A general election has been called for July. An election is always a time for change, often bringing new ministers into new roles and, with them, shifting priorities and policies. As we look ahead to the next government coming into office, and await the publication of party manifestos, we’ve been considering what we’d like to see in their education policies, from Early Years to teacher professional development.
More funding for Early Years education and care settings in disadvantaged communities
Nurseries in areas of disadvantage can change outcomes for parents and children if they are funded to deliver a high-quality service. Properly funded and graduate-led nurseries can provide a safety net for vulnerable families. This is because they see children, their parents and carers twice a day and can intervene and signpost for support before families fall into crisis.
We would like to see increased funding for Early Years settings in disadvantaged areas to ensure a well-qualified and trained workforce. This will improve outcomes for children in their early childhoods and minimise the risk of children starting school without the necessary levels of development to achieve their potential.
To find out more about our work in this area, see:
Early Years Community Research Nursery
Transforming futures: levelling up through early years education & care
Trauma-informed guidance for everyone working with children and young people
What happens to a child in their early life can have a profound impact on healthy development and how they act and think in later life. Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACES) in the absence of buffering relationships and supportive environments can hinder children’s capacity to learn and to form healthy relationships and can reduce life expectancy. How we respond to children, young people and young adults in schools, in the community, in further and higher education can either help to mitigate against ACES or compound the trauma associated with them.
We would like to see a fully trauma-informed workforce, beginning from initial teacher education. This begins with policies, including guidance and training, which recognise the vital role of schools and education practitioners, and which can inform and empower school staff to respond to vulnerable children and those who have suffered trauma. This will bring England in line with Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
To find out more about our work in this area, see:
Developing trauma-informed teacher education in England
Trauma informed practices in education and social justice: towards a critical orientation
Full and meaningful inclusive education for disabled children and young people
Some disabled young people have happy, successful educations, but many have poor experiences. Currently, young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) are disproportionately excluded from school, have the highest rates of long-term absence, and are more likely to have poor mental health compared to their peers.
We would like to see a cultural shift, enacted through policy, which reverses and redresses the increased marginalisation of disabled people within and beyond education. This begins with a government commitment to the right to a meaningful and full education for all, premised on the United Nations Convention of the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (2007) and Article 28 of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (2007).
To find out more about our work in this area, see:
A Critical Discourse Analysis of the UK SEND Review Green Paper
Right to review: Parent responses to the SEND Review and participation in the public consultation process
Minimum standards for autism and neurodiversity training in initial teacher education
Parents of autistic children often feel unsupported by schools and educators, and isolated and under-represented in the development of their children’s health, education and social care. It is possible to better support autistic children, adults and their families, by increasing the knowledge of these children and families throughout the system.
We would like to see an all-party group, with representatives from autism communities, compile minimum standards for autism and neurodiversity training in all initial teacher education, leading to the development of a National Autism Teaching Certification, in partnership with the National Autistic Society. This will enable schools and universities to work towards a higher standard of autism awareness, understanding and education, and to evidence this higher knowledge and practice to families in a clear and robust way.
To find out more about our work in this area, see:
Re-storying autism
The ‘Achieving More in College’ project: Support for autistic students attending further education colleges
Education systems which enable LGBTQ+ children and families to thrive
Since 2016, the UK has slipped from being consistently ranked the most LGBT-friendly country in Europe, to being ranked at only 15 in 2024. This has played out in educational contexts. For example, recent consultations on guidance for schools and colleges for trans and gender-nonconforming children and families and for relationships, sex and health education proposed detrimental approaches including: advising schools to ‘out’ trans children to their parents (with potentially life threatening consequences), and not to teach about ‘gender identity’: a move that has been called the new Section 28.
We would like to see the government implementing approaches which provide adequate funding for specialist youth provision that can be life-saving for LGBT+ young people, and which enable schools to make it safe for children and young people to explore their identities, whilst representing the diverse possibilities of family structures. This means preventing gender stereotyping, and, with it, homophobia, biphobia, transphobia and sexism in school; making sure that teachers are confident in, and have adequate training to, support LGBT+ pupils and families; and ensuring that the infrastructure surrounding school systems, such as toilets, changing rooms, and administrative forms, support diverse family structures and gender identities.
To find out more on our work in this area, see:
Why the new transgender children schools’ guidance is life-threatening and what you can do about it
Sex and relationships education for LGBT+ young people: Lessons from UK youth work
A literacy curriculum fit for the 21st century
English in the national curriculum is currently presented as a neutral and discrete set of skills which focus on technical accuracy in writing and reading. Broader understandings of literacy, what it is, and who it is for, are currently excluded, and this can negatively influence pupils’ understanding of literacy. Critical literacy is an important component of the literacy curriculum that has been overlooked in recent years. The digital age requires children to become creative and critical producers and readers of multimodal and print-based texts.
We would like to see a shift to a literacy curriculum which promotes flexible and creative teaching, recognising the ways that literacy is closely related to our home, community, sense of self, and the people and things around us. This shift values the home practices and languages of children, integrates them into the classroom, and considers linguistic diversity as a societal strength. It recognises the centrality of digital literacy in children’s lives and works to support children’s print and digital skills. We advocate for creative play, bodily movement and outdoor spaces to support children to make meaning and their early literacy experiences.
To find out more about our work in this area, see.
Cultural agents creating texts: a collaborative space adventure
Beyond transparency: more-than-human insights into the emergence of young children’s language
Collaborative approaches to widening participation in Higher Education
Widening access to, and participation in, Higher Education for under-represented groups is essential to maximise the UK’s need for skills and expertise, and in the name of social justice. Although access to Higher Education has become more equal, much more must be done to equalise access to highly selective universities, and to address competition between them.
We would like to see the promotion of approaches which prioritise collaboration rather than competition between universities, and which use tools to enhance the efficacy of financial support packages for students from poorer backgrounds. In this way, we can raise expectations towards participation in Higher Education, so that more pupils leave school with the required qualifications, and, when they are at university, they are better supported in their studies.
To find out more about our work in this area, see:
What drives widening participation policy in the English market?
How to open up university to more people from disadvantaged backgrounds
Policy making aligned with research evidence
England includes some of the most well-developed research use infrastructures in the world, but research use is still relatively low in schools and a narrow range of types of research are prioritised. This means that the benefits of practices in schools drawing on the full range of appropriate research evidence is limited.
We would like to see the government making decisions about education which align policy with research evidence, using a broad range of evidence to avoid cherry-picking. To implement these approaches, leaders of schools and Multi-Academy Trusts should be seen as crucial conduits to research use in schools, and they should be supported to develop their skills in judging research, aligning new evidence with existing practices and implementing new practices.
To find out more about our work in this area, see:
Research Mobilities in Primary Literacy Education
Evidence-informed teaching in England
An entitlement to professional development
Teacher professional development is acknowledged internationally as a route to improved teaching, and thereby improved educational outcomes for children and young people. However, in England, teachers typically participate in less professional development than teachers in other comparable countries and appear to access a lower proportion of subject-specific compared to generic professional development.
We would like to see the next government introduce an entitlement to teacher professional development, and to support schools in its implementation. This would enable more teachers to consistently engage in sustained, high quality professional development. This shift has the potential to lead to significant economic benefits as a result of improvements in teacher retention and pupil outcomes.
To find out more about our work in this area, see:
The Wellcome CPD Challenge
Making change happen in teacher professional development
As university faculty, we are independent from, and do not encourage support for, any political party.
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