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It could be argued that the schoolteacher of the twenty-first century in England is largely formed by managerial government policy. Managerialism is concerned with market forces: stressing productive efficiency, producing an elaboration of explicit standards and measures of performance in quantitative terms that set specific targets for personnel, an emphasis on economic rewards and sanctions, and a reconstruction of accountability relationships. (Fitzsimmons, 2005:1) The resonance with teaching is clear; there are explicit standards for classroom teachers, frameworks for each part of the teacher's repertoire, judgment of performance through Ofsted inspection, specific targets set through performance management, and accountability to school league tables. There seems no alternative but to accept managerialism as fundamental to the way things are done because managerialism sees itself as the antidote to chaos and irrationality, leaving no spaces in which autonomy can be contested legitimately. Managerialism has become a 'universalist' ideology in Western society in that it is applied to all organisations, not just businesses, and schools are by no means exempt. Presented as the singular discourse, managerialism renders contest irrelevant, resistance to the status quo illogical, and questioning unnecessary.

This paper explores the role of teacher educators in schools and universities in England and the changes that have arisen within the field of Initial Teacher Training (ITT) as a result of the Coalition government's (2010 onwards) School Direct initiative. The discussion which follows and the conclusions suggested are live, current and of pivotal interest to all universities with ITT programmes, as well as all schools involved in the delivery of ITT, and all parties with a policy interest in the supply of effective teacher education. After setting the context, the discussion starts with a critical examination of ITT policy in England over the course of the last 20 years. We then consider troubling binaries inherent in teacher education and go on to explore insights from research: the importance of beliefs; the problem of enactment; the theory/practice divide. These are then used to craft the enabling constraints for third-space activity designed to set in motion a hybridisation process from which a new breed of teacher educator could emerge. We suggest that university and school colleagues working together in collaborative partnership can provide a principled pedagogical path through a changing landscape of education policy.

The government Implementation Plan 'Training our next generation of outstanding teachers' (2011:8) suggests that 'we will … require university ITT (Initial Teacher Training) providers to involve schools fully in their provision'. In 2012, the University involved in this research looked to experiment with an innovative way of embedding a University programme in a school. This research inquiry investigated this unique experiment, focusing on project evaluation as seen by key stakeholders. The political climate surrounding teacher education in England changed rapidly following the start of the project, and the experiment of school-embedded provision was not continued after July 2013. The research project therefore took on a new dimension as a source interest for those endeavouring to forge successful partnerships between schools and HEIs (Higher Education Institutions).

In this paper we suggest that teacher educators in higher education institutions (HEIs) in England are not fully convinced that teaching should be a Masters profession. The original engagement with Masters-level provision for student teachers in England seems to have been founded on a technicality rather than a committed philosophical stance as to the value of Masters for the teaching profession. The alignment of postgraduate qualifications across Europe (Bologna Declaration; European Commission 1999) highlighted a misnomer that had been used without question for years; the Postgraduate Certificate in Education did not include any Masters-level study and should not assume that title. Thus HEIs offering the Postgraduate Certificate in Education decided to resolve this dilemma by including Masters-level credits in their postgraduate programmes. Subsequently, the Children's Plan (Department for Children, Schools and Families 2007, para. 4.24, p. 88) stated that: 'to help fulfil our high ambitions for all children, and to boost the status of teaching still further, we now want it [teaching] to become a masters-level profession', indicating the Labour Government's intention at that time to endorse a move to teaching as a Masters profession in England. For the Labour Government (1997–2010), Masters study was conceptualised in the form of the Masters in Teaching and Learning and was seen in practical terms: 'The Masters in Teaching and Learning (MTL) is a practice-based masters programme designed to help teachers gain the knowledge and skills they need to have a real impact in the classroom' (Training and Development Agency for Schools [TDA] 2010). In December 2010 in a letter to the TDA, Michael Gove, Education Secretary of the new Coalition Government, withdrew central funding for the MTL. However he seemed to imply in this letter (Times Educational Supplement 2010) that a connection between teaching and Masters-level study would still be on this government's agenda: 'The quality of teaching and teachers' professional development are of the utmost importance and I am committed to developing a strong culture of professional development where more teachers acquire postgraduate qualifications like masters and doctorates.' It is against this shifting political scene that teacher educators present Masters study to student and practising teachers. The project reported in this paper takes a point in time when teacher educators from across England came together to discuss this issue and consider their position with respect to teaching as a Masters profession.

The research presented here builds on an original pilot project which reported on the introduction of PGCE (Postgraduate Certificate in Education) Masters level programmes in England. A major finding of the pilot project was that Masters was by no means embedded as a positive perception in the minds of student teachers or indeed teacher educators and one of the recommendations was to "continue the M level debate'. This research concentrates on the continuing perceptions of a range of teacher educators from across the UK, sharing their experiences and working together to make sense of the challenges and opportunities faced in the quest to make teaching a Masters profession. Findings suggest that it remains difficult for teacher educators to propose a definition of "Masters' which satisfies them on a personal or political level. There are hints of a "jargon' of "Mastersness' - expedience rather than conviction, assumption linked with confusion – and a lack of certainty over whether teaching should be a Masters level profession at all. This has led to the main finding of this research which is that the debate on teaching as a Masters profession needs to continue.

AbstractThe aim of this research was to investigate the incidence, types, and causes of injury experienced by a community‐based cohort of family and paid carers of adults with ID (n = 446) in Scotland over a 12‐month period, compared with the age and sex‐matched general population in the same geographical area (n = 1,225). We hypothesized that they would be at an increased risk of injury due to their caring/support role, and particularly as a consequence of caring for adults with ID who present physical aggression. Young and middle‐aged female and older‐aged male carers experienced more injuries in the previous 12 months than did the matched general population, but not significantly so. Contrary to our hypothesis, young and middle‐aged male and older female carers experienced fewer injuries, but this was also not significant. Carers were significantly less likely to experience injury from the use of a tool, implement or equipment (p = .045), and, contrary to our expectations, the carers were not more likely to experience injury from another person's physical aggression (p = .065). Types and causes differed between the carers and the general population. Injuries occur commonly among carers of adults with ID. While carers were not more likely to experience harmful injury from another person's physical aggression, we speculate that the underlying causes of injury are likely to differ between carers and the general population, with the carers being injured due to their carer role. This requires further in‐depth study.

Background  Lack of regular physical activity is globally one of the most significant risks to health. The main aims of this study were to describe the types and levels of regular physical activity undertaken by adults with intellectual disabilities, and to investigate the factors predicting low activity.Materials and Methods  Interviews were conducted with a community‐based sample of adults with intellectual disabilities (n = 433) at two time points. Data hypothesized to be predictive of low levels of activity were collected at time 1. Descriptive data were collected on the frequency and intensity, and actual level of participation in activities at time 2.Results  Only 150 (34.6%) adults with intellectual disabilities undertook any regular activity of at least moderate intensity. This was of shorter duration, compared with the general population. Older age, having immobility, epilepsy, no daytime opportunities, living in congregate care and faecal incontinence were independently predictive of low levels of activity.Conclusions  These results are a step towards informing the development of interventions to promote the health of adults with intellectual disabilities through increased physical activity.

Background  There are no previous studies of the prevalence and incidence of mental ill‐health in adults with profound intellectual disabilities.Method  In this population‐based prospective cohort study, adults with profound intellectual disabilities underwent psychiatric assessment (n = 184), with further assessment after 2 years (n = 131).Results  Point prevalence of mental ill‐health was 52.2% by clinical, 45.1% by Diagnostic Criteria for Psychiatric Disorders for use with Adults with Learning Disabilities (DC‐LD), 10.9% by the ICD‐10 Classification of Mental and Behavioural Disorders Diagnostic Criteria for Research (1993) (DCR‐ICD‐10) and 11.4% by Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition, Text Revision (2004) (DSM‐IV‐TR) criteria. The highest 2‐year incidence rates were for affective disorders (6.1%) and problem behaviours (6.1%). Type of accommodation/support, and the number of preceding life events were predictive of incidents of mental ill‐health, but age, gender, living in areas of greatest deprivation, and having special communication needs were not.Conclusions  Mental ill‐health is more commonly experienced by adults with profound intellectual disabilities than the general population, or other adults with intellectual disabilities, warranting proactive supports/interventions. Predictive factors differ, compared with the general population.