SPRinG Project
Improving the effectiveness of pupil group-work in classrooms
Our other research projects
We have a number of other current and recently completed research projects. These are listed below with links to relevant web sites or background material.
This project is an independent national survey of break and lunch times in primary and secondary schools in the UK. The project is funded by
the Nuffield Foundation and is directed by Professor Peter Blatchford and Dr Ed Baines. Systematic information on breaktimes is not collected by the DfES or any other organisation and thus there is little understanding about these important aspects of school. The research will follow up
a national survey conducted by Prof. Blatchford 10 years ago which identified marked changes in the school day, the reduction and abolition of lunch and the afternoon break, and the suggestion that pupil behaviour out of school had worsened. Since then further changes have taken place
in schools (e.g. extended school services, and community use, after school clubs and further adjustments to breaktime) and we are keen to identify the extent of these changes. Results from this research will help share practice across schools and will inform management decisions and
educational and social policy about breaktime and school. This web site provides background information, links to questionnaires used in the research and publications for teachers, schools, policy makers and researchers.
This is the first large scale study of all categories of support staff. It is a five year study from January 2004-December 2008 that will obtain data on the deployment and characteristics of Support Staff, the impact of Support Staff on pupil outcomes and teacher workloads, and how impact is affected by school management and communication in the school. It will involve three biennial, large scale surveys that will analyse change over time, along with more detailed analysis of the deployment and impact of support staff, in a sub sample of schools. The project is funded by the
DfES and the Welsh Assembly Government. The project web site provides further background information on the research and project team
contact details.
Within Class Pupil Grouping Practices in Primary and Secondary Schools
This research was a survey of the nature and use of grouping practices in primary and secondary school classrooms. This project was funded by
the ESRC and co-directed with Peter Kutnick. The research examined the use of different teaching contexts (e.g. whole class teaching, group-work, individual work etc.) relative to grouping sizes, task types, classroom organisation, curriculum area and so on. This project was completed a few years ago and there is no web site but articles are available such as the one below - more details are available from the publications section of this website.
This large scale research project focused on the educational effects of class size differences and pupil adult ratios at Key Stage 1 and 2. This was
funded by the DfES. The web site associated with this project is located here.
The Role and Effects of Teaching Assistants in English Primary Schools (Years 4 to 6) 2000-2003: Results from the Class Size and Pupil-Adult
Ratios (CSPAR) KS2 project - FINAL REPORT - Research Briefing
There is also a book related to this research - Blatchford, P. (2003) The Class Size Debate: Is Small Better? Maidenhead: Open University Press