General Reports and Other Publications

DfES: Extended schools lead to better exam results and children being more focused in school, particularly for disadvantaged children, a new Government report claims. The study found that full service extended schools (FSES) had a positive impact on the attainment of pupils and on engagement with learning, family stability and enhanced life chances and generated positive outcomes for families and local people.
 
Positive effects were also felt in relation to the local community, including examples of unemployed adults beginning to see themselves as learners, acquiring qualifications and finding work. The schools studied were also found to have a range of other positive impacts on outcomes for pupils, including engagement with learning, family stability and enhanced life chances.
Press release ~ Evaluation of the Full Service Extended Schools Initiative: Final Report ~ DfES, Exclusions & Alternative Provision ~ GTCouncil - Alternative curriculum provision at Key Stage 4 ~ Award Scheme Development and Accreditation Network (ASDAN) ~ Taking the wide view - The new leadership of extended schools ~ ContinYou ~ The extended schools support service (TESSS) ~ National Remodelling Team ~ 4Children
 
CRC: A new study produced for the Commission for Rural Communities investigates the significance and co-dependency of combined rural post offices & village shops in England and provides an overall perspective on their viability.
Press release ~ The Economic Significance of Post Offices Combined with a Village Shop ~ Executive summary ~ Postwatch ~ Post Office Ltd ~ Commission for Rural Communities
 
MoJ: People going to court are motivated by getting justice and a final decision, Government research shows. The research report, What's cost got to do with it?: the impact of changing court fees on users, carried out in England and Wales, found that people worried more about how stressful or long their court case would be than about the potential costs of the case.
 
When asked about court fees, most people said court users should only pay for the services used.  They would also like to know up front how much the process would cost them. Other findings show:
Press release ~ What's cost got to do with it?: the impact of changing court fees on users ~ Closed consultation: Civil Court Fees ~ MoJ – Court Fees
 
MoJ: Portland is a clear example of the damage caused by the prison population crisis, said Anne Owers, Chief Inspector of Prisons, publishing the report of an unannounced full follow up inspection into the young offender institution in Dorset.
 
The inspection showed that, in spite of some improvement, Portland continued to suffer from unfit buildings, insufficient activity, negative staff culture and inadequate arrangements for young people's safety.  Moreover, young people, mainly from London, were held too far away from their homes.
Press release ~ HMI Prisons: HMYOI Portland (3-12 January 2007)
 
NAO: The National Audit Office has reported on the DTI’s scheme to compensate former UK trawlermen who lost their jobs as a result of settlement of the ‘Cod Wars’ with Iceland. The scheme cost some £43m (£18m more than initially estimated) and the NAO could be certain about the accuracy of the Department’s decision in only 64 claims out of 100 that it examined.
 
There is no general guidance for departments on how to design & deliver compensation schemes.  The NAO aims to share the lessons learnt on the design & implementation of this scheme so that they can be applied to future schemes.
Press release ~ The compensation scheme for former Icelandic water trawlermen ~ Executive Summary ~ Put together in haste: ‘Cod Wars’ trawlermen’s compensation scheme (HC313) ~ BBC - Nation on Film - Fishing - decline
Facing the Future...find out more