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Nuffield Foundation Education Seminars

One of the ways we try to engage with current concerns is by convening a regular seminar series giving leading researchers an opportunity to discuss their findings with policy makers and professionals. The Nuffield Education Seminars cover a variety of topics; you can access the seminar briefing papers by following the link in the list below:

2010

23 March: Future Arrangements for Funding Higher Education

Professor Lorraine Dearden, Alissa Goodman, Dr Greg Kaplan and Dr Gill Wyness, Institute for Fiscal Studies

The full report, Future arrangements for funding higher education, is available to download from the IFS website.

11 January: Mathematics education in countries with high mathematics attainment - Launch of a new mathematics education review

Professor Mike Askew, Jeremy Hodgen, Sarmin Hossain and Nicola Bretscher, King's College London

Values and variables: Mathematics education in high-performing countries (Download (PDF) available here)

2009

15 July: Applied Science in Schools and Colleges - Launch of the new report

Professor Jim Donnelly, University of York

An invisible revolution? Applied Science in the 14-19 curriculum (Download report (PDF)here)

14 July: Key Understandings in Mathematics Learning - Launch of the review

Professor Peter Bryant, Professor Terezinha Nunes, Professor Anne Watson, University of Oxford

Review available for download here

11 June: Mathematics Education in Countries with High Mathematics Attainment

This seminar was held at the Royal Society to discuss the interim findings of the King's College Review of Mathematics teaching in high performing countries.

Professor Mike Askew, King's College London

11 June: Adolescent Transitions: Social and Educational Challenges

This seminar discussed the policy and practice implications of two substantial research projects that we have funded on educational transitions and their implications for young people’s well-being.

John Gray (University of Cambridge): School Experiences and Adolescent Wellbeing. (Download seminar presentation here)

Gina Conti-Ramsden (University of Manchester) and Kevin Durkin (University of Strathclyde): Personal, social and educational developments in young people with language impairment. (Download seminar briefing paper here)

19 May: Institutional Aid for Students in Higher Education in the UK and the USA

This seminar discussed bursaries, scholarships and other forms of institutional aid for higher education students.

Claire Callender (Birkbeck, University of London): Institutional bursaries in England: Findings from the OFFA research. (Download seminar presentation here)

Donald E. Heller (Centre for the Study of Higher Education, Penn State University, USA): Institutional Bursaries in the United States: Lessons for the UK. (Download seminar presentation here)

9 January: National Assessment Arrangements for Key Stage 3

The recently-announced changes to KS3 assessment arrangements confront many of the structural problems which have accumulated in the system. The seminar aimed to assemble as much advice and intelligence as possible in order to support the development of new arrangements.

Chris Whetton (National Foundation for Educational Research), Tim Oates (Cambridge Assessment), Gordon Stobart (Institute of Education on behalf of the Assessment Reform Group

(Download the proceedings of the seminar here)

2008

29 April: The Social and Educational Significance of School Breaktimes

Professor Peter Blatchford, Dr Ed Baines, Institute of Education

(Download seminar briefing paper here)

11 January: The Economics of Private and State Schools

This seminar was based on findings from an initial programme of Nuffield supported research into the economics of private schools.

Professor Francis Green, Dr Yu Zhu, University of Kent, Professor Stephen Machin, Dr Richard Murphy LSE

Competition for Private and State School Teachers (Download report (PDF) here)

2007

12 June: Literacy Assessments for Deaf Children

The aim of this seminar was to discuss a set of specially tailored instruments that can describe deaf children’s literacy progress in school and can be used to support teachers when they design instruction for their deaf pupils.

Professor Terezinha Nunes, Dr Diana Burman, University of Oxford

(Download seminar briefing paper (PDF) here)

1 February: Further Evidence on Gender Differences in Educational Attainment and their Effect on Labour Market Outcomes

Building on the team's earlier research on the magnitude and determinants of the gender gap in educational attainment for pupils in compulsory schooling, this seminar discussed:

  • the effect of the Government’s specialist school policy on gender differences in educational attainment;
  • whether boys eventually catch up with girls in terms of their educational attainment, either through the training on entering the labour market, or at A-level for those who remain in education;
  • whether the superior performance of girls in exams taken during compulsory schooling translates into superior performance in the labour market.

Professor Steven Bradley, Professor Jim Taylor, Dr Dave Stott, University of Lancaster, and Dr Martyn Andrews, University of Manchester

(Download seminar briefing paper (PDF) here)

2006

26 September: Schoolification or a New Pedagogical Meeting Place? Bringing Early Childhood into the Education System

This seminar discussed challenges, benefits and risks of tackling the education/care split in early childhood by bringing all services into the education system, drawing on the experience of countries that have taken this road. It also considered what learning could take place between countries through dialogue and research.

Professor Peter Moss, Institute of Education and Dr John Bennett, formerly Project Manager for OECD Thematic Review of Early Childhood Education and Care

(Download seminar briefing paper (PDF) here)

22 June: Part-time Students - The Forgotton Hundreds of Thousands

The introduction of variable tuition fees for full-time undergraduates was likely to have implications for part-time undergraduates. This seminar explored some of these implications, in particular, the changing nature of financial assistance for part-time students and the adequacy of the current support in meeting students’ costs of study, including their fees.

Professor Claire Callender, London Southbank University, Mr David Wilkinson, Ms Karen Mackinon, Policy Studies Institute

Claire Callender, Part-time Study in Higher Education in the UK: a Survey of Students’ Attitudes and Experiences of Part-time Study and its Costs 2005/06 (Download report (PDF) here)

24 May: The Distributional Impact of the New Higher Education Funding Reforms

Professor Lorraine Dearden, Ms Alissa Goodman, Ms Emla Fitzsimons, The Institute for Fiscal Studies

(Download seminar briefing paper (PDF) here)

20 April: Social Inequalities of Access to Higher Status Universities in the UK

Dr Vikki Boliver, University of Oxford

(Download seminar briefing paper here)

22 February: The PUPPETS Project: Puppets Promoting Engagement and Talk in Science

Mr Stuart Naylor, Ms Brenda Keogh, Manchester Metropolitan University and Dr Shirley Simon, Dr Jane Maloney, University of London Institute of Education

(Download briefing paper here)

2005

26 May: Systematic approaches to good practice for children with specific speech and language difficulties: implications for evidence-based practice

Professor Geoff Lindsay, University of Warwick and Professor Julie Dockrell, Institute of Education

(Download seminar briefing paper (PDF) here)

24 February: Psychological research into reading should inform teacher education

Professor Morag Stuart, Institute of Education

(Download seminar briefing paper here)

26 January: The views of young people on sectarianism in Northern Ireland

Dr Ruth Sinclair, National Children's Bureau

(Download seminar briefing paper here)

2004

28 October: Interactive whiteboards in the mathematics classroom: implications for pedagogy and staff development

Mr Dave Miller, Professor Derek Glover, Keele University

(Download seminar briefing paper (PDF) here)

30 September: The evolution and determinants of the educational gender gap

Professor Steven Bradley, Dr David Stott, Lancaster University, Professor Martyn Andrews, University of Manchester

(Download seminar briefing paper (PDF) here)

23 June: Children from families with dyslexia: outcomes in adolescence

Professor Margaret Snowling, University of York

(Download seminar briefing paper (PDF) here)

27 May: Numbertalk: the Mathematical Skills of Children with Specific Language Impairment

Dr Chris Donlan, University College London and Dr Richard Cowan, Institute of Education

(Download seminar briefing paper (PDF) here)

29 April: Issues arising from Teaching History in Contested Societies

Alan McCully and Brendan Hartop, University of Ulster

(Download seminar briefing paper here)

26 February: Expectations and implementation in educational policy: lessons from the National Numeracy Strategy

Professor Margaret Brown and Dr Mike Askew, King’s College London

(Download seminar briefing paper here)

19 January: Raising early achievement in literacy

Professor Peter Hannon and Dr. Cathy Nutbrown, University of Sheffield

(Download seminar briefing paper here)

2003

27 November: Gypsy Traveller Pupils in Secondary Schools

Ms Chris Derrington, University College Northampton and Dr Sally Kendall, NFER

(Download seminar briefing paper here)

13 October: Post-16 curriculum and qualifications reform in England and Scotland: lessons from home international comparisons

Professor David Raffe, University of Edinburgh and Dr. Ann Hodgson, Institute of Education

(Download seminar briefing paper here)

17 July: What does the child's voice have to contribute to improving education for children with special educational needs?

Professor Brahm Norwich and Dr Narcie Kelly, University of Exeter

(Download seminar briefing paper here)

19 June: What do we mean by a broader curriculum? Curriculum 2000 and broadening the advanced level curriculum

Dr Ann Hodgson and Dr Ken Spours, Institute of Education

(Download seminar briefing paper here)

9 April: Using ICT to promote learning conversations in the primary classroom

Professor Neil Mercer and Dr Rupert Wegerif, Open University and Dr Lyn Dawes, De Montfort University

(Download seminar briefing paper here)

6 March: Does speech and language intervention work for children with speech and language delay/disorder?

Professor James Law and Ms Zoe Garret, City University

(Download seminar briefing paper here)

29 January: Education and economic growth: have we got it wrong?

Professor Alison Wolf, Institute of Education, University of London
(Download seminar briefing paper here)

2002

28 November: Testing, motivation and learning

Professor Wynne Harlen, University of Bristol

(Download seminar briefing paper here)

24 October: Educational provision for children with specific speech and language difficulties in England and Wales

Professor Geoff Lindsay, University of Warwick and Professor Julie Dockrell, Institute of Education

(Download seminar briefing paper (PDF) here)

18 October: Developing research informed policy for 16-19 year olds: evidence on structure and curriculum

Professor Jacky Lumby, University of Lincoln and Dr Ann Briggs, University of Leicester

(Download seminar briefing paper here)

26 September: Breaking the mould? New directions for teaching school science

Professor Jonathan Osborne, King’s College London

(Download seminar briefing paper here)

Last Updated Wed, 5 May 2010