Education and Learning
-
Blog: Advancing apprenticeships for young people
This week is National Apprenticeship Week, so it feels timely to revisit the learnings from my 2011 Fellowship, which explored ways to engage young people and employers...
-
Blog: A home-schooling model for lockdown
What does a working parent do when their child is sent home because of Covid-19? And what if that parent’s employer expects them to meet the usual deadlines and targets ...
-
Blog: Teaching controversial topics in the classroom
The tragic murder of a French history teacher in October has highlighted the perils and importance of tackling controversial topics in the classroom, and the need to do...
-
Blog: Improving STEM education with new technology
I have had an interest in enriching the experience of schoolchildren, especially those at secondary level, ever since I made the leap from being a science researcher to...
-
Blog: Surviving the infodemic - teaching students to read between the lines
Covid-19 has exacerbated the problem of fake news. Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, director-general of the World Health Organisation, declared in February 2020 that Covid...
-
Blog: Top tips for teachers returning to school after lockdown
News | 2 Sep 2020 |As schools reopen this week, we asked five Fellows in education to share their top tips for fellow teachers.
-
Blog: Going to university during the pandemic
I am a senior lecturer and admissions tutor at the University of Dundee. I am also a 2020 Churchill Fellow with an interest in developing interactive learning strategies...
-
Blog: How do you maintain school spirit during lockdown?
This year's lockdown has created many challenges for teachers like me. My school, Northfleet Technology College, faced a monumental task in March 2020. Because of...
-
Blog: Supporting sixth formers in their education
On 20 March 2020, education for young people across the UK completely changed. School sixth forms have been heavily affected during the pandemic, especially with the...
-
News: Supporting young people into employment post Covid-19
News | 19 Jun 2020 |According to the Resolution Foundation, the 800,000 school leavers and graduates due to leave education this year are the most exposed age group to a likely unemployment...
-
Blog: Outdoor learning as a solution to social distancing in schools
Since March many children and young people across the UK have stayed at home whilst others have continued to go to school. We are now at the point where all schools...
-
Blog: Educating children in care throughout the Covid-19 crisis and beyond
Children have a palpable thirst for learning and exploring. Sadly, some children lose this inquisitiveness and natural confidence through negative experiences with...
-
Blog: Welcoming children back to primary school as lockdown restrictions ease
I am currently working as the headteacher of a primary school in Tower Hamlets. The pandemic of the past few months have provided many challenges as we adapted to the...
-
Activate award winner Michael Davies: teaching controversial histories in schools
Page"WCMT has been supportive in a number of ways since my Fellowship in 2015 and this Activate grant is very helpful indeed. Most of our work to date has been in the North...
-
Q&A: Engaging girls and women in science
Today is the International Day of Girls and Women in Science, a day marked by the United Nations to recognise the critical role women and girls play in science and...
-
Q&A: Science education through storytelling
How children learn science is being transformed through storytelling. Churchill Fellow Dr Sai Pathmanathan (2016) travelled to the USA to investigate how science...
-
Blog: Teaching conflict history
The history of conflicts in the Middle East has many lessons for school pupils
-
Blog: A new future for ex-offenders
Prisons, reoffending rates and rehabilitation have always been an emotive subject in the UK, with over 83,000 people currently in custody in England alone.
-
Blog: Play, trust and children-centred learning: the Finnish approach to music education
I’m a choral conductor and music educator from Derbyshire. I’ve been awarded a Churchill Fellowship to study the impact of choral singing on educational development in...
-
Blog: Why the UK needs a museum to explore migrants’ stories
Immigration consistently ranks as one of the most pressing concerns for voters. There’s been a rise in hate crime since the EU referendum and the ongoing wrangling over...
-
Blog: How my Churchill Fellowship inspired me to climb the Himalayas with 14 schoolchildren
My Churchill Fellowship explored how learning in an unfamiliar environment enriches a young person’s education. I have put this into practice by leading expeditions in...
-
Blog: Tackling teacher retention
The Department for Education estimates that 22% of English teachers leave the profession within their first two years, with the number rising to 33% in year five.* What...
-
Blog: Music education in primary schools
There is growing concern for the state of music education in the UK. Australia offers some practical solutions.
-
Blog: Protecting students’ mental health
Going to university can be fun and fulfilling, but it can also be a tough learning curve. Seeing friends and peers experience challenges, when I was a student, was what...
-
Blog: Inspiring children’s interest in nature through storytelling
Today the world will remember the most devastating human-made disaster ever experienced. Thirty-three years ago, in 1986, Reactor Number 4 of the Chernobyl nuclear power...
-
Blog: Prison education – creating the foundations for change
As Head of Education in a prison in England, I see the profound impact that education and training can have on the lives of prisoners every day. From the group of young...
-
Measures to protect learning disabled adults from sexual abuse
Susan Sharples, from St Annes-On-Sea, and the founder and director of a community interest company, travelled to Canada and the USA to investigate approaches to...
-
The Language of Friendship: Refugees Learning with Locals
Rosemary Brown, a charity worker from London, travelled to Greece and Ireland to research support for refugees and migrants to learn their host country's language....
-
Enabling faith schools to tackle conflict in the Middle East
Joshua Hillis, an educator from Lancashire, travelled to Israel and the State of Palestine to learn how schools there teach the conflict in the Middle East. His findings...
-
Harnessing the power of singing and its impact on learning
Richard Jeffries, a choral conductor and music educator from Derbyshire, travelled to Finland, Canada and the USA to study the impact of choral singing on educational...
-
Using the humanities to change medical education
Ian Sabroe, a clinician and researcher from Sheffield, travelled to the USA to investigate the benefits of incorporating humanities learning into medical education. He...
-
Inclusion of pupils with an autism diagnosis in mainstream classrooms
Heba Al-Jayoosi, an assistant headteacher from London, travelled to the USA to explore approaches to including autistic students in mainstream education. She will use...
-
Improving the wellbeing and retention of early career teachers
Paul Middleton, a teacher from St Albans, travelled to Switzerland, Norway and Singapore to investigate approaches to supporting the wellbeing of new teachers. He will...
-
Classrooms without walls
Ian Kell, a secondary school teacher from Gateshead, travelled to Estonia, Australia and New Zealand to explore models of e-learning. He intends to use his findings to...
-
Music Education and Performance for People with Learning Disabilities
David Stanley, a charity director from Essex, travelled to the USA to study approaches to music education for people with learning disabilities. He will use his findings...
-
Blog: Forcibly displaced learners
On this International Migrants Day, I find myself reflecting on the problems faced by people who have been forcibly displaced from their home countries – such as...
-
Blog: Expeditionary learning for low-income schoolchildren
Children from low-income families are falling further behind their more affluent peers whilst they are at secondary school. That was the finding of a report by the...
-
Blog: Teaching parallel histories
More than 550,000 students in England and Wales took GCSE History this summer – but only 2,200 of them studied Israel and Palestine. Teachers are shying away from...
-
Blog: Promoting active citizenship in schools
As an Assistant Headteacher, I’m aware that nurturing democracy must start at an early age, especially at a time when the bastions of a free society are under attack. In...
-
Developing leaders for 21st century schools and evaluating their impact
Katy Theobald, an education researcher from Camden, travelled to Australia, New Zealand and Singapore to research development of school leadership equipped for the 21st...
-
A good match: what works in child and youth mentoring?
Jim McCormick, a policy worker from Glasgow, travelled to Canada, New Zealand and the USA to study mentoring programmes for disadvantaged school children.
-
Promoting Mental Health and Well-Being in Schools and Districts
Robert Brooks, an Educational Psychologist from Coleford, Gloucestershire, travelled to Canada to investigate whole-school / whole-district approaches to the promotion...
-
Digitally connecting Older People to the benefits of the Internet
Patricia Donald, an ICT worker from Belfast, travelled to Australia and Japan to explore approaches to encouraging older people to use the internet.
-
Making inclusion “normal” Comparing the development of inclusive education in Finland and New Brunswick, Canada
Tara Flood, a campaigner for inclusive education from Fulham, travelled to Canada and Finland to study approaches to including disabled children in mainstream education.
-
Quality provision of woodwork in early childhood education
Peter Moorhouse, an artist educator from Bristol, travelled to Finland, New Zealand, Sweden, Denmark and the USA to research best practice in woodwork in early childhood...
-
Best practice for supporting bereaved children who have SEND
Sarah Helton, a special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) teacher from South Somerset, travelled to Denmark, Norway and the USA to investigate best practice in...
-
Inclusion of migrant families at preschool level
Kierna Corr, a nursery worker from Coalisland, County Tyrone, travelled to Germany and Sweden to research approaches to supporting children from migrant families in...
-
News: Churchill Fellow awarded knighthood
Congratulations to Churchill Fellow Alan Tuckett, who has been awarded a knighthood in the Queen’s New Year honours list for services to adult learning.
-
Traditional Chinese dancing: Alison Chapman’s Story
Alison Chapman travelled to China in 2009 to learn about traditional Chinese dancing so she could develop teaching resources and training for teachers aimed at helping...
-
Dea Birkett’s Story
Dea Birkett is an award-winning writer and broadcaster. She is also the creative director of Kids in Museums, the visitor-led organisation working with museums,...
-
Arlene Holmes-Henderson’s Story
Story | By Arlene Holmes Henderson | Reading between the lines: improving the UK's critical literacy education | 2013Dr Arlene Holmes-Henderson travelled to Australia and New Zealand in 2014 to discover ways to improve the teaching of critical literacy in UK schools.
-
Michael Davies' Story
Story | By Michael Davies | Teaching Churchill and the Middle East: comparative perspectives on conflict | 2015In 2015, Michael Davies visited schools in Israel, Jordan and the occupied Palestinian Territory to discover a better way of teaching the contentious history of Israel...
-
Launching lives: supporting graduates on the autism spectrum into employment
Dr Jonathan Vincent, a Senior Lecturer from York, travelled to Canada and the USA to research best practice in supporting graduates with autism into employment.
-
Improving Children’s Life Chances: Can the Parent Child Home Programme (PCHP) narrow the school readiness gap in the UK?
Pamela Park, a charity Deputy Chief Executive from Cricklewood, travelled to Ireland and the USA to investigate ways of improving school readiness for vulnerable children.
-
Developing leadership in disadvantaged young people through education
Rachael Owhin, from Wembley, and Head of Programmes at the Powerlist Foundation, who travelled to Ghana, South Africa and the USA to explore programmes fostering...
-
Using social media to communicate science: creating a practical toolkit
Anthony Lewis, a multimedia producer, graphic designer and science communicator from Camden, travelled to Canada and the USA to explore approaches to teaching science...
-
Exploring Approaches to Nutritional Education & Financial Literacy for Application in Large Scale Youth Programmes
Hiten Jethwa, from Streatham, and a Programme Manager for a large scale youth programme, travelled to the USA to investigate approaches to nutritional education and...
-
Including forcibly displaced students in higher education: What can the UK learn from Canada and Kenya?
Dr Helen Hanna, a university lecturer from Leeds, travelled to Canada and Kenya to explore approaches to refugee inclusion within higher education.
-
Developing a scholar in residence programme for UK primary schools
Joanna Ebner, a Headmistress from London, travelled to Australia and the USA to investigate the role of scholars in residence in supporting primary school teachers'...
-
Turning 180 Degrees: The Potential of Prison University Partnerships to Transform Learners into Leaders
Nina Champion, Head of Policy at the Prisoners' Education Trust, travelled to Belgium, Denmark, Poland and the USA to explore approaches to improving prison...
-
Revolutionising reading in UK prisons
Neil Barclay, a prison librarian from Plumstead, travelled to the Netherlands, Belgium and Norway to explore the use of e-reading technology in prisons.
-
Jeremy Hall's Story
Jeremy Hall travelled to the USA in 1995 to explore the use of digital business simulations in company training.
-
Education - Fellows' Story Collection
Read more about some of our Fellows' achievements in this area.
-
Exploring Wellbeing Interventions & Outcomes for Vulnerable Children
Sophie Cobb, an assistant head teacher from Bristol, travelled to Canada to explore the development of interventions for the well-being of vulnerable children.
-
Human-scale at scale: cultivating new educational cultures
Thomas Beresford, a project coordinator and researcher from London, travelled to the USA to explore approaches to student-centred learning.
-
Creative museum educators and new approaches to museum learning
Sarah Campbell is Head of Learning Programmes at the V&A Museum in London. She travelled to the USA to meet with creative museum educators and review new approaches...
-
Creativity and Science Education
Support from the WCMT enabled Rick to visit South Korea and India in October and December 2016, to research the teaching and learning of STEM subjects (Science,...
-
The Story Project: supporting young peoples' mental health through literacy
Olivia Richards, an English teacher and co-founder of The Story Project, travelled to the USA and Canada to explore supporting young peoples' mental health through...
-
Investigating best practice for science research in a high-school setting
Dr James Perkins, a physics teacher and head of science at Queen Elizabeth's Grammar School in Faversham, travelled to North America and Germany to investigate best...
-
Schools which capture and inspire boys' learning
Alison McCammon, a senior teacher from Belfast, travelled to Australia and Canada to investigate schools which capture and inspire boys' learning.
-
Approaches to problem-solving in maths
Anna Cooper, a maths specialist from Beckenham, will be travelling to Australia and Japan to investigate new approaches to problem-solving in maths.
-
Timber frame architecture, construction techniques and energy conservation
Chris travelled along the east and west coasts of the USA and Canada, visiting a number of organisations specialising in timber and steel lightweight construction.
-
Connecting scientists and the public in online dialogues about science
Heather Doran, a project officer from Aberdeen, travelled to China, Japan and the USA to investigate best practice in connecting scientists and the public in online...
-
Exploring literacy interventions in Canada
Leda Dadkhah, a dyslexia specialist teacher from Lambeth, travelled to Canada to explore literacy interventions for dyslexic pupils.
-
Preventing rather than closing the gap in Mathematics
Andrew Smith, a primary school deputy headteacher from Wandsworth, travelled to China, Hong Kong and Taiwan to explore strategies for boosting pupils' attainment in...
-
Nurturing student creativity to promote independent, employable learners
Lauren Grunwell, a secondary English teacher from Leeds, travelled to Denmark and Finland to investigate ways in which nurturing student creativity can promote...
-
Walking on Water: Making it possible for young people to learn computing skills regardless of circumstance
-
Best practice in tackling racial inequality in education
'They Just Don't Know' is a report that explores new and pioneering approaches to tackling racial injustice in education.