School of Education at Durham University

27/05/2026

Progress to Postgrad: Your Next Move Matters

Join our panel of experts to find out more about staying on at Durham for postgraduate study.

Have you heard about our alumni discount? Do you want to delve deeper into your current subject, or further enhance your career prospects by exploring a whole new field of study? Join us to hear from students who have been in your shoes, find out how to apply and what financial support is available - your next move could be closer than you think!

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01/05/2026

🎉 Congratulations to Dr Yan Chen 陈嫣博士, who has successfully passed her PhD viva!

Dr Chen's research — "Understanding Students' Resilience: Teachers' Moral Judgements and Institutional Limits in Chinese Rural County-Seat Boarding High Schools" — offers important insights into the resilience of students in rural Chinese boarding schools. It's a proud moment for the School of Education at Durham University.

A huge congratulations also goes to the supervisory team: first supervisor Associate Professor Dr Cora Lingling Xu, second supervisor Assistant Professor Dr Antonia Manresa, and Professor Prue Holmes, who served as second supervisor before her retirement.

Thanks to external examiner Dr Siqi Zhang 张思齐博士, internal examiner Dr Anna Llewellyn, and viva chair Professor Mike Fleming for their vital contributions to this milestone.

Well done, Dr Chen! 🌟

23/04/2026

Prepare for a world-class
university education

Spend 10 days living and studying
at Durham University, engaging with
new ideas in a range of disciplines,
exploring our historic city and
connecting with students from
around the world.

The Global Futures Summer School is a
residential programme for students
aged 16-17 including:

▪ Seminars taught by Durham academics
▪ College accommodation and
full supervision
▪ Cultural visits and evening activities

Deadline for applications is Friday 8 May 2026.

https://www.durham.ac.uk/departments/academic/education/cpd/global-futures-summer-school/

16/04/2026

Why some children with learning difficulties get identified – and others don’t

The Conversation UK recently published an article by Associate Professor Dr J***y Daniel.

Read the article here:

Boys were twice as likely as girls to be identified with specific learning difficulties

26/02/2026

Inequalities in spotting learning difficulties in schoolchildren

A major study has found that specific learning difficulties (SpLDs) like dyslexia are not being identified equally among school pupils in England.

The research by Durham and Oxford universities, which examined data from over half a million pupils, raises questions about fair access to support.

The findings show that a child in one school could be considered to have a specific learning difficulty whereas a child with the same academic achievement in another school may not be spotted.

Read more on our website:
www.durham.ac.uk/news-events/latest-news/2026/02/specific-learning-difficulties-identification/

The study was led by Dr J***y Daniel from our School of Education working with colleagues at Durham and the University of Oxford.

A major study has found that specific learning difficulties (SpLDs) like dyslexia are not being identified equally among school pupils in England.

20/02/2026

Join us for the upcoming School of Education research event:

Assessing Maths Lesson planning among Chinese Pre-Service Teachers Through Comparative Judgment

Presented by
Dr Wenping Zhang
Hangzhou Normal University

Wednesday 18 February at 1:00pm
The event will be held in room CB1017 and is an in-person event olny.

https://www.durham.ac.uk/departments/academic/education/about-us/events/research-seminar--25-february-2026/

Abstract

Recognised as a fundamental teaching competence, lesson planning quality is crucial for preservice teachers. This study aimed to develop and explore a robust method for assessing the lesson plans of 33 Chinese preservice secondary mathematics teachers (PSMTs), using the Mathematical Knowledge for Teaching (MKT) framework. Participants submitted a mind map of lesson planning in general, and a written lesson plan on the topic of algebraic expressions, which were evaluated by 11 expert teachers using a Comparative Judgement (CJ) approach, supplemented by feedback collected via a questionnaire. Preliminary findings indicate a key imbalance: PSMTs demonstrated greater strength in Subject Matter Knowledge (SMK) compared to their Pedagogical Content Knowledge (PCK). The higher-performing lesson plans, however, showed distinct evidence of more sophisticated pedagogical reasoning, particularly in the Knowledge of Content and Curriculum (KCC) subdomain. The study's results provide actionable suggestions from expert teachers for PSMTs' future development.

Recognised as a fundamental teaching competence, lesson planning quality is crucial for preservice teachers. This study aimed to develop and explore a robust method for assessing the lesson plans of 33 Chinese preservice secondary mathematics teachers (PSMTs), using the Mathematical Knowledge for Te...

13/02/2026

Join us for the upcoming School of Education research event:

More-than-human education governance and AI: analytical tools for policy

Presented by
Dr Francesca Peruzzo
School of Education, University of Birmingham

Wednesday 18 February at 1:00pm

The event will be held in room CB1017 and on Teams

https://www.durham.ac.uk/departments/academic/education/about-us/events/research-seminar-18-february-2026/

Abstract

Education governance is being reorganised through the rise of Artificial Intelligence (AI), data infrastructures and automated decision-making. Rather than treating AI as a tool that enhances human policy rationality, this talk adopts a more-than-human approach to analyse how platforms, algorithms and data reconfigure agency, cognition and accountability in education systems. Drawing from Science and Technology Studies, New Materialisms, and education policy research, I introduce post-anthropocentrism, symbiosis and affectivity as three analytical tools to diagnose how AI participates in governing beyond the human. Using cases from England and Italy, I contrast extractive and inequitable algorithmic assemblages with convivial, community-led experiments, making the argument that AI produces cognitive-affective configurations of governance that cannot be understood through fairness, efficiency or human-centric policy frameworks alone. A more-than-human approach offers a way to theorise these transformations and opens space for more democratic and convivial futures in Critical EdTech Studies and education policy.

09/02/2026

Are you a Durham student who is thinking about career options once you graduate? Have considered training to be a teacher?

Come along to our PGCE information session for current Durham students.

Hear from recent graduates.

Speak to staff.

Find out about our 10% alumni discount and other funding.

Ask any questions.

Snacks provided.

📆 Tuesday 10 February 2026.

🕣 Drop in any time between 4:30pm and 6pm.

📍School of Education Reception, Confluence Building.

06/02/2026

Join us for the upcoming School of Education research event:

How has school segregation by poverty changed in the Northeast of England, 2007-2024?

Presented by
Professor Nadia Siddiqui
School of Education, Durham University

Wednesday 11 February at 1:00pm

The event will be held in room CB1017 and on Teams

Abstract

School segregation by poverty remains a key concern in England, particularly in the Northeast, the region with the highest levels of socioeconomic disadvantage. This paper examines trends in segregation by Free School Meal (FSM) eligibility between 2007 and 2024 across 12 local authorities, comparing regional patterns with national trends. The findings show an overall decline in segregation, broadly in line with national changes, although several local authorities remain persistently above the national level. Higher levels of segregation are associated with lower average attainment at Key Stages, indicating the educational costs of concentrated poverty. Regression analysis suggests that local authority–level segregation contributes modest but consistent explanatory power in predicting attainment. Overall, the findings highlight the potential role of reducing school segregation in addressing regional attainment inequalities in the Northeast.

30/01/2026

Another kind of student debt is entrenching inequality.

The Conversation has recently published an article by Dr Cora Lingling Xu on Time Inheritance.

Having more time allows some students to explore their interests.