Publications
Explore Peter Blatchford’s publications, bringing together decades of research and insight into psychology, education, classroom learning and pupil development.
Class Size Research
Key reference on the class size research: Blatchford, P., and Russell, A. (2020). Rethinking Class Size: The Complex Story of Impact on Teaching and Learning. London: UCL Press. ISBN: 9781787358799 (Free Open Access PDF), 9781787358812 (Hardback), 9781787358805 (Paperback).
Website link: uclpress.co.uk/size DOI: 10.14324/111.9781787358799
Also Blatchford, P. (2027) Inside Classrooms: How contexts and relationships shape learning and teaching. London: Routledge, Chapter 5
Academic paper summing up the KS1 results:
Blatchford, P., Bassett, P., Goldstein, H., and Martin. C. (2003) Are class size differences related to pupils’ educational progress and classroom processes? Findings from the Institute of Education Class Size Study of children aged 5-7 Years. British Educational Research Journal, 29, 5, 709-730. Special Issue ‘In Praise of Educational Research’, Guest Editors: S. Gorrard, C. Taylor and K. Roberts
Also on the KS1 results:
Blatchford, P., Moriarty, V., Edmonds, S., and Martin, C. (2002) Relationships between class size and teaching: a multi-method analysis of English infant schools. American Educational Research Journal, 39, 1, pp. 101-132
On the KS2 results:
Blatchford, P., Bassett, P., and Brown, P. (2005) Teachers’ and pupils’ behaviour in large and small classes: a systematic observation study of pupils aged 10/11 years. Journal of Educational Psychology, 97,3, 454-467
Blatchford, P., Russell, A., Bassett, P., Brown, P., and Martin, C. (2007) The effect of class size on the teaching of pupils aged 7-11 years. School Effectiveness and Improvement, 18, 2, June, 147-172
Blatchford, P., Bassett, P., and Brown, P. (2011) Examining the effect of class size on classroom engagement and teacher-pupil interaction: differences in relation to prior pupil attainment and primary vs. secondary schools, Learning and Instruction, 21, 715-730
A question and answer paper on the class size topic and the Rethinking Class Size book:
Blatchford, P. (2021) Rethinking Class Size. A question and answer session with Peter Blatchford about a new book and approach to the class size issue, Education 3-13. Vol 49, No 4, May 2021, p387 – 397. DOI: 10.1080/03004279.2021.1874370. Available at the following permanent link: https://doi.org/10.1080/03004279.2021.1874370 .
Peter has written a number of reviews of the research literature on the class size issue, including:
Blatchford, P. (2012) Three generations of research on class size effects. Chapter in: The American Psychological Association (APA) Educational Psychology Handbook. Vol. 2 Individual Differences and Cultural and Contextual Factors. pp 529-554. Editors-in-Chief Karen R. Harris, Steven Graham and Timothy Urdan. American Psychological Association: Washington, DC.
Blatchford, P. (2016) Is it true that class size does not matter? A critical review of research on class size effects. In Blatchford, P., Chan, Kam Wing., Galton, M., Lai, Kwok Chan Lee, John Chi-Kin (Eds.) (2016) Class size: Eastern and Western perspectives. Asia-Europe Education Dialogue Series. Series Editor Kerry Kennedy, Routledge
Blatchford, P. (2012) Class size: is small better? In Adey, P and Dillon, J. (Eds) Bad Education: Debunking Myths in Education. Open University Press.
Key reference for international perspective on class size research: the edited book:
Blatchford, P., Chan, Kam Wing., Galton, M., Lai, Kwok Chan., & Lee, John Chi-Kin (Eds.) (2016) Class size: Eastern and Western perspectives. Asia-Europe Education Dialogue Series. Series Editor Kerry Kennedy, Routledge
Teaching Assistants Research
Key reference: Blatchford, P., Russell, A. and Webster, R. (2012) Reassessing the impact of teaching assistants: How research challenges practice and policy, Oxon: Routledge. ISBN 978-0-415-68763-8 (hbk);978-0-415-68764-5 (pbk); 978-0-203-15196-9 (ebk)
The guidance for schools:
Webster, R., Russell, A., and Blatchford, P. (2016) Maximising the impact of teaching assistants: guidance for school leaders and teachers. 2nd Edition. Abingdon, Oxon, UK: Routledge
Sharples, J., Webster, R & Blatchford, P. (2015) Making Best Use of Teaching Assistants. Guidance Report. Educational Endowment Foundation
More on the DISS research findings:
Blatchford, P., Bassett, P., Brown, P., Martin, C., Russell, A. and Webster, P. (2011) The impact of support staff on pupils’ ‘positive approaches to learning’ and their academic progress. British Educational Research Journal, 37 (3), 443-464
Blatchford, P., Bassett, P., Brown, P. and Webster, R. (2009) The effect of support staff on pupil engagement and individual attention. British Educational Research Journal, 35, 5, 661-686 (also iFirst Article, 1-26)
Webster, R., & Blatchford, P. (2015) Worlds apart? The nature and quality of the educational experiences of pupils with a Statement for special educational needs in mainstream primary schools. British Educational Research Journal, 41(2), pp. 324-342
Radford, J., Blatchford, P. and Webster, R. (2011) Opening up and closing down: how teachers and TAs manage turn taking, topic and repair in mathematics lessons, Learning and Instruction, 21, 625-635
Webster, R., Blatchford, P. and Russell, A (2013) Challenging and changing how schools use teaching assistants: Findings from the Effective Deployment of Teaching Assistants project, School Leadership and Management, 33(1) pp.78-96
Radford, J., Bosanquet, P., Webster, R., Blatchford, P. (2014) Scaffolding learning for independence: clarifying teacher and teaching assistant roles for children with special educational needs. Learning and Instruction, 36, pp1-10
Also Blatchford, P. (2027) Inside Classrooms: How contexts and relationships shape learning and teaching. London: Routledge, Chapter 7.
Within class groups and group work
Key references
General on within class groups and SPRinG:
Kutnick, P. and Blatchford, P. (2014) Effective Group work in Primary School Classrooms: the SPRinG approach. Dordrecht: Springer ISBN: 978-94-007-6990-8; eBook: 978-94-007-6991-5 (published 2013)
Blatchford, P., Kutnick, P., Baines, E., and Galton, M. (2003) Toward a social pedagogy of classroom group work. In Blatchford, P., and Kutnick, P. (Eds.) Special Edition of International Journal of Educational Research, 39, 153-172
Nearly final version PDF: https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/1490005/1/Blatchford2003Toward153.pdf
Within class groups research
Baines, E., Blatchford, P., and Kutnick, P. (2003) Changes in grouping practices over primary and secondary school. In Blatchford, P., and Kutnick, P. (Eds.) Special Edition of International Journal of Educational Research, 39, 9-34
SPRinG
Guidance on groupwork for schools:
Baines, E., Blatchford, P., and Kutnick, P. (2016) Promoting Effective Group Work in the Primary Classroom: A handbook for teachers and practitioners. 2nd Edition. London: Routledge
Research:
Blatchford, P., Baines, E., Rubie-Davies, C., Bassett, P., and Chowne, A. (2006) The effect of a new approach to group-work on pupil-pupil and teacher-pupil interaction. Journal of Educational Psychology, 98, 750-765.
Baines, E., Blatchford, P., and Chowne, A. (2007) Improving the effectiveness of collaborative group work in primary schools: effects on science attainment. British Educational Research Journal, 33, 5, 663-680
Baines, E., Rubie-Davies, C., and Blatchford, P. (2009) Improving pupil group work interaction and dialogue in primary classrooms: results from the TLRP SPRinG project. Cambridge Journal of Education, 39, 1, 95-117
Baines, E., Blatchford, P. & Webster, R. (2015) The challenges of implementing group-work in primary school classrooms and including pupils with Special Educational Needs. Education 3 – 13, International Journal of Primary, Elementary and Early Years Education, Special Issue: Learning to learn together: cooperation, theory and practice. Volume 43, Issue 1, pp 15-29.
Also Blatchford, P. (2027) Inside Classrooms: How contexts and relationships shape learning and teaching. London: Routledge, Chapters 6 and 8
The experiences of pupils with SEND in mainstream schools (MAST and SENSE)
Key references for MAST and SENSE
Blatchford, P., & Webster, R. (2018) Classroom contexts for learning at primary and secondary school: class size, groupings, interactions and special educational needs. British Educational Research Journal, Vol. 44, No 4, pp. 681-703. Published on line http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/berj.3454 Among the top 10% most downloaded papers in BERJ after publications.
Webster, R. & Blatchford, P. (2018) Making sense of ‘teaching’, ‘support’ and ‘differentiation’: the educational experiences of pupils with Education, Health and Care Plans and Statements in mainstream secondary schools, European Journal of Special Educational Needs. DOI: 10.1080/08856257.2018.1458474 Among the top 10% most downloaded papers in EJSEN after publications.
Blatchford, P. (2027) Inside Classrooms: How contexts and relationships shape learning and teaching. London: Routledge, Chapter 7.
Breaktime and social life in schools
i.Survey and research on school’s experience of playtime/breaktime/recess
Blatchford, P. (1989) Playtime in the Primary School: Problems and Improvements. Windsor: NFER-Nelson. ISBN 0 7005 1237 3/ 0 7005 1238 1 (PBK) then London: Routledge. 141pp. For Routledge: ISBN 0-415-09861-0
Also edited book:
Blatchford, P. and Sharp, S. (1994) (eds) Breaktime and the School: Understanding and Changing Playground Behaviour. London: Routledge. 205pp. ISBN 0-415-10099-2. Including chapter P. Blatchford. Research on children’s school playground behaviour in the United Kingdom, p 16-35
Also children’s views on breaktime
Blatchford, P., Creeser, R. and Mooney, A. (1990) ‘Playground games and playtime: the children’s view’. In Woodhead, M., Light, P. and Carr, R. (1991) (eds) Growing Up in a Changing Society (pp.224-242). London: Routledge/ Open University ISBN 0-415-05826-0; 0-415-05827-9 (pbk)
Plus early papers on social life in schools.
Blatchford, P. (1998) The state of play in schools. Child Psychology and Psychiatry Review, 3,2, 58-67. An edited version is in M. Woodhead; D. Faulkner & K. Littleton, K. (1999) (Eds) Making Sense of Social Development. OU Press
Blatchford, P. (1999) Friendships at school: the role of breaktimes. Education 3-13, March, p60-65
Pellegrini, A and Blatchford, P. (2002) Time for a break: the developmental and educational significance of breaktime in school. The Psychologist, 15,2, 60-62
https://cms.bps.org.uk/sites/default/files/2022-11/pelleg.pdf
ii.National surveys of breaktimes
Key reference
For results across all the three surveys:
Baines, E & Blatchford, P. (2023). The decline in breaktimes and lunchtimes in primary and secondary schools in England: Results from three national surveys spanning 25 years. British Educational Research Journal, 49:925–946; DOI: 10.1002/berj.3874
And for the full report on the surveys:
School break and lunch times and young people’s social lives: A follow-up national study. Final report Ed Baines and Peter Blatchford, Department of Psychology and Human Development, UCL Institute of Education, May 2019 Research funded by the Nuffield Foundation. https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/10073916/1/Baines%2042402%20BreaktimeSurvey%20-%20Main%20public%20report%20%28May19%29-Final.pdf
A short UCL Research Briefing on the breaktime surveys:
School break times and young people’s social lives by Ed Baines & Peter Blatchford, March 2019.
https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/10073922/1/BaSiS-StudyResearchBriefingFinal.pdf
A 2026 piece by UCL on the research: ‘Seeing the importance of breaktimes for children’s development’. https://www.ucl.ac.uk/ioe/about-ioe/ioe-history/ioe120/seeing-importance-breaktimes-childrens-development
Baines, E. (2023). The benefits of school breaktimes for children and young people: Reflections on evidence from three national surveys in England and international data. Paper presented at the CNESCO International comparison conference – ‘Well-being atschool: How can schools foster well-being of their students and staff?’ Paris 21-22 Nov.2023.The benefits of
file:///C:/Users/User/Downloads/Ed-Baines_Note_V1_Cnesco-2023-09-29-Submitted%20(1).pdf
And for results on the first breaktime survey:
Blatchford, P. and Sumpner, C. (1998) What do we know about breaktime?: Results from a national survey of breaktime and lunchtime in primary and secondary schools. British Educational Research Journal , 24,1,79-94
Also on breaktimes/recess:
Baines, E., Blatchford, P. & Golding, K., (2020). Recess, Breaktimes, and Supervision. In S. Hupp & J. Jewel (Series Eds.) & P.K. Smith (Volume Ed.) The Encyclopaedia of Child and Adolescent Development Part 1 (Child): (Volume 6 – Community). New York: Wiley-Blackwell.
see also https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/9781119171492.wecad268?saml_referrer
a nearly complete version: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/342396572_Recess_Breaktimes_and_Supervision#fullTextFileContent
iii. Social relations at breaktime/recess
Case study of breaktime in one primary school with accompanying analysis of social relations in one junior class (KS2, 7-11 years), led to the book:
Blatchford, P (1998) Social Life in School: Pupils’ experiences of breaktime and recess from 7 to 16 years London: Falmer. 190pp. (ISBN 0 7507 0743 7 (cased); o 7507 0742 9 (paper))
iv. Spencer Foundation funded project ‘Playground games: their social context in elementary/junior school’ (directed by Anthony Pellegrini and Peter Blatchford, with Ed Baines and Kato Kentaro).
Key references
Blatchford, P., Pellegrini, A. and Baines, E. (2016) The Child at School: Interactions with Peers and Teachers (2nd Edition). Routledge (published 2015)
Pellegrini, A., Kato., Blatchford, P., and Baines, E. (2002) A short-term longitudinal study of children’s playground games across the first year of school: implications for social competence and adjustment to school. American Educational Research Journal, 39, 4, 991-1015
Blatchford, P., Baines, E., and Pellegrini, A. (2003) The social context of school playground games: sex and ethnic differences and changes over time after entry to junior school. British Journal of Developmental Psychology, 21, 481-505
Pellegrini, A., Blatchford, P., Kato, K., Baines, E. (2004) A short-term longitudinal study of children’s playground games in primary school: implications for adjustment to school and social adjustment in the USA and the UK. Social Development, 13, 1, 107-123
Baines, E., and Blatchford, P. (2009) A short term longitudinal study into the structure of social networks of girls and boys: playground games, friendships and network stability. British Journal of Developmental Psychology, 27, 743-760
And further on the findings and the literature:
Blatchford. P., and Baines, E. (2010) Peer relations in school. In K. Littleton, C. Wood and Kleine Staarman (Eds) Elsevier Handbook of Educational Psychology: New Perspectives on Learning and Teaching. Emerald: Bingley, UK (ISBN 978-1-84855-232-6)
Baines, E. & Blatchford, P. (2011) Children’s games and playground activities in school and their role in development. In Pellegrini, A.D. (Ed.) The Oxford Handbook of the Development of Play. OUP: Oxford (ISBN-13: 978-0-19-539300-2;ISBN-10:0-19-539300-7)
v. Other contexts in schools
School Meal Times (carried out by Helen MacIntyre and Ed Baines)
Baines, E. & MacIntyre, H. (2019). Children’s social experiences with peers during school mealtimes. Educational Review, https://doi.org/10.1080/00131911.2019.1680534
School corridors: Kelly Golding (2017) Corridors of power? Behaviour settings and the ecological reality of pupil life on the school corridor. Unpublished MSc Psychology of Education dissertation.