School-level language policies: What are they and (why) do we need them?

Spotlight on language and literacy

Dimensions of language in schools Many educators will be familiar with the saying that ‘all teachers are language teachers’ and few would argue that language doesn’t play a crucial role in...

The change in science language as a result of transition from primary to secondary school

Spotlight on language and literacy

When students move from primary to secondary school, one of the numerous challenges that they encounter is language. The language of school academic activity is importantly different from the...

Developing a systems-based approach to research use in education

While it is not always easy to see the tectonic plates moving, a culture shift appears to be occurring in English schools towards widespread engagement with research (DfE, 2022). Yet, when we...

Education: The State of the Discipline

Since 2020, BERA has been running a large-scale initiative that aims to provide a clear, comprehensive account of the state of education as an academic discipline in universities; as a field of...

The research and teaching nexus in a post-pandemic world: Undoing inequalities and dysfunctions

The pandemic exposed the vulnerability of a highly marketised English higher education system. With little government support, the fears around lost income resulted in yet more competition between...

2023 BERA School Research Award

BERA is pleased to announce our new award aimed at encouraging the development of research skills in the curriculum of secondary schools.  The BERA School Research Award aims to promote the value...

Collaborative learning within custodial education

The benefits of collaborative learning are clearly outlined in educational discourse, including: increased achievements, widening knowledge, improvement in teamwork skills and deeper critical...

Inequalities in the discipline of education in UK higher education

Across the globe, quantitative measures in higher education (HE) are drawn upon to identify, monitor and address structural inequalities. Countries differ in their conceptions of in/equality. The...

Education: The State of the Discipline. Staff equality in UK higher education

An exploration of existing statistical data relating to staff equality in UK higher education

Where are the teachers’ voices in the reform of early career teacher induction?

England continues to have a long-standing problem with recruiting and retaining teachers. Despite high-profile policy discourses such as those in the 2022 initial teacher training (ITT) market...

The BERA Blog: Highlights of 2022

BERA Blog end of year highlights

Yuletide greetings and festive cheer to all our readers and authors, wherever you may be. In these challenging times, we thank all of you for your continued support, enthusiasm and engagement with...

Sounding right, sounding white: Interrogating language, race and curriculum in secondary education

BCF Curriculum Investigation Grant Research Reports

Funded by the British Curriculum Forum Curriculum Investigation Grant 2021–2022, this project explored the impact of offering lower KS3 pupils a curriculum that contrasted significantly with the...