Research projects
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Supporting children and parents during the transition to secondary school
Current and completed projects
TSA currently has two current and two completed projects in relation to the transition to secondary school:
A UK-wide review of transition projects (completed)
TSA has recently completed a UK-wide review, to find out what types of projects are being provided for parents and children in relation to the move to secondary school. It explored:
- The type of organisations offering the support and where they are based
- Whether the support is aimed at parents, children, or both
- The methods being used to deliver the support, for example, groupwork, materials, home visits, peer support
- The issues faced by these projects, in terms of such things as funding, training, and families who they have difficulty in reaching.
Information for the review was collected from 125 projects, using telephone interviews and questionnaires. A summary of the results is now available from TSA. The review was funded by the Tudor Trust.
The needs of parents during the transition to secondary school (completed)
This project was funded by the Gulbenkian Foundation. It involved research into the needs of parents of 9-11 year-olds, focussing in particular on the information and support needs of parents during their children's move to secondary school. The research was undertaken with a diverse sample of parents on the south-coast and in Huddersfield. In total 58 parents were individually interviewed. A summary of the results is now available.
Evaluation of the National Pyramid Trust's pilot transition project (ongoing)
TSA is currently working with the National Pyramid Trust to evaluate a pilot project. This work aims to support vulnerable children during the transition to secondary school, and involves the evaluation of a pilot project currently being run in eight south London primary schools. See separate Project Sheet for more details.
Supporting practitioners working with parents of 8-11 year-olds (ongoing)
This new project is funded by the Department for Education and Skills, and continues until 2007. The aim of the project is to provide information and support to practitioners who work with parents of 8-11 year-olds, with a particular focus on the transition to secondary school period. The project involves (1) an email Network to disseminate information and good practice, (2) workshops and conferences, and (3) the production of a 'Toolkit' of information, project ideas, and resources. See separate Project Sheet for more details.
Project Workers
Julie Shepherd and Debi Roker are mainly responsible for these projects.