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Headteacher researcher: Luxury or necessity?

Introduction At a time when there is a recruitment shortage in school leadership – due in part to high-stakes accountability, workload and inadequate school funding – this blog post is a...

Dual pursuits: Motherhood and the doctorate journey

The transition to motherhood is profound. Everything I once knew and aspired to suddenly shifted into an entirely new reality, one for which no preparation is sufficient. Goals, priorities,...

Research Ethics Case Studies 2024: Thinking it through or thinking through ‘it’? The ethics of research involving artificial intelligence and education

Research Ethics Case Studies 2024

This case study considers some of the ethical issues related to research involving artificial intelligence and education. It highlights balancing the need for data with obligations to protect...

The fallacy of pre-submission commentary in university assessment: Let’s move to encouraging independence among our students

A scenario Imagine this: You, a university lecturer, are invigilating an exam. Students are focused on their question papers, scribbling away. With a little time left, a hand is raised. ‘Would...

Beyond employability: Rethinking the purpose of higher education

Higher education has traditionally been regarded as a path to stable employment (OECD, 2021). While this is still true for some countries, for others, economic changes and labour market saturation...

Potential pathways towards an integrated tertiary education system in England

This BERA Blog special issue examines possible futures for tertiary education in England and the challenges that are faced by policymakers, institutional leaders, educators and researchers in...

Helping meet the skills challenge(s) through a tertiary system

This blog post explores how the development of a tertiary education system in England could help address the skills challenges now facing the government and the wider economy. These challenges are...

Managing the transition to a tertiary future: Devolution and evolution, not revolution?

There are different views about what constitutes a tertiary education approach, but there is growing belief that bringing apprenticeships, further education (FE) and higher education (HE) closer...

How can institutions thrive in a tertiary education future?

Much has been said about the need for more coherence and collaboration across the various parts currently making up the tertiary sector in England – not least by the Labour government itself...

How a tertiary education system could transform access and progression: Learners need diverse routes, not just the high jump

The Labour Party is in government again and education underpins its opportunity mission. Policy appears to be focused on curriculum, assessment and inspection reform in schools (see DfE, 2024;...

Why a tertiary education system built on skills, without knowledge, will be an engine of inequality

England’s move towards an integrated tertiary education system presents an opportunity to radically redesign post-compulsory education. Rather than an elite system of education that is founded...

How can reforms towards a tertiary education system support adult lifelong learning across all dimensions of society?

A ‘seamless’ system (Bathmaker et al., 2008), that integrates further and higher education under one umbrella, and brings together vocational, professional and academic education and training,...