Institute of Education London

Professor Peter Blatchford

• Qualifications and position:
  • BSc, PhD
  • Professor of Psychology and Education
• Faculty:
  • Faculty of Policy and Society
• Department:
  • Department of Psychology and Human Development
• Summary:
  • Main area of interest is social developmental processes in school settings. Peter has published 11 books and over 70 peer reviewed papers.
    Research projects directed include those on class size differences; the deployment and impact of support staff; group work in classrooms; and social life in schools (including peer relations and school breaktimes).
• Teaching:
  • MA/MSc Psychology of Education and MA Education (Psychology)
    MSc Child Development
    MPhil/PhD Supervision
    EdD Programme Research Methods
    D Ed Psych
• Research Projects:
  • 1. Support Staff in Schools
    Deployment and Impact of Support Staff (DISS)
    www.schoolsupportstaff.net
    Recently completed a 5 year study of the Deployment and Impact of Support Staff (DISS) in primary, secondary and special schools in England and Wales, funded by English and Welsh Governments (2003-2009). The largest study worldwide on paraprofessionals in education. Questions untested assumptions about the positive effect of Teaching Assistants (TAs) on pupils' academic progress and proposes radical rethinking of their pedagogical role – to make best use of valuable resource.
    Followed by Esmee Fairbairn funded project (2010-2011) developing and evaluating alternative ways of deploying and preparing TAs – a project in collaboration with primary and secondary schools in two areas.
    Nuffield funded project 'Making a Statement' (2011-2013). There is surprisingly little systematic information on the overall support experienced by pupils with Statements included in mainstream settings. The aim of this research is to answer the question: "which adults provide what inputs and provisions, and in what proportions, to pupils with a Statement of SEN in mainstream primary schools"?
    
    2. Class Size Effects
    www.classzizeresearch.org
    Directed a pioneering UK longitudinal large scale research project on the effects of class size differences at reception, Key Stage 1 and 2 (i.e., 5-11 years) on pupil academic attainment and classroom processes. It was funded by the DfES, Local Authorities and the ESRC. Of international significance, it was unique in its scale and methodology, and conducted by a large team at the Institute of Education. Many presentations and publications, e.g., 'The Class Size Debate', (Open UP, 2003)
    A further study at primary and secondary school level using data from the DISS project which found that at secondary level low attaining pupils in particular were more likely to be off task in large classes. Also worked with Prof Harvey Goldstein on a reanalysis of the STAR class size project.
    Commissioned to write a major review of 'the three generations of class size research' for the new American Psychological Association Educational Psychology Handbook, published in 2011
    
    3.Group Work
    www.SPRinG-Project.org.uk
    Co-directed a major ESRC project on developing and evaluating a programme to improve the effectiveness of pupil group work in classrooms. (SPRinG project). This was one of the nine successful proposals to the ESRC Teaching and Learning Research Programme, Phase 2. Responsible for work at Key Stage 2 (pupils aged 7-11 years). Despite teachers' worries it would take time from curriculum, found very successful effect of collaborative group work on science attainment. Earlier co-directed (with Prof Peter Kutnick) two Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) funded studies of the nature and uses of within class grouping practices in primary and secondary schools.
    
    4. Breaktimes/recess in schools
    www.breaktime.org.uk
    International reputation for work on school breaktimes/recess. Playtime in the Primary School, and Breaktime and the School: Understanding and Changing Playground Behaviour (both Routledge publications); Social Life in School: Pupils' experiences of breaktime from 7 to 16 years (Falmer Press). 'Peer relations' in school often overlooked but can be very important for learning and social development.
• Postgraduate Research:
  • Doctoral students working in his main areas of research interest, i.e., collaborative group work, class size effects, peer relations and school breaktimes and support staff in schools.
• Conferences/presentations:
  • Blatchford, P., Bassett, P., Brown, P., Martin, C., Russell, A., and Webster, R. (2010) The impact of teacher aides/assistants on pupils' 'positive approaches to learning' and their academic progress. American Educational Research Association (AERA) Annual Meeting, Denver, USA
    
    Blatchford, P. (2009) Give Kids a Break: The Social and Educational Significance of Peer Relations. Keynote Lecture to International Conference on Primary Education, Hong Kong Institute of Education, November
    
    Blatchford, P. (2009) Convener and Chair. Keynote Symposium:The Deployment and Impact of School Support Staff. British Educational Research Association (BERA) Annual Conference, Manchester