Skip to main content
Back to King's College London homepage

We are a friendly, interdisciplinary research centre, committed to collaborative working.

Our research develops critical analyses of social change and social in/justice in education and other policy arenas, sectors and contexts to inform national and international policy debate, social activism, and personal, professional and organisational learning.

In addition to conducting theoretical and empirical research, we run innovative policy-relevant teaching programmes. We are also interested in promoting and supporting research by, and in partnership with, our students and with policymakers and practitioners from public and third sector organisations and community groups.

Scholarship in CPPR draws on a range of social science and humanities perspectives and methodologies. The Centre has expertise in sociology, anthropology, cultural studies, history and applied philosophy and in participatory, creative and arts-based methodologies.

We are interested in approaches to social and policy analysis that are both critical and problem-solving. Our interest in and interpretation of policy is rooted in a conception of policy as felt, made and remade in everyday life; that is, as co-constitutive of subjectivities and identities. Our research illuminates social and policy processes and effects in a range of global and local contexts, including formal and informal education, health and social care and cultural sector settings.

Our cross-cutting research interests include:

  • Children, youth & society
  • Decoloniality & epistemic justice
  • Emotions & embodiment
  • Ethics & public policy
  • Gender & sexuality
  • Governance, accountability & quality
  • Imagined social futures
  • Inequality & social class
  • Migration & borders
  • Race & racism
  • Rethinking work

CPPR’s work also reflects the School of Education, Community & Society’s overarching research themes of:

  • Curriculum, pedagogy & assessment
  • Diversity, inclusion & social justice
  • Globalisation & identity
  • Professionalism & workplace practice.

Members of CPPR also convene the Higher Education Research Group (HERG@KCL), the King's International Education Research Network and the King's Child/Youth Studies Network.

People

Mariam  Abouelenin

Lecturer in Quantitative Sociology and Social Policy

Eleonora Aiello

PhD Student & Graduate Teaching Fellow

Kate Bancroft

Visiting Lecturer

Katherine Barber

PhD Candidate

Sait Bayrakdar

Research Associate

Sara Black

Lecturer in Education and Society

Projects

Image missing an alt value
'But why is that better?'

''But why is that better?' An investigation of what applied philosophy and ethics can bring to quality improvement work in healthcare'.

Image missing an alt value
Child Marriage in Humanitarian Settings: Integrating the Response to Child Marriage in East Africa

This project will enhance collaboration between civil society and humanitarian actors to end child marriage and support already married girls in East Africa.

Image missing an alt value
Grounded in their lives: Comprehensive stakeholders engagement to change child marriage policy and programming for girls in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region

This project aimed to ensure child marriage policy and programming in the MENA Region is comprehensively and explicitly grounded in girls' lived experience.

Image missing an alt value
London: A home for young people?

A project that brought together young people and decision makers to discuss solutions to challenges young Londoners face as a result of regeneration projects.

Image missing an alt value
Mixed-Heritage Young People's Educational Experiences in London: An Exploratory Study

This project explores the educational journeys of mixed-heritage students (ages 18-25) within London’s diverse higher education institutions.

Image missing an alt value
Multi-Agency Child Safeguarding (MACS) Evaluation

This project will provide evidence about what makes Local Safeguarding Children Partnerships (LSCPs) effective.

Image missing an alt value
Opportunity, equality and agency in England's new VET landscape: a longitudinal study of post-16 transitions (Young Lives, Young Futures)

How England's vocational education and training (VET) system could better support the school to work transitions of young people who don’t go to university.

Image missing an alt value
Postgraduate student experience: identity, belonging and attainment

A qualitative study of how postgraduate student identity impacts their teaching & learning experiences, their sense of belonging and their academic attainment.

Image missing an alt value
Protecting children at a distance: investigating and strengthening child safeguarding and protection responses consequent upon COVID-19 lock-down/social distancing measures

This multi-disciplinary study investigates the impacts of COVID-19 social distancing/lockdown measures on child safeguarding and protection practice in England.

Image missing an alt value
Rethinking Impact, Evaluation and Accountability in Youth Work

The project investigates how impact tools and processes are experienced and enacted by young people and practitioners in youth work settings.

Image missing an alt value
Sustaining teacher quality and retention post-pandemic

This project examines the impact of the substantial changes and sustained disruption caused by Covid-19 to the development of secondary school teachers.

Image missing an alt value
The History of Educational Planning in Developing Countries Through the Lens of the International Institute for Educational Planning (IIEP)

This study traces the history of educational planning in developing countries through the lens of the International Institute for Educational Planning (IIEP).

Image missing an alt value
Understanding colourism among young people in the UK

This research explores how colourism, skin shade prejudice, is understood, negotiated and/or perpetuated by young people in the UK.

Image missing an alt value
We're trying to do things differently: the challenges of relationships and recognition in higher education

Students and staff from King's Social Sciences BA turn the research lens back on their own world and explore the challenges of trying to do things differently.

Publications

    Activities

    People attending a seminar
    CPPR Seminar Series

    Our seminar series allows our academics and guest speakers to share their work and research.

    writing-student
    Writing Group for Academic Publishing

    This group, chaired by Professor Pat Mahony, meets monthly (on the first Wednesday of each month, 12.30-1.30pm) to support ECS staff and PhD students in getting their work published. Each month, one member circulates their draft of an article or book chapter and the rest of the group provide feedback in a constructive and supportive way. We aim to help the author to improve their paper in preparation for submission as well as support broader learning on the process of academic publishing. If you would like to join, please contact Dr Clare Coultas: clare.coultas@kcl.ac.uk.

      3 people chatting over laptops by brooke-cagle
      CPPR Doctoral Student Seminar Group

      CPPR runs a voluntary doctoral seminar for our doctoral and PGR students, a monthly two-hour meeting where doctoral students have the opportunity to present their research and get feedback. We see this is a form of supervision and it is also a good way for students to network and get to know each other. Students can use this space to receive feedback on their research, from the initial conceptualisation to a mock viva, but also to briefly discuss a particular methodological or theoretical aspect they are grappling with. We usually have two students present per session for about 20-30 minutes, followed by half an hour comments and discussion. The meetings are hybrid (held face-to-face but also accessible via Teams). To take part, email Maren Elfert at: maren.elfert@kcl.ac.uk.

        Writing
        CPPR Creative Writing Group

        This is a monthly, informal workshop/sharing/discussion space open to doctoral students and staff with an interest in creative writing (of all kinds) both in and beyond our work in the university. Group members take it in turns to facilitate sessions on subjects we are interested in and where we also share work or work-in-progress. Previous sessions have included explorations of: poetry and performance poetry, haiku, instinctive/freeflow writing, the practice and ethics of auto-ethnographic storytelling, writing processes and planning, comic books and graphic art. Meetings last around an hour. If you are interested, email Freya Aquarone (freya.aquarone@kcl.ac.uk) or Tania de St Croix (tania.de_st_croix@kcl.ac.uk).

          People listening at a workshop
          Theory and Methods Workshops

          This group provides an opportunity for CPPR doctoral students and staff to come together in an informal and supportive atmosphere to grapple with methodological and theoretical issues of common interest. Each meeting is usually based on a methodological or theoretical topic or the ideas of one thinker. A relevant text is circulated in advance, with the participants taking turns to choose the reading and introduce the topic or thinker and possible themes for discussion. As far as possible we aim to choose texts and themes that have widespread relevance and significance. For further information, please contact: Alan Cribb: alan.cribb@kcl.ac.uk, John Owens: john.owens@kcl.ac.uk, or Sharon Gewirtz: sharon.gewirtz@kcl.ac.uk

            Kings Social Journal thumbnail
            King's Social Journal

            This student-led blog run by the BA Social Sciences students is a space to analyse pressing issues faced by society today, especially with regard to: Gender & Sexuality; Race & Ethnicity; Environment & Society; and Education, Childhood & Youth.

            News

            Dr Francesca Meloni wins SLSA Book Prize 2025

            Dr Francesa Meloni, Senior Lecturer in Social Justice at the School of Education, Communication and Society, has won the Hart-SLSA Book Prize for Early Career...

            Ways of belonging event image

            Dr Billy Holzberg wins British Sociological Association's prize for best sole-authored sociology book

            The Philip Abrams Memorial Prize is awarded for the best sole-authored book in the subject of sociology.

            a female presenting person with a male presenting person holding a certificate

            King's academic shortlisted for award for best sole-authored book in sociology

            Dr Billy Holzberg is nominated for his latest book which explores race, deservingness and the emotional politics of migration control.

            Affective bordering cover

            New studentship offered to explore the role of 'placemaking' in asylum seekers' mental health

            Applications are open until 18 February for a funded ESRC Studentship to examine the role of placemaking for asylum seekers’ mental health living in camps in...

            Letters of Refuge - Art Refugee

            A fairer assessment system for England's primary and secondary schools

            A new report authored by Dr Nuala Burgess, a King’s Research Associate for the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Schools, Learning and Assessment, makes the...

            Black and white photo of a woman speaking in a microphone at an APPG event.

            Events

            11Jun

            “You laugh at it as a joke, but it’s not funny:” Young People’s Experiences of Colourist Banter

            This paper explores how young people in the UK use jokes and banter to perpetuate colourism, particularly targeting those with dark and very dark skin.

            Please note: this event has passed.

            24Mar

            Book Launch: Civil Society's Education by Christopher Winch

            Join us for the launch of ‘Civil Society’s Education’ by Christopher Winch including a panel discussion of the book's key themes.

            Please note: this event has passed.

            11Mar

            Exploring abolitionist disruptions to Scotland's progressive penal state

            In this seminar Martha will draw on the findings of her research to cast Scotland’s penal reputation in a new light and explore the implications of this in...

            Please note: this event has passed.

            11Feb

            Ambiguities in Black: Black feminism and the transracialism discourse

            Alanah Mortlock asks, what does the discourse that emerged in the wake of the Rachel Dolezal transracialism scandal do to ways of talking and thinking about...

            Please note: this event has passed.

            31Jan

            Book launch: Affective bordering by Billy Holzberg

            This new book examines how affect and emotions work to secure and contest contemporary border regimes.

            Please note: this event has passed.

            Studentship Opportunity

            nature's valley south africa western cape
            King's Africa Studentship 2025-2026

            A multispecies ethnography of the Nature’s Valley Region of South Africa: Creating an interdisciplinary approach to community-centred education, conservation and environmental sustainability.

            People

            Mariam  Abouelenin

            Lecturer in Quantitative Sociology and Social Policy

            Eleonora Aiello

            PhD Student & Graduate Teaching Fellow

            Kate Bancroft

            Visiting Lecturer

            Katherine Barber

            PhD Candidate

            Sait Bayrakdar

            Research Associate

            Sara Black

            Lecturer in Education and Society

            Projects

            Image missing an alt value
            'But why is that better?'

            ''But why is that better?' An investigation of what applied philosophy and ethics can bring to quality improvement work in healthcare'.

            Image missing an alt value
            Child Marriage in Humanitarian Settings: Integrating the Response to Child Marriage in East Africa

            This project will enhance collaboration between civil society and humanitarian actors to end child marriage and support already married girls in East Africa.

            Image missing an alt value
            Grounded in their lives: Comprehensive stakeholders engagement to change child marriage policy and programming for girls in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region

            This project aimed to ensure child marriage policy and programming in the MENA Region is comprehensively and explicitly grounded in girls' lived experience.

            Image missing an alt value
            London: A home for young people?

            A project that brought together young people and decision makers to discuss solutions to challenges young Londoners face as a result of regeneration projects.

            Image missing an alt value
            Mixed-Heritage Young People's Educational Experiences in London: An Exploratory Study

            This project explores the educational journeys of mixed-heritage students (ages 18-25) within London’s diverse higher education institutions.

            Image missing an alt value
            Multi-Agency Child Safeguarding (MACS) Evaluation

            This project will provide evidence about what makes Local Safeguarding Children Partnerships (LSCPs) effective.

            Image missing an alt value
            Opportunity, equality and agency in England's new VET landscape: a longitudinal study of post-16 transitions (Young Lives, Young Futures)

            How England's vocational education and training (VET) system could better support the school to work transitions of young people who don’t go to university.

            Image missing an alt value
            Postgraduate student experience: identity, belonging and attainment

            A qualitative study of how postgraduate student identity impacts their teaching & learning experiences, their sense of belonging and their academic attainment.

            Image missing an alt value
            Protecting children at a distance: investigating and strengthening child safeguarding and protection responses consequent upon COVID-19 lock-down/social distancing measures

            This multi-disciplinary study investigates the impacts of COVID-19 social distancing/lockdown measures on child safeguarding and protection practice in England.

            Image missing an alt value
            Rethinking Impact, Evaluation and Accountability in Youth Work

            The project investigates how impact tools and processes are experienced and enacted by young people and practitioners in youth work settings.

            Image missing an alt value
            Sustaining teacher quality and retention post-pandemic

            This project examines the impact of the substantial changes and sustained disruption caused by Covid-19 to the development of secondary school teachers.

            Image missing an alt value
            The History of Educational Planning in Developing Countries Through the Lens of the International Institute for Educational Planning (IIEP)

            This study traces the history of educational planning in developing countries through the lens of the International Institute for Educational Planning (IIEP).

            Image missing an alt value
            Understanding colourism among young people in the UK

            This research explores how colourism, skin shade prejudice, is understood, negotiated and/or perpetuated by young people in the UK.

            Image missing an alt value
            We're trying to do things differently: the challenges of relationships and recognition in higher education

            Students and staff from King's Social Sciences BA turn the research lens back on their own world and explore the challenges of trying to do things differently.

            Publications

              Activities

              People attending a seminar
              CPPR Seminar Series

              Our seminar series allows our academics and guest speakers to share their work and research.

              writing-student
              Writing Group for Academic Publishing

              This group, chaired by Professor Pat Mahony, meets monthly (on the first Wednesday of each month, 12.30-1.30pm) to support ECS staff and PhD students in getting their work published. Each month, one member circulates their draft of an article or book chapter and the rest of the group provide feedback in a constructive and supportive way. We aim to help the author to improve their paper in preparation for submission as well as support broader learning on the process of academic publishing. If you would like to join, please contact Dr Clare Coultas: clare.coultas@kcl.ac.uk.

                3 people chatting over laptops by brooke-cagle
                CPPR Doctoral Student Seminar Group

                CPPR runs a voluntary doctoral seminar for our doctoral and PGR students, a monthly two-hour meeting where doctoral students have the opportunity to present their research and get feedback. We see this is a form of supervision and it is also a good way for students to network and get to know each other. Students can use this space to receive feedback on their research, from the initial conceptualisation to a mock viva, but also to briefly discuss a particular methodological or theoretical aspect they are grappling with. We usually have two students present per session for about 20-30 minutes, followed by half an hour comments and discussion. The meetings are hybrid (held face-to-face but also accessible via Teams). To take part, email Maren Elfert at: maren.elfert@kcl.ac.uk.

                  Writing
                  CPPR Creative Writing Group

                  This is a monthly, informal workshop/sharing/discussion space open to doctoral students and staff with an interest in creative writing (of all kinds) both in and beyond our work in the university. Group members take it in turns to facilitate sessions on subjects we are interested in and where we also share work or work-in-progress. Previous sessions have included explorations of: poetry and performance poetry, haiku, instinctive/freeflow writing, the practice and ethics of auto-ethnographic storytelling, writing processes and planning, comic books and graphic art. Meetings last around an hour. If you are interested, email Freya Aquarone (freya.aquarone@kcl.ac.uk) or Tania de St Croix (tania.de_st_croix@kcl.ac.uk).

                    People listening at a workshop
                    Theory and Methods Workshops

                    This group provides an opportunity for CPPR doctoral students and staff to come together in an informal and supportive atmosphere to grapple with methodological and theoretical issues of common interest. Each meeting is usually based on a methodological or theoretical topic or the ideas of one thinker. A relevant text is circulated in advance, with the participants taking turns to choose the reading and introduce the topic or thinker and possible themes for discussion. As far as possible we aim to choose texts and themes that have widespread relevance and significance. For further information, please contact: Alan Cribb: alan.cribb@kcl.ac.uk, John Owens: john.owens@kcl.ac.uk, or Sharon Gewirtz: sharon.gewirtz@kcl.ac.uk

                      Kings Social Journal thumbnail
                      King's Social Journal

                      This student-led blog run by the BA Social Sciences students is a space to analyse pressing issues faced by society today, especially with regard to: Gender & Sexuality; Race & Ethnicity; Environment & Society; and Education, Childhood & Youth.

                      News

                      Dr Francesca Meloni wins SLSA Book Prize 2025

                      Dr Francesa Meloni, Senior Lecturer in Social Justice at the School of Education, Communication and Society, has won the Hart-SLSA Book Prize for Early Career...

                      Ways of belonging event image

                      Dr Billy Holzberg wins British Sociological Association's prize for best sole-authored sociology book

                      The Philip Abrams Memorial Prize is awarded for the best sole-authored book in the subject of sociology.

                      a female presenting person with a male presenting person holding a certificate

                      King's academic shortlisted for award for best sole-authored book in sociology

                      Dr Billy Holzberg is nominated for his latest book which explores race, deservingness and the emotional politics of migration control.

                      Affective bordering cover

                      New studentship offered to explore the role of 'placemaking' in asylum seekers' mental health

                      Applications are open until 18 February for a funded ESRC Studentship to examine the role of placemaking for asylum seekers’ mental health living in camps in...

                      Letters of Refuge - Art Refugee

                      A fairer assessment system for England's primary and secondary schools

                      A new report authored by Dr Nuala Burgess, a King’s Research Associate for the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Schools, Learning and Assessment, makes the...

                      Black and white photo of a woman speaking in a microphone at an APPG event.

                      Events

                      11Jun

                      “You laugh at it as a joke, but it’s not funny:” Young People’s Experiences of Colourist Banter

                      This paper explores how young people in the UK use jokes and banter to perpetuate colourism, particularly targeting those with dark and very dark skin.

                      Please note: this event has passed.

                      24Mar

                      Book Launch: Civil Society's Education by Christopher Winch

                      Join us for the launch of ‘Civil Society’s Education’ by Christopher Winch including a panel discussion of the book's key themes.

                      Please note: this event has passed.

                      11Mar

                      Exploring abolitionist disruptions to Scotland's progressive penal state

                      In this seminar Martha will draw on the findings of her research to cast Scotland’s penal reputation in a new light and explore the implications of this in...

                      Please note: this event has passed.

                      11Feb

                      Ambiguities in Black: Black feminism and the transracialism discourse

                      Alanah Mortlock asks, what does the discourse that emerged in the wake of the Rachel Dolezal transracialism scandal do to ways of talking and thinking about...

                      Please note: this event has passed.

                      31Jan

                      Book launch: Affective bordering by Billy Holzberg

                      This new book examines how affect and emotions work to secure and contest contemporary border regimes.

                      Please note: this event has passed.

                      Studentship Opportunity

                      nature's valley south africa western cape
                      King's Africa Studentship 2025-2026

                      A multispecies ethnography of the Nature’s Valley Region of South Africa: Creating an interdisciplinary approach to community-centred education, conservation and environmental sustainability.

                      Contact us

                      If you require further information about CPPR, please do drop us an email.

                       

                      Follow us