There is concern around children’s lack of knowledge and understanding of food sources and production, and more broadly around their apparent disconnection from nature. Spending time in the outdoors has been shown to yield a range of benefits, although the mechanisms underpinning these are not well understood. Studies have suggested, however, that there has been a decline in time spent outdoors by children. The introduction of the ‘Curriculum for Excellence’ guidelines in Scotland was heralded as an opportunity to address this decline. Although the guidelines advocate the use of outdoor environments, little research has been conducted, and little guidance is available, on how teachers can and do use outdoor learning in relation to the guidelines, particularly beyond ‘adventure’ activities. Farms are utilised as an educational resource around the world. This research explored the use of educational farm visits, as an example of outdoor learning, in the context of Curriculum for Excellence. A qualitatively driven, mixed methods study, comprising survey and case study methodologies, was undertaken. A questionnaire for teachers informed subsequent interviews with teachers and farmers, and ‘group discussions’ with primary school pupils. The study found that teachers can link farm visits and associated topics with the Curriculum for Excellence guidelines in a range of ways, covering all curriculum areas. There was a tendency however for farm visits to be associated with food and farming topics at Primary 2-3 (age 6-7), rather than used more widely. Issues to consider in the planning and conduct of farm visits were identified, and barriers and motivations for teachers, and for farmers volunteering to host visits, were explored. As well as practical examples of the use of farm visiting, this research offers a perspective on some of the theoretical literature which seeks to explain the benefits of spending time outdoors. Furthermore, five main recommendations for farm visiting in the context of Curriculum for Excellence are given. These relate to the type of visit appropriate to different age groups, opportunities for teachers to become more familiar with what farms visits can offer, and raising awareness of the organisations and networks which can support volunteer farmers to host visits.

This study aimed to evaluate the use of the DIR/Floortime intervention in a specialist school setting. The participants were 8 primary school children, aged 3-8 years old and 16 teaching and support staff trained in DIR/Floortime. The study adopted a mixed methods design. Quantitative measures included the Functional, Emotional Assessment Scale (FEAS) (Greenspan et al., .2001), and a measure of ‘Teacher Competency’ designed by the author of this study. Qualitative data was collected via a focus group and analysed via Thematic Analysis. Findings demonstrated significant gains in social and emotional functional behaviours for children with ASD within a specialist school setting. No significant relationship was found between teacher competency in delivering the intervention and children’s gains in social and emotional functioning. Teacher /support staff views on delivering the DIR/Floortime intervention are discussed.

Fostering religious commitment in schools and considering children’s cultural diversity arguably enhances pupils’ tolerance and integration, which may have the potential to reduce racism and discrimination. Faith schools are religiously and culturally diverse institutions and typically appreciated for their core values, good behaviour and academic standards. However, their impact on school culture and ethos is under explored. Although, the role of faith has gained attention both in policy and practice, relatively little is known about its impact in the context of primary education. As such, this research explores the complex influence of faith on school culture and ethos. In addition, critical analysis is undertaken to investigate the impact of faith on pupils’ behaviour and understanding in school. The main research aims are to: explore the multiple ways in which faith is manifested in two schools, determine the influence of faith on school culture and ethos, and establish the impact of faith on pupils’ behaviours and understanding in school. This research takes an ethnographic approach to explore how faith is manifested in two primary schools in the North West of England. The ethnography enabled a deeper immersion in to the school culture as data were generated through observations, interviews, focus groups and documentary analysis in two schools: A denomination school, Church of England, and a community school with an Islamic ethos. The research was conducted in the North West of England which has many diverse faith-based schools. Critical Race and Feminist Theories were used as lenses of analysis to examine faith in school. Critical Race Theory is a framework employed to examine the role of race and power in education. This research provides rich ethnographic description and analysis of faith as understood, practiced and experienced in the two schools. The findings reveal two major themes, first, a mismatch between school policy/values and its practice. Second, a lack of integration of staff and children into the school. Despite schools’ efforts to embrace diversity and encourage integration, schools policies were found to be empty rhetoric with regards to fostering religious commitment and cultural diversity. Exploring the issue of recognising cultural diversity within schools, findings indicated that both schools did not acknowledge or teach other cultural traditions, therefore, impacting on issues of integration. Poor behaviour, bullying and racism amongst children were major issues at both schools. Data analysis suggests the source of misbehaviour was due to the lack of emphasis placed on teaching about different religions, insufficient knowledge of cultural traditions and lack of visits to places of worship. This research concludes that there is a need for schools to develop awareness of religions and cultural diversity; thereby, encouraging integration, community cohesion and respect for similarities and differences.

Research estimates that around ten per cent of children in the UK between 5 and 16 years of age are diagnosed with a mental health disorder (MHD) (Green et al., 2005). The review of the literature suggests that teachers are not receiving specific training about child mental health (CMH) and lack confidence in their ability to respond to children’s mental health needs effectively (Trudgen and Lawn, 2011; Rothi, Leavey and Best, 2008). The reduced capacity of Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) and increasing focus on early intervention has shifted government attention from clinical to community settings, such as schools (Stallard et al., 2012). Therefore, teachers are identified as ideally placed to promote CMH from an early stage and identify and respond appropriately to early indications of mental health issues (MHIs) (DfE, 2014b). This mixed methods study aimed to extend the research literature by exploring primary school teachers’ (PSTs’) current understanding of child mental health issues (CMHIs); their awareness and previous use of MH resources; and their perceptions of how they could best be supported to develop their knowledge. A questionnaire and semi-structured interview were designed to collect quantitative and qualitative data, which were analysed using descriptive statistics and thematic analysis. The findings indicate that the majority of PSTs had not received specific training about CMH and reported general uncertainty and confusion about the concept. The PSTs’ awareness and previous use of professional agencies were higher than their awareness and previous use of digital and literary resources. They requested opportunities for context-specific learning and ‘expert’ support, similar to mentoring and coaching models, in order to learn about CMH. The strengths, limitations and implications for educational psychology are discussed.

Exploratory and explanatory research was conducted into the impact of a model of person centred reviewing. In the existing literature, although children and young people who take part in person centred processes typically describe a positive experience, the overall evidence base for the effectiveness of the approach in education is not robust. Using a qualitative methodology, interview data from five SEN Coordinators working in local authority primary schools, which were part of a project piloting the use of a model of person centred reviews, was analysed using critical realist grounded theory. The primary aim of the study was to explore the impact that adopting a person centred review process had in schools that were part of the pilot project. This includes the potential impact on children, teachers, parents and the whole school. The secondary aim was to explore how any changes have come about. Two research questions were derived from these aims. The primary, exploratory research question was: “What changes have come about in primary schools that have been running person centred annual reviews as part of the local pilot project, according to SENCos who have been leading them?” The secondary, explanatory research question was: “How, according to SENCos who have been leading person centred reviews, have these changes come about?” The theory developed from the data proposes that the local model person centred reviews can have a transformative impact on SEN provision in primary schools with a supportive ethos. More specifically, the grounded theory identifies causal factors which give rise to particular effects. It suggests that in bringing people together, making them feel they are on the same side and enabling reciprocal listening in a structure which supports honesty, positivity and constructiveness, the model of person centred reviewing being studied has an impact on everyone who takes part. The theory proposes that, while the model is not without risks, children who take part develop their skills and their self-determination. Similarly, it proposes that relationships improve for children, parents and school staff, alongside developing teamwork and a feeling of being part of a “caring community”. It also proposes that SEN systems and practice can improve in a number of ways. The theory has implications for local practice around person centred reviews, as well as at the national level, given the priority given to the approach in recent government guidance.

An exploration of schooling practices over the nineteenth and twentieth centuries reveals a number of ‘fixed characteristics.’ These continue to have a principle role in the organisation of schooling today and are underpinned by assumptions stemming from traditional psychological theory. Most prominent is the transmission-receiver model associated with behaviourism. This provides a simplistic view of the learning process, locating performance in the individual child or teacher. In this work, learning is re-conceptualised as experience and in doing so, any understanding is rendered much more complex than previously acknowledged. It becomes a wider phenomenon, distributed across agent, activity and world. Bronfenbrenner’s bioecological model of human development is used to elucidate this notion. To enrich the analytical power of this model, additional perspectives have been integrated to further explore the complex web of proximal, distal and environmental influences serving to shape children’s quotidian learning experiences and development; specifically, notions of metacognition and self-efficacy, Vygotskian psychology and the community of practice literature. In unison, these theoretical lenses seek to provide an explanation for learning on multiple levels: the role of the learner, the intricate mechanisms of the learning process itself and the wider conditions that surround learning. Immersed in the primary school context, the researcher adopted the dual role of researcher and teaching assistant, carrying out ethnographic research over two school terms. Following the day-to-day lives of eight children in Year 6, the research records a multiplicity of factors impacting upon their learning experiences at school. The children’s time in Year 6 is presented in story form and structured using the theories noted above. The research illuminates that the constellation of factors operating in the child’s world is unique to him or her. These combine in idiosyncratic and non-predictable ways with the child’s own repertoire of characteristics, resulting in a different learning trajectory for every child. However, analysis indicates that relationships and participation play a fundamental role in all learning journeys. Recommendations for managing children’s experiences based on this understanding are discussed.

Bullying is a social phenomenon that impacts girls and boys inside and outside of school at both primary and secondary school age and is recognised as a social problem both by academic researchers and in the ‘real world’ by the media and by anti-bullying charities. Although bullying is a widely used concept there is no universal definition. Research on bullying has been conducted over the past four decades looking at various aspects from prevalence and severity to coping strategies and effectiveness of interventions. Studies have also considered specific types of bullying and sex differences but these studies do not consider the full variety of types of bullying boys and girls use or which ones are the most upsetting to experience. Most of the studies on girls’ bullying have been conducted in secondary schools; less attention has been given to tweenage girls. This research redressed this imbalance. It began from the position that it is important for adults to listen to tweenage girls’ views as they may have different understandings of bullying compared to adults and this may have policy implications. It assumed that girls were experts on bullying that happened to girls their age in their school. Weekly research lunch club sessions were used with 32 tweenage girl research advisers/assistants from three primary schools. Together we listened to tweenage girls’ views of bullying broadly through developing and administering questionnaires, conducting group interviews and designing anti-bullying resources to be used in their schools. In addition, I conducted one-off focus groups with 11 teenage girls as a comparison to consider age differences in girls’ views. I argue that this research revealed that both girls’ bullying and using pupil research to engage with tweenage girls’ views on this topic was messy and complex. While relational aggression between girls was reported to be most prevalent and severe, focusing on this alone does not reflect the full extent of the behaviours used in girls’ bullying. Both the tweenage and teenage girls’ views on bullying, coping strategies and anti-bullying interventions were similar and were only subtly different in the detail. The research decisions were influenced in an ongoing process by the wants and expectations of the girls, the schools and the researcher and changed through the prolonged interactions during the research. I also argue that ethical practice was an ongoing process and using pupil research created further ethical dilemmas. Although pupil research with tweenage girls on girls’ bullying was challenging and messy, this research gives an example of how it is a viable, successful way to engage with pupils on this sensitive topic. The use of girls’ free time at lunchtimes showed how pupil research positioned as an extra-curricular activity enabled marginalised voices to be heard and was beneficial for the girls, the schools and the researcher involved. This research suggests ways in which school based anti-bullying policies and practices might be more nuanced to take account of the variety of experiences, understandings and preferences for intervention that exist if they engaged in pupil research. There has been little discussion of the issues of the messiness of research and the ongoing nature of ethical practice in either the pupil research literature or methods texts generally for researchers to refer to. I suggest that it would be useful for others to share their messy experiences of pupil research and the ongoing ethical issues they encounter to enable future researchers to be somewhat prepared and confident in responding to the challenges they may face in their own research.

This thesis investigates the impact of computers and interactive whiteboards on the teaching of Design and Technology in Key Stage 2. Their use within education is having an influence upon the curriculum. Various investigations into the impact of Information and Communication Technology have been undertaken but these have principally involved CAD and CAM work within Key Stages 3 and 4 Design and Technology. Very few studies have looked at Design and Technology in the earlier key stages or the impact upon teaching and pupils at Key Stages 1 and 2. The literature review focuses on four key areas surrounding the research investigation: Computer Aided Learning; Cognition regarding the relationship of problem solving and higher level thinking; Pedagogy and its relationship to the use of computers in the teaching of Design and Technology and a review of the Design and Technology guidelines and the related issues regarding their implementation. The research is based upon both qualitative and quantitative methodologies employing multiple sources of data collection. Quantitative data was collected through a survey of all primary schools in two Yorkshire Local Authorities. The qualitative data produced the basis for in-depth individual semi-structured interviews with a sample of Design and Technology Co-ordinators. The semi-structured interviews then formed the foundation for a focus group interview of Local Authority officers. Use has been made of an evidence trail which examines other sources of evidence such as conference papers, HMI, QCA, Ofsted and DfES reports. The main findings indicate that the core subjects of the National Curriculum are taking the vast majority of teaching time. A broad and balanced curriculum is therefore no longer being maintained in the schools studied. The evidence revealed that teachers were becoming familiar with the use of computers in the classroom. They understood the skills involved in using computers but were still uncertain as to the most suitable pedagogy. The majority of teachers who responded to the questionnaire and the semi-structured interviews, the Local Authority officers and some government departments regard the New Opportunities Funded (NOF) training as being a disappointment due to its over-ambitious aims and lack of pedagogical content. The introduction of interactive whiteboards (IWB) was initially viewed by teachers as another element of ICT to teach. However these have now been well received. Those teachers involved in the study are finding it difficult to find time to either keep pace with or develop their ICT skills. This is reflected in teachers’ limited use of computer programs. This is in direct conflict with the findings of Ofsted, which found that teachers were now using a broader range of programs. Please note that the term Local Education Authority no longer exists as a statutory body. Throughout this thesis the term Local Authority is used instead.

The research study investigates the spiritual dimension in the personal and professional lives of primary headteachers. The term ‘spiritual’ is interpreted widely to include its religious and nonreligious forms and to leave open the possibility of a variety of readings. The two research questions that give focus to the study are: 1. What is the nature of the spiritual dimension in the personal and professional lives of primary headteachers? 2. Is there a discernible connection between such a spiritual dimension and headteachers’ work in primary schools? Data were gathered through biographically-focussed case studies of six primary phase headteachers leading faith and community schools in England. Data-gathering procedures included biographical interviews, observations and scrutiny of documentation. The research study identifies three descriptive characteristics of the spiritual dimension: 1. that it is refracted through a range of relationships, which for some headteachers may include a relationship with the divine; 2. that it is given expression through headteachers’ dispositions and attitudes, perhaps informed by a consciousness of the divine or deep sense of human interconnectedness; and 3. that these dispositions and attitudes are fluid and layered, holding within them the potential for the profundity and intensification that distinguishes the term from the moral, personal or social aspects of primary headteachers’ lives, though they are related. The spiritual dimension, in this context, is associated with personal being and becoming, rather than the exercise of professional skills and know-how. What may be seen as spiritual activities, such as prayer or deep reflection on questions of purpose and meaning in life, seem to bring not just resilience or resolve to primary headteachers, but also affirmation of their work, particularly their care for their schools’ communities. The research study’s findings add to the growing understanding of the spiritual dimension of school leadership and offer a biographical contextualisation that has had more limited attention in studies of spirituality and headship. They appear to normalise the place of the spiritual in heads’ professional work and therefore to legitimise the language of the spirit in the discourse of school leadership.

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