Category: Uncategorized

  • The apprenticeship levy: where are we now?

    The apprenticeship levy: where are we now?

    Apprenticeships are back in the news since King Charles’ comments about the need for more technical education at the ‘Repair Shop’. Given that our new Education Secretary was an apprentice herself, perhaps now would be a good time to reflect on the state of apprenticeships today. First, some background: the new apprenticeship system, introduced in […]

  • SIOE Staffing Update

    Dear friends and colleagues, Now that the semester is in full swing, here’s a brief staffing update. Please support all colleagues below in their new roles, change of roles, or next steps in their professional life: Following a competitive selection process, Rebecca Mallett will become Deputy Head of Department (fixed term contract until August 31st, […]

  • Who gets to access undergraduate study in the context of Levelling Up? The political economy of higher education

    Who gets to access undergraduate study in the context of Levelling Up? The political economy of higher education

    It is becoming clear that higher education faces some potentially momentous changes in the coming months – although, as is often the case, we can’t be clear of the direction of that change. The largest policy challenge is set by the Levelling Up agenda (DLUHC 2022) and subsequent policy reforms set in train by the […]

  • From safeguarding and confidentiality to GDPR and online methods: considerations for researchers during the pandemic and beyond

    From safeguarding and confidentiality to GDPR and online methods: considerations for researchers during the pandemic and beyond

    The world changed for everyone back in March 2020. The transition to working from home happened overnight, with little time to consider how effectively that would work in terms of the jobs we do. As a mixed methods educational researcher with a role as an Information Governance Guardian[1], I was faced with immediate concerns around […]

  • Quality assurance of teachers’ professional development: what have we learned?

    We know that teacher quality matters to educational outcomes. Therefore, if we want to improve outcomes for pupils in our schools, we need to ensure they receive high-quality teaching. And this means teachers need access to high-quality professional development which helps them to keep learning about their practice and their roles. But can we agree […]

  • Flouting the rules on Covid-19: Things the Government could learn from schools about behaviour management

    With ‘lockdown’ well-established, no-one can be in doubt about Government rules and guidelines.  However, only recently the BBC News reported anti-social behaviour being on the increase. There will be those who always misbehave, however, daily I see larger than permitted groups of, I am sure, ‘normally law-abiding citizens’ gathered, playing, or simply enjoying the recent […]

  • Covid-19 and the Battle for the Control of Teaching

    Since the start of the Covid-19 crisis, there has been a strong wave of public support for key workers and this has included teachers; for example, they are explicitly mentioned on the front page of the clap for our carers website. However there are widely differing views about the crucial role of schools and teachers […]

  • Thinking about NQTs in the Covid Era

    Covid-19 has brought such a range of challenges for everyone working in the education sector. This includes an important group who are feeling very vulnerable right now – those who are about to become Newly Qualified Teachers. We all know that education is going to be one of the most important features of the rebuilding […]

  • 05 Nov 2019; Turning the tide of BAME experiences: A call for waves not ripples

    The recent report published by the EHRC1 (2019) ‘Tackling racial harassment: universities challenged’ has once again illuminated issues of racial discrimination in HE, ranging from explicit mistreatment to micro-aggressions. This is now a familiar story that recounts the negative experiences of BAME2 students in universities across the country. The EHRC (2019) study found that a quarter of ethnic minority […]

  • International Quality Icons: The Case of Mickey Mouse

    Mickey Mouse has been an international cultural icon for over ninety years. His image has been the trademark of the Disney Corporation since 1928 and the translation of his name is an global byword for fun ( Микки Маус, 米老鼠 , ميكي ماوس ). Inexplicably, since the nineteen seventies, “Mickey Mouse” has also been a […]