In this article, Bourdieu's theory of capital is used to examine differences in the professional attitudes of staff who work in the English Further Education (FE) sector. Little empirical work has been conducted in this field despite evidence that positionality can influence how professionalism is experienced. Bourdieu distinguishes three forms of…

Children's reading for pleasure is associated with significant academic and personal benefits and is widely recognised as an effective way to leverage social change, yet in schools this is not fully capitalised upon. The authors connect extant research in this area to the seminal concepts of Funds of Knowledge and Funds of Identity to advance the…

In England and Wales, fee-charging independent schools can be legally classified as charities and, therefore, receive associated benefits, the most obvious being taxation advantages. The high fees charged by many of these schools create financial exclusivity, which, it will be seen, confers significant social and cultural capital to those who can…

Professionalism in the English Further Education (FE) system has been traditionally discussed in terms of superior teaching practices, attitudes and behaviours. The concept of 'good work' is therefore central to this paper's analysis. Following a Bourdieusian tradition, professionalism is treated as a 'site of struggle' between FE teachers and…

Teachers in Lady Agatha's Boarding School (Lady Agatha's) find teaching Sex and Relationships Education (RSE) uncomfortable. This paper investigates one aspect of the discomfort that they feel, namely the impact RSE has on their professional status as teachers. I use focus group data to reflect on the professional and personal location of teachers…

An unprecedented number of autistic people are completing university and they frequently face unemployment after graduation. However, research focusing on the forms of graduate capital and their employability is scarce. The focus of existing research has been on non-autistic, or neurotypical, graduates. The human, social, cultural, identity and…

We previously proposed that science capital (science-related forms of cultural and social capital) can be used as a theoretical lens for explaining the patterned nature of aspirations and educational participation among young people aged 11-16. Building on these findings, the present article investigates whether science capital is related to…

The purpose of this article is to critique the practices of those coordinating provision for children and young people with special educational needs during the Coronavirus pandemic. Whilst many schools are focusing on the practical aspects of getting students and staff back to school, there is a danger that practicalities may obfuscate broader…

Research has long demonstrated the exclusion and Othering experienced by young people with disabilities in education. This paper presents findings from an ethnographic study conducted in an 'elite' sixth-form college in England, set against the backdrop of a shifting social, political, and cultural landscape, where neo-liberal discourses of…

This original study presents findings from a study of members of the first cohort of legal degree apprentices. Introduced in the UK in 2016, legal degree apprenticeships (LAs) remove uncertainty towards legal qualification in an otherwise competitive graduate recruitment environment and could help to increase social mobility into the professions.…

This paper reports on a large qualitative study with commuter students in England. Research on student success identifies the importance of engagement in academic and non-academic aspects of the student experience; in this paper student engagement is segmented into academic, enhancement and social spheres. Commuter students, who often incorporate…

This project seeks to understand the 'possible worlds, possible selves' (Carr, M., A. B. Smith, J. Duncan, C. Jones, W. Lee, and K. Marshall. 2010. "Learning in the Making." Rotterdam: Sense) afforded to children by collaborative imaginative play involving negotiation. We investigate how 3 and 4-year-olds achieve their ends through…

This review, commissioned by the West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA), explored the extent to which investment in ESOL provision is meeting need in the region and how learner outcomes can be improved and accelerated. The research found that: (1) Demand for ESOL provision is outstripping supply, and demand is increasing each year; (2) Refugees,…

This paper explores the differential ways that working-class sixth-form students in England utilise cultural and social capital when applying to university. This process is examined in terms of the university and course choices made and associated social advantage and prestige. It employs an interpretive paradigm using qualitative methods and a…

Oxford and Cambridge receive much criticism over the social selectivity of their intake, to which both institutions have responded by admitting more applicants from non-traditional backgrounds. While university-led outreach strategies appear to have made a difference in diversifying their student body, little is known about the role of student-led…