What is autism? A developmental conceptualisation
Autism is a neurodevelopmental condition that occurs in around 2% of people, and can be associated with differences in social interaction, communication and interests. Autism is connected with genetic changes that are present from conception, but is often not identified until children are in school. Prospective longitudinal studies that follow infants from near birth to […]
‘Human Creativity cannot flourish in a Tik Tok World’
The Knowledge, Information and Human Potential (KIHP) group of Livery Companies invite you to its 2026 debate at Stationers’ Hall. The evening will start with a drinks reception in the beautiful Court Room, before taking seats at round tables in the Great Hall to hear the debate. At the conclusion of the Q&A, your table […]
Inclusion and Belonging Summit
Join us at the EducationScape Inclusion and Belonging Summit – a flagship event for schools and colleges, bringing together leaders, practitioners and specialists from across the education system to explore how we move from intention to impact when it comes to inclusion. This summit in partnership with The Skills Network has been deliberately designed to […]
Assessing preschoolers’ complex action processing in a stacking game using fNIRS
The ability to plan and understand complex actions is a crucial aspect of human cognition. It is discussed as a key milestone in early cognitive development and considerably develops around the preschool years. Processing complex action steps serve as basis for learning and goal-directed behavior. Previous research suggests that the processing of hierarchically structured actions […]
Developing high-quality challenge in English
What does “challenge” look like in English lessons? It can be all too easy to fall back on extension tasks which create the comforting illusion of challenge, while failing to offer the intellectual stretch and rigour that truly cultivate high attainment. In this free live webinar, open to all schools, we’ll explore strategies to embed […]
School Avoidance and Anxiety: A School Perspective
School Avoidance and Anxiety: A School Perspective” webinar presented by Dr Rebecca Torrance-Jenkins Rebecca is a School Designer & Learning Consultant, applying insights from neuroscience and progressive educational thinking to design schools for the future and reimagine how young people people learn. A former Founding Head of Science, she writes across academic and mainstream platforms, […]
Making the most of Chartered College group membership
THIS EVENT IS FOR GROUP MEMBERSHIP LEADS ONLY. This short information session focuses on Chartered College of Teaching group membership – if you’ve recently taken out a group package with us, this webinar will give an overview of our work as the sector’s professional body, and key benefits your staff can access over the year […]
From the editor
DR JANET RAMDEO ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR IN EDUCATION AND HEAD OF INITIAL TEACHER EDUCATION, UNIVERSITY OF GREENWICH, UK ‘Who gets ahead?’ This question was the basis of a 12-month study conducted by Wilson et al. (2006) examining how the intersectional experiences of disability, age, ethnicity and gender affect teachers’ career prospects. Their findings painted a picture […]
A reflective narrative on supporting international trainee teachers to thrive when teaching in English schools
SHALINI BHORKAR, ROBERT CAMPBELL AND JULIETTE CLARO, ST MARY’S UNIVERSITY, TWICKENHAM, UK Teacher recruitment and retention remain ongoing challenges in England (Maisuria et al., 2023). Most notably, recruitment of modern foreign language (MFL) and physics trainee teachers is particularly stark (DfE, 2025a). To address under-recruitment in these subjects, government bursaries are now available to international candidates. […]
‘Putting the children first, fighting their corner, being prepared to stick their head above a parapet’: Exploring reasons for the SENDCo recruitment crisis
NAOMI ASHMAN, DOCTORAL STUDENT, UNIVERSITY COLLEGE LONDON, UK Introduction There is currently a SENDCo recruitment and retention crisis (Robertson, 2023). Many find fulfilling SENDCo responsibilities unsustainable and are reluctant to remain in the role (Curran and Boddison, 2021). Reasons for attrition include overwhelming workload, inadequate time and insufficient funding for special educational needs and disability […]
Designing new pathways into teaching: Widening access, representation and inclusion in school communities through teacher degree apprenticeships
ANDY DAVIES, PROJECT CO-LEAD; DEPUTY DEAN, SCHOOL OF EDUCATION, SPORT AND HEALTH SCIENCES, UNIVERSITY OF BRIGHTON, UK LIS BUNDOCK, PROJECT CO-LEAD; ASSOCIATE DEAN (EDUCATION AND STUDENT EXPERIENCE), UNIVERSITY OF BRIGHTON, UK RICHARD HARVEY-SWANSTON, SENIOR LECTURER, UNIVERSITY OF BRIGHTON, UK ROB CORBETT, APPRENTICE AMBASSADOR, UNIVERSITY OF BRIGHTON, UK ALLISON GODFREY, EMPLOYER COORDINATOR, UNIVERSITY OF BRIGHTON, UK POLLY HERBERT, HEAD OF INITIAL TEACHER […]
Beyond the pipeline: Drivers of ethnic disparities in teacher recruitment, retention and progression in England
JULIET KOTONYA AND KATHERINE ASTON, NATIONAL FOUNDATION FOR EDUCATIONAL RESEARCH, UK Introduction England’s pupil population is becoming increasingly ethnically diverse, yet the ethnic make-up of the teaching workforce remains unrepresentative (Demie and Huat See, 2022). This shows up in schools as disparities in who enters teaching, who remains and who progresses into leadership. Representation of teachers […]
A case study of implementing inclusive academic assessment practice for trainees in an employment-based ITE programme
FRANCINE MCMAHON, AMBER DUIVENVOORDEN AND KATHERINE KINSHAW, SCHOOL OF EDUCATION, BATH SPA UNIVERSITY, UK Introduction Inclusive practices in higher education institutions have been exploring different academic assessment practices to meet the diverse needs of cohorts. This has been in response to the Bristol vs Abrahart case (Equality and Human Rights Commission, 2024) and a growing awareness of […]
Enhancing action in supporting international pre-service science teachers via self-study
ROBERT CAMPBELL, ST MARY’S UNIVERSITY, TWICKENHAM, UK RACHEL DAVIES, KING’S COLLEGE, LONDON, UK DAN COTTLE, UNIVERSITY OF BIRMINGHAM, UK CAROLINE NEUBERG, LEEDS TRINITY UNIVERSITY, UK ELEANOR WYLIE, INSTITUTE OF PHYSICS, UK Introduction Since 2022, international pre-service science teachers (PSSTs) specialising in physics have also been eligible for a bursary, resulting in a fourfold increase in international applications to study PGCE […]
‘We train dogs but we educate people’: How listening to student voice shapes successful and wider outcomes in initial teacher education – findings from a co-research approach
MEGAN STEPHENSON, ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR, LEEDS TRINITY UNIVERSITY, UK DEBORAH GARCIA, HEAD OF ITE PARTNERSHIPS, LEEDS TRINITY UNIVERSITY, UK SAMANTHA WILKES, SENIOR LECTURER, LEEDS TRINITY UNIVERSITY, UK ALICE BOYCE, SCHOOL OF EDUCATION AND CHILDHOOD PRIMARY GRADUATE AND EARLY CAREER TEACHER, LEEDS TRINITY UNIVERSITY, UK Abstract This think piece explores what has helped a long-established university provider of teacher education […]
Do I really fit the mould? Gendered perspectives on becoming and belonging in early career teaching
PAULA DAINES, DEPUTY HEAD OF SCHOOL, ANGLIA RUSKIN UNIVERSITY, UK MATTHEW TRAGHEIM, MODULE LEADER (MA IN EDUCATION), COVENTRY UNIVERSITY, UK Teacher identity can be important to forge at the beginning of a career in teaching. However, this would assume that it is a solo pursuit and that entrance into the profession is merely about ‘becoming’ a teacher. […]
Mastery goals and need-supportive motivation as tools for equity in teacher education: A perspective
BURÇIN DEĞIRMEN, TEV İNANÇ TÜRKEŞ HIGH SCHOOL, GEBZE, TURKEY Abstract This article explores how mastery goals and need-supportive environments can promote equity in teacher education. Drawing on achievement goal theory (Elliot and McGregor, 2001) and self-determination theory (Deci and Ryan, 2000), it highlights the importance of not only what learning goals pre-service teachers pursue but also […]
Mentoring with an equity, diversity and inclusion lens
NATASHA RAHEEM, ASSISTANT VICE PRINCIPAL, DIXONS CENTRE FOR GROWTH, DIXONS ACADEMIES TRUST, UK Before sharing evidence-based recommendations that can help mentors to support mentees from underrepresented backgrounds, I’ll begin by referring to the National Foundation for Education Research (NFER) Racial Equality in the Teacher Workforce research report. The report shows that there is an overrepresentation of […]
Supporting trainee teacher resilience through mentoring
GEMMA MOLYNEUX, CURRICULUM DEVELOPMENT ADVISER, STOCKTON SCITT, UK Introduction Last year, Schools Week reported that the drop-out rate on initial teacher training (ITT) courses had doubled since 2019 (Whittaker, 2024). Although this year’s figures indicate that the overall percentage has remained steady at seven per cent, the percentage of trainees who do not achieve QTS is […]
Working-class teacher: Why a socio-economically diverse workforce matters
CLARE O’SULLIVAN, THE PTI, UK Class still counts In the UK, education is often described as a ladder of opportunity. Yet the profession at the heart of this promise – the teaching workforce – remains disproportionately middle class. Unlike ethnicity or gender, socio-economic background is not recorded in major national datasets such as the School Workforce […]