The Buckingham Journal of Education

Teacher Training in England and Wales, 1833–1994

Anthony O’Hear — 2026-04-08

The development of teacher formation in England and Wales from the early 19^th century until 1994 is traced. Throughout the period there has been oscillation between treating teaching as a craft best learned in practice and as a discipline requiring university based academic study in education. The apprenticeship schemes of the early 19th century were gradually replaced by colleges dedicated to teacher training and university departments of education, themselves somewhat distinct in emphasis. By the mid 1970s a university degree and a state teaching certificate had became mandatory for teachers in state schools. But following much canvassed dissatisfaction with teaching in state schools, by the 1990s there were moves back to a school-based system of teacher training.

A Brief History of the Literature Paper in the Cambridge Proficiency in English Examination (CPE) 1913–2002: Have They Thrown the Baby out with the Bath Water?

Alain J.E. Wolf — 2026-04-08

This study aims to explore the historical development of the literature paper in the Cambridge Proficiency examination (CPE) from its beginning in 1913 to its discontinuation in 2002. The research draws inspiration from research notes published in 2013 and 2002 (Weir, 2002, 2013) as well as from personal communication with the Archives team at Cambridge Assessment. Based on an understanding of writing educational history from a moral and pedagogical perspective (Williams, 2005), the study provides a critical account of how and why the literary paper of the CPE was discontinued in 2002. The subsequent analysis of examination types is informed by past literature papers from the Cambridge Lower Certificate in English (CLCE, 1972) and the 1975 paper from the CPE. It shows that both the CLCE and CPE examination questions, despite criticism that they did not assess candidates’ language ability (Carter and Long, 1990), enabled candidates to situate themselves critically in relation to academic secondary sources, a main characteristic of academic writing (Wolf, 2024). Finally, the article looks at the pedagogical implications of using tried and tested as well as recent language-based tests of comprehension (see Bauer et al., 2022) in the context of literature testing. It is found that language-based tests encourage and reliably test readers’ interpretive skills through focusing on their understanding of the wider meaning of literary texts.

How State Schools in England Improved Rapidly After 2010

Barnaby Lenon — 2026-04-08

Youth Work Rediscovered in a School Context: Understanding the Needs of Excluded Young People and Their Families by Seeing Beyond the Professional

Richard Evea — 2026-04-08

This article considers ongoing concerns about the difference in schooling outcomes between educationally disengaged (mostly excluded) students and their peers. Consecutive state funded secondary schooling models appear to be struggling to address this (Edwards 2018; Farouk and Edwards 2021). We suggest that this has been exacerbated in part by an outdated curriculum (see Edwards and Palmer 2021; House of Commons 2017) and overreliance on the punishment and deficit focussed responses written into many behaviour policies (Edwards and Farouk 2024). While these policies may, they argue, promote best conditions for teaching, inappropriate responses to dis-engagement and disruptive behaviour may be making the issue worse. We therefore consider the role that youth work might play in addressing these concerns. Specifically, we look at youth work through the lens of a civic activity as part of upbringing (Davies 2016; Edwards and Evea 2025) emerging from within community and family relationships that may provide a way forward. Drawing on our own experiences of implementing youth work practices in and with Senior Leadership Teams in secondary schools, we demonstrate how youth work practices can enhance the educational and personal development outcomes of students who are, or who are in danger of becoming disengaged with their education, particularly those facing school exclusions. Furthermore, we argue youth work can be used to help resolve some of the issues created by a rigid and inflexible education system with its over-reliance on zero tolerance behaviour policies.

The National Education Museum

Jean Roberts — 2026-04-08

Putting the Child Back at the Centre

Mark Deacon — 2026-04-08