| Title: |
Intervention Culture, Grouping and Triage: High-Stakes Tests and Practices of Division in English Primary Schools |
| Language: |
English |
| Authors: |
Bradbury, Alice; Braun, Annette; Quick, Laura |
| Source: |
British Journal of Sociology of Education. 2021 42(2):147-163. |
| Availability: |
Routledge. Available from: Taylor & Francis, Ltd. 530 Walnut Street Suite 850, Philadelphia, PA 19106. Tel: 800-354-1420; Tel: 215-625-8900; Fax: 215-207-0050; Web site: http://www.tandf.co.uk/journals |
| Peer Reviewed: |
Y |
| Page Count: |
17 |
| Publication Date: |
2021 |
| Document Type: |
Journal Articles; Reports - Research |
| Education Level: |
Elementary Education |
| Descriptors: |
High Stakes Tests; Elementary School Students; Teacher Attitudes; Elementary School Teachers; Intervention; Achievement Gap; Foreign Countries; Teacher Surveys; Test Preparation; Ability Grouping; Disadvantaged; Educational Practices; Educational Theories; Labeling (of Persons); Classification; Accountability; Institutional Evaluation; Mathematics Tests; Reading Tests; Punctuation; Spelling; Grammar; English |
| Geographic Terms: |
United Kingdom (England) |
| DOI: |
10.1080/01425692.2021.1878873 |
| ISSN: |
0142-5692 |
| Abstract: |
This paper explores the practices of division in operation in primary schools in England in response to the pressures of high stakes tests at age 10/11, known as SATs. Using data from interviews with 20 primary headteachers and information from a survey of nearly 300 primary heads, we argue that the organisation of pupils in preparation for SATs involves 1) the use of grouping by 'ability' in sets, despite the increasing evidence of the disadvantages; 2) forms of educational triage, where borderline or 'cusp' children are prioritised, and more complex forms of 'double triage'; and 3) the growth of 'intervention culture' where some children are withdrawn from normal lessons to resolve 'gaps' in their learning. In this article these practices are understood through a Foucauldian lens as micropractices of power which label and categorise pupils within an accountability system that seeks to classify pupils on a norm/Other binary. |
| Abstractor: |
As Provided |
| Entry Date: |
2021 |
| Accession Number: |
EJ1295161 |
| Database: |
ERIC |