This text presents an informative overview of Conservative-led education policy over the last 14 years. The book provides a broad and detailed picture of the developing education landscape in England during this period, highlighting the transformational and sometimes ‘radical’ reforms that the country has seen.
Crucially, the book draws together contributions from over 40 esteemed education researchers working in the UK. The chapters showcase work from a range of experienced and early career researchers, ensuring original, thought-provoking and evidence-informed perspectives as we examine the impact of recent policy and explore how it might develop into the future. Key thematic areas covered include:
Restructuring and governing the system Teaching policy, practice and professionalism Confronting the challenges of inclusion and inequality Steering and transforming the curriculum and assessment
This timely collection will interest students at all levels, researchers, education professionals and policymakers. It sheds important light on this tumultuous era for education policy, and will inform those interested in this area for years to come.
Edited by:
Rebecca Morris,
Thomas Perry
Imprint: Routledge
Country of Publication: United Kingdom
Dimensions:
Height: 234mm,
Width: 156mm,
Weight: 560g
ISBN: 9781032866796
ISBN 10: 1032866799
Pages: 286
Publication Date: 28 August 2025
Audience:
College/higher education
,
Professional and scholarly
,
Primary
,
Undergraduate
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Active
1. Introduction: 2010-2024: an Era of Change for Education Policy in England Rebecca Morris and Thomas Perry Section 1 – Restructuring and Governing the System 2. School governance in England from 2010 to 2024: Academies, maintained schools and the changing roles of central and local government Anne West, David Wolfe and Basma Yaghi 3. Policy Gymnastics: the case of Multi-Academy Trusts Toby Greany, Eleanor Bernardes and Helen Angell 4. Biopolitics and academisation Helen Gunter 5. Free schools in England: standards, social justice and policy evolution Rebecca Morris 6. The grammar school system in England and its potential impacts on educational effectiveness Binwei Lu and Xin Shao 7. Ofsted inspection policy in England 2010-24: despair and complacency at both extremes of the school performance distribution Bernardita Munoz Chereau Section 2 – Teaching Policy, Practice and Professionalism 8. Policy Enactment Theory in ECEC settings: A lens to better understand professional confidence? Lewis Fogarty and Kate Hoskins 9. The importance of teaching – policy on teaching and pedagogy 2010-2024 Daniel Muijs 10. The Evolution of Initial Teacher Training and Education (ITTE) in England (2010-2024) Sarah Emmerson 11. Exploring Education Policy and Reform in England (2010-2024) and the Early Career Framework: The unfolding of an education ‘market’ for teacher development Tanya Ovenden-Hope and Holly Kirkpatrick 12. Evidence-informed policy and practice: where next? Steve Higgins Section 3 - Confronting the Challenges of Inclusion and Inequality 13. The Pupil Premium: a policy that changed the education landscape in England Sally Riordan 14. Fifteen years of Pupil Premium policy in England Nadia Siddiqui and Stephen Gorard 15. Tolerating the intolerable: fundamental British values Umit Yildiz and Vini Lander 16. Project ‘Neutrality’: Counter-Extremism, Political Impartiality and Schooling Reza Gholami 17. Challenging the absence of race and racism in understanding the Black achievement gap in schools Uvanney Maylor 18. The complexity of education policy for pupils with special educational needs and disabilities: issues and prospects in England Brahm Norwich 19. England’s education policy response to the disruption of the COVID-19 pandemic Jake Anders Section 4 - Steering and Transforming Curriculum and Assessment 20. The ecology of curriculum policy: a tale of two curricula... and a more meaningful approach to understanding curriculum Joseph Smith and Mark Priestley 21. Early childhood education policy in England since 2010: an overview Michael Jopling, Sally Riordan, and Lesleann Whiteman 22. Parity-of-participation? Children’s comments on the Primary National Curriculum and Assessment in England from 2014 and into the future Eleanore Hargreaves 23. GCSE reform in England: an overview and critical analysis of policy since 2010 Michelle Meadows and Stuart Cadwallader 24. The English Baccalaureate (EBacc): A critical review of the impact of the EBacc and associated curriculum and accountability reforms on schools, students and teachers Emma Towers, Sharon Gewirtz, Meg Maguire and Eszter Neumann 25. The recurrence of reform in English vocational education: the case of T Levels Kevin Orr and Rachel Terry 26. Fourteen Years of English Education Policy (2010-2024) Thomas Perry and Rebecca Morris
Rebecca Morris is an Associate Professor in the School of Education, Learning and Communication Sciences, University of Warwick. Her research interests include education and social policy, educational disadvantage and inequalities, the teaching workforce, and English/literacy. Thomas Perry is an Associate Professor in the School of Education, Learning and Communication Sciences, University of Warwick. His research and teaching focuses on advancing and connecting education research, policy and practice. This includes research into current policy and practical questions, along with methodological work.
