In the Wake of Westminster…

In the wake of the Westminster Bridge attack (22/3/2017), teachers around the country face pupils’ questions and attempt to offer explanations that they, like everyone else, are unprepared for....

Why we need a new digital curriculum for schools

It’s never been a safer time to be a child, in statistical terms, yet the perception is often very different. One reason for this is that people aren’t always very clear about the function of...

The effects of discourses in regional contexts on the development of curriculum-based literacy standards for adolescents in schooling: A comparative study of South Australia and Ontario

Governments in countries around the world are applying standards-based reforms to education in attempts to achieve future economic prosperity and social cohesion (Levin, 2010; Rizvi & Lingard,...

Analysing Design and Technology as an educational construct; an investigation into its curriculum position and pedagogical identity

The hierarchal status of academic disciplines, what defines valuable or legitimate knowledge and what should we teach our children is a topic of much debate. Amidst concerns of an academic...

Can self-advocacy skills support young people to participate in person-centred planning? An example from research involving young people with dyslexia

As part of a radical reform of educational and health support for young people (YP) with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities, the Code of Practice (DfE & DH, 2015) now advocates the use of...

Bridging the gap: Trainee and Teacher knowledge in Primary Maths and its impact on children’s understanding. How will the commitment to Maths Mastery fit in around this?

This article argues that the valid pursuit of Mastery style Maths teaching could lead to deeper understanding in children and is a worthy goal. However, it will not be achieved fully without...

Sexual harassment and abuse in schools: re-stating the case for comprehensive sex and relationships education

In September 2016, the Women and Equalities Committee reported on the high level of sexual violence routinely experienced by young women in schools and the need for urgent action. The report...

Music education and social justice

Transformational Further Education: Empowering People & Communities

Music education and social justice was the subject of a symposium at the 2016 BERA conference. Entitled Social Justice and Music Education in England and Scotland, and the symposium reported on...

Working together or working apart? An effective approach to parent-school relationships

It is not a new argument that parents and family in general have a very strong impact on children’s cognitive and social performance. This argument originates back in the ecological theory of...

Primary School Assessment

The recent news that the Commons Education Select Committee has decided to formally review SATs at the ends of Key Stages 1 and 2 hasn’t yet occasioned much comment on the Mumsnet talkboards;...

Is now the time to do away with ITE allocations?

When the initial teacher education (ITE) allocations for the 2017/18 were announced on 28 September, there was (if not joy) a measure of reassurance across the teacher education sector. The...

The paradoxical nature of Swedish school reform

a rigid concept of teaching where discipline in the classroom seems more important than the overriding goal of the curriculum In a recent publication in the Curriculum Journal (Fredholm,...