Streaming and setting in secondary schools in Wales

• Research type

  Research Study

• Full title

  Research Protocol To what extent do secondary schools in Wales stream or set students and by what mechanism

• IRAS ID

  271084

• Contact name

  Carol Owen

• Contact email

  carol.owen4@wales.nhs.uk

• Sponsor organisation

  Public Health Wales

• Duration of Study in the UK

  0 years, 6 months, 28 days

• Research summary

  Educational attainment is linked to long-term inequalities in health and other outcomes such as access to good quality employment. Children with poorer health and mental wellbeing experience lower levels of attainment in school. Children from poorer more disadvantaged backgrounds or from marginal or excluded groups are more likely to experience poor mental wellbeing and consequently achieve lower levels of educational attainment.
  The school environment and experience can potentially mitigate or reinforce these fundamental inequalities.Social status relative to others has been shown to be associated with outcomes and wellbeing. Schools traditionally set or stream children at secondary level with the goal of improving outcomes by meeting student needs by grouping children with similar levels of ability together. Theoretically, it is possible to hypothesise that this process may further negatively damage pupil wellbeing and subsequent outcomes. This study has two aims: 1) to better understand the impact that streaming or setting has on both educational outcomes and mental wellbeing and 2)to gain insight into the practice of streaming or setting in secondary schools in Wales. This is a developmental mixed method study. There are two parts to this study:

  1. Mixed methods evidence review.
  2. Cross sectional descriptive study
  Evidence Review

  Research questions: 1. What impact does the practice of streaming or setting have on children and young people’s (11-16 yrs.) mental health and wellbeing whilst they are still attending school?
  2. How does streaming or setting of children and young people impact on mental wellbeing outcomes in adult life?
  Survey: To what extent do secondary schools in Wales stream or set students and by what mechanism?
  Teachers with working knowledge of the practice of streaming/setting in in their school will be invited to answer the online questionnaire on behalf of their school.(n=207)
  It will be undertaken in Public Health Wales premises. It is funded by PHW pump prime fund.

• REC name

  N/A

• REC reference

  N/A