Geographical Mobility, Pupil Mobility and Child Outcomes

Joan Wilson,Bedford Group For Lifecourse & Statistical Studies,

Institute of Education, University of London.PhD Supervisors: Professor Heather Joshi & Dr. Kirstine Hansen,

Institute of Education.

Presentation Outline

Focus of the research: including Key Questions to be addressed by the work

Motivations for the research

Patterns of child migration in the UK

Datasets to be used and outline of data analysis methodology

Current work

Research Focus I

The impact of parental spatial behaviour on the distribution of the life chances of offspring.

Geographical location and child development: two important factors for child development are defined by spatial occupancy:-

(a) Cognitive development = f (accessible types of education, neighbourhood engagement);

(b) The formation of non-cognitive skills = f (internal home and schooling experiences, the external neighbourhood environment).

Parental behaviour in terms of spatial location can lead to differentials in the life chances of children by affecting both their cognitive and non-cognitive development.

Parents are able to reset their initial spatial location

potential to alter the influences of spatial location on the development of their child.

Focal point of this thesis = examining spatial relocation activity of parents and how this impacts on their offspring.

Mainly assessing housing relocation which involves a transfer of schools for the child.

Also consider transfers of school or moves of home in isolation.

Developmental effects: Educational outcomes and changes to non-cognitive development.

Research Focus II

Research Focus III

Two angles through which spatial location and relocation can influence child development:-

(1) Positively: Enhancing academic attainment e.g. where mobility leads to the opportunity for education quality access improvements in the new location.

(2) Negatively: Contributing to the persistence of intergenerational disadvantage in the family unit e.g. where there is mobility to an area characterised by more levels of deprivation relative to the area previously inhabited.

For mobile children, physical distance moved and types of moves incorporated (school or home or a combination of the two) matter.

Key Questions

Can outcomes of future cohorts be enhanced or is child

progress worsened through moving?

Is there a scope for the spatial redistribution of

opportunities?

Can parental spatial behaviour be viewed as a facet of parental ‘investment’ in offspring that can be used to produce differentials in the life chances of children?

Motivations for the Research

Government policy changes: the formation of the quasi-market in education (Education Reform Act, 1988).

Implications for parental spatial behaviour: influencing parental spatial and schooling activity that relates to the acquisition of school quality gains.

Implications for the dispersion of equality in education: changes to spatial processes induced by government policy may be generating or contributing to educational and social inequalities.

Patterns of Child Migration in the UK

Table 1: Migrant Children in the UK by Age Group, 1990/91 and 2000/01(levels and percentage shares)

All ages 1 to 4

All ages 5 to 9

All ages 10 to 14

All aged 15

All ages 1 to 15

1990/91 360,958 272,988 191,970 32,852 858,768

% of all ages 1-15 42.0 31.8 22.4 3.8 100.0

% across Census years

51.2 46.4 43.7 45.6 47.6

2000/01 344,189 315,574 247,288 39,261 946,312

% of all ages 1-15 36.4 33.3 26.1 4.1 100.0

% across Census years

48.8 53.6 56.3 54.4 52.4

Sources: 1991 Census; Local Base Statistics (LBS 15) and 2001 Census; Standard Tables (ST008).

Patterns of Child Migration in the UK 

Table 2: Main Reasons for Moving by Post-Move Tenure, England, 2000/01 (percentages)

Owned

outright

Owned with

mortgage

Rented from

Council

Rented from

housing

association

Rented

privately

All tenures

Different size accommodation:

Wanted larger or better house or flat 6.7 23.0 16.5 15.3 9.4 15.6

Wanted smaller or cheaper house or flat 23.1 2.7 4.6 4.9 2.7 4.5

Personal reasons:

Divorce or separation 4.5 8.6 8.9 12.2 8.8 8.7

Marriage or cohabitation 6.5 11.7 6.0 6.1 5.7 8.0

Other personal reasons 21.6 5.1 15.3 14.7 8.1 9.4

To move to a better area 10.3 9.3 13.3 8.6 7.4 9.2

Job related reasons 7.1 8.8 1.5 3.2 25.2 13.2

Accommodation no longer available 0.0 0.7 5.3 6.3 7.6 4.2

Wanted to buy  2.8 15.6 0.0 0.0 0.1 5.9

Couldn't afford mortgage or rent 0.7 0.3 1.7 1.7 2.0 1.2

To live independently 3.7 9.3 11.8 11.6 7.4 8.8

Other reasons 12.9 4.8 15.1 15.6 15.6 11.4

All households (=100%) (millions) 0.2 0.8 0.3 0.2 0.8 2.3

Patterns of Child Migration in the UK 

Table 3: Proportion of School Movers and School Stayers Moving Home By Year Group and Key Stage, 2000/01 – 2002/03

  School Movers, S=1 School Stayers, S=0

Yeargroup H=1Proportion H=1|

S=1Total school

moversH=1

Proportion H=1|S=0

Total school stayers

1 27,387 0.663 41,285 42,411 0.081 524,236

2 23,049 0.512 45,048 48,391 0.092 526,678

KS1 average   0.588     0.086  

3 26,662 0.522 51,103 40,780 0.076 533,216

4 26,403 0.410 64,322 38,989 0.075 520,097

5 21,312 0.596 35,736 48,132 0.084 572,979

6 79,990 0.145 553,433 3,803 0.078 48,533

KS2 average   0.418     0.078  

7 13,375 0.380 35,173 43,390 0.078 559,755

8 14,086 0.282 50,008 40,931 0.076 536,768

9 9,677 0.378 25,599 43,060 0.075 572,843

KS3 average   0.347     0.076  

10 4,274 0.472 9,061 8,379 0.015 557,801

Notes: School movers are those moving school at all times, including compulsory school moves. Changes in residential mobility are determined by changes in residential postcodes over the academic years 2001/2002-2002/2003, corrected for Royal Mail postcode changes over the period. Source: Machin et al (2006).

Dataset 1

(1) National Pupil Database (NPD) This comprises of the following:-

o Pupil Level Annual School Census (PLASC)

Administrative dataset. Collects information on the school roll of state school pupils in England in January of each year.

4 waves (academic years) of data available: 2001/2002 to 2004/2005.

Variables included: (1) Free School Meal (FSM) eligibility as an indicator of social disadvantage, (2) Special Educational Needs (SEN) status, (3) mother tongue language, (4) ethnic group, and (5) gender.

Also includes information on the home postcode of the pupil in each academic year and the code of the school they attend in that year.

Dataset 1

(1) National Pupil Database (NPD) (continued)

o National Curriculum Key Stage test scores

Available at the end of Key Stage 1 (aged 6/7), Key Stage 2 (aged 10/11), Key Stage 3 (aged 13/14) and Key Stage 4 (GCSE’s, aged 15/16).

Pupil attainment records are comparable with government targets of achievement at each Key Stage.

Dataset 2 (2) Millennium Cohort Study (MCS) older siblings sample

o UK based longitudinal birth cohort study.

o Disproportional representation of families in England inhabiting areas of child poverty and areas containing high ethnic minority populations.

o First sweep: cohort members were 9 months old 11,533 families in England Information collected on 11,695 children in England.

o Second sweep: cohort members were 3 years old 10,050 families in England Information collected on 10,188 children in England.

o Second sweep also includes a sample of older siblings, aged 4-15, living in the same household as the cohort child 5,652 families in England (56% of all responding families) Information collected on 7,765 older siblings in England.

o Sample data is provided both by parents and by older siblings themselves (if aged over 10) through a self-completion questionnaire.

Dataset 2 (2) MCS older siblings sample (continued) o Older siblings sample includes responses relating to:- Behavioural adjustment : useful in the assessment of non-cognitive development. Community: including involvement in community groups, employment outside of school hours and term times, and perceptions of the area inhabited. Schooling: including extra tuition outside of the classroom, parental involvement in school matters, education aspirations, attitudes to schooling, and attendance. Other: exposure to or involvement in crime and bullying, and parental levels of discipline at home.

o Residential mobility: Can be derived from comparative address changes at each interview stage:- Location of the MCS child at birth (2000-01); Location of MCS1 interview in 2001-02, MCS2 interview in 2003-04, and MCS3 interview in 2005-06.

Dataset 3 (3) Longitudinal Study of Young People in England (LSYPE)

o Target population sampled: young people in Year 9 (age 13-14) in all schools in England in February 2004.

o Wave 1 sample size: 15,770 households (response of 74%), with an average of 32 pupils sampled per school.

o Panel study involving annual interviews of the sample of young people and their parents.

o Plans to collect up to 11 waves of data (to age 25).

o Sample boosts in the maintained schools sector for deprivation factors and for ethnicity. Schools having 20% or more of pupils entitled to Free School Meals were over-sampled by 1.5.

Dataset 3

(3) LSYPE (continued)

Young Person Sectiono Young person is interviewed on topics e.g. year 10 subject choices,

attitudes towards current school, future plans, homework and use of leisure time.

o ‘Self completion’ questions cover topics e.g. experiences of truancy, bullying, smoking and drug taking, attitudes towards school and relationship with parents/guardians.

Young Person History Sectiono Parent/guardian is interviewed on topics e.g. details of the young

person’s birth, health and school history.

Dataset 3

(3) LSYPE (continued)

Main Adult Sectiono Topics include attitudes towards young person’s school,

aspirations about young person’s future and whether young person has any Special Educational Needs.

o ‘Self completion’ questions cover topics e.g. relationship with young person and whether they have had any contact with services.

Individual adult sectiono Parents/guardians are interviewed on topics e.g. their education and

qualifications, current employment, employment history and health.

Data Analysis

(1) NPDo Residential mobility: Measured by changes in recorded home postcode of

the pupil across the waves.

o Pupil mobility: Measured by changes in code of the school attended by the pupil across the waves (excluding all compulsory school moves).

o Impact of mobility on attainment: Measured by changes to value-added between each KS test score, using non-mobile pupils for comparison.

o Coverage: Mobility patterns across all school phases.

(2) MCS older siblings sample and NPD; and (3) LSYPE and NPDo Residential and pupil mobility measured as above.

o Qualitative survey evidence used to measure behavioural changes and impact of mobility on non-cognitive outcomes.

o Coverage of datasets (2): mobility patterns across primary school phase and part of secondary school phase; (3): mobility patterns across secondary school phase.

Current Work

Using NPD: Matching PLASC to Key Stage data.

Looking at changes to value added and mobility between:-

Key Stage 1 (aged 6/7 in 2000/2001) and Key Stage 2 (aged 10/11 in 2004/2005);

Key Stage 2 (aged 10/11 in 2001/2002) and Key Stage 3 (aged 13/14 in 2004/2005);

Key Stage 3 (aged 13/14 in 2002/2003) and Key Stage 4 (aged 15/16 in 2004/2005).