Although educational researchers will acknowledge that they have a moral imperative to avoid harming their participants whilst carrying out research, it does not necessarily mean that they can describe the nature of what this harm might be or how it can be recognised and so avoided. This is particularly important for those working with vulnerable…

True to the field of Cultural Disability Studies in Education (CDSE), this project adopts an explicitly interdisciplinary approach in order to explore representations of disability and the related social attitudes and experiences. Disability studies and radio studies are brought together to predicate and inform the analysis of a sample of…

After the 1992 Further and Higher Education Reform Act enabled polytechnics and the qualifying franchised colleges to be renamed universities or higher education institutions, the dominance of the rhetoric of skill development aggravated long-standing schisms between further and higher education about whether or not degree-level courses should be…

Progression from a foundation degree to an honours degree has become an increasingly popular pathway through higher education. The route creates dual institution scenarios in which students can progress from a further education institution to a higher education institution. This paper reports on research into the academic and social integration of…

The introduction of applied diplomas for 14-19-year-olds from September 2008 in England is leading to increased numbers of young people of current school age (14-16) attending further education (FE) colleges, where aspects of these new qualifications are taught. Although students aged 14 and 15 have previously attended FE, the numbers involved are…

The unprecedented degree of attention given to the learning and skills sector in England by successive New Labour governments has led to a significant increase in what is expected of the teaching workforce. To help meet these expectations, a "step change" in the quality of initial teacher training for the sector is promised, alongside…

Fifteen years ago further education (FE) colleges in England were removed from local education authority (LEA) control and re-formed as "FE corporations". Now, it is proposed that, from 2010, local authorities will become re-involved in the running of FE. Given such a prospect, this article takes the opportunity to look back at colleges…

Initial teacher training for post-compulsory education in England is currently undergoing profound change in terms of central direction of curricula and the provision of financial support for trainees. Within a discourse of the "professionalisation" of teaching in the sector, unprecedented control of the detailed structure and content of…

Sustainability is now a key concept in both government policy and wider global concerns. Issues of climate change and global warming can no longer be ignored in teacher education programs in the post-compulsory education and training sector. Government policy-makers, notably the Department for Education and Skills (DfES), Learning Skills Council…

The aim of this paper is to discuss the risks and challenges associated with the "lived experience" of delivering a foundation degree in health and social care in Kent, UK, in order to enter the debate on successful responses to Government initiatives for expanding intermediate education provision in higher education institutes (HEIs).…

Further education has very different accreditation arrangements than the higher education sector. There are no convincing rationales for these differences; they stem from history, and have often arisen as a result of other decisions on the organization and funding of the two sectors. The overlapping territory between further and higher education…

Many countries, including the US and England, have developed sub-degree institutions within tertiary education--community colleges, further education colleges, and related institutions in other countries. The policy question is whether the differentiation of tertiary education has been a wise development, and whether the benefits--greater access…