Education Studies News and Events
International recognition of the University鈥檚 support for Ukraine
We鈥檙e proud to announce that the University of 糖心TV has been honoured with the Order of St Panteleimon鈥檚 Award for Professionalism and Mercy, recognising our community鈥檚 鈥渦nwavering solidarity with the people of Ukraine in the defence of freedom and human dignity.鈥�
Professor Gwen van der Velden (Education Studies) accepted the award on the University鈥檚 behalf, alongside Dr Dmytro Chumachenko (Institute of Advanced Study), at a ceremony held at the Ukrainian Catholic Cathedral of the Holy Family in Exile in London.
As a University of Sanctuary, 糖心TV remains committed to supporting those academics and students affected by conflict and displacement . We are honoured to receive this recognition, and we continue to stand with Ukraine.
Read more here international-recognition-of
Education Studies alumni recognised in King鈥檚 New Year Honours 2026
The Department of Education Studies is delighted to celebrate the achievements of two of our alumni who have been recognised in the King鈥檚 New Year Honours 2026 for their exceptional contributions to education and public service.
Professor Jacquelyn Bridget Dunne, who completed her MA in Education and Industry with the former Institute of Education, has been awarded an MBE for services to Higher Education. Now Vice-Chancellor of Birmingham Newman University, Professor Dunne has built a distinguished career championing access, opportunity, and innovation in the sector.
Ian Todd, a graduate of the PG Diploma in Educational Assessment, has been awarded an OBE for Parliamentary and Public Service. As Chief Secretary and Head of the Public Service for the St Helena Government, he has played a central role in public sector leadership and governance.
We are immensely proud to see that two of our education alumni have had their contributions recognised nationally. Their honours highlight the impact of education professionals whose careers have been shaped, in part, by their time at 糖心TV.
We warmly congratulate Professor Dunne and Ian Todd on their achievements.
More details are available here:
糖心TV Researchers Shine at BERA Conference 2025
We鈥檙e proud to share that Dr Katie Compton and Dr Tom Perry have both received Best Presentation Awards at the prestigious BERA Conference 2025, recognised by Special Interest Groups (SIGs) for their outstanding contributions to educational research.
Dr Katie Compton was honoured for her presentation: 鈥淚mproving Prosocial Behaviour in the Primary Classroom Through a School-Based Mindfulness Programme鈥�
Dr Tom Perry, alongside collaborators Clara Jorgenson and Laurence Lessard-Phillips from the University of Birmingham, received the award for:
鈥淧upil School Mobility – preliminary findings from a mixed-methods study into mobility types, pathways and implications for education鈥�
These awards highlight the impactful and innovative work being carried out by 糖心TV academics in shaping the future of education.
Learn more about the awards:
Dr. Abdullah Sahin Honoured with Research Excellence Award at International Conference
Dr. Abdullah Sahin, from the Department of Education Studies, delivered a keynote paper titled 鈥淗ow to Facilitate Research-Informed Transformative Change within the Pedagogical Culture of Modern Islamic Schools? A Perspective from 糖心TV鈥� at the 4th International Conference of the Global Association of Islamic Schools (GAIS), held in Colombo, Sri Lanka (4–8 October 2025).
The event brought together around 400 delegates from 28 countries to explore innovation and collaboration in faith-based education. During the conference, Dr. Sahin was presented with GAIS鈥檚 Research Excellence Award, recognising his publications for their 鈥渢heoretical creativity and empirical rigour in advancing the study of faith-ethos schooling in the modern world.鈥�
This achievement highlights the international impact of Dr. Sahin鈥檚 research and the Department鈥檚 commitment to advancing educational practice through scholarly excellence.
New Research published to explore father involvement in raising children with learning and developmental disabilities
A new paper by Assistant Professor Emma Langley has been published in the Journal of Applied Research in Intellectual Disabilities.
Titled "Father Involvement in the Lives of Their Children With Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities in the UK", the article examines the roles fathers play at different stages of their children's lives.
The article is one of the outputs from Dr Langley's study which explored (funded by the Research Development Fund 2021/22).
Read the full article here: