Time to listen to the experts again
Our (Ian Cushing and I) British Academy/Leverhulme project has led so far to two publications, both open access. The first is the overview research article published in the British Educational Research Journal in December 2025, based on our analysis of data generated with 42 teacher educators across England during 2023 – 24. ‘These reforms have teeth’ brings together policy enactment research and affect theory in examining the 2022 initial teacher education reforms in England under the Boris Johnson government.
Teacher Education: Time to Listen to the Experts again is a pamphlet for public and policy engagement purposes that was published in June 2025 as an outcome of a workshop with 12 teacher educators (a sub-set of the 42 in the main study) that looked forward to a more positive and optimistic future for the way that teachers are prepared in England. The pamphlet was picked up and reported on by Times Higher Education.
We also spoke to the Department for Education in England in June, 2025 and asked whether the affective dimensions of policy and its impact on people mattered to policy-makers, even when the need for change is regarded as urgent. Their response is noted at the end of the research article!
Viv Ellis 