In this article, we analyse teacher professional development in five European countries (Italy, Germany, France, England and Finland), comparing their approaches to teacher professional learning and development (PLD). We performed this task using a general framework based on what several studies highlighted so far as key-features in educational…

Purpose: Whole-of-school approaches to physical activity (PA) promotion are recommended internationally, but there remains little descriptive research detailing the implementation of such approaches, especially at the secondary level. The purpose of this case study, which drew upon a social-ecological perspective, was to examine a whole-of-school…

Mothers working as teachers in a post-16 environment face various challenges with balancing work and motherhood from the beginning of pregnancy. Colleges have in place a variety of policies, such as maternity leave and flexible working that are designed to mitigate some of these challenges. This paper investigates the experiences of eight mothers…

This case study focuses on researching the connections between policy and teaching practices in the context of English further education. It describes how an ethnographic approach was used to examine how teachers navigate policy directives in their day-to-day work, focusing particularly on quality improvement directives. It shows how two linked…

Described by General Secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL) Geoff Barton as 'beyond repugnant' (TES, 2017), 'off-rolling' is the removal of pupils from the school roll via various unofficial means. This study positions a plethora of triggers for this form of exclusion, its prevalence and wider social implications. These…

This study explored the influence institutional cultures and structures have on a university's internationalization strategy. It also accounted for the roles external forces, such as government policies and geopolitics, play in shaping internationalization strategies. The comparative case study between the United States, England, and Sweden were…

The Improvising Teacher offers a radical reconceptualization of improvisation as a fundamental element of teacher expertise. Drawing on theories of improvisation and expertise alongside empirical research, the book argues that teacher expertise is fundamentally improvisatory. The book provides a theoretical model for teacher expertise that is…

This article considers how schools are addressing harmful sexual behaviour occurring between students. In the context of policy and school inspection, driven by student disclosures of sexual harm, schools are being required to evidence responses to sexual harassment and abuse within and beyond school. Presenting findings from 14 school audits the…

Poor adolescent mental health calls for universal prevention. The Mental Health Foundation's 'Peer Education Project' equips older students ('peer educators') to teach younger students ('peer learners') about mental health. The peer-led lessons cover defining good and bad mental health, risk and protective factors, self-care, help-seeking and…

In light of recent protests at Drag Queen Story Hour events, this essay offers a critical examination of the role of gender performance in secondary schools and English lessons through a personal exploration of how I perform gender as a queer English teacher. I show that schools perpetuate a model of gender that is binary and heterosexist; that…

A new film explores the UK's most radical state secondary school. XP school in Doncaster, a disadvantaged area of England, is putting kindness at the heart of its school culture, and reaping outstanding student engagement, attainment, attendance and behaviour. Its approach is in marked contrast to a recent tendency in UK schools to focus on tough…

Behaviour Hubs is a one-year programme of support (two years for multi-academy trusts [MATs]), available across England to mainstream primary and secondary schools, special schools and alternative provisions (such as pupil referral units). It aims to help senior leaders create the conditions for an effective and sustainable behaviour culture…

This article reports a 3-year case study of a primary school in England, in which a recently appointed principal attempted to build 'collegial professional autonomy' ("Nordic Journal of Studies in Educational Policy," 2, 2015, 20) within a push to improve students' progress and attainment. The research examined the tensions between staff…

One of the key challenges for educators is how to ensure inclusion of all learners in diverse classrooms. One effective way of providing an inclusive environment is by using Cooperative learning. When teachers use Cooperative learning a democracy stance (Vinterek 2010) emerges (Ferguson-Patrick 2014). Such classrooms use inclusive pedagogies that…

In this paper, we make initial advances towards building an argument for the inclusion of Critical Literacy Awareness within the new Early Career Framework in England. Using illustrative examples from recent research projects, we argue that post-2010 education policy has discursively divided practitioners, structuring relationships between…