School of Education

Staff

Prof Peter Tymms

Head of School and Chair of Board of Studies in the School of Education
Telephone: +44 (0) 191 33 48413

Contact Prof Peter Tymms

Biography

After taking a degree from Cambridge University in Natural Sciences Peter Tymms taught in a wide variety of schools from Central Africa to the north-east of England before starting an academic career.

He was “Lecturer in Performance Indicators” at Moray House, Edinburgh before moving to Newcastle University and then to Durham University where he is presently Professor of Education.

He is Co Chair of the Standards Advisory Group OFQUAL and is an adviser to the German NEPS project.

His main research interests include monitoring, assessment, performance indicators, ADHD, reading and research methodology. He devised the PIPS project, which is designed to monitor the affective and cognitive progress of children through primary schools starting with a computer adaptive on-entry baseline assessment. Peter Tymms was Director of the CEM Centre until 2011 when he took over as Head of Department and Chair of the Board of Studies in the School of Education.

Professor Tymms would welcome applications from prospective doctoral students in the areas of monitoring the progress of students, classes, schools and countries; assessment, especially in the early years and especially using Rasch; International studies of attainment; Interventions and research methodology generally.

Completed Supervisions (since 2008)

The Binormal Hypothesis of Specific Learning Disabilities

Factors Underlying Students' Conceptions of Deep Time: An Exploratory Study

An Item Response Theory Approach to the Maintenance of
Standards in Public Examinations in England

Building Schools of Character: The Development, Implementation, and Evaluation of a School-Based Character Education Programme Designed to Promote Cooperative Learning and Reduce Anti-Social Behaviour

Research Groups

Research Projects

Research Interests

  • Assessment & testing
  • Educational standards
  • Primary schools
  • ADHD

Publications

Journal papers: academic

Journal papers: professional

Books: authored

Books: edited

  • Newton, P., Baird, J-A., Goldstein, H, Patrick, H. & Tymms, P. (2008). Techniques for monitoring the comparability of examination standards. London: Qualifications and Curriculum Authority.

Books: sections

  • Tymms, P. (2012). Interventions: experiments. In Research Methods and Methodologies in Education. Arthur, J., Waring, M., Coe, R. & Hedges, L.V. Sage. 137-140.
  • Tymms, P. (2012). Questionnaires. In Arthur, J., Waring, M., Coe, R. & Hedges, L.V. Sage. 231-240.
  • Tymms, P. (2010). Ability Testing. In International Encyclopedia of Education. Peterson, P., Baker, E. & McGaw, B. Oxford: Elsevier. 4: 1-6.
  • Tymms, P. & Merrell, C. (2009). Attainment, Standards and Quality. In Childrlen, their World, their Education: Final report and recommendations of the Cambridge Primary Review. Alexander, R. London: Routledge.
  • Tymms, P. & Coe, R. (2009). Conclusions: Assessment in an Era of Globalization. In Multicultural Psychoeducational Assessment. Grigorenko, E. Madison, WI: Apex. 469-485.
  • Tymms, P. & Merrell, C. (2009). On-entry Baseline Assessment across Cultures. In Early Childhood Education: Society and Culture. Anning, A., Cullen, J. & Fleers, M. London: Sage Publications. 117.128.
  • Tymms, P. (2008). Commentary on Chapter 10. In Techniques for monitoring the comparability of examination standards. Newton, P., Baird, J-A., Goldstein, H., Patrick, H. & Tymms, P. (eds) London: QCA. 434-438.
  • Coe, R., Tymms, P. & Fitz-Gibbon, C. (2008). Commentary on Chapter 8. In Techniques for monitoring the comparability of examination standards. Newton, P., Baird, J-A., Goldstein, H., Patrick, H. & Tymms, P. (eds) London: QCA. 324-329.

Articles: review

Conference papers

  • Tymms, P., Merrell, C., Henderson, B., Albone, S. & Jones, P. (2009), Learning Difficulties in the Primary School Years: Predictability from On-entry Baseline Assessment, XIV European Conference on Developmental Psychology. Vilnius.
  • Tymms, P., Merrell, C. & Jenkins, H. (2008), The advantage of impulsivity: An analysis of the components of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder and their impact on attainment, AERA Annual Conference. New York.
  • Tymms, P., Merrell, C., Topping, K., Conlin, N. & D'Souza, E. (2007), Bridging the Gap between Pupil Level and District Level Interventions, Seventh Annual International Campbell Collaboration Colloquium. London.
  • Merrell, C., Tymms, P. & Jones, P. (2007), Changes in Children's Cognitive Development at the Start of School 2000-2006, EARLI Conference. Budapest.
  • Merrell, C., Tymms, P. & van der Hoeven van Doornum, A. (2007), Cross Country Comparisons of Progress in the First Year of School, AERA Annual Conference. Chicago..

Journal papers: online

Other publications: research

  • Tymms, P. (Published). Reviewing Rasch decisions. Centre for Education Research and Policy AQA
  • Ndaji, F. & Tymms, P.B. (2009). Categorising Special Needs. SEN Magazine 40: 24-25.

Reports: official

  • Torgerson, C.J., Wiggins, A., Torgerson, D.J., Ainsworth, H., Barmby, P., Hewitt, C., Jones, K., Hendry, V., Askew, M., Bland, M. Coe, R., Higgins, S., Hodgen, J., Hulme, C. & Tymms, P. (2011). Every Child Counts: The Independent evaluation executive Summary. Department for Education (DfE).
  • Deighton, J., Barmby, P., Tymms, P., Croudace, T. & Wolpert, M. (2010). A review of impact and implementation issues in relation to Kidscreen and relevant other measures. University College London.
  • Tymms, P. & Coe, R. (2010). Me and My School: Preliminary Findings from the first year of the National Evaluation of Targeted Mental Health in Schools (2008-09).
  • Tymms, P. (2010). Scottish Government's class size policy. The Scottish Parliament.
  • Taylor, E., Kendall, T., Asherson, P., Bailey, S., Bretherton, K., Brown, A., Costigan, L., Duncan, A., Harpin, V., Hollis, C., Keen, D., Lewis, A., Mavranezouli, I., Merrell, C., Mulligan, D., Perez, A., Pettinari, C., Ryan, N., Salt, N., Sayal, K., Sheppard, L., Stockton, S., Taylor, C., Thorley, G, Turner, J., Tymms, P., Wolpert, M., Wong, I. & Young, S. (2009). Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder: The NICE Guideline on Diagnosis and Management of ADHD in Children, Young People and Adults. Practice Guideline No. 72. London, The British Psychological Society and The Royal College of Psychiatrists.
  • Vidmar, M. & Tymms, P.B. (2009). Performance Indicators in Primary Schools: On-entry Baseline Assessment and follow-up Material (PIPS-BA. Ljubljana, Pedagoski institut.
  • Research Group:, Wolpert, M., Fonagy, P., Frederickson, N., Day, C., Rutter, M., Humphrey, N, Vostanis, P., Meadows, P., Croudace, T., Tymms, P. & Brown, J. (2008). Review and recommendations for national policy for England for the use of mental health outcome measures with children and young people. Evidence Based Practice Unit.
  • Coe, R.J. & Tymms, P.B. (2008). Summary of research on changes in educational standards in the UK. Institute of Directors. London.
  • Tymms, P.B. (2008). Testing and Assessment. House of Commons Select Committee. London, The Stationery Office Limited.

Media Contacts

Available for media contact about:

  • General policy: standards in education
  • General policy: monitoring, tracking and league tables
  • General policy: assessments
  • General policy: schools

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