Breaktimes are ubiquitous in English schools. Research suggests they have social value for children, but school staff often have a range of concerns about breaktimes and tend to undervalue them. However, there is little understanding about these times, not least because data are not collected about their organisation and characteristics. This…

This article examines how the practice of supervision has developed within a range of early childhood education and care (ECEC) provision in a county in Central England in the United Kingdom. Supervision has been recently introduced as a mandatory requirement for ECEC in England in 2012, and there is limited research looking at the impact of this.…

This research explored the experiences of supervisors of educational psychologists (EPs) and trainee EPs (TEPs), using an increase in virtual methods of supervision, first undertaken during the Covid-19 restrictions within one Local Authority (LA) in England. Eleven supervisors in different roles, with varying lengths of experience, were…

This study was interested in the views of Emotional Literacy Support Assistants (ELSAs) in one English county. Support staff from ten schools experienced 7 days of ELSA training over one academic year and attended four supervision sessions led by educational psychologists over the subsequent 12 months. Five ELSAs were interviewed about their views…

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to present the authors' views of university-multi academy trusts' (MATs) opportunities for future interconnectivity that could support successful partnerships. Design/methodology/approach: The authors developed a matrix of university-MATs partnerships that could help identifying potential scenarios of…

Developing student's confidence with qualitative research methods presents a challenge to many educators and is even more of a challenge when the 'educator' themselves are unfamiliar with such methods. This paper offers a three-way reflective account of bringing one such colleague 'into the fold'; their journey to the 'dark side.' It documents the…

Research has drawn attention to the perceptions of some adoptive parents regarding the potential stresses that exist in supporting their child's educational experience. Some adoptive parents have reported a lack of collaborative working with schools, that their adopted child's needs are not well understood and discuss the challenges that this can…

This article centres upon experiences of supervising practitioner-researchers engaged in the first year of a Customised Master of Philosophy (MPhil) programme of study. This pathway resides within a larger collaboration between the University of Sunderland's Centre for Excellence in Teacher Training (SUNCETT) and the Education and Training…

Similar to other professional disciplines, the importance of supervision within school psychology has attracted considerable attention within recent years. Despite this, systematic review of current literature reveals a dearth of empirical literature proposing underlying theoretical structures. This study extends recent qualitative research by…

Randomized control trials (RCTs) are commonly regarded as the 'gold standard' for evaluating educational interventions. While this experimental design is valuable in establishing causal relationships between the tested intervention and outcomes, reliance on statistical aggregation typically underplays the situated context in which interventions…

In the current context, effectively including children and young people with additional needs is a challenge for school staff. Conflicting demands placed on teachers, support staff and those who lead them often derail strategic planning for the successful inclusion of all learners. School leaders have to work with complexity and 'mess', whilst…

The importance of nurture for the development of well-being has been extensively documented as has the importance of the relationship between education and well-being. Supervision is seen as an invaluable and essential resource for monitoring staff well-being and as a means of maintaining effective practice. This exploratory study had two aims.…

As part of initial professional training, educational psychologists in England undertake substantial periods of practice placement, within which the role of supervision is instrumental to their professional learning and effectiveness. The research reported here provides up-to-date and comprehensive information on the experiences and needs of…

Teachers in the United Kingdom (UK) are often supported in the classroom by teaching assistants (TAs)--paraprofessionals whose roles have changed significantly in the last several years. The 2003 National Agreement: Raising Standards and Tackling Workload, known as the workforce remodeling initiative, was designed to raise standards in schools in…

This article discusses how group supervision can be used to support the Continuing Professional Development (CPD) of those working with children and families in early years provision in England. It is based on research conducted in 2008 with a cluster of four Children's Centres in the West Midlands in England, UK. The research evaluated group…