Report to SCORE: Science teacher education, special focus on biology

Arguably biology has enjoyed a healthy uptake over the years both within compulsory and higher education. When considering Initial Teacher Education, despite a reported decrease in biology applicants onto science PGCE courses between 2001 and 2006 in England and Wales, a healthy increase in acceptances onto such courses was evident across the devolved nations during that time. Scotland in particular almost doubled their figures during this period (The Royal Society, 2007). Although the picture remains buoyant, concern exists regarding the medium to long-term supply of quality biology teachers. Drayston (2009) emphasised the need to enthuse and motivate pupils towards the sciences from the GCSE years; to achieve this a well qualified, enthusiastic and motivated teaching staff needs to be in place. This paper reports on observations regarding the supply of specialist science teachers within the forthcoming years. These observations are substantiated through a small scale scoping survey as preliminary research to a longitudinal study. This scoping survey has been commissioned by SCORE and involves the collection and processing of data gained from questionnaires and email interviews designed to investigate the current context of Science Education and how this may influence the motivations and intended exit routes of science trainees

Workington Travel Survey

The floods of November 20th 2009 destroyed or damaged four of the five bridges across the River Derwent at Workington, severing road and pedestrian access. Papcastle Bridge near Cockermouth, the closest road river crossing which involved a long detour, became a bottleneck with long delays for traffic in both directions. Many agencies worked hard to improve the situation and within ten days a temporary station had been built and a free train shuttle service instigated to make use of the remaining bridge. The army erected a footbridge in early December and provision was made for a shuttle bus between settlements on the north of the river, the new station and the footbridge. Thus, between December and April, there was an unusual situation with car journeys between the north and south of the area necessitating a long detour with considerable delays, while the half-hourly train service was free to use and pedestrian access was relatively easy. Cumbria County Council commissioned the Institute of Transport and Tourism of University of Central Lancashire to research the impact this had made on people’s travel. A household survey gave data on 435 people’s travel patterns for typical weeks in October 2009, before the floods, March 2010 while road access was difficult and May 2010 once the temporary road bridge had been opened. The survey found that the number of trips for all purposes had reduced in March and although it had risen again in May, it had not reached the previous levels. Leisure and social trips were the most reduced, partly because of the extra time needed for other travel. Shopping trips reduced and often changed destination and work trips showed most propensity for mode change. Although respondents’ car trips fell by nearly a half, the majority of trips were still made by car. Train travel increased by over 500% and although it dropped in May there were still more trips made by train in May than in October. The consequences of the new travel situation ranged from enjoying the physical exercise and sociability of walking across the temporary foot bridge to feelings of isolation, worry about elderly relations on the other side of the river and, for some, the loss of a job or earnings and severe stress. Household duties could be re-allocated to accommodate different schedules and longer travel times. Most respondents recognised the efforts made by Cumbria County Council and other agencies, although officers themselves worried about the impact of the emergency on other aspects of their responsibilities. Interviews with key stakeholders demonstrated how it was not just travellers adjusting to a new geography around Workington. Several employers redeployed staff so they could work on the side of the river where they lived to avoid a long commute. Services were provided in the north of the area: supermarket, mobile bank, doctors’ surgeries, while other public services (Police, Fire and Ambulance Services) re-aligned their administrative boundaries or practices to adjust to the new situation. The findings suggest there is an ability to change travel patterns when circumstances change, but there remains a high car dependence, even when the alternatives are cheaper and more convenient

Cumbria Economic Bulletin - September 2010

The Bulletin is jointly produced by the Centre for Regional Economic Development (CRED), at the University of Cumbria in Carlisle, and the Cumbria Intelligence Observatory (CIO). The aim of the Cumbria Intelligence Observatory (CIO) is to bring together existing research and analysis resources throughout Cumbria, working jointly with partners to provide information and intelligence for Cumbria. The Bulletin is intended to contain data relevant to the County for the benefit of a broad readership, but especially for policy makers, industrialists and academics

Cumbria curriculum: place-based learning in Cumbria, report for Cumbria County Council

A shared vision for education in Cumbria. Framing this scoping report is an ambition that every child has a world class holistic educational experience in their local setting, which enables them to contribute to society as resilient, confident, and tolerant global citizens. The scoping report focuses on the provision of place-based learning about the environment and sustainability in Cumbrian schools. Place based learning includes learning about the local environment and wider Cumbrian landscape, issues of sustainability, climate change and biodiversity as well as experiences that build appreciation for nature and the environment

The perceived experience of supervision within the PACE trial

This study was set within the UK inter-professional multi-centre randomized controlled PACE trial of manual based therapy (White et al 2007). The aim of supervision within “the trial” was to maintain specificity, sustain retention, manage quality control and assurance, monitor competence in delivering therapy and enhance professional development. The rationale for the ancillary study was that the approach to supervision within the trial appeared to be different from the previous experience of supervision for many of the therapists (Clouder & Sellars 2004, Sellars 2004, Sweeney et al 2001). A review of the literature on supervision and reflective practice highlighted that there are many models, methods, approaches and factors that influence the effectiveness of supervision (Edwards et al 2005, van Ooijen 2000)

Understanding the Geospatial and Contextual Patterns of Rural Domestic Abuse: An Exploratory Study

The latest population estimates suggest that in mid-2020 almost half a million people lived in Cumbria (ONS 2021b), which is described by the Office for National Statistics (2016) as a ‘predominantly rural’ county. Although Cumbria’s landscape is dominated by rural towns and villages, the concentration of people in urban centres means that the resident population of Cumbria is almost equally split between urban (47%) and rural (53%) areas (ONS 2017). A growing body of international research evidence suggests that the persistence of traditional values, rural isolation, and limited support services mean that rural victims may wait longer before seeking help, enduring more serious violence, than those in urban areas (Little 2016; National Rural Crime Network 2019). There is, however, a dearth of research on the needs and experiences of domestic abuse (DA) victims in rural parts of England and Wales. This research was funded by the Home Office’s Police Science, Technology, Analysis and Research (STAR) Board to examine the geospatial and contextual patterns of DA in the predominantly rural county of Cumbria. This Executive Summary presents findings from our analysis of: data from all DA-related incidents and crimes recorded by Cumbria Constabulary between 1 April 2019 and 30 September 2021; data on DA-related referrals to Victim Support in Cumbria during the same period; and interviews with 42 local practitioners. That much DA goes unreported to, or unrecorded by, the police is well known. That data from Cumbria Constabulary and partners reflect reporting and recording practices, and not some objective reality, should be kept in mind when reflecting upon the findings. In our report, we document efforts to get behind the ‘dark figure’ of DA to better understand the nature, extent and geospatial distribution of DA in Cumbria

Understanding the Geospatial and Contextual Patterns of Rural Domestic Abuse: Research Briefing Paper

In 2020, 9.7 million people in England and almost 1 million people in Wales lived in rural areas (Defra 2021). 1 The latest population estimates suggest that in mid-2020 almost half a million people lived in Cumbria (ONS 2021), which is described by the Office for National Statistics (2016) as a ‘predominantly rural’ county. Although Cumbria’s landscape is dominated by rural towns and villages, the concentration of people in urban centres means that the resident population of Cumbria is almost equally split between urban (47%) and rural (53%) areas (ONS 2017). A growing body of international research evidence suggests that the persistence of traditional values, rural isolation, and limited support services mean that rural victims may wait longer before seeking help, enduring more serious violence, than those in urban areas (DeKeseredy 2021; Little 2016; National Rural Crime Network 2019). There is, however, a dearth of research on the needs and experiences of domestic abuse (DA) victims in rural parts of England and Wales. This research was funded by the Home Office Police Science, Technology, Analysis and Research (STAR) Fund to examine the geospatial and contextual patterns of DA in the predominantly rural county of Cumbria. This Research Briefing Paper presents findings from our analysis of: data from all DA-related incidents and crimes recorded by Cumbria Constabulary between 1 April 2019 and 30 September 2021; data on DA-related referrals to Victim Support in Cumbria during the same period; and interviews with 42 local practitioners. Copies of the main Research Findings Report are available from the research team. That much DA goes unreported to, or unrecorded by, the police is well known. That data from Cumbria Constabulary and partners reflect reporting and recording practices, and not some objective reality, should be kept in mind when reflecting upon the findings. In our report, we document efforts to get behind the ‘dark figure’ of DA to better understand the nature, extent and geospatial distribution of DA in Cumbria

Business research and innovation activity in Cumbria: a review of evidence

The purpose of Cognitive Cumbria is to improve understanding of the local and regional knowledge processes that encourage the growth and quality of innovative and creative businesses across Cumbria. This report has been prepared by the Centre for Regional Economic Development (CRED) at the University of Cumbria to contribute towards this overall purpose. Definitions of research and innovation are specified and applied to the County of Cumbria using relevant available data and sources of information. The report concludes by considering future prospects for innovation and business performance in Cumbria. This report has been commissioned at a time when there is intensified interest in research activity, technological development, science and innovation at virtually all levels of economic policymaking. At the European scale, research priorities specified in the Horizon 2020 and also European Regional Policy give much greater attention to understanding the process of research and innovation than in the recent past. So too at national level, UK Government is placing much greater emphasis on business innovation as a key to unlocking productivity and international competitiveness: Business innovation is a vital ingredient in raising the productivity, competitiveness and growth potential of modern economies. Providing the right economic conditions for and using appropriate policy instruments to encourage innovation in the UK is a central objective. Measuring the level of innovation activity in the UK and identifying where policy might be best targeted contributes to the pursuit of that objective. (UK Innovation Survey, 2015) Vince Cable, Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills under the Conservative-Liberal Coalition Government, in a speech delivered in July 2014 (BIS, 2014a), stated that “Of the productivity growth that took place in the UK between 2000 and 2008, one third (32%) was attributable to changes in technology resulting from science and innovation. Innovative firms are also more resilient and more likely to export.” More recently, Science Minister, Jo Johnson (BIS, 2015b), has also stated in a speech in July 2015, that “UK taxpayers invest £10 billion a year in research and innovation…and we will invest new capital on a record scale – £6.9 billion in the UK’s research infrastructure up to 2021 – which will mean new equipment, new laboratories and new research institutes.

The role of familial habitus in shaping children's views of their future employment

As the field of Geographies of Children, Youth and Families grows and diversifies as a testament to the active and vigorous interest in this area of research, the collection of papers presented within this Special Issue proves timely in addressing developing research on education and aspiration. At a variety of spatial scales and from different perspectives, the contributors have shown how educational settings are invoked by politicians, educators and practitioners as sites where the aspirations of future citizen-workers can be managed for perceived individual and collective benefit. It is unsurprising that young people remain the focus of policy attention and analyses in relation to ‘raising’ aspirations, given normative understandings of their chronological proximity to transitions to adulthood. What emerges alongside efforts to affect the aspirations of young people through education is a strand of thought which acknowledges the role of the family in the lives of young people. Research has shown distinctions in parental aspirations for their children according to ethnic and socio-economic background (Coleman, 1988; Portes and MacLeod, 1996), and has highlighted how families are viewed by educationalists as key to the academic success of their children (Holloway and Pimlott-Wilson, this issue). Whilst young people and parents remain central to considerations of aspiration (Nairn et al., 2007), the hopes of young children are also crucial when we take into account the implications which may arise when children judge one path of action feasible as a future goal whilst others appear unattainable. In this article, I argue that the voices of children need to be included in research which considers aspiration, acknowledging the influence of the family on these imagined futures whilst also recognising that children reflexively develop their own perspectives as they encounter new experiences. In the next section of the paper, I engage with policy interest in families and discuss further my conceptualisation of habitus and how this relates to children’s hopes for the future. In the central section I present a case study of children’s future employment plans, putting forward evidence to show that family socialisation predisposes children to consider particular occupational types over others. To this end, I utilise the concept of habitus as a flexible and non-deterministic method for understanding children’s perceptions of what courses of action are most appropriate for their future. Thirdly, I provide evidence to suggest that children’s aspirations are not simply a reflection of parental practices but rather show how the habitus is continually evolving, illustrating children’s agency in their reflexive resistance of particular occupational types in light of family experience. In conclusion, the article calls for further consideration of children’s hopes for the future and the factors which influence the dispositions of individuals, highlighting the imperative for educationalists to remain cognisant of children’s dispositions in efforts to (re)shape aspirations

Cumbria Improvement & Efficiency Partnership Fusion Cumbria Learning Lab: Action Learning Programme final report

This document presents the final report of the Action Learning Programme which the Centre for Regional Economic Development at University of Cumbria was commissioned by the Cumbria Improvement and Efficiency Partnership’s (CIEP) Economic Development and Regeneration Theme to implement