With funding from the ESRC Education Research Programme, the projects have used survey data, classroom ethnographies, teacher-led communities of practice and interviews with EdTech sector entrepreneurs to examine the relationship between technology, design and school-based practice. In conversation with Dr Sangeet Bhullar, Executive Director, of WISE KIDS and Martin Oliver, UCL Institute of Education, they will reflect on […]
We live in times of accumulating crises. We are experiencing crises of democracy, inequality, energy, climate and pollution. This is a time for critically re-examining how we understand, frame and shape educational thinking – a time for repurposing and reimagining the role and work of teachers and leaders in the hopeful project of education. It […]
VICTORIA COOK, LEAD RESEARCHER, CHARTERED COLLEGE OF TEACHING, UK This article was produced as part of a project funded by the Comino Foundation. Introduction A 2015 Ofsted report entitled ‘Key Stage 3: The wasted years?’ concluded that Key Stage 3 needs to become a higher priority for secondary school leaders, to ensure that the time is […]
ALISON ROUNCEFIELD-SWALES, GEORGIE LOTT AND LYDIA SEARLE, THE INSTITUTE FOR RESEARCH IN SCHOOLS, UK Introduction The Institute for Research in Schools (IRIS) collaborates with schools and colleges to engage students in authentic research projects. We understand the benefits of participating in scientific research and we advocate for every student benefiting from engaging in research. However, we […]
HEATHER PENNINGTON AND ALYSON LEWIS, CARDIFF LEARNING AND TEACHING ACADEMY, CARDIFF UNIVERSITY, UK Introduction Professional learning is essential for teaching professionalism, as it fosters reflection, collaboration and continuous improvement in everyday practice (Salo et al., 2024; Darling-Hammond et al., 2017). While facilitators of professional learning are often adept at encouraging these practices in others, they must […]
REBECCA MORRIS AND WENDY RAMKU, UNIVERSITY OF WARWICK, UK Background Every child across the UK is expected to study English until the age of 16. The subject is a foundational element of pupils’ curriculum entitlement across their school lives, and success in English is a key determinant for influencing individuals’ future educational, career and life trajectories, […]
AMY HOCKEY, SCIENCE LEAD AND SEND TEACHER, SPECIAL SCHOOL, MIDLANDS, UK DONNA DAWKINS, PROFESSOR IN SECONDARY SCIENCE (BIOLOGY) TEACHER EDUCATION & PROFESSIONAL EDUCATION DEVELOPMENT, UNIVERSITY OF BIRMINGHAM, UK Introduction This practitioner research highlights the scientific and wider skills developed through an inquiry-based science curriculum for students with moderate and severe learning difficulties. The case study school […]
LORNA GARDINER, INDEPENDENT EDUCATION FACILITATOR; LEAD CONSULTANT, THINKING MATTERS, UK Introduction It is widely recognised that young people need to develop the critical and creative thinking skills and dispositions necessary to thrive in the challenging context of the 21st century (OECD, 2018; NFER, 2025). Driven by a desire to ‘futureproof’ their learners, some schools become recognised […]
REBECCA LILLINGTON, DIRECTOR, PROFESSIONAL LEARNING INSTITUTE, UK DAVID KELLY, ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL AND CHAIR OF SECONDARY LITERACY GROUP, SUMMIT, UK Setting the scene Summit Learning Trust is a multi-academy trust (MAT) located in the West Midlands, composed of five primary academies, three secondary academies and a sixth form college. Prior to 2021, the secondary academies within Summit were […]
NICOLA HUTTON, SCHOOL OF EDUCATION, LIVERPOOL HOPE UNIVERSITY, UK The aim of this project was to address barriers that students in ITE (initial teacher education) have in planning and delivering a broad and balanced curriculum through identified foundation subjects. Firstly, it is well documented that foundation subjects are afforded less teaching time in ITE, although this […]
HELEN WAKEFIELD, SENIOR DEPUTY HEADTEACHER, ASHBY SCHOOL, LIFE MULTI-ACADEMY TRUST, UK JUDE MELLOR, HEADTEACHER, ASHBY SCHOOL, LIFE MULTI-ACADEMY TRUST, UK Introduction The transition gap and the resultant loss in learning have long been recognised as students move from primary to secondary learning (Bharara, 2019; Busch, 2017). In a setting also experiencing age range change, through the addition […]
JENNIFER JENKINS, RE, SIAMS AND SPIRITUALITY OFFICER, COVENTRY DIOCESAN BOARD OF EDUCATION, UK Shifting horizons for religious education and the changing religious landscape The Standing Advisory Council on Religious Education (SACRE) bodies in Coventry and Warwickshire recently launched their new local Agreed Syllabus for religious education (RE), written in partnership with Coventry Diocesan Board of Education […]
BEN JERRIT, HISTORY DEPARTMENT/ASSISTANT HEAD OF SIXTH FORM, ARDINGLY COLLEGE, UK LOUISE TAYLOR, ENGLISH DEPARTMENT/ASSISTANT HEAD OF MIDDLE SCHOOL, ARDINGLY COLLEGE, UK This case study explores how two history and English teachers drew on current educational thinking to create a practical working framework that improves the quality of teaching and learning in their subjects. Our teacher-friendly toolkit […]
MARK LESWELL, RESEARCH LEAD, SWALE ACADEMIES TRUST, UK This article explores research-informed approaches to implementing productive challenge in schools, distinguishing between helpful cognitive struggle and counterproductive difficulty. It offers practical strategies for educators to calibrate appropriate levels of challenge while avoiding working memory overload, and addresses common misconceptions about what constitutes effective challenge. Understanding challenge: Research […]
CAROLYN BRADLEY, SCHOOL OF PERFORMANCE AND CULTURAL INDUSTRIES, UNIVERSITY OF LEEDS, UK This paper defines the relationship between place, space and learning in drama, arguing that both schools and cultural venues can function as places of learning. Place and space discourses are complex in general, and difficult to fully address in the scope of this article; […]
AMARBEER SINGH GILL, AMBITION INSTITUTE & GREENSHAW RESEARCH SCHOOL, UK NICK POINTER, AMBITION INSTITUTE, UK Introduction In the past decade, there has been significant emphasis on curriculum in UK schooling (Allen et al., 2021). Prior to this, research suggested that curriculum thinking had been under-prioritised in favour of generic approaches to teaching and learning (e.g. Ofsted, 2019a) […]
CHRISTOPHER TAY, VISITING LECTURER IN ITE, UNIVERSITY OF CHESTER, UK Exploring the direction of emerging government policy on curriculum, this article examines the challenges for teaching presented by the intentions set out in the interim report from the Curriculum and Assessment Review (DfE, 2025a), suggesting that the report’s affirmation of ‘powerful knowledge’ (PK) as a guiding […]
GEORGE DAVIES-CRAINE, HEAD OF GEOGRAPHY AND ECONOMICS, LANCASTER GIRLS’ GRAMMAR SCHOOL, UK The use of artificial intelligence (AI) within schools must adhere to the highest standards of ethical practice and data protection, as well as aligning with the Department for Education guidelines (DfE, 2025). When AI tools are used, they need to support and enhance education, […]
BETHANY HOWES (NÉE TAYLOR), SUBJECT DEVELOPMENT LEAD (SCIENCE), TEACH FIRST, UK Look at the conversation in Figure 1. Who is the expert and who is the novice? How can we tell and how can novices develop expertise? These questions shaped my master’s research and continue to inform my work as a teacher, curriculum leader and teacher […]
CAROLINE GODFREY, ASTON UNIVERSITY, BIRMINGHAM, UK Why curriculum metaphors are important and why they are important now Some readers may be surprised to encounter an evocation of the importance of metaphors in a journal dedicated to the work of practising teachers. Metaphors, however, have been found to hold enormous power when it comes to shaping our […]
