A matter of inclusion: Schools continue to navigate government advice in support of students

Covid-19, education and educational research

As the school year in England begins once again against an evolving Covid-19 backdrop, we ask what this latest set of circumstances means for issues of inclusion, including which students will...

Childhood bereavement: A call for national policy that considers young people’s views

This blog reflects on a study recently published in Review of Education that investigated teachers' perspectives on supporting bereaved children in British primary schools (Abraham-Steele &...

Content and language integrated learning and extensive processing instruction: A useful partnership for language teaching?

The teaching of modern foreign languages (MFL) in English secondary schools is generally accepted to be in crisis. Entries for GCSE, A-level and university degrees have steadily declined. Even...

Neuromyths in schools

In recent years, much interest has been focused on the application of neuroscience in daily lessons and pedagogies (Canbulat & Kiriktas, 2017; Dekker et al., 2012). As a result, the new concept of...

Open educational resources offer promise for more equitable teaching and learning

The past year and the pivot to online learning has highlighted and exacerbated inequities in education systems around the world. It is more apparent than ever that our schools must do better at...

Distance learning & initial teacher education: Making connections in a virtual world

Covid-19, education and educational research

The peaks and troughs of the Covid-19 pandemic continue to impact on almost every aspect of our daily lives, and initial teacher education (ITE) is by no means an exception. Reflecting on changes...

Beyond postures: How yoga philosophy can foster non-violence in our classrooms

In A Sanskrit Dictionary, Monier-Williams (1899, p. 854) defines yoga as ‘an application of the thoughts, abstract contemplation, meditation, (esp.) self-concentration, abstract meditation and...

The fear factor: Children’s post-lockdown maths anxiety

Covid-19, education and educational research

Maths anxiety (MA) plays a role in educational disparities and the gender pay gap, yet it is not often addressed at the chalkface. Covid-induced school disruption may have made learning for...

Learning from lockdown: Experiences of autistic children and young people and their families

Covid-19, education and educational research

Research on the Covid-19 pandemic draws attention to its unequal impacts on differently positioned families, particularly highlighting the acute struggles of disadvantaged families (see for...

SENCOs, crisis planning in schools and the international problem of ‘off rolling’ or ‘grey exclusions’

Covid-19, education and educational research

In a newly published study (Done & Knowler, 2021a) we investigated the strategic leadership role of special educational needs coordinators (SENCOs) in planning for Covid-19 with particular...

Exploring the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on the health & wellbeing of learners with autism

Education & Covid-19: BERA Small Grants Fund research

Documenting an explorative qualitative study involving 20 learners with autism aged 14–19 based in the West Midlands region of England, this report considers the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic...

Exclusion & the strategic leadership role of special educational needs co-ordinators in England

Education & Covid-19: BERA Small Grants Fund research

This report asks whether and how special educational needs co-ordinators (SENCOs) participated in Covid-19-induced school planning for lockdown, provision for vulnerable pupils and full school...