European Perspectives on Social Work: Models of education and professional roles

Comparative research undertaken by the Thomas Coram Research Unit found that social workers in England have more responsibility and a wider remit than many of their continental European counterparts. Social workers in England have responsibility for all aspects of case management and direct contact with families, but in much of continental Europe these responsibilities are split between several different highly-trained professionals. In England, most direct work with children and families is undertaken by support staff, many of whom have no specialist qualifications. In Denmark, Germany and France, most of this work is undertaken by professionals highly qualified in therapeutic and direct work, working alongside social workers. The report’s authors, Dr Janet Boddy and Professor June Statham, called for a fundamental reassessment of what social workers can and should be expected to do

Critical Perspectives on Modern Languages in Scottish Further Education 2000-2002

The research in this thesis focuses on issues surrounding modern language provision within Scottish further education during the period 2000-2002. The study analyses the arguments regarding the place of modern language study within Scottish further education (FE) as expressed in formal and informal discourses, and assesses the influence of socio-cultural and socio-historical assumptions on these discourses. To this end, a multi-strand and multi-level research model was adopted, examining official and other public documents, together with views expressed by stakeholders from five Scottish FE colleges and from industry. These were analysed both on their own terms and by taking into account changes in the external context. The initial focus of the study centred on the motivational characteristics of student participants. However, changes in the external context prompted the inclusion of further data into the research design and a shift of methodological emphasis, exploring the ways in which assumptions underlying data collection procedures related to labour market information and uptake of individual FE subjects may be contributing to a continuous re-affirmation that 'English is enough'. The validity of this assertion and the authority accorded to it are called into question. It is argued that the belief will increasingly limit Scottish FE students' potential to participate as self-confident and self-determining individuals in a global and multilingual economy for which their vocational education and training is ostensibly trying to prepare them. Some suggestions, arising from the research, for a more inclusive language education policy are considered

Dynamic Digital Technologies for Dynamic Mathematics: Executive Summary: Implications for teachers' knowledge and practice

The Executive Summary for the Nuffield Foundation funded 2014–17 project ‘Developing teachers’ mathematical knowledge for teaching and classroom use of technology through engagement with key mathematical concepts using dynamic digital technology’. The Nuffield Foundation is an endowed charitable trust that aims to improve social well-being in the widest sense. It funds research and innovation in education and social policy and also works to build capacity in education, science and social science research

Specialised diplomas: transforming the 14-19 landscape in England?

Reforming vocational education in the English education and training system has occupied governments for at least the last three decades, the latest development being the introduction of 14 linesi of Specialised Diplomas. Using an historical analysis of qualifications reform, we suggest they are unlikely to transform 14-19 education and training. The failure to reform academic qualifications alongside their vocational equivalents is likely to result in ‘academic drift’, lack of status and a relatively low level of uptake for these new awards, a process compounded by low employer recognition of broad vocational qualifications. In rejecting the Tomlinson Report’s central proposal for a unified diploma system covering all 14-19 education and training, we argue that the Government may have condemned the Specialised Diplomas to become a middle-track qualification for a minority of 14-19 years olds, situated between the majority academic pathway and the sparsely populated apprenticeship route

An analytical framework for policy engagement: the contested case of 14-19 reform in England

This article attempts to construct an analytical framework to reflect upon the deeply contested area of 14-19 education and training policy in England following the publication of the Government’s White Paper ‘14-19 Education and Skills’. We argue that the evolution of 14-19 policy over the last fifteen years, culminating in the publication of the Tomlinson Final Report on 14-19 reform and then its rejection by the Government, might be better understood by looking at this area through the application of four related conceptual tools - political eras, the education state, the policy process and the operation of political space. These concepts or tools are used here both to narrate historical and recent 14-19 developments, to critique current policy-making in this area, and to identify opportunities and challenges facing researchers seeking to engage with the policy process. We suggest that this analytical framework might not only be applied to reform in the 14-19 phase but also to education policy more widely

Internationalisation and modern languages in Scottish Further and Higher Education

This scoping study investigated the impact of internationalisation strategies on modern language provision in Scottish further and higher education and was commissioned by the Subject Centre for Languages, Linguistics and Area Studies. It follows on from the report by Footitt (2005), which explored issues of internationalisation and modern languages in England. The present investigation had the following aims: to identify the main policy documents related to internationalisation strategies and modern languages in Scottish further and higher education and explore to which extent internationalisation initiatives support or encourage the development of students' language and to explore the explicit and implicit messages given by institutional websites about international student support and about modern language study; to explore the views of selected stakeholders in Scottish further and higher education with regard to internationalisation strategies and in what ways international activities at selected institutions offer opportunities for language learning