In the REF2021 results announced today, the submission by the School of Education, Communication & Society confirmed us as the leading education institution for research in London.

Other highlights of our results under the Education Unit of Assessment (UoA) for REF2021 include:

• Our research environment was highly rated, with 100% at 4* and 3*.
• Over 80% of our publications were rated 4* and 3*.
• 87.5% of our impact case studies received the top rating (4*), and 12.5% a 3* rating.
• We maintained our position in the top 10% of UK universities submitting to the Education Unit of Assessment.

Our submission drew on work from our three research centres, representing our many strengths at the intersections of education, communication and society. This included research on:

• pedagogies, engagement and participation in formal and informal STEM and environmental education settings, including the use of tangible, digital and physical objects in inclusive learning;
• language learning and teaching, including work on inequality and linguistic diversity;
• the theorisation of shifting communication practices in the digital sphere, health settings, multi-ethnic communities and other contexts; and
• the analysis of policy process and effects, and related work practices and values, in education, youth work and children’s social care.

These strengths are being sustained by a rich array of ongoing projects, including: girls’ participation in computer science; linguistic analysis of Arabic and English natural conversation; and young people’s education-to-work transitions.

Members of the School are grateful for the awards from Research Councils and charities that have made their research possible, including the ESRC, British Academy, Nuffield, Leverhulme and Wellcome.