All posts tagged: gap

Absences of poorer pupils drive attainment gap growth

Absences of poorer pupils drive attainment gap growth

Published by skeptic

More from this theme Recent articles The growth in the attainment gap between poorer 16-year-olds and their better-off peers between 2019 and 2023 can be “entirely explained” by higher absences for disadvantaged pupils, new research suggests. A report by the Education Policy Institute found absences were a “key, and growing, driver of the disadvantage gap”. The think tank said its report was the “first to quantify the role of pupil absence as a driver of the disadvantage gap and how this changed since 2019”. Had poorer pupils had the same level of absence as their peers in 2023, the attainment gap “would have been almost one month smaller at age 11 and over four months smaller at age 16”. In 2023, poorer year 11 pupils were 19.2 months behind their peers, up 0.5 months since 2019. The report also found that at all key stages, at least half of the attainment gap is explained by gaps that open at an early age. ‘Disturbing’ Natalie Perera, the EPI’s chief executive, said the report’s findings were “disturbing”. …

Our new definition will help close the school readiness gap

Our new definition will help close the school readiness gap

Published by skeptic

More from this theme Recent articles You may well argue that we don’t need a nationally-agreed definition of school readiness. Surely, you might say, every parent knows what skills and abilities their children should have developed before day one of Reception class.  Your own list might include that a child needs to be able to at least dress themselves, to tell an adult if they need help and, of course, to be out of nappies before they start school. Indeed, nine out of ten parents believe their child to be ‘school ready’ when they drop them off at the gate for the first time. And yet teachers report that around one-third of children are not toilet-trained and can’t eat or dress independently. It’s a significant discrepancy, and such a stubborn problem that the Prime Minister himself has made raising the number of ‘school-ready’ children one of his ‘opportunity missions’.  That’s why we’re launching a new national ‘Starting Reception’ definition aiming to bridge the gap between what teachers expect and what parents perceive their children to …

For narcissistic people, the gap between perception and reality may go far deeper than we thought

For narcissistic people, the gap between perception and reality may go far deeper than we thought

Published by skeptic

Despite exuding confidence, narcissistic people relentlessly crave admiration. In other words, they are unable to convince themselves of their own brilliance. Growing research shows the gap between perception and reality for narcissistic people goes far deeper than their inflated views about their appearance, accomplishments and abilities. Narcissism is a personality trait that exists along a spectrum, where the lower end reflects a healthy balance of self-esteem and confidence. At the extreme end of the spectrum, however, narcissism is considered a personality disorder which affects 1-2% of the population. Most of us manifest narcissistic traits to varying degrees, but the more elevated the features are, the wider the gap between perception and reality. Narcissistic people with elevated features frequently belittle anyone who fails to provide them with the special treatment they feel entitled to. Ironically, they continuously undermine the false self they are trying to build and maintain. They can also be quick to respond with anger and aggression to criticism, in an attempt to protect their grandiose yet fragile sense of self. A 2021 UK …

Ontario Centre of Innovation: Bridging the research gap

Ontario Centre of Innovation: Bridging the research gap

Published by skeptic

Claudia Krywiak, President and CEO at the Ontario Centre of Innovation, details Ontario’s role in the global research and innovation landscape and explains how the organisation is helping to accelerate this. With millions of dollars invested into supporting local research and innovation, the Canadian province of Ontario has vast potential to be a leader in the global research and development (R&D) space. Since 2018, Ontario has invested C$831m in 1,503 research projects, leveraging more than C$1.34bn in funding from federal and other third-party contributions. Amongst the achievements to come from these investments is the creation of over 120,000 training opportunities for researchers and students across the province. They have also contributed to 421 patents being granted, 76 spin-off companies being created and 594 new jobs at those spin-offs. Through its dedicated Ontario Research Fund: Research Excellence (ORF-RE), the Ontario government supports the development of groundbreaking research to help advance knowledge, drive innovation, and deliver a bright future for Ontarians. The ORF-RE provides research institutions with funding to support the operational costs of major projects of …

We can’t close a disadvantage gap we don’t understand

We can’t close a disadvantage gap we don’t understand

Published by skeptic

More from this theme Recent articles Reducing the attainment gap has been a priority for several recent governments. Today’s release of new data on secondary school attainment outcomes for 2023/24 should provide a key metric for judging their progress on this priority. Sadly, the measure just isn’t fit for that purpose. Disadvantaged pupils are identified by their eligibility for free school meals (FSM). Any eligible pupil who has claimed FSM at any point in the last six years (known as FSM6) is included in the measurement of the index.   That index was introduced in 2015. But rather than using actual attainment outcomes, it uses a ranked approach calculated as the difference in the average rank of performance in GCSEs of non-disadvantaged pupils and disadvantaged pupils. This makes the data difficult to interpret for any given year. However, we can glean insights from the trend over time. Figure 1 shows that this trend was generally downward between 2010/11 when the disadvantage gap was at its widest and 2019/20, the first year of the Covid pandemic, …

Space South Central programme aimed at bridging skills gap now open

Space South Central programme aimed at bridging skills gap now open

Published by skeptic

Tech professionals are being urged to join a programme to help secure the future of the UK space sector. The course called ‘Securing the Future of Space: Space Software and Data/AI Continuing Professional Development (CPD) Programme‘ is delivered by experts from the Space South Central partnership of universities of Portsmouth, Southampton and Surrey and is now open for a second round. READ MORE: Portsmouth Uni debuts branch medicine model to address GP shortage Space South Central is the UK’s largest space cluster and connects business and academia to encourage innovation, collaboration and growth across the thriving space sector in Hampshire, Surrey and the Isle of Wight. The course, funded by the UK Space Agency (UKSA), aims to address the critical skills gap in the sector by empowering mid-career professionals with expertise in software, data, and artificial intelligence (AI) – supporting the UK’s growing £16.5 billion space industry Dr Louise Butt, director of Space South Central, said: “Our region has a long-standing heritage of space innovation and expertise. However, skills gaps, shortages, and recruitment challenges pose …

News diary 9 – 15 December: Harry vs Sun pre-trial hearing, Sycamore Gap tree trial starts

News diary 9 – 15 December: Harry vs Sun pre-trial hearing, Sycamore Gap tree trial starts

Published by Sam

The stump of the famous Sycamore Gap tree. Picture: SunCity/Shutterstock A look ahead at the key events leading the news agenda next week, from the team at Foresight News. Leading the week  Monday (December 9): Trial begins for pair charged over Sycamore Gap tree felling; Rachel Reeves attends Eurogroup meeting; Golden Globe nominations announced.  Tuesday (December 10): Northern Ireland Assembly holds consent vote on Northern Ireland Protocol; Benjamin Netanyahu testimony due to begin in criminal prosecution; Pre-trial hearing in Prince Harry case against The Sun.  Wednesday (December 11): PMQs; World Cup hosts confirmed at FIFA Congress.  Thursday (December 12): Time Magazine person of the year; Axel Rudakubana in court over Southport stabbings; Chief Medical Examiner testifies at Thirlwall inquiry.  Thanks for subscribing. Close Friday (December 13): UK GDP monthly estimate; Deadline for report from US investigative task force on Trump assassination attempt; Defence arguments due to conclude in Gisele Pelicot mass rape trial.  Saturday (December 14): Further protests expected as Georgian lawmakers elect new president.  Sunday (December 15): UK accession to CPTPP takes effect; Pope …

In Darien Gap, Latino Protestant leaders see migrant journey firsthand

In Darien Gap, Latino Protestant leaders see migrant journey firsthand

Published by skeptic

(RNS) — Elket Rodríguez, the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship’s global migration advocate, has served migrants on the Texas-Mexico border for years. But until earlier this month, he had never been to the Darien Gap, a dangerous jungle route many migrants traverse as they move from Colombia to Panama, most often en route to the United States. In early November, just days after former U.S. President Donald Trump was elected to a second term, Rodríguez joined a pilgrimage sponsored by Como Nacido Entre Nosotros, or “As Born Among Us,” an ecumenical Protestant Christian network working on migration issues. “It’s a level of vulnerability, even much higher than what I see at the border,” Rodríguez said of his experience. The trip brought 25 Latino Protestant leaders and pastors to Panama to help them understand the experiences of migrants who arrive in their communities and to explore opportunities to collaborate with Panamanian churches and other partners to support migrants. Participants came from 10 Latin American countries and several states across the U.S., and included representatives of Mission Talk, Latino …

Disadvantage gap widens for reception pupils

Disadvantage gap widens for reception pupils

Published by skeptic

The disadvantage gap is now widening even at the very start of school, the latest early years foundation stage results for reception pupils show. The gap between the proportion of pupils eligible for means-tested free school meals achieving a “good level of development” and their better-off peers grew from 19.9 percentage points in 2022-23 to 20.5 last year. This reversed the progress logged last year, when the gap narrowed slightly from 20.4 percentage points, the Department for Education data published today shows. Current data only goes back to 2021-22, after changes were made to the EYFS. The persistence of disadvantage gaps later on in schools and their widening both before and after the pandemic has become a source of deep concern in the education sector. Last year, the GCSE disadvantage gap widened again, while the gap at the end of primary school narrowed slightly. Today’s data shows the gap is opening up even among the youngest school pupils. A growing gap Last year, 72 per cent of pupils not eligible for free school meals had …

There’s a class gap in access to careers in the arts – innovative skills education could help

There’s a class gap in access to careers in the arts – innovative skills education could help

Published by skeptic

The creative industries are of vital importance to the UK economy, accounting for £115.9 billion in 2019. It’s estimated that film and high-end television production alone – one of the UK’s fastest growing industries – will require between 15,130 and 20,770 additional full-time equivalent employees by 2025. But there are major issues which need to be addressed if the screen industries are to continue to prosper. These include not only the loss of skills as older workers, women and carers leave the sector, but the over-abundance of screen sector workers from upper-middle class backgrounds. A new report from charity the Sutton Trust has found that young people aged 35 and under in the creative industries are around four times less likely to be from a working class than a middle-class background. This is an issue we also encountered in our research on training for the UK film and TV industries. There is a key lack in the “soft” skills required for career success in these industries, such as communication, team working and time management. And …