Encouragement is key to pupil success, study shows

According to research by Cambridge University, encouragement from teachers helps to keep pupils engaged with education after the age of 16.

The study of more than 4,000 pupils in England shows that middle-ability students and those whose parents lack qualifications benefit the most from positive feedback.

As part of the research, students were followed for seven years from the age of 13 onwards and completed a questionnaire every year between 2003 and 2010, to look into the effect of encouragement on pupils.

Of the students who said they had received encouragement, 74 per cent continued their education after the age of 16, in comparison to 66 per cent who stated that they did not get much encouragement.

In addition to this, the research shows that of pupils in the middle for attainment, 64 per cent who received encouragement went on to do A-levels, in comparison with the 52 per cent who did not.

Forty-six per cent who were supported well by teachers went on to go to university, compared with 36 per cent that did not.

Report author, Dr Ben Alcott, said: "When people speak of a positive school experience, they frequently cite a personal relationship with a teacher and the encouragement they were given.

"Our research helps quantify that impact and show its significance, particularly for addressing social mobility."