ABSTRACT
This chapter reviews from a research perspective in an attempt to clarify the nature of the problem. There has been criticism of the subjective nature of much that appears in Her Majesty’s Inspectorate (HMI) surveys but it has to be conceded that inspectorate opinion can be supported by more objective research findings. The Educational Development Centre of Birmingham Education Department conducted research into several aspects of continuity between the primary or middle and the secondary stage of education. The researchers were supplied with measures of IQ, reading and mathematics ability, and children were asked about areas of schooling which they felt were particularly enjoyable or disappointing. With minor exceptions, research studies are consistent in their specification of causes of anxiety to pupils who failed to settle into secondary school, Birmingham researchers found children were worried about the size of school and complexities of organisation.
