Faith Primary Schools: better schools or better pupils?

Link: Faith Primary Schools:

Pupil background and ability, rather than teaching standards, account for higher attainment levels at faith primary schools finds new research by academics at LSE's Centre for Economic Performance.

Faith Primary Schools: better schools or better pupils? investigates whether faith schools really raise pupil attainments more than other schools, or whether they simply enrol pupils with characteristics conducive to faster educational progress. Authors Dr Steve Gibbons and Dr Olmo Silva also attempt to understand whether any beneficial impact of attending a faith school comes from its religious affiliation, or from specific governance and admission arrangements.

To answer these questions, the researchers considered pupils at the end of their primary schooling in England (age-11), making use of a large census that includes information on pupils’ past and current achievements, school type and characteristics, place of residence (postcode) and schools attended.

Click the link above for the whole story. The weakness of the story relates to its belief that parents interest in faith schools relates solely to exam results. Many will be thinking of general ethos, discipline and academic breadth as well as test results

Comments

[Ross Dilnot]

We are running a "Child & Youth Friendly Church" programme here at our church. We have started monthly family services, and celebration services, and we are in the process of teaching them about and then involving them in communion services. E also have other ideas up our sleeve. However we also want to involve them more in the decision-making part of the church as well. Does anyone have any ways they have done this, or any other ways to make a church more child and youth friendly?
Thanks.

[Robert Jackman]

Hey guys - fantastic blog.

I read with interest your post about the dangerous signs an obsession with size-zero models sends to children.

I've just blogged on the matter - let me know what you think

Robert :)