17 March 2026
Professor Paul Black OBE (1930–2026)
Renowned education researcher Emeritus Professor Paul Black OBE passed away on 16 March 2026, aged 96.
The School of Education, Communication & Society is saddened to announce the death of Emeritus Professor Paul Black OBE, who passed away on 16 March 2026, aged 96.
Professor Black was a renowned educational researcher and former Head of Educational Studies at King’s College London. Trained as a physicist, he became one of the UK’s most influential voices in science education and assessment, shaping the National Curriculum and pioneering Assessment for Learning, now used in classrooms worldwide.
A President of the Association for Science Education and Fellow of the Institute of Physics, Paul was appointed OBE for services to education in 1983. He received the “Distinguished Contributions to Science Education Through Research” award from the National Association for Research in Science Teaching, US in 2004 and the Lawrence Bragg Medal and Prize for Physics Education from the Institute of Physics, UK in 1981.
Colleagues remember him as a brilliant, generous, and quietly inspiring teacher and mentor. He is survived by his large family and a global community of educators influenced by his work.