Marjon Awarded Prestigious BERA Funding for Research on History of Education and Social Justice

Released: 28.06.23

Plymouth Marjon University is thrilled to announce that its team of esteemed researchers has secured a prestigious funding grant from the British Educational Research Association (BERA) Brian Simon Fund. The grant, established in honour of post-war educationalist Brian Simon, will support research projects focusing on the history of education and education and democracy. 

The project, named ‘Far Away from the Ivory Tower: the impact of university education on disadvantaged people and their communities’, will be led by Miles Smith, Associate Dean of the School of Education, and supported by Dr Alan Butler, Dr Tracy Hayes, Dr Mark Leather, Dr Lynne Wyness, Alison Milner, and Marjon archivist, Gillian Fewings. The team have proposed an engaging project that involves collaborating with Marjon alumni to investigate their experiences as students and their access to higher education. Over the coming months, the team will meet with alumni and utilise the University's extensive archive to delve into their unique perspectives. 

Miles Smith, Principal Investigator of the team, said:  

"Through this work, we hope to shed light on what sets Marjon apart as a distinctive place of study, with its ethos of inclusivity and social justice. Simultaneously, we aim to critically reflect on the nature of higher education today, particularly the barriers to inclusion, access, and participation." 

The team intends to exhibit the project's findings within the University, the local region, and beyond. Additionally, they will contribute their research to BERA's esteemed research journal next year, further enriching the academic discourse on the subject. 

Plymouth Marjon University has a rich history of providing education to the disadvantaged and has been transforming lives since its establishment in 1840. Its founders, James Kay-Shuttleworth and Derwent Coleridge, challenged societal norms by offering education to orphans from the local workhouse, breaking the barriers that reserved education for the privileged. The impact of Marjon on disadvantaged backgrounds is evident through Kay-Shuttleworth's pioneering efforts in teacher training, school inspection systems, and pedagogical reforms, which revolutionised education and shaped the teaching profession. 

Professor Claire Taylor, Vice-Chancellor at Marjon, added:  

"I am delighted that colleagues have secured this prestigious grant from the BERA Brian Simon Fund. This grant will support our team's vital research projects and help us continue our mission for social mobility which is central to all that we do at Marjon. Under the leadership of Miles Smith and with the valuable contributions of our colleagues, this research will explore alumni experiences as students and their access to higher education. Through this work, we aim to showcase what sets Marjon apart as a distinctive place of study.” 

Building on its historical legacy, the research team plans to utilise the University’s extensive archive to compare past and present educational practices. The writings of Kay-Shuttleworth and Coleridge, emphasising nature and the interpretation of knowledge, will serve as invaluable references. The research project aims to explore the contributions of Marjon alumni to their communities, emphasising the intersection between social justice and the University's values. 

In exploring current practices in university education, the team’s research project will analyse the approaches to access, participation, and social mobility. By using Plymouth Marjon as a case study, the team seeks to highlight the importance of promoting equity, fairness, social mobility, economic development, diversity, and inclusion in higher education. The University’s dedication to challenging the status quo and advancing social justice in education continues to shape its mission and inspire positive change in the institution’s landscape. 

The proposed outputs of this research project include a BERA blog to share captivating stories, submissions to the British Educational Research Journal (BERJ) and a future BERA Conference, an exhibition of stories and artefacts at a public venue in Plymouth, sharing the research with universities in the Cathedrals Group, a comprehensive report on the impact of university education on disadvantaged people and their communities, and the emergence of presentations and journal articles based on the research's inductive and emergent data. 

Find out more about research at Marjon here, or learn about BERA’s Brian Simon research fund here.