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This paper presents findings from a small-scale pilot evaluation of the Silver Stories programme. Silver Stories involves school-age children reading to older people in the community and is a way of addressing literacy and emotional difficulties, as well as enhancing wellbeing. The authors collected and analysed questionnaire and interview data after a school term of programme implementation, across five schools in England and Wales, during the period of the third lockdown. The main finding was that participants experienced the programme as an opportunity for relationship-building between generations, highlighting the relational nature of reading as a 'literacy event' and wellbeing as a product of social interaction rather than an individual attribute. The pilot also indicated that school priorities might have shifted due to COVID-19 from academic attainment to a focus on social and emotional support. Although this was likely a temporary phase, it is also an opportunity to build back better.

In the context of renewed interest in teachers' identities as writers and the writers as artist-educators, this paper reports upon the findings of "Teachers as Writers" (2015-2017). A collaborative partnership between two universities and a creative writing foundation, the study sought to determine the impact of writers' engagement with teachers on changing teachers' classroom practices in the teaching of writing and, as a consequence, in improving outcomes for students. The project afforded opportunities for writers and teachers to work together as learners in order to improve student outcomes. The study involved two complementary datasets: a qualitative dataset of observations, interviews, audio-capture (of workshops, tutorials and co-mentoring reflections) and audio-diaries from 16 teachers; and a randomised controlled trial (RCT) involving 32 primary and secondary classes. The findings reveal that the teachers' identities and assurance as writers shifted significantly. The Arvon experience also led to pedagogic shifts which the students reported impacted positively upon their motivation, confidence and sense of ownership and skills as writers. However, these salient dispositional shifts did not impact upon the young people's attainment. The professional writers gained new understandings which substantially altered their conceptions of writers' potential contribution in schools.

Student drop-out in higher education is an increasingly important issue across Europe, but there are substantial disparities between countries and institutions which suggest that variations in policies and practices may influence student retention and success. Numerous schemes have been devised to increase student retention, frequently focusing on non-traditional groups. Retention efforts include scholarships and bursaries, enhanced monitoring and support measures, and specialist teams of staff or peer mentors. Theoretical understanding of the withdrawal of non-traditional students typically draws on social and cultural capital concepts (Bourdieu, 1986), which may have led to a rather deterministic approach to student success. Research with non-traditional students on two distinct but related projects at a UK university led us to consider the concept of resilience in helping to understand student retention and success. This paper discusses the concept of resilience and--drawing on our experiences of using a resilience framework for analysis of risk and protective factors in these two projects--considers how it might be of use in supporting student retention in the wider European context.

The project reported in this paper addresses the issue of trainee teacher learning with regard to special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) during the school placement element of one-year postgraduate teacher training programmes in England. Through a focus on the university/school partnership, school organisational and classroom pedagogic processes, the project aimed to improve knowledge and understanding about teacher education relevant to the special educational needs and inclusive education fields. Specifically, the project examined and compared the school-based learning and outcomes of postgraduate teacher trainees in primary and secondary programmes that used different approaches to preparing teachers for the special needs aspects of their future teaching. Three kinds of school-based approaches are examined: one that involved a practical teaching task; a second which involved a pupil-focused task (but not practical teaching); and a third where there was no specific pupil-focused SEND task other than class teaching practice. (Contains 2 figures, 2 tables, and 1 note.)

This paper discusses issues arising from a national development and evaluation project, which (1) surveyed national primary and secondary postgraduate certificate programmes (PGCE) about how they prepare trainees to teach pupils with special educational needs; and (2) conducted a trial of a practical teaching task for preparing primary and secondary teacher trainees to teach pupils with special educational needs. The survey involved 42% of all top-rated PGCE providers, whereas the trial involved six primary and five secondary PGCE programmes involving 550 trainees overall. Selected findings are reported from the survey, which are relevant to the need for a supervised school-based teaching task. The evaluation highlighted problems about task preparation, communications, timing, task design, trainee support, use of resources and reporting. Despite these issues, the trial was judged to be successful as almost most participants were positive about the task and its impact. Recommendations for adapting and implementing the task made to the funding agency are outlined; recommendations have been adopted in the national dissemination of the task to all initial 1-year training providers. The evaluation of the trial is discussed in terms of three key aspects: (1) the challenge for initial teacher training to prepare all teachers to teach pupils with special educational needs; (2) the critical role of partnership between universities and practice schools in initial training; and (3) the potential of ideas and practices about personalisation for including concepts about special educational needs pedagogy into wider pedagogic models. (Contains 1 figure and 4 tables.)

The aims of this study were to examine the extent and nature of educational psychologist (EP) work related to children in care in five local authority educational psychology services in the south-west region. The study involved an initial internet-based questionnaire for the 107 EPs in these services (86% response rate), followed up by in-depth semi-structured interviews with four EPs in each service. This paper reports some of the findings from this study that show the range of EP work and their roles in regard to children in care. It also examines the kinds of issues and tensions experienced by EPs in their multi-agency work with regards to children in care. The paper concludes with a brief summary of relevant recommendations arising from the findings. (Contains 6 tables.)

With moves towards inclusive education, there are demands for developments in initial teacher education as regards special needs and inclusive education. This paper outlines initial training in England within an international context. It then reports findings of a recent national survey of Programme directors and subject tutors of Post Graduate Certificate in Education programmes (PGCE) for primary and secondary teachers about the initial training provision in this aspect of teaching. The main findings are about varied practices across placement schools, the commitment to the training partnership, coordination problems across the partnership and organising teaching experience of pupils with SEN. The implications of the study are also discussed in national and international terms. (Contains 3 figures.)

Anthea Asprey and Tricia Nash both belong to the Children's Hospice South West Research Group, based at the University of Exeter. In this article, they report one aspect of a research project designed to determine the adequacy of support for young people with life-limiting and life-threatening conditions in the education system. They describe here a set of findings drawn from interviews with parents whose children attended LEA-maintained mainstream schools and colleges of further education. They focus particularly on parents' perceptions of the levels of awareness of their children's needs and concerns and the consequent impact upon their successful inclusion in mainstream education. The findings show clearly that awareness of the needs and difficulties of these young people was seriously lacking. The issue of poor communication, both between school and home and between education and health agencies, was a central concern. Anthea Asprey and Tricia Nash discuss the influence of two models of disability (the medical model and the social model) upon educational practice with regard to these young people. Despite the difficulties reported here, some encouraging and helpful reports of good practice also emerged from the interviews, indicating that inclusion for these young people is not an impossible goal.

Anthea Asprey and Tricia Nash both belong to the Children's Hospice South West Research Group, based at the University of Exeter. In this article, they report one aspect of a research project designed to determine the adequacy of support for young people with life-limiting and life-threatening conditions in the education system. They describe here a set of findings drawn from interviews with parents whose children attended LEA-maintained mainstream schools and colleges of further education. They focus particularly on parents' perceptions of the levels of awareness of their children's needs and concerns and the consequent impact upon their successful inclusion in mainstream education. The findings show clearly that awareness of the needs and difficulties of these young people was seriously lacking. The issue of poor communication, both between school and home and between education and health agencies, was a central concern. Anthea Asprey and Tricia Nash discuss the influence of two models of disability (the medical model and the social model) upon educational practice with regard to these young people. Despite the difficulties reported here, some encouraging and helpful reports of good practice also emerged from the interviews, indicating that inclusion for these young people is not an impossible goal. (Contains 1 figure and 4 notes.)

In the context of renewed interest in teachers' identities as writers and the writers as artist-educators, this paper reports upon the findings of "Teachers as Writers" (2015-2017). A collaborative partnership between two universities and a creative writing foundation, the study sought to determine the impact of writers' engagement with teachers on changing teachers' classroom practices in the teaching of writing and, as a consequence, in improving outcomes for students. The project afforded opportunities for writers and teachers to work together as learners in order to improve student outcomes. The study involved two complementary datasets: a qualitative dataset of observations, interviews, audio-capture (of workshops, tutorials and comentoring reflections) and audio-diaries from 16 teachers; and a randomised controlled trial (RCT) involving 32 primary and secondary classes. The findings reveal that the teachers' identities and assurance as writers shifted significantly. The Arvon experience also led to pedagogic shifts which the students reported impacted positively upon their motivation, confidence and sense of ownership and skills as writers. However, these salient dispositional shifts did not impact upon the young people's attainment. The professional writers gained new understandings which substantially altered their conceptions of writers' potential contribution in schools. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper discusses issues arising from a national development and evaluation project, which (1) surveyed national primary and secondary postgraduate certificate programmes (PGCE) about how they prepare trainees to teach pupils with special educational needs; and (2) conducted a trial of a practical teaching task for preparing primary and secondary teacher trainees to teach pupils with special educational needs. The survey involved 42% of all top-rated PGCE providers, whereas the trial involved six primary and five secondary PGCE programmes involving 550 trainees overall. Selected findings are reported from the survey, which are relevant to the need for a supervised school-based teaching task. The evaluation highlighted problems about task preparation, communications, timing, task design, trainee support, use of resources and reporting. Despite these issues, the trial was judged to be successful as almost most participants were positive about the task and its impact. Recommendations for adapting and implementing the task made to the funding agency are outlined; recommendations have been adopted in the national dissemination of the task to all initial 1-year training providers. The evaluation of the trial is discussed in terms of three key aspects: (1) the challenge for initial teacher training to prepare all teachers to teach pupils with special educational needs; (2) the critical role of partnership between universities and practice schools in initial training; and (3) the potential of ideas and practices about personalisation for including concepts about special educational needs pedagogy into wider pedagogic models. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]