A few pieces of research from the Joseph Rowntree Foundation: Learning around income needs of older pensioners; Recession impacts on low socioeconomic communities; Suggestions for the low educational achievement of students in Wales; How English schools and parents can work together to help their students achieve; and the sixth study of poverty and social exclusion in Scotland.
MINIMUM INCOME STANDARDS AND OLDER PENSIONERS’ NEEDS
Yvette Hartfree, Donald Hirsch and Liz Sutton
Does the current MIS for pensioner households adequately meet the needs of a rapidly increasing population of older pensioners? An MIS based on a relatively healthy person in their early 70s may be of limited relevance to a pensioner a decade or so older.
This research:
- explores whether different needs among older pensioners may alter significantly the income they need for an acceptable standard of living;
- assesses life changes in later old age; and
- identifies likely areas where needs may differ and remain the same.
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REALITY, RESOURCES, RESILIENCE: REGENERATION IN A RECESSION
Andy Milne and Derek Rankine
This paper, from Scotland’s Independent Regeneration Network (SURF), looks at how the recession is impacting upon disadvantaged communities in Scotland. It summarises experience and practical initiatives in two contrasting case study neighbourhoods, exploring how communities and partner agencies are responding, and asks what opportunities are presented by the distinct Scottish policy context.
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POVERTY AND LOW EDUCATIONAL ACHIEVEMENT IN WALES
David Egan
This report suggests that the Welsh education system should combine both learning- and teaching focused interventions and student, family and community-focused interventions. It found that:
- Parental involvement, extra-curricular activities and mentoring have the best evidence base of all family- and community-based initiatives.
- Recent JRF studies show that some attitudes, aspirations and behaviours (AAB) interventions may contribute to improvements in educational achievement for children in poverty in Wales. However, there needs to be more detailed evidence on their impact, especially for Wales-specific programmes.
- Future interventions in this area should be rigorously trialled and evaluated before being rolled out widely.
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EDUCATIONAL ASPIRATIONS: HOW ENGLISH SCHOOLS CAN WORK WITH PARENTS TO KEEP THEM ON TRACK
Loic Menzies
Are aspirations as important as how students can achieve them?
New research shows that the real challenge for disadvantaged young people is achieving their aspirations. This study argues that schools and policy-makers in England put a lot of effort into ‘raising aspirations’ to increase achievement among disadvantaged pupils, but this is based on false assumptions about low aspirations.
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MONITORING POVERTY AND SOCIAL EXCLUSION IN SCOTLAND 2013
Hannah Aldridge, Peter Kenway and Tom MacInnes
What are the most significant poverty trends in Scotland today?
JRF’s sixth study of poverty and social exclusion in Scotland highlights a huge rise in unemployment for under-25s, and stark and growing health inequalities.
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