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The great stagnation of upper secondary education in England: A historical and system perspective

Rogers, L; Spours, K; (2020) The great stagnation of upper secondary education in England: A historical and system perspective. British Educational Research Journal 10.1002/berj.3630. Green open access

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Abstract

This historical and contemporary assessment of 14–19 attainment and post-16 participation suggests that for the first time in a generation, overall levels of attainment in the English upper secondary (14–19) phase are plateauing. Time-series data has been compiled to present four phases of attainment and participation development since the late 1980s, when the education and training system in England transitioned into a full-time post-16 participation model. Closer analysis of the fourth phase (2012/13–present) shows several plateauing trends of learner attainment and participation that originate in Key Stage 4, but which are now spreading throughout the upper secondary phase. The analysis proceeds to explore the main dynamics of the plateauing phase—qualifications reform; accountability measures; and institutional behaviours—that form a new ‘attainment and participation equilibrium’. The article concludes by suggesting that the new trend poses particular threats to middle and lower attainers, who could be disproportionately affected by Conservative-led reform, and to the performance of the English upper secondary system when compared internationally.

Type: Article
Title: The great stagnation of upper secondary education in England: A historical and system perspective
Open access status: An open access version is available from UCL Discovery
DOI: 10.1002/berj.3630
Publisher version: https://doi.org/10.1002/berj.3630
Language: English
Additional information: This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. The images or other third party material in this article are included in the Creative Commons license, unless indicated otherwise in the credit line; if the material is not included under the Creative Commons license, users will need to obtain permission from the license holder to reproduce the material. To view a copy of this license, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
UCL classification: UCL
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Education
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Education > UCL Institute of Education
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Education > UCL Institute of Education > IOE - Education, Practice and Society
URI: https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/10098883
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