Background: This paper provides insights into 'Policy to Research' (P2R) Fellowships and related programmes within the 'relationship' model of academic-policy engagement, which provide structured opportunities for policy officials to interact with academic researchers. Aims and objectives: Information is provided on P2R Fellowship and similar…

Athena Swan was established in 2005 with the goal of advancing the careers of women in STEMM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics and Medicine) subjects in higher education. Since then, it has expanded its remit in various ways and has generated some controversy. This paper explains how Athena Swan operates as a policy-scoring scheme,…

This report presents the findings of the process evaluation of the Stronger Practice Hubs (SPH) programme. The SPH programme was launched in November 2022 to run as a two year programme, though was subsequently extended to the end of March 2025. The aim of the programme was to support settings to address the impact of the pandemic on young…

This article describes a community collaborative project, "I've got yer back," that utilized the craft of needle felting to raise awareness and develop understanding of the anatomy of the human spine. The project took place in 2023 and engaged with participants from across the United Kingdom and abroad and its completion was timed to…

This study explores the effectiveness and design value of 'Resilience Education Supports Students in Life' (RESSIL), an adventure-based digital game for developing resilience capacities in undergraduate students at one UK University. RESSIL was designed in response to the increasing wellbeing needs of undergraduate students and in recognition of…

Bullying is a public health priority but to date, there is a lack of evidence-based anti-bullying programmes or interventions designed for use in special schools. KiVa is a successful anti-bullying programme for mainstream schools currently used in 23 countries. This brief paper outlines the co-development and adaptation of two KiVa lessons into…

Work-integrated learning (WIL) is a core feature of Business degrees and is increasingly common across other disciplines. Although the benefits of WIL are often promoted, students can struggle to connect learning from their WIL experiences to their progress and development, making it difficult for them to identify targeted learning opportunities,…

The Changing the Story Reading Programme for pupils in Key Stage 1 was initially developed by the National Literacy Trust through a strategic partnership with Hachette UK. It was later extended to include children in lower Key Stage 2 who require additional support with early reading skills. The programme combines Hodder Education's Reading Planet…

University participation gaps between free school meals (FSM) and non-FSM students have remained largely stable in the UK since 2006. The efficacy of UK widening participation (WP) interventions in changing attitudes towards university and increasing participation of disadvantaged students is uncertain. Some approaches have shown to be effective…

The Picture Exchange Communication System (PECS) is an Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) system which is widely used to support children with developmental disabilities. In the present study, we surveyed individuals responsible for implementing PECS in special educational settings in the United Kingdom (N=283). We explored knowledge…

Positive Behaviour Support is an applied behaviour analytic system of support that is utilised in schools and in residential care settings for children and adults with disabilities who engage in challenging behaviour. Implementation fidelity depends on appropriate staff training and organisational behaviour management. A systematic literature…

In 2022, National Literacy Trust discovered that 1 in 7 state primary schools in the UK lacked a dedicated library or reading space. This figure rises to 1 in 4 schools in the most disadvantaged communities (PSLA, 2022). Yet, it is known that school libraries are vitally important: they not only provide children with access to books at a time when…

Background: People with learning disabilities face significant health inequalities, including lower life expectancy and greater physical and mental health challenges. Community engagement approaches are increasingly used in health and social care to address these disparities, yet little is known about their impact. This review explored community…

As higher education institutions increasingly seek to scale and access the benefits of staff-student partnerships more routinely many have established institutional programmes. Insight into scaling partnership activity across the institution is integral to the success of such programmes. This qualitative study investigates how a new programme at a…

Neurodivergent children and children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) are significantly over-represented in the school-excluded and youth justice populations both internationally and in the UK. Given the wealth of knowledge established about the 'school to prison pipeline', it is crucial that we understand why this…