General Reports and Other Publications
ESRC: Generational change is contributing to a decline in British national pride with young people in Scotland and Wales likely to become increasingly responsive to nationalist parties, a study sponsored by the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) shows.
The researchers predict that “some of the glue holding the different parts of the UK together is likely to become weaker” as older generations of unionists die out. This will create greater potential for independence movements to make headway.
- Senses of British identity & pride in Britain were strongest in England. In Wales, and even more so in Scotland, substantial minorities did not feel British at all.
- Younger people are less likely to have acquired the strong attachments to Britain that older generations developed in their youth and maintained throughout their adult lives. Such generational change in attitude has been more rapid in Wales, and even more so in Scotland, than in England, suggesting that young people may become potentially more receptive to appeals from nationalist parties.
Press release ~ 'Devolution: Identity and Public Opinion in Scotland/Scottish Election Study 2003' ~ Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) ~ Related links
NAO: According to the National Audit Office, five years after its creation the Financial Services Authority, the independent body regulating the financial services industry in the UK, is a well-established regulator with an impressive set of processes and structures to help tackle high-risk organisations and markets.
However, it now needs to streamline and fully integrate these processes & structures and increase its focus on demonstrating the actual outcomes it achieves for consumers and markets.
NAO press release ~ HM Treasury press release ~ FSA ~ Full Report ~ Executive Summary ~ Notes and Appendices ~ Office of Fair Trading
Ofsted: A Pupil poll and independent assessment highlights support for Ofsted's inspections, but also points the way to improvement. Of more than 1,500 schools surveyed for a report by the National Foundation for Educational Research (NFER), the majority said that the main way inspection contributed was by confirming, prioritising and clarifying areas for improvement.
The report, Impact of Section 5 inspections: maintained schools in England, highlights that schools recognised that it was useful for parents, local communities and staff to have their judgements confirmed by an external & objective body.
The findings of an Ipsos MORI poll, commissioned by Ofsted to evaluate pupils’ views of inspection revealed that favourability towards school inspections is high, with 70% of pupils in favour of inspection. Of those, the majority said the reason they were in favour was that inspection helps schools to improve.
The report by the NFER is the first major, independent report that looks at the impact of the shorter, sharper school inspections introduced by Ofsted in September 2005 and it finds that the majority of schools surveyed agreed with inspection recommendations and considered them helpful.
Press release ~ Reports and Survey ~ National Foundation for Educational Research (NFER) ~ Ipsos MORI – Background on School Omnibus Survey 2007 ~ Ofsted Self-evaluation form (SEF) ~ Annual Report of Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Schools ~ Ofsted - School inspectors’ letters to pupils: lessons learned and ways forward
