In the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic, attention has focused on young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) or behavioural challenges (see for example the ...

Introduction As a teacher with more than 20 years’ experience across mainstream and alternative provisions, I now lead Primary Literacy at New Barn School in Horsham, England, which ...

This BERA Blog special issue responds to increasing concerns around school exclusions that have risen to almost 1 million in England and a government announcement in 2024 to phase out ...

Youth work as relational practice Youth work is a relational practice (NYA, 2025). The relationship between a youth worker and the young people they engage with is not incidental – it ...

The British Educational Research Association (BERA) has continued to grow and diversify its awards, grants and funding portfolio in recent years, supporting a wide range of ...

Introduction Off-the-job training (OTJ) has long been central to apprenticeships, combining hands-on work with structured, theory-based learning to build a skilled, adaptable ...

Phil Brunton is a teacher with more than 20 years’ experience across mainstream and alternative provisions. After training as a secondary Geography teacher at Southampton University in 2003, ...

Kevin Jones is the Head of Workforce Development and Training for the National Youth Agency. A professionally qualified youth worker, he has more than 30 years’ experience throughout the ...

Dr Shaalan Farouk is a senior lecturer in psychology at New York University Abu Dhabi (NYUAD). Before taking up his current position, Shaalan taught at University College London (UCL), ...

Simon Edwards is a senior lecturer in the School of Education, Languages and Linguistics at the University of Portsmouth. Starting as a baker, Simon later qualified as a local ...

Zenna Atkins is an accomplished board leader and social entrepreneur with more than 30 years’ experience across education, government and the commercial sectors. As chair of Ofsted, she ...

Introduction Mentorship is a key driver of entrepreneurial success, particularly in apprenticeship systems that turn potential into business competence. Globally, models such as Germany’s ...