Stephanie Brewster | University of Wolverhampton (original) (raw)

Uploads

Papers by Stephanie Brewster

Mental Handicap Research, Mar 14, 2023

British Journal of Special Education

The UK government is proposing to replace M-level national award for special educational needs co... more The UK government is proposing to replace M-level national award for special educational needs coordination training, mandated for SENCos in England, with an unaccredited national professional qualification. Such downgrading of their qualification level is intended to significantly increase the number of qualified SENCos; however, this is likely to reduce SENCos' capacity to exercise 'advocacy leadership' in support of students at risk of marginalization and social exclusion. We reject a neoliberal political discourse of continual improvement that neglects the need for critical literacy and research-informed inclusive practice on the part of SENCos, and suggest that endemic exclusionary practices in English schools are more likely to go unchallenged. The move towards nonaccredited SENCo status risks their deprofessionalisation, and this proposal is linked to an academisation agenda and efforts to normalize a trichotomised education system (comprising mainstream, 'special' and 'alternative' provision) by presenting such changes as an improvement.

Education Observatory, University of Wolverhampton, Jul 3, 2020

This is the second annual report which examines education and its associated challenges and issue... more This is the second annual report which examines education and its associated challenges and issues in all phases of education in the Black Country. In the first report in 2019 we focused primarily on analysis of publicly available data, combined with research findings where appropriate, to exemplify various phases and areas of education and employment in the Black Country. We were explicit about our recognition of the limitations of this approach and the deleterious effects that an over-emphasis on measurement and competition have had on schools and colleges in particular. In 2020 the COVID-19 pandemic and associated lockdown hit as we were beginning to pull the report together and made this recognition even clearer. The Black Country is characterised by areas with high levels of disadvantage and poverty and it was reported in June 2020 that three of the Black Country local authority areas (Wolverhampton, Walsall and Sandwell) had the highest proportion of COVID-19 cases in the West Midlands. Therefore, we have devoted much of this report to considerations of the impact of the pandemic so far on all the areas of education we explore, drawing as much as possible on the reflections of practitioners and professionals (gathered through online surveys, conversations and interviews), and speculations about what lessons we can learn for the future

Inclusive Education Perspectives on pedagogy, policy and practice, Apr 28, 2016

How many have disabilities? Take care about judging by appearances of course: not all differences... more How many have disabilities? Take care about judging by appearances of course: not all differences are visible. Ask your friends doing other courses or attending other institutions the same questions. How diverse is the student population on your course and how does this compare to other courses and other institutions? In your opinion, to what extent is our current HE provision still an elite one, or an inclusive one? Why? The context of higher education 'Twenty-one Oxbridge colleges took no black students last year.' So said Jeevan Vasagar, writing for The Guardian in 2010, suggesting the possibility of racism within Oxford and Cambridge Universities. Of course the situation is much more complex than the headline suggests but it highlights the emotive nature of issues to do with access to universities. Issues extend to possible sexism too, understandably, considering that Oxford and Cambridge did not formally award degrees to women until 1920 and 1947 respectively. The tendency for non-traditional students to go to newer, less prestigious universities, rather than accessing the elite institutions of Oxbridge and other older universities (discussed further below) has also fuelled concerns about inequality. Such concerns are based on the assumption that HE benefits individuals in terms of enabling higher earnings, intellectual development, personal growth, access to social networks (Riddell et al, 2005) and so on. We then need to ask 'Are these benefits equally available to disadvantaged/under-represented groups?' Or in other words, is HE fully inclusive? The concept of inclusive education is usually applied to compulsory educational provision, where it is concerned with the "presence, participation and achievement" (Ainscow and Dyson, 2006:25) of all children and young people. But entry to HE has always been, and remains, selective: it is only accessible to those with the right qualifications. It is therefore competitive, unlike most education up to this point which is accessible to all. Nevertheless there is growing support for more inclusive higher education provision, based on equality for Discussion What are the benefits and challenges of a diverse and inclusive HE system…for you as an

University of Wolverhampton, Jul 31, 2019

In the United Kingdom and internationally there is a continuing drive to widen participation in u... more In the United Kingdom and internationally there is a continuing drive to widen participation in university education, to include greater numbers of students from ‘non-traditional’ backgrounds and ‘under-represented’ groups. This has been interpreted in terms of social divisions relating to social class, gender and ethnicity and more recently, disability. Looking at evidence from the UK about recruitment, retention, and degree attainment in relation to these various equality strands we see that, despite the mass expansion of UK higher education (HE), differential patterns of access and outcome remain.

Conference paper, Presented at BELMAS conference in Reading, UK 12/07/2015. funded by the Leaders... more Conference paper, Presented at BELMAS conference in Reading, UK 12/07/2015. funded by the Leadership Foundation for Higher Education

There is considerable evidence of widespread exclusion of disabled people from the labour market ... more There is considerable evidence of widespread exclusion of disabled people from the labour market generally (Bebbington 2009); and in the lifelong learning sector Fullick described a situation of "widespread institutional discrimination against disabled staff" (2008:1). Furthermore, there is a lack of disabled people in senior and leadership positions in the sector. This research project explored how disabled staff in one University perceive leadership, the barriers preventing them from taking on leadership roles and how they could be supported to overcome these challenges. Many participants aspired to leadership and reported positive experiences. But many identified barriers such as the nature of their impairments, lack of appropriate support, inadequate training and development and the competitive organisational culture that could impact on their health and work-life balance. Participants felt that investment in supportive opportunities for professional development was ne...

Educational Management Administration & Leadership, 2016

This article is based on the findings of an externally funded, mixed-methods research project con... more This article is based on the findings of an externally funded, mixed-methods research project conducted at one English university. This small-scale project aimed to examine leadership, barriers to becoming a leader and the support needed to overcome them, from the perspectives of disabled staff. An online questionnaire was sent to all 66 members of staff who had disclosed their disabled status to the university and 22 responses were received. Twelve participants were then interviewed as two focus groups to discuss their views on leadership and its relation to their role. Six more respondents opted for individual face-to-face/telephone interviews. The findings indicated that over half of the respondents were already engaged in ‘formal’ leadership and even more exercised ‘informal’ leadership. This key finding seems to contradict the under-representation of disabled academics in leadership reported in the literature. Despite their engagement in leadership, disabled staff faced several...

Health and Social Care Research Methods in Context

Environmental Education and Information, 1989

Disability & Society, 2013