Announcing the Recipients of the BERA Small Grants Fund 2025

The British Educational Research Association (BERA) is delighted to announce the recipients of the the 2025/2026 Small Grants Fund, which aims to support research focusing on Additional Support Needs (ASN)/Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) in educational settings.

This theme reflects BERA’s commitment to fostering inclusive education and addressing the diverse needs of learners through evidence-based research. The fund will provide an opportunity to advance understanding, improve practices, and shape policies in this critical area. Each funded project will receive upto £5000.

After careful review of an exceptionally strong field of applications, six projects have been selected for funding:

Project: Widget Wonders: A pilot study exploring Widgit Online assistive technology in mainstream primary schools for supporting children with learning disabilities

Dr Katherine Gulliver (Plymouth University), Professor Lisen Kjellmer, (University of Gothenburg), Laura Bermand, SENCO, Cathedral school of St Mary and St Joseph’s primary school.

Project: An evaluation of pedagogical and whole school approaches for primary-aged migrant pupils with Special Educational Needs (SEN) in Northern Ireland (NI) and the Republic of Ireland (ROI), and their role in balancing integration with individual support needs

Dr Nicola Marlow, (Ulster University), Dr Anne Rowan, (Dublin City University)

Project: Supporting Families of Children with SEND: Understanding Barriers in Accessing Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC) and Co-Creating Solutions

Dr Angeliki Kallitsoglou (University of Exeter), Dr Rebecca Georgis (University of Exeter), Ms Cristina Motoca, Alton Community Playschool

Project: Inclusive Futures, Locally Made: Co-Designing ASN/SEND Support in South Belfast

Dr Stephanie Maguire (Queen’s University Belfast), Dr Gareth Robinson (Queen’s University Belfast)

Project: Leaky Bodies, Locked Doors: Reimagining Inclusive Schooling and Storying Resistance with Children with Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD)

Dr Catherine Wilkinson (Liverpool John Moores University)

Project: Dialogic Use of Generative AI to Support Students with SEND in the Secondary Maths Classroom

Dr Steve Watson, University of Cambridge and Alastair Amos, M.Ed. candidate, University of Cambridge
Leventhorpe School, Hertfordshire

We extend our sincere thanks to all applicants for their submissions. The funded projects represent exciting contributions to inclusive education, assistive technology, and practitioner-informed research. We look forward to sharing findings from these studies in due course.