Young Children at School in the Inner City
Routledge Library Editions: Sociology of Education Series

First published in 1988, this work reports on a major British study of children?s progress and behaviour in 33 infant schools. The research looks at children from nursery through to junior school and asks why some children had higher attainments and made more progress than others. Using observations not only in schools but also interviews with children and parents, the children?s skills on entering school were found to have an important effect on progress. In each school, black and white children, and girls and boys were studied, in order gauge whether gender or ethnicity were related to progress.

Foreword; 1. Background to the study 2. Our Research 3. The Project Schools: Approaches to Teaching and to Parents 4. The Project Schools: Observation of the Children 5. The Parents’ Role in Infant Schooling 6. School Attainment and Progress: Ethnic Group, Sex, and School Effects 7. Factors at Home Associated with Children’s Pre-school Skills and Their Later School Progress 8. Factors at School Affecting Progress and Attainment 9. The Child’s Point of View 10. Progress Through the Infant School: Explanatory Models 11. A Summary and Some Implications; References; Appendices; Indices