Can Tracking in English High Schools Be "Fair"? Lessons for Equity, Identity, and Self-Confidence

• In Event: Tracking Students by “Ability”: Discourses, Practices, and Impact on Young People

Abstract

Homogenous grouping practices predominate in English schools (Kutnick et al 2005), despite a wealth of research evidence demonstrating detrimental effects on students, especially those from lower-attaining backgrounds (Francis et al 2016). Our intervention, Best Practice in Setting, sets out to militate against these detrimental effects, by addressing specific aspects of poor tracking practice found in English high schools.

In this paper, we present findings illustrative of the experiences of teachers and students in tracked schools, drawing on 36 student focus groups, 12178 responses to student questionnaires, 34 teacher interviews and 597 responses to teacher questionnaires, as well as attainment data accessed via the UK National Pupil Database.

We explore the characteristics of students who have been ‘misallocated’ and so are disadvantaged through an unfair tracking process.

Authors

• Becky Taylor, UCL Institute of Education

• Louise Archer, University College London