School experience as a potential determinant of post-compulsory participation

Abstract

This paper considers the views of young people aged 14–16 about their future education, training and occupation. It is based on a study of around 3000 year 11 pupils in 45 educational settings in England during 2007/2008, supplemented by documentary analysis, official statistics, and interviews and surveys with staff and parents. Pupil-reported plans to continue in formal education and their aspirations for professional occupations are heavily stratified by individual and family background, including prior attainment. This is as expected. But once this variation has been accounted for, in a logistic regression model, there is both a small school mix ‘effect’ and a much larger school experience effect. The patterns in the pupil stories suggest that there are some simple levers available to policy-makers and to practitioners for the improvement of young people's plans to participate.

Keywords:

• pupil voice
• participation
• occupational class
• aspiration
• logistic regression
• learner identity

Acknowledgements

I am grateful to everyone who took part in this study, to the QCA (as it then was) for part-funding it and especially to the pupils who provided their stories.