Wendy Goff

The Hidden Inequity uncovers a silent public health crisis within Scotland’s education system: the creation of unusually wide 19‑month school cohorts that leave the youngest children at a lifelong disadvantage. Drawing on extensive systematic review evidence, policy analysis, and consultation with international experts, the authors show how this cohort structure amplifies relative age effects, shaping children’s mental health, learning disability diagnoses, academic outcomes, physical wellbeing, and long‑term opportunities. Chapters explore the deeply inequitable impacts of these policies, with girls, children from deprived communities, and minority ethnic groups disproportionately harmed. Well‑intended funding changes have unintentionally widened these gaps, making Scotland’s current system both internationally unique and increasingly unsustainable. The authors argue that this moment presents a rare and urgent opportunity for reform, with legal and financial barriers already resolved and clear evidence pointing the way forward. Offering nine actionable, evidence‑based policy recommendations, the authors chart a practical path to align school entry with legal ages, tighten cohort structures, improve equity, and bring Scottish practice in line with global standards. A compelling call to action for policymakers, educators, public health leaders, and researchers, The Hidden Inequity reframes school entry policy as a decisive determinant of health and life opportunities.

Partnerships with Families and Communities: Building Dynamic Relationships is a comprehensive and accessible resource that provides pre-service teachers with the tools required to build effective, sustainable and proactive partnerships in both early childhood and primary educational settings. This text introduces models of home-school-community partnerships in educational contexts and presents a comprehensive partnerships approach for best practice in applying and leading effective relationships with key stakeholders. It explores essential underpinning policies, legislation and research theories that position strong, positive and proactive partnerships as a systemic solution to children's learning development. Key topics covered include diversity in partnership work, reflective practice and tools for evaluating working partnerships. Each chapter includes focused pedagogy, key terms and definitions, scenarios and review questions, which enable readers to deeply engage with new concepts. 'Proactive Partners' boxes explore real-world scenarios and encourage readers to link theory with practice.