventions were highly unlikely to
have much success, and that parents and children themselves should
be consulted about future initiatives.

– For more information
e-mail
sheila.macrae@kcl.ac.uk