FROM THE SORBONNE TO SURBITON – THE IMPROBABLE ORIGINS OF THE ENGLISH CURRICULUM

A number of milestone events in the development of the English curriculum are considered. These are not all the formative events which have shaped what and how the curriculum is currently configured in schools, academies and beyond but they have had an impact. The argument is advanced that a number of the stakeholders that contributed to its formation did so from a position which was unexpected, and which did not always display an appropriate rationality.The centrepiece of the article is the shaping of post war education in England by the research and assertions of psychologist, Sir Cyril Burt. Burt’s underlying ontology is explored and the arguable fraud of his work is examined in the light of his impact on the structuring of English education.Raikes, Callaghan, Major, Gove and Smellie are also   given consideration leading to the conclusion that curriculum formation can be improbable in terms of its narrative

EDITORIAL

This second edition, of the well-received, Buckingham Journal of Education, gathers a series of articles around the educational legacy of the Rt. Hon. Michael Gove MP. This eclectic range of articles seeks to explore some of the facets of his influence, intention and policy from the period of 2010 through to 2014 when he was the Secretary of State for Education in the Conservative / Liberal Coalition

Preparing Professionals for 45 Years of Learning and Teaching

Editoria

Editorial

An introduction to the first Issue of the Buckingham Journal of Education

PUTTING A STICKING PLASTER ON A GAPING WOUND – EXPLORING THE PROVISION BEING MADE IN ENGLISH SECONDARY SCHOOLS TO SUPPORT MENTAL HEALTH AND MENTAL WELL-BEING

The article presents a small-scale study utilising both questionnaires and semi-structured interviews.Against the backdrop of widespread interest in the area of mental health/well- being by the UK government and also by the media, the study starts to explore the provision being made by secondary schools.The study suggests that the actions being taken nationally lack coherence. Even within the schools themselves, there is evidence of a fragmented approach as mental health/well-being initiatives are added to existing provision being offered by pastoral staff and formally appointed councillors.As new waves of pressure from social media, gender identity, examination stress and personal identity are held to impact mental health/well-being issues schools understand themselves as being the first responder. In turn, the majority of those interviewed in the study have a perception that support services such as Child and Adult Mental Health Services (CAMHS) and educational psychologists are less accessible as a result of budgetary constraints

Acceptability and use of a patient-held communication tool for people living with dementia: a longitudinal qualitative study

Brendan McCormack - ORCID 0000-0001-8525-8905 https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8525-8905Replaced AM with VoR on 2020-05-19Objectives: To assess the acceptability and use of a low-cost patient-held communication tool.Design: Longitudinal Qualitative interviews at three time points over 18 months and document content analysisSetting: Primary and community servicesParticipants: Twenty-eight dyads - People living with dementia in Northern Ireland and their informal carers.Interventions: a patient-held healthcare “passport” for people living with dementia.Primary and secondary outcomes: acceptability and use of the passport – barriers and facilitators to successful engagement.Results: There was a qualified appreciation of the healthcare passport and a much more nuanced, individualistic or personalised approach to its desirability and use. How people perceive it and what they actually do with it, are strongly determined by individual contexts, dementia stage and other health problems, social and family needs and capacities. We noted concerns about privacy and ambivalence about engaging with health professionals.Conclusion: Such tools may be of use but there is a need for demanding, thoughtful, and nuanced programme delivery for future implementation in dementia care. The incentivisation and commitment of General Practitioners is crucial. Altering the asymmetrical relationship between professionals and patients requires more extensive attention.This study was supported by a grant from the R&D Division of the Northern Ireland Public Health Agency & Atlantic Philanthropies COM/5017/14https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2019-036249pubpu

Development of a Coaxial 3D Printing Platform for Biofabrication of Implantable Islet-Containing Constructs

Over the last two decades, pancreatic islet transplantations have become a promising treatment for Type I diabetes. However, although providing a consistent and sustained exogenous insulin supply, there are a number of limitations hindering the widespread application of this approach. These include the lack of sufficient vasculature and allogeneic immune attacks after transplantation, which both contribute to poor cell survival rates. Here, these issues are addressed using a biofabrication approach. An alginate/gelatin-based bioink formulation is optimized for islet and islet-related cell encapsulation and 3D printing. In addition, a custom-designed coaxial printer is developed for 3D printing of multicellular islet-containing constructs. In this work, the ability to fabricate 3D constructs with precise control over the distribution of multiple cell types is demonstrated. In addition, it is shown that the viability of pancreatic islets is well maintained after the 3D printing process. Taken together, these results represent the first step toward an improved vehicle for islet transplantation and a potential novel strategy to treat Type I diabetes

The evaluation of a healthcare passport to improve quality of care and communication for people living with dementia (EQuIP): a protocol paper for a qualitative, longitudinal study

Background\ud \ud There is an urgent need for the development of simple communication tools that convey the strengths, assets, and healthcare needs of people living with dementia. A Healthcare Passport may improve communication with range of health and social support services, enhancing quality and continuity of care, and to permit a consideration of the challenges and how these might be managed effectively and compassionately. This study aims to evaluate the acceptability and use of this type of intervention for people living with dementia and their carers.\ud \ud \ud Methods/Design\ud \ud This is a qualitative longitudinal study informed by a critical realist review. The participants will be individuals identified as having mild-moderate dementia and informal carers. The in-depth interviews will occur at three points over the course of 18 months as they use the passport. This will be supplemented by analysis of the content of the passports and information from health and social care providers on the daily practicalities of using the passport in a range of healthcare settings.\ud \ud \ud Discussion\ud \ud By using a critical realist review and a qualitative, longitudinal approach, the study allows for the assessment of a complex intervention in a manner which goes beyond evaluating the basic efficacy of the passport, but looking more deeply at how it worked, for whom, and in what context. It has the potential to develop new data on how interventions improve communication across a range of service providers, while encouraging health and social care professionals to respect and encourage the development of self-management and retention of personhood throughout the progression of life-limiting illnesses