The Centre wins prestigious ‘Public Engagement and Impact Award’

We are delighted to share news that the Centre has won the British Educational Research Association (BERA) 2020 Public Engagement and Impact Award.

This Award recognises and celebrates the impact of research and practice in the education community and how both have demonstrably engaged the public.

The Centre won the Team Award for our work on tackling widespread myths and misconceptions about the Holocaust through teacher training and sustained support for schools: through our CPD programmes, research publications, KS3 history textbook and classroom materials.

The team awarded this year includes the Centre’s Dr Alice Pettigrew, Professor Stuart Foster, Dr Becky Hale, Dr Andy Pearce, Dr Eleni Karayianni and Dr Arthur Chapman.

Dr Pettigrew said: “I am really delighted that BERA have recognised the work of our Centre in this way. One of the things I have always most valued in working as part of this team is its absolute and ongoing commitment to producing research that can – and does – directly inform and support creative classroom practice and that is immediately relevant to teacher and student needs and concerns.”

The Centre’s Executive Director, Professor Foster said:

“We are very honoured to receive the prestigious BERA (British Educational Research Association) Public Engagement and Impact Award. The award recognises the outstanding work of everyone at the Centre in ensuring that our research, teaching programmes and resources continue to have a major impact on teaching and learning about the Holocaust in school across the country. It is also testament to the commitment and engagement of thousands of hard-working teachers who collaborate with us.”

For the purposes of this Award, ‘public engagement’ is broadly defined as activities that bring research and/or researchers and the public (or specific groups within the public) together. It is more than just disseminating research – effective public engagement is about two-way communication, with the researchers listening to and learning from participants or other stakeholders at different stages in the research process.

‘Impact’ is broadly defined as an effect on, change or benefit to the economy, society, culture, public policy or services, health, the environment or quality of life, beyond academia. It includes, but is not limited to, an effect on, change or benefit to:

the activity, attitude, awareness, behaviour, capacity, opportunity, performance, policy,
practice, process or understanding; of an audience, beneficiary, community, constituency, organisation or individuals; in any Geographic location whether locally, regionally, nationally or internationally.

The Awards judging criteria considered the

Relevance of the work to the strategic objectives of BERA
Quality of the work undertaken to facilitate public engagement/realise impact
Originality of the approach adopted in engaging the public/realising impact
Significance and contribution of the work (e.g. evidence of impact for stakeholders/research users – such as children and young people, practitioners, policy-makers)

Learn more about the BERA award, the Centre’s research and work supporting teachers and schools here: