Pamela Sammons

• University of Oxford
• Jesus College, Oxford

Pamela Sammons
Born	1956 (age 68–69) Hillingdon, Middlesex
Occupation	Professor Emeritus
Academic background
Alma mater	University of Bristol, City of London Polytechnic (Council for National Academic Awards)
Thesis	Participation in Vocational Further Education: A study of factors influencing entry into commercial, construction and engineering training in inner London (1986)

Pamela Sammons is Professor (Emeritus) at the Department of Education, University of Oxford and an Emeritus Fellow at Jesus College, Oxford. Her educational research career spans over four decades and has focused on school effectiveness and improvement, educational leadership, teaching quality, and promoting equity in education. Sammons is also recognised for her methodological expertise in longitudinal studies and mixed methods research in education. From 2007 onwards, she has been listed in Who's Who for her work in Education and Scholarship. ^[1] .

Biography

Sammons was born in 1956 and grew up in Hillingdon, Middlesex. She was awarded her PhD in 1986 for her study of vocational further education participation in inner London, after earning a Bachelor of Social Science (BSocSci) in Geography and Economics from the University of Bristol in 1977.

Career

In 1999, Pamela Sammons was appointed Professor of Education at the Institute of Education, University of London, going on to hold professorships at the School of Education, University of Nottingham and the University of Oxford. She has led major research projects conducted in England, Scotland and Northern Ireland, including two seminal studies funded by the Department for Education (DfE). The first, the longitudinal Effective Provision of Pre-school Primary and Secondary Education (EPPSE ^{[2] [3] [4]} ) study which followed around 3000 children and young people from age 3 to post-16 years between 1997 and 2014, investigated the influence of pre-school on children’s academic and social-behavioural outcomes. Conceived before 1998 when the state had no statutory obligation to provide early childhood education or childcare for children under the age of five ^[5] , EPPSE critically went on to inform the development of pre-school education policy in England ^{[6] [7]} by providing evidence of the long-term positive impact of pre-school on children's later outcomes - particularly for those who attended high quality pre-school settings. Case studies submitted during the Research Excellence Framework (REF) exercise (overseen by the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE)) featuring the impact of the EPPSE Study on wider society and education policy were both rated Outstanding (4*) by an independent panel of assessors in 2021 ^{[8] [9]} and 2014 ^{[10] [11]} .

The second major study, the Evaluation of Children’s Centres in England (ECCE ^[12] ) comprised a six-year longitudinal impact study of children and families who used children’s centres between 2011 and 2014, an examination of centres' management, organisation and service offering ^[13] , and a cost-benefit analysis of the programme ^[14] . Findings from the ECCE study revealed the potential for children's centres' services to ameliorate social disadvantage. Both family engagement with children's centres' services and certain centre characteristics and processes (e.g. the maintenance or expansion of services and absence of budget cuts) showed positive effects, particularly for family and mothers' outcomes ^[15] .

In 2015, Sammons led research on social mobility for the Sutton Trust exploring the drivers of academic success and students' aspirations for ‘bright but disadvantaged’ students ^{[16] [17]} . A frequent advisor to UK's Department for Education and the Treasury ^[18] , Sammons has also provided policy and research advice to inspection agencies in England ^{[19] [20]} , Northern Ireland ^{[21] [22]} , Scotland, and Sweden, and co-developed educational effectiveness studies in Cyprus ^[23] , Germany, Norway ^[24] and Sweden ^[25] . She was also co-author of the OECD 2012 country report on the Czech Republic ^[26] . In 2014, she provided input to professional development of Challenge Advisors in Wales ^[27] and was an advisor to the DfE for its research on the ‘London Effect’ ^[28] , ^[29] . In 2020, Sammons was appointed External Academic Advisor for five years to the Norwegian Center for Learning Environment & Behavioural Research in Education ^[30] based at the University of Stavanger and funded by the Research Council of Norway.

Sammons holds an H-index of 90 and over 46,000 citations ^[31] , having published over 130 peer-reviewed journal articles, authored and co-authored 77 book chapters, monographs and policy publications, and co-written close to 200 research reports.

Academic awards and honours

• In 2023, Sammons, alongside colleagues Kathy Sylva, Edward Melhuish, Brenda Taggart and Iram Siraj (the Effective Provision of Preschool, Primary and Secondary Education (EPPSE) Study team), won the British Educational Research Association (BERA) Public Engagement and Impact Award for Transforming Early Education policy and practice ^[32] .

• BERA Landmark Study Award ^[33] - The British Educational Research Association (BERA) recognised the Effective Provision of Pre-school and Primary Education (EPPE 3-11) research as a ‘landmark study’ in celebrating 40 years of research (1974-2014) that has had ‘significant impact on educational policy, practice, research methodology and/or theory’ in the period 2004 to 2013 ^[34] .

• Emerald Literati Outstanding Paper Awards ^[35] - Sammons and colleagues were twice awarded the Outstanding Paper Award, by the Journal of Children’s Services in 2016 ^[36] and International Journal of Educational Management in 2012 ^[37]

• William J. Davis Award ^[38] - Sammons and colleagues Christopher Day and Qing Gu were awarded the Outstanding Paper Award in 2017 ^[39] for their article The Impact of Leadership on Student Outcomes: How Successful School Leaders Use Transformational and Instructional Strategies to Make a Difference ^[40] in the journal Educational Administration Quarterly.

Selected publications

• Sammons, P.; Sylva, K.; Hall, J.; Evangelou, M.; Smees, R. (2023). "Challenges facing interventions to promote equity in the early years: exploring the 'impact', legacy and lessons learned from a national evaluation of Children's Centres in England". Oxford Review of Education. 49 (1): 114–135. doi:10.1080/03054985.2022.2125371.
• Ertesvåg, S.K.; Sammons, P.; Blossing, U. (2021). "Integrating data in a complex mixed-methods classroom interaction study". British Educational Research Journal. 47 (3): 654–673. doi:10.1002/berj.3678.
• Hall, J.E.; Lindorff, A.; Sammons, P., eds. (2020). International Perspectives in Educational Effectiveness Research. Springer Nature. doi:10.1007/978-3-030-44810-3. ISBN   978-3-030-44809-7.
• Siraj, I; Taggart, B.; Sammons, P.; Melhuish, E; Sylva, K.; Shepherd, D. (2019). Teaching in Effective Primary Schools Research into Pedagogy and children's learning. UCL-IOE Press. ISBN   9781858565064.
• Sammons, P.; Davis, S. (2017). "Mixed Methods approaches and their Application in Educational Research Initiative". In Wyse, D.; Selwyn, N.; Smith, E.; Suter, L. (eds.). The BERA/SAGE Handbook of Educational Research. BERA / SAGE. doi:10.4135/9781473983953.n24.
• Sammons, P.; Davis, S.; Gray, J. (2016). "Methodological and Scientific Properties of School Effectiveness Research: Exploring the underpinnings, evolution and future directions of the field Initiative". In Chapman, C.; Muijs, D.; Reynolds, D.; Sammons, P.; Teddlie, C. (eds.). The Routledge International Handbook of Educational Effectiveness and Improvement. Routledge. doi:10.4324/9781315679488. ISBN   9781315679488.
• Sammons, P.; Toth, K.; Sylva, K. (2015). Subject to Background: What promotes better achievement by bright but disadvantaged students? (PDF) (Report). The Sutton Trust.
• Sammons, P.; Sylva, K.; Melhuish, E.; Siraj-Blatchford, I.; Taggart, B.; Smees, R.; Draghici, D.; Toth, K. (2012). Effective Pre-school, Primary and Secondary Education 3-14 Project (EPPSE 3-14): Influences on students' dispositions in Key Stage 3: Exploring Enjoyment of school, Popularity, Anxiety, Citizenship Values and Academic self-concept in Year 9. Research Brief DFE-RB 184c (Report). Institute of Education, University of London / Department for Education.
• Teddlie, C.; Sammons, P. (2010). Creemers, B.P.M.; Kyriakides, L.; Sammons, P. (eds.). Methodological Advances in Educational Effectiveness Research. Routledge Taylor & Francis. doi:10.4324/9780203851005. ISBN   9780203851005.
• Sammons, P.; Sylva, K.; Melhuish, E.; Siraj-Blatchford, I.; Taggart, B.; Grabbe, Y.; Barreau, S. (2017). Effective Pre-school and Primary Education 3-11 Project (EPPE 3-11) Summary Report: Influences on Children's Attainment and Progress in Key Stage 2: Cognitive Outcomes in Year 5. Report No. RR828 (PDF) (Report). Department for Education and Skills (DfES).
• Sammons, P. (1999). School Effectiveness: Coming of Age in the 21st Century. Swets & Zeitlinger. ISBN   9789026515507.
• Sammons, P.; Thomas, S.; Mortimore, P. (28 October 1997). Forging Links: Effective Schools and Effective Departments. Paul Chapman. ISBN   1853963496.

References

1. "Pamela Sammons". UK Who's Who. Retrieved 21 September 2025.
2. Taggart, B.; et al. (2015). Effective pre-school, primary and secondary education project (EPPSE 3-16+): How pre-school influences children and young people's attainment and developmental outcomes over time (PDF). Department for Education. p. 6.
3. "Effective Pre-school, Primary & Secondary Education". Oxford University Department of Education. 14 November 2018. Retrieved 21 September 2025.
4. "Research and Analysis. Best start in life part 1: setting the scene". Ofsted. Retrieved 21 September 2025.
5. Melhuish, Edward (2016). "Longitudinal research and early years policy development in the UK". International Journal of Child Care and Education Policy. 10 3. doi: 10.1186/s40723-016-0019-1 .
6. "Pam Sammons". The Conversation. 17 March 2015. Retrieved 21 September 2025.
7. "Changing the face of early years education policy and practice". Social Sciences Division University of Oxford. Retrieved 21 September 2025.
8. "REF 2021 Results and Submissions: University of Oxford". Research Excellence Framework (REF) 2021. Retrieved 21 September 2025.
9. "REF 2021. University of Oxford Impact Case Study: Transforming Early Education Policy and Practice". Research Excellence Framework (REF) 2021 Impact case study database. Retrieved 21 September 2025.
10. "REF 2014 Results and Submissions: University of Oxford". Research Excellence Framework (REF) 2014. Retrieved 21 September 2025.
11. "REF 2014. University of Oxford Impact Case Study: Shaping Early Years Education Policy and Practice". Research Excellence Framework (REF) 2014 Impact case study database. Retrieved 21 September 2025.
12. "Evaluation of children's centres in England (ECCE)". Department for Education. 7 July 2016. Retrieved 21 September 2025.
13. DfE (2016). Research brief: Evaluation of children's centres in England - Strands 1 to 5 (PDF) (Report). Department for Education.
14. Gaheer, S.; et al. (2016). The value for money of children's centre services. Evaluation of children's centres in England (ECCE) Strand 5 (Report). Department for Education.
15. Sammons, P.; et al. (2015). Research brief. The impact of children's centres: studying the effects of children's centres in promoting better outcomes for young children and their families (PDF) (Report). Department for Education.
16. "Bright disadvantaged pupils get better A-levels through reading for pleasure, education trips and regular homework, as well as good schools". The Sutton Trust. Retrieved 21 September 2025.
17. "Helping the bright disadvantaged to achieve". News & Events University of Oxford. 17 March 2015. Retrieved 21 September 2025.
18. Oxford University Department of Education (2018). Oxford University Department of Education Review 2016/17 (PDF) (Report). p. 28.
19. Matthews, P.; Sammons, P. (2016). Improvement through inspection: an evaluation of the impact of Ofsted's work. Ref. HMI 2244 (Report). Ofsted.
20. "Second Special Report. Appendix II. Ofsted's response to the Sixth Report from the Education and Skills Committee, Session 2003-04. The Work of Ofsted in 2003-04 and Value for money". Select Committee on Education and Skills UK Parliament. Retrieved 21 September 2025.
21. Taggart, B.; Sammons, P. (1999). "Evaluating the Impact of a Raising School Standards Initiative". In Bosker, R.J.; Creemers, B.P.M.; Stringfield, S. (eds.). Enhancing Educational Excellence, Equity and Efficiency. Springer. pp. 137–165. doi:10.1007/978-94-011-4253-3_7. ISBN   978-94-010-5844-5.
22. Taggart, B.; Sammons, P. (1998). Evaluating the Impact of the Raising School Standards Initiative in Belfast (PDF). Annual Meeting of the American Educational Research Association. San Diego, CA.
23. "Professor Pamela Sammons". Jesus College University of Oxford. Retrieved 21 September 2025.
24. Ertesvåg, S.K.; Sammons, P.; Blossing, U. (2021). "Integrating data in a complex mixed-methods classroom interaction study". British Educational Research Journal. 47 (3): 654–673. doi:10.1002/berj.3678.
25. "Professor Pamela Sammons". Department of Education University of Oxford. 9 July 2018. Retrieved 21 September 2025.
26. Santiago, P.; Gilmore, A.; Nusche, D.; Sammons, P. (2012). OECD Reviews of Evaluation and Assessment in Education: Czech Republic (PDF) (Report). Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).
27. "Professor Pamela Sammons". British Educational Research Association (BERA). Retrieved 21 September 2025.
28. Ross, A.; Lessof, C.; Brind, R.; Khandker, R.; Aitken, D. (2020). Examining the London advantage in attainment: evidence from LSYPE (PDF) (Report). Department for Education (DfE).
29. Bernhard, R.; Harnisch, D.; Burn, K.; Greiner, U.; Sammons, P. (2021). ""We want your child to go to university". Raising aspirations in difficult circumstances in London". School Quality and Teacher Education Research Papers, 01/2021. American Educational Research Association Annual Meeting. Orlando, USA.
30. "INTERACT – quality in classroom interactions". University of Stavanger Centre for Learning Environment. 10 March 2021. Retrieved 21 September 2025.
31. "Pamela Sammons". Google Scholar Citations. Retrieved 21 September 2025.
32. "2023 BERA Award Winners". British Educational Research Association (BERA). Retrieved 21 September 2025.
33. "BERA publishes 40@40 – 40 landmark studies that celebrate educational research (2014)". British Educational Research Association (BERA). Retrieved 21 September 2025.
34. BERA (2014). A portrait of 40 years of educational research through 40 studies (PDF) (Report). British Educational Research Association (BERA).
35. "Emeral Literati Awards". Emerald Publishing. Retrieved 21 September 2025.
36. Sammons, P.; Toth, K.; Sylva, K.; Melhuish, E.; Siraj, I.; Taggart, B. (2015). "The long-term role of the home learning environment in shaping students' academic attainment in secondary school". Journal of Children's Services. 10 (3): 189–201. doi:10.1108/JCS-02-2015-0007.
37. Sammons, P.; Gu, Q.; Day, C.; Ko, J. (2011). "Exploring the impact of school leadership on pupil outcomes: Results from a study of academically improved and effective schools in England". International Journal of Educational Management. 25 (1). doi:10.1108/09513541111100134.
38. "The William J. Davis Award". University Council for Educational Administration (UCEA). Retrieved 21 September 2025.
39. "2017 William J. Davis Award Winner". Sage Journals Educational Administration Quarterly. Retrieved 21 September 2025.
40. Day, C.; Gu, Q.; Sammons, P. (2016). "The Impact of Leadership on Student Outcomes: How Successful School Leaders Use Transformational and Instructional Strategies to Make a Difference". Educational Administration Quarterly. 52 (2). doi:10.1177/0013161X15616863.