Schools in England have experienced unprecedented disruptions due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. There were two periods during which in-person learning was restricted for the majority of pupils: first for 14 weeks in spring 2020; and then for eight weeks in winter 2021. During these periods of partial closure, many pupils experienced some…

Since devolution of education policy to the four 'home' nations of the UK, distinct approaches to addressing social inequalities in higher education participation have developed across the four jurisdictions (England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland). From a critical examination of 12 policy documents, this paper presents a comparative policy…

Much of the heavy lifting on widening participation in higher education to date has been undertaken by newer and less selective higher education institutions. The access challenge therefore remains greater at more selective institutions. They could learn from the best practice that exists in less selective universities. It will take nearly a…

This article focuses on the national policy framework for early childhood education (birth to 5 years) in England -- the Early Years Foundation Stage, specifically the use of child development theories as the underpinning knowledge base for practice. The aim is to understand what constructions of learning and development are foregrounded in…

This paper explores legislative provision and pre-school education policy in England over the course of the twentieth century. The paper argues that there has been a significant ideational shift over this period, from a policy focus on nursery education for poor children to universal early childhood education. Not only have ideas changed but…

The curriculum is often the target of reform and governments use a range of accountability measures to ensure compliance. This paper examines the decisions schools in England make regarding history provision, in a period of curriculum change, and the potential consequences of these decisions. Drawing on a large, longitudinal data set, of primary…

There is a long-standing issue in mathematics education regarding the support of equitable learning outcomes. As there has been significant attention from professional organizations, including NCTM and others, to address issues of access and equity within mathematics education, there has been an emphasis on creating mathematics classrooms that are…

A hallmark of English higher education (HE) over the last twenty years has been policies seeking to increase provider competition and student choice. Central to this has been student funding policy changes, leading to rising college costs. This article asks if prospective HE students' concerns about college costs and the financial strategies they…

We study school choice in England using a new dataset containing the choices of all parents seeking a school place in state secondary schools. We provide new empirical evidence to inform how the school choice market functions, including the number of choices made, whether the nearest school is the first choice and the probability of an offer from…

This article considers the experiences of two teacher educators working with undergraduate and postgraduate trainee teachers in the School of Education at the University of Brighton. It foregrounds reflections shared within education studies seminars and on conversations with early career teachers on how trainees and new teachers negotiate their…

This paper reports on a qualitative research study that examined how 10 literacy teacher educators (LTEs) utilized children's literature to invite teacher trainees to critically engage with social issues, challenge their assumptions about literacy, and begin to develop the knowledge and dispositions to work alongside diverse learners (e.g.,…

This article contributes a historically reflective critical exploration of the relationship between English state education and social class. In analysing selected historically significant policy documents, the article provides insights into the changing dynamics of social class educational inequality in England. Specifically, how across the life…

The paper explores the relationship between levels of equity and levels of trust in the English education system from 1944 to 2018. The conceptual framework is that of centralised and decentralised decision making in education governance systems taking a socio-historiographical approach. Evidence reveals the impact of rapid government-initiated…

Since March 2020 the COVID-19 pandemic has continued to have a considerable impact on education policy and practice across the United Kingdom (UK). The onset of the pandemic has also been characterised by its uncertainty, with education practitioners having little in the way of prior experience to call upon in order to predict future developments…

This paper draws on sociological and critical educational frames, particularly Bourdieu's concept of symbolic violence, in order to contest the dominant model of literacy education that is driven by the premise of a 'knowledge economy'. Instead it foregrounds the political, social, and economic factors that marginalise learners. Data from two…