Interest Groups

A BELMAS Interest Group is a group of BELMAS members engaged in a networking venture to share research, inquiry and knowledge applied to a specific aspect or area of educational leadership, management, administration or policy.

Benefits from participation include:

  • Access to new knowledge, people and potential for developing your own perspectives, critical research and professional activity.
  • Opportunities to collaborate or correspond with colleagues engaged in similar studies, research or activity.
  • Opportunities to attend meetings where project ideas and activities can be shared and invited speakers provide new perspectives on the interests of the group.

The size of RIGs may vary, but the number of members should be sufficient to enable a viable programme of activities to be developed. RIGs are essentially self-managed groups and will continue only so long as their members consider them worthwhile.

*Please note - in order to have full access to a Research Interest Group, you must be a BELMAS member and 'join' the specific group. If you are a BELMAS member and wish to join a RIG, you can tick the relevant boxes alongside the RIG groups on your member profile.

All our current interest groups are below.

Critical Educational Policy and Leadership Studies

We would like to welcome all BELMAS members to this RIG as a place where we can study and practice socially just educational leadership. We go to work and undertake research in an unjust world, and so in our professional practice we would want to give recognition to this, expose what this means and work for a different approach to teaching and learning.

Governance and Governing

The Governance and Governing RIG is open to all those who have an interest in governance in its widest sense, including educational leaders, researchers and research students and governors of schools and colleges.

Doctoral Research Interest Group

The BELMAS Doctoral Research Interest Group (DRIG) is a networking group of educational practitioners interested in the work of doctoral study in the area of Educational Policy, Leadership and Management.

Post 16 Education Leadership & Management

The aim of the P16ELM RIG is to build an international network which will facilitate research and knowledge exchange, develop practice and nurture partnerships between individuals with an interest in Post 16 Education Leadership and Management.

Gender & Educational Leadership

The Gender and Leadership RIG is open to all those who have an interest in gender and leadership in its broadest sense, including educational leaders, researchers and research students.

Structural Reform

This RIG will begin to explore issues around the structuring and restructuring of school systems on a cross-national comparative basis.

Leadership Preparation and Development

This RIG brings together those researching changes in Leadership preparation and development including such areas as social policy, initial teacher education, postgraduate education, COD or NCTL developments.

Parental Engagement and School Leadership

The Parental Engagement and School Leadership Research Interest Group (RIG) brings together established and new scholars in the field, with a particular emphasis on supporting the work and discussion of PhD and EdD students. The RIG aims to meet face to face twice a year, and continue in contact throughout the year through the use of email and social media. These meetings will include members’ presentations about work in progress, as well as allowing time for collaborative work. An overt aim of the group is the support of research students and early career researchers.

Race and Leadership

The Race and Leadership Research Interest Group (RIG) brings together those researching in race and ethnicity, including educational leaders, researchers and research students.

Leadership in Early Years Education Research

The Leadership in Early Years Education Research Interest Group (RIG) is open to all educational leaders, researchers, practitioners and research students who have an interest in furthering understanding of leadership in the Early Years context and fostering strong links between research and practice. The group welcomes participants from all kinds of professional and academic backgrounds, whether specialists from the Early Years sector itself or other interested parties.

Reflective Practitioner

The current educational climate means that sometimes there is not enough time or facilitation for reflective practice in schools and so this RIG aims to provide a place to discuss how this can be made possible and how it can be done effectively. This RIG also helps to bridge the gap between current educational leaders/teachers and the academics who can support them in their practice.

SEND Leadership and Management

The purpose of the SEND RIG is to consider a professional development pathway for leaders of SEND (in a variety of settings) beyond the National SENCO Award to ensure sustainability and retention of trained practitioners.

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