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Abstract
Previous research into education and student geographies has usually focussed on either compulsory schooling or university education. This paper, using London as a case study, is an innovative attempt to understand the geographies of non-compulsory, non-university education (‘further education’, FE) which plays a crucial role in a world city labour market that requires a wide range of skills. Original analysis is provided using findings from a questionnaire, interviews with students and senior college managers and the analysis of individual student records, the Individualised Student Record (ISR) and Pupil-Level School Census (PLASC). The education geography of 16–19 year olds in FE involves selection by institutions alongside choice by learners resulting in complex patterns of social segregation and travel to learn. The division between post 16 colleges and sixth forms attached to schools is crucial with the latter, wherever they are located, taking a less deprived section of the cohort.
Notes
1 Education is organised differently in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, although there are many commonalities.
2 Including Graham Sharp and Marc Farr.
3 Records were also omitted if the home postcode field was filled by a postcode that was actually an institutional one, for example the college's own postcode or an armed forces postcode.
4 It was not feasible to calculate the distance to schools or to work-based learning providers, as there were too many of these providers.
5 Using the Thiessen polygon method described by Taylor (2000).
6 Analysis used the School and College Performance Tables 2002.
7 Derived from the School and College Performance Tables 2002.
8 The former Inner London Education Authority area, and before that the former County of London: Camden, City, Greenwich, Hackney, Hammersmith, Islington, Kensington and Chelsea, Lambeth, Lewisham, Southwark, Tower Hamlets, Wandsworth and Westminster.
9 Boroughs not formerly in ILEA but not touching on the periphery of Greater London: Barking and Dagenham, Brent, Ealing, Haringey, Merton, and Newham.
10 Boroughs that lie on the edge of London: Barnet, Bexley, Bromley, Croydon, Enfield, Harrow, Havering, Hillingdon, Hounslow, Kingston, Redbridge, Richmond, Sutton, and Waltham Forest.
11 This index is calculated by the UK Office of National Statistics for local areas (wards) using a variety of indicators.
12 The calculation is made from Census of Population 2001 tables. Young people were taken to be those aged 16 or 17 at the Census date and half of the group aged 18 or 19.
13 Young people travelling into and out of London are included in the calculations although areas outside London are not shown on Maps 2 to 4. Camden and Westminster, which have only one general FE college between them, are merged in the calculations.
14 Using only the main site of each school or college. Only one or two colleges have significant numbers of young people taught at sites other than the main one.
15 This calculation was made for us with the assistance of Transport for London, using their CAPITAL model. These are one-way journey times, in peak hours, including waiting and walking times between the 1991 census enumeration district (ED) in which the home postcode centroid is located and the ED in which the institution postcode centroid is located.
16 This is not of course the same as his or her individual examination results.
17 Figures at borough level include the state funded (‘maintained’) schools only.