Call for BELMAS Blog Special Issue 1: Conference Reflections and Experiences

Call for Contributions

BELMAS Blog Special Issue on Conference Reflections/Experiences

BELMAS conferences are where the field of Educational Leadership, Management and Administration (ELMA) thinks out loud, as much through corridor conversations and coffee breaks as through keynote panels. But most of this stays unwritten. The insights sparked by a good session, or the connections made between delegates, rarely get shared beyond the people in the room. This Special Issue is a chance to change that, turning those BELMAS conversations into something lasting for the field.

The BELMAS Blog Editorial Board invites 800-word blog posts for a new Special Issue on ‘2026 BELMAS Conference Reflections/Experiences’.

We welcome personal, critical, and reflective contributions on the conference. To help spark ideas, here are some questions and angles you might consider — though these are illustrative rather than exhaustive:

• What idea, paper, or conversation from the BELMAS Conference has stayed with you, and why?
• How did attending the BELMAS Conference shape your thinking, practice, or research direction?
• What tensions or open questions did the Conference surface for the field?
• What was your experience of BELMAS as a first-time attendee, doctoral student, practitioner, or international delegate?
• What did the Conference leave unresolved that deserves further debate?

We warmly welcome submissions from academics at any career stage, doctoral students, school and system leaders, teachers, first-time conference attendees, and international colleagues. First-time bloggers are especially encouraged. The Editorial Board is happy to discuss an idea before you write and offer developmental feedback.

How to Submit

Before submitting, please see our BELMAS Blog Guidelines for advice on structure and tone.

To submit your blog post, please send it to blog@belmas.org.uk by Sunday 18th October 2026 and include in the subject line:

‘Blog Special Issue – 2026 BELMAS Conference Reflections/Experiences’.

We look forward to hearing a wide range of voices and perspectives in this issue.