Just Published – Educational Futures Volume 16 Issue 2

Welcome to Volume 16 Issue 2 of Educational Futures, our second volume for 2025. This is the seventh edition under the co-editorship of Zeta Williams-Brown (University of Wolverhampton) and Stephen Dixon (Birmingham Newman University), and the fourth under the association’s name of TIESA. This has been an extremely busy year for the journal, with a record number of submissions (57 and counting at the time of writing this Foreword), and the indexing of all past editions in the Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ). Furthermore, Educational Futures has now also been submitted for indexing to both the Web of Science and EBSCO, the latter of which would allow all articles to be searched in bibliographic databases such as Education Research Complete and the British Education Index. As ever, we would never complete any edition without the valuable assistance of Stephen Ward, as publisher of the journal and as a member of the Editorial Board. We are delighted to be able to offer readers a full edition, thanks to the hard work of the authors, reviewers and TIESA Executive Committee members, with five journal articles and a book review.

Our first article is a fascinating paper by Victoria Green and Tristan Middleton of the University of Gloucestershire, exploring the perceptions of teachers and teaching assistants concerning the strengths and challenges encountered in effective provision for learners identified with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND). The paper takes a case-study approach within one primary school in the South-West of England, and the findings highlight particular areas of importance, such as high-quality teaching, continuing professional development (CPD), collaboration and communication, as well as the value of inter-staff relationships in developing provision for all learners. As well as offering important prompts for thinking in relation to the way in which national policy needs to focus in order to develop provision, these will be of interest to headteachers, SENCos and teachers when considering their own school practices.

Reflecting the international focus of TIESA, our second article is by Habib AlBadawi, from the Lebanese University in Lebanon. The study examines the integration of digital technology in early education, focusing on its cognitive, physical, and psychosocial impacts on children in Lebanese governmental schools. Adopting a mixed-methods approach, the study’s findings reveal that moderate technology use (1-2 hours daily) enhances problem-solving and creativity but may negatively impact attention span and physical health. As such, the study proposes evidence-based recommendations for educators, policy-makers, and parents to optimise technology use while safeguarding children’s holistic development.

Our third article is another international submission. Maria Karamanidou, from the University of Limassol in Cyprus, has written a systematic review of the challenges faced by primary school teachers in Cyprus. In findings that will chime with many working in primary settings in the UK and further afield, issues such as excessive workloads, limited teaching resources, difficulties in implementing inclusive education, student behavioural issues, and frequent shifts in educational policy are identified. These findings suggest that high workloads, insufficient support, and policy volatility contribute to teacher stress and burnout, while inadequate resources, especially in rural areas, limit pedagogical innovation. The paper concludes by recommending long-term, evidence-informed reforms that invest in teacher development, emotional support structures, and equitable resource allocation, as these changes are essential for building a resilient and effective primary education system in Cyprus.

Our next (and fourth) article is a wonderful paper from Kaytie Holdstock from the University of Worcester in which she interrogates cultural representation within the primary art curriculum, exposing the enduring dominance of Eurocentric narratives and the marginalisation of minority ethnic artists in classroom practice. Drawing on critical race theory and critiques of the artistic canon, the study explores how systemic inequalities are perpetuated through curriculum choices, often under the guise of cultural appreciation. Utilising an online questionnaire distributed to 22 primary educators, Kaytie identifies the artists and cultural practices they include in their teaching, alongside perceived barriers to delivering a more representative curriculum. The study highlights how cultural art is often reduced to decontextualised activities that reinforce stereotypes and risk cultural appropriation, and calls for systemic change, advocating for both teacher empowerment and a flexible, child-centred curriculum that reflects Britain’s cultural diversity.

Our fifth and final article is a fascinating and reflective opinion piece from Louise Fulcher-Insull, a qualified and practising Special School teacher from Worcestershire, and Zeta Williams-Brown from the University of Wolverhampton. In synthesising literature on Bronfenbrenner’s bio-ecological model and inclusive education, augmented by the authors’ personal and professional reflections, the paper explores the perceived inclusive education experiences of children with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND). The study evidences the complexity of multiple influences on children’s experiences, highlighting that these children are consistently at heightened risk of exclusion from and within educational settings. The authors explore the impact of individual ecology and identify ecological risks within two themes: societal and school risks, and discuss international developments in inclusive education before focusing on the standards-driven education system in England. The study concludes by highlighting the critical importance of interpersonal relationships in supporting inclusive practices.

Finally, our TIESA Blog Editor, Verity Aitken from Nottingham Trent University, has kindly written a book review for this edition, on Learner Voices, Perspectives, and Positioning: Providing agency to empower learning, edited by Simon Taylor and Seán Bracken. Verity highlights how the book shifts away from limited notions of student voice, such as committee representation and learning surveys, to a more expansive and exploratory meaning, where the semantic shift from ‘voice’ to ‘voices’ helps to focus on multiplicity, diversity and difference. As an edited volume, the book is formed of contributions from a range of authors connected variously to the Education team at Worcester University, including students and alumni. Beginning with the philosophy of education, chapters cover issues such as the limitations of metrics, the importance of narrative, issues of social justice and equity, and how learner voices can bring about change. Verity argues that there is no doubt that this book is an important addition to the discipline of Education Studies.

We hope you enjoy this edition of Educational Futures and we welcome contributions to our future volumes for any of our three sections: traditional academic articles, teaching excellence articles and book reviews. If you are new to researching and have an article or piece of work you think we might find interesting, then please contact Julia Everitt for her opinion on getting published in Transformations (contact details are available on the TIESA website). The next edition is planned to coincide with next year’s TIESA annual conference at the University of Wolverhampton, of which more details will be posted on the website in the new year.