Rebecca Smees | University of Sussex (original) (raw)

Papers by Rebecca Smees

Oxford Review of Education, Oct 11, 2022

This is the final version of the report. Available from the Department for Education via the link... more This is the final version of the report. Available from the Department for Education via the link in this record.

&amp;amp;amp;amp;quot;&amp;amp;amp;amp;quot;The evaluation of children’s centres ... more &amp;amp;amp;amp;quot;&amp;amp;amp;amp;quot;The evaluation of children’s centres in England (ECCE) is a 6-year study commissioned by the Department for Education and undertaken by NatCen Social Research, the University of Oxford and Frontier Economics. Children’s centres are intended to be one of the main vehicles for ensuring that integrated and good quality family services are located in accessible places and are welcoming to all. They aim to support young children and their families, particularly the most disadvantaged, to reduce inequalities in child development and school readiness. The mechanism for achieving this is through supporting children’s personal, social and emotional development, improving parenting aspirations and skills, providing access to good early education, and addressing family health and life chances. The aim of the ECCE is to provide an in-depth understanding of children’s centre services, including their effectiveness in relation to different management and delivery approaches and the cost of delivering different types of services.&amp;amp;amp;amp;quot;&amp;amp;amp;amp;quot;

Outsourcing a particular service across the cluster or a team employed specifically for this purp... more Outsourcing a particular service across the cluster or a team employed specifically for this purpose (e.g. extended services, parenting programmes, crèche etc.

$Research paper thumbnail of Relationships between pupils\u27 self-perceptions, views of primary school and their development in Year 5$

This research builds on earlier reports (Sammons et al., 2007) by investigating relationships bet... more This research builds on earlier reports (Sammons et al., 2007) by investigating relationships between children\u27s outcomes in Year 5 and aspects of pupils\u27 self perceptions and their views of primary school measured in Year 5 (age 10) and in Year 2 (age 7) of primary school while controlling for background characteristics. These measures have been derived from a self-report instrument completed by the EPPE 3-11 children. The analyses explored associations between children\u27s progress and development over time and their self-perceptions and views of primary school

$Research paper thumbnail of Influences on pupils\u27 self-perceptions in primary school: Enjoyment of school, anxiety and isolation, and self-image in Year 5$

This report presents the results of analyses of pupils\u27 self-perceptions in primary school. It... more This report presents the results of analyses of pupils\u27 self-perceptions in primary school. It is part of the longitudinal Effective Pre-school and Primary Education 3-11 (EPPE 3-11) research project funded by the Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF). The focus of this report is pupils\u27 self-perceptions in Year 5 (age 10) in four key areas: \u27Enjoyment of school\u27; \u27Academic self-image\u27; \u27Behavioural self-image\u27 and \u27Anxiety and Isolation\u27. Reports on pupils\u27 cognitive and social/behavioural development at this age have been published separately (Sammons et al., 2007). Questionnaires were administered to children asking their views about school and classroom life. These provided measures of pupils\u27 self-perceptions in Year 2 and again in Year 5 in terms of \u27Enjoyment of school\u27, \u27Anxiety and Isolation\u27 and \u27Academic self-image\u27 and \u27Behavioural self-image\u27. A range of statistical methods have been used to inve...

$Research paper thumbnail of Exploring pupils\u27 views of primary school in Year 5$

A range of information about pupils\u27 self-perceptions and views of their primary school were c... more A range of information about pupils\u27 self-perceptions and views of their primary school were collected as part of the EPPE 3-11 Project. In Year 5, the \u27All About Me and My School\u27 questionnaire included information about pupils\u27 views of their primary school. A range of statistical methods has been used to investigate results for 2,528 pupils for whom at least one pupils\u27 views of primary school outcome measure was collected in Year 5. Three measures of pupils\u27 views of primary school were identified from exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis of the questionnaire data and these measures have been further analysed in relation to a range of child, family and home learning environment (HLE) characteristics to explore whether certain groups of pupils have different views and experiences. In addition, analyses have been conducted to see whether pupils\u27 views of primary school are associated with variation in pupils\u27 other outcomes in Year 5

Frontiers in Education, 2021

Home learning environments prior to school are well-known predictors of educational trajectories ... more Home learning environments prior to school are well-known predictors of educational trajectories but research has neglected children aged under three. The new Toddler Home Learning Environment (THLE) scale is one response and this paper investigates its reliability and validity. The THLE is an adaptation of the Preschool HLE (PHLE) measure developed by the Effective Pre-School Primary and Secondary Education (EPPSE) investigation in the 1990s. The THLE was developed as part of the Evaluation of Children’s Centers in England (ECCE) investigation that followed a sample of 2,608 of families from 14 to 38 months. The THLE was administered at 14 months, the PHLE at 38. The 8-item THLE evidences internal consistency via statistical reliability coefficients and Confirmatory Factor Analysis plus measurement validity via statistically significant and research-appropriate associations with the PHLE, three measures of child development, and child and parent demographics. This paper moves the H...

5 Mixed leadership refers to the situation where multiple organisations share in leading a childr... more 5 Mixed leadership refers to the situation where multiple organisations share in leading a children's centre (e.g. a Local Authority and a PVI provider or the NHS).

The Effective Pre-school, Primary and Secondary Education project (EPPSE) has investigated the ac... more The Effective Pre-school, Primary and Secondary Education project (EPPSE) has investigated the academic attainment and progress, social-behavioural development and affective outcomes of approximately 3,000 children followed across different phases of education, from the age of 3+ years into adolescence up to the end of compulsory education at age 16. This Research Brief (RB) summarises some of the main findings about students’ views of their secondary schools based on a questionnaire survey administered in Year 11. It also investigates how views of school vary for different groups of students. Analyses identified five underling factors related to students’ experiences of secondary school in Key Stage 4 (KS4); Teachers professional focus, Positive relationships, Monitoring students, Formative Feedback and Academic ethos. The KS4 analyses build on similar research undertaken during KS3 and KS2 (Sammons et al 2011a, b, c, d, Sammons et al 2008). For the full details of the KS4 findings...

Objectives: To describe the utility and validity of an assessment tool that measures the pedagogi... more Objectives: To describe the utility and validity of an assessment tool that measures the pedagogical activities that take place with toddlers in the home. This to improve our understanding of educational trajectories and to foster educational equity. Perspective: Home Learning Environments (HLE) are well known to shape students’ educational trajectories, long-term outcomes, and facilitate educational equity. Further, we know that early HLEs are particularly important because they can have detectable effects on attainment through to late adolescence and because they can have effects on attainment that are above and beyond those associated with social disadvantage (e.g. Sammons et al., 2014). However, HLEs are less frequently assessed for children under 3 years of age. Methods: The paper first outlines the evidence base regarding the long-term impacts of HLEs – with a focus on persistent effects from Home Learning Environments in the early years. The Toddler Home Learning Environment ...

PsycEXTRA Dataset

The views expressed in this report are the authors' and do not necessarily reflect those of the D... more The views expressed in this report are the authors' and do not necessarily reflect those of the Department for Education and Skills.

Stoll, L., Stobart, G., Martin, S., Freeman, S., Friedman, E., Sammons, P. and Smees, R., 2003. P... more Stoll, L., Stobart, G., Martin, S., Freeman, S., Friedman, E., Sammons, P. and Smees, R., 2003. Preparing for Change: Evaluation of the Implementation of the Key Stage 3 Strategy Pilot. Other. DfES, (DfES 0159/2003). ... This repository does not currently have the ...

Cambridge Journal of Education, 2008

What is EPPE? The Effective Provision of PreSchool Education (EPPE) project is the first major Eu... more What is EPPE? The Effective Provision of PreSchool Education (EPPE) project is the first major European longitudinal study of a national sample of young children's development between the ages of 3 and 7 years. To investigate the effects of preschool education, the EPPE team collected a wide range of information on 3,000 children. The study also looks at background characteristics related to parents, the child's home environment and the preschool settings children attended. Settings (141) were drawn from a range of providers (local authority day nurseries, integrated 1 centres, playgroups, private day nurseries, nursery schools and nursery classes). A sample of 'home' children (who had no or minimal preschool experience) were recruited to the study at entry to school for comparison with the preschool group. In addition to investigating the effects of preschool provision, EPPE explored the characteristics of effective practice (and the pedagogy which underpins it) through twelve intensive case studies of settings where children had positive outcomes. EPPE has demonstrated the beneficial effects of high quality provision on children's intellectual and social/behavioural development measured at primary school entry as well as at the end of Years l and 2 of primary school. This research brief describes the effects of education in the preschool period (ages 3 and 4) as measured at primary school entry (rising 5) and in Years 1 and 2 (ages 6 and 7). The brief summarises the empirical work published in eleven Technical Papers (www.ioe.ac.uk/projects/eppe). Those interested in statistical methods or detailed findings should consult the Technical Papers.

British Journal of Developmental Psychology, 2010

In studies of child development, the combined effect of multiple risks acting in unison has been ... more In studies of child development, the combined effect of multiple risks acting in unison has been represented in a variety of ways. This investigation builds upon this preceding work and presents a new procedure for capturing the combined effect of multiple risks. A representative sample of 2,899 British children had their cognitive development measured at 36 and 58 months of age along with 10 potential risks during this period of development. Comparing a cumulative index of these risks against the previously undocumented alternative of confirmatory factor analysis using formative measurement, this study found differences favouring the factor analysis. The factor analysis procedure demonstrated greater predictive power of children's cognitive development while it systematically tested two of the assumptions implicit in cumulative risk indices.