Upcoming event
We warmly invite members of the BERA Alternative Education SIG—and anyone with an interest in alternative education—to join us online this November for our upcoming Meet and Discuss session. This informal gathering is part of BERA’s SIG Forum Meeting series and is designed to prioritise collaboration, connection, and community building across the Alternative Education SIG and beyond.
This is a space for open conversation, where members can come together to reflect on shared priorities, shape the direction of upcoming activities, and explore opportunities for working together.
Draft Programme
16:00pm Welcoming new members and reconnecting as a community
16:05pm Networking and opportunities for collaboration.
16:10pm BERA conference 2025 reflection
16:25pm Preparation for BERA conference 2026
16:35pm Sharing of forthcoming events
16:45pm Expressions of interest in events, newsletters, connecting SIG members.
16:50pm Strengthening connections and collaboration across the SIG
17:00pm Event Close
This Meet and Discuss format makes it easier for practitioners and researchers alike to attend, and the online setting supports accessibility across the UK and beyond. Whether you’ve been involved in the SIG for a while or are curious to learn more, we’d love for you to come along, bring a coffee, and contribute your voice to shaping the SIG’s upcoming events and presence.
Looking forward to this opportunity to work together to ensure the Alternative Education SIG continues to reflect and respond to the diverse interests, needs, and experiences of our members.
Researcher at University of Bath
Fadoua Govaerts is affiliated with the University of Bath in the Department of Education and is the founder of RE-KnoX (Research in Education – Knowledge Exchange), an initiative through which she organises international conferences in the...
Senior Lecturer at University of the West of England
Sarah Gillie is a former primary school teacher whose research interests relate to inclusion in education across and beyond ‘compulsory’ schooling. Family diagnoses of neurodivergence have only strengthened her conviction that inclusive...
Lecturer in Innovation and Entrepreneurship at University of Leeds
Stefania is the Educational Leader for the Centre for Enterprise and Entrepreneurship Studies (CEES); she is a Fellow of Higher Education, Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts (RSA). She is also a Certified Management and Business Educator (CABS)....
Assistant Head of Teaching & Learning: Outcomes at Tute, VL and Research Associate at University of Chester
Sharon Smith is a Visiting Lecturer and Associate Researcher at the University of Chester. Sharon completed her PGCE (2006) and MA in Teaching and Learning (2010) at Manchester Metropolitan University, before completing her Doctorate at The...
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