Learning and outcomes

School fits within a wider context of children’s experiences within and beyond the classroom which influence how and what they learn. Considering how effectively children learn is important for understanding how they will gain the skills they need for adult life, particularly how they will move into the labour market. Our research highlights how important it is to consider not just formal, school-based learning but its value alongside the other skills and competencies that are valued by children and the communities in which they live which are acquired more informally.

Education is often heralded as a potential route out of poverty but its benefits are contextual and contingent upon a range of other economic factors, not least local labour markets. Later research will consider how children move into the labour market and how earlier events and circumstances affect their subsequent transitions and livelihoods.