25 years of the School of Education
This year marks the 25th anniversary of the formation of the School of Education at the University of Glasgow. We are excited to celebrate this milestone with a year-long programme of events and activities, and we'd like to invite you to get involved.
In addition to celebrating 25 years of our School, we’re also commemorating two other important anniversaries in 2024 – 50 years since the formation of the Scottish Educational Research Association (SERA), and 75 years since the introduction of the first Chair of Education at the University of Glasgow.
See below for a full listing of planned events (more to be added as they are confirmed) and a brief outline of the School’s history. Please visit this page for updates on upcoming events, or follow us on social media to stay up to date.
If you have attended or worked at the School at any point during its history, we’d love to hear from you. In particular we’d love to hear your memories of the School and see photos of your time here. Please contact us at education-media@glasgow.ac.uk if you have stories or photos you’d like to share.
History of the School
25 Years of the School
The current School of Education was established in 1999, formed by the merger of the Departments of Education and Adult and Continuing Education with St Andrew’s College, Bearsden. Initially known as the Faculty of Education, the name changed in 2010 as part of a University-wide restructuring.
St Andrews’s College itself had a long and distinguished history, coming together from a merger some 30 years earlier of Notre Dame Training College. established in Dowanhill, Glasgow, in 1895, and Craiglockhart College, Edinburgh, established in 1919.
In 2003, we further cemented our connection to the history of Scottish education when we moved to our current home in the St Andrew’s Building – the former site of the Glasgow and West of Scotland College of Domestic Science, affectionately known locally as ‘The Dough School’.
50 Years of SERA
In 1973, parallel processes led to the establishment of both a British and a Scottish education research association. The chair of the process leading to SERA was Stanley Nisbet, then Chair of Education at the University of Glasgow (see below), with notable representation both from EIS and the Association of Directors of Education. From even before its founding, SERA was intended to be about collaboration between educational researchers and with the wider educational community. SERA was formally launched in September 1974.
75 Years of the Chair of Education
After many years of lobbying, the University resolved in 1949 to establish a chair in education. To take on this role, the University appointed Stanley Nisbet, at that point employed at Queens Belfast. Stanley arrived eventually in 1951 and served in this role for 27 years.
SERA is a charity registered in Scotland SC003928
#SERA50
SERA are launching their 50th anniversary celebrations during the open house. These fifty years signify SERA’s remarkable journey of dedication to and impact in the field of education. The anniversary celebrations are set to honour SERA’s legacy while looking ahead to future opportunities and challenges in the realm of educational research and practice.
The Executive is keen to involve as many members as possible to participate in our celebrations. Please join us on the third floor of the St. Andrew’s Building in the School of Education at the University of Glasgow on 15th May from 4-6pm and join in our activities.
- ECR Room – The ECR network will be running this interactive room and have planned a number of activities that include video showcases of interviews carried out at ECER, news of a reading club, displays of posters shown at previous conferences and two trees where participants can add their wishes and actions. For those unable to attend a Padlet will be circulated to gather online responses.
- Network Room - The convenors of the Networks will be available in the room to answer questions. A rolling PowerPoint will be available to display information for networks unable to join on the day.
- Time travelling room (SERA past, present and future) – Visitors to this room will be ae to join SERA in celebrating the past fifty years. During the event we will launch an interactive SERA timeline where members past and present can share memories and wishes for the future. Visitors will also be asked to gift an academic text to a future colleague and provide a message of why the book is essential academic reading.
Other ways to get involved
We are keen to hear your #SERAmemories about what SERA means to you. You might want to share about attending your first conference or presenting a paper. Perhaps you were one of the recipients of the prestigious Estelle Brisard Award – whatever SERA means to you, we’re keen to hear. Please use this online form to record your memories and if you are able please come to the open house on the 15th May and share in person with our ECRs who would like to interview past members for a podcast.
How to send photographic images
We are also interested in capturing images of SERA events in the past. If you have an image you would like to share, we need to ask for your permission before using it. Please send your email to sera.enquiries@gmail.com and include the following permission in the email. Please copy and paste to make easier.
I/We consent for the image to be used for the following purposes: SERA publications, SERA social media channels and on the SERA website.
I hereby grant SERA the right to reproduce, display and disseminate worldwide and in perpetuity, in any traditional or electronic media format, my likeness as shown in the photographs/films captured at this time for the purposes given above.
If I decide at any point in the interim that I no longer want it to be used, I will contact sera.enquiries@gmail.com
Gift a book
Participate in our book gifting scheme, bringing the past into the present.
Many of us have favourite academic texts that endure or that we have carried with us on our academic journeys. We would like to ask you as a gesture of academic kindness to gift such a book to newer members of the Scottish academic community.
Please chose your book, wrap your book, and then write a short note/card to anonymous receiver of the book. To personalise the message, you could mention how the book helped with your academic pursuits or provide an anecdote on why it meant something to you. During the event visitors will be able to read the notes and select a book from those gifted.
If you are unable to bring a book, please use our #SERA50 hashtag to share suggestions on social media.
What next?
Keep following our social media channels – X (formerly Twitter), Facebook and our website– for more information use the #SERA50.
Best wishes from the SERA Executive.
Upcoming Events
Anniversary Open Evening, 15 May
On Wednesday 15 May, we're opening our doors to celebrate our 25th anniversary. Come join us for a series of special events and showcases that highlight the work we do and our role in the community. Reflecting on our theme of Past, Present and Future, we'll be looking back at some of our achievements, considering how our work impacts the world we live in, and thinking about how we can contribute to the future of education.
The event will also include a tour of the building, starting at 4.30pm in front of the mural on the ground floor.
SERA are launching their 50th anniversary celebrations during the open house, so be sure to join the SERA team on the third floor for a range of activities. See the #SERA50 tab above for more details.
Teacher Education Symposium, 13 - 15 May
The theme for the symposium is Teacher Education: Time for a New Conversation. The symposium will be an ‘ideas lab’ seeking to inject new thinking, voices and ideas into the future shape of teacher education at a critical time of reform for Scottish education and for teacher education globally. International experts will contribute as keynotes or on expert panels, joined by staff from UoG School of Education and other SCDE affiliated Schools/Institutes of Education, as well as key partners in education in Scotland. The aim of the symposium is to explore the potential for innovation and development in the Scottish context and strengthen international partnerships and advocacy for teacher education.
Teacher Education Symposium 2024
UofG staff should check their email for registration details
BERA/SERA Event, 16 May
Back to the Roots (Past, Present, Future) Moving Forward
UNESCO RILA Spring School 2024: Language Taster Sessions, 14 - 17 May
As part of the annual UNESCO RILA Spring School: The Arts of Integrating, as well as the various anniversary celebrations of the School of Education (we are marking 25 years of the School, 50 years since the formation of the Scottish Educational Research Association (SERA), and 75 years since the introduction of the first Chair of Education at the University of Glasgow), we are hosting a range of language taster sessions in the languages of our New Scots
...plus much more, including student, alumni and staff events. More details will be published here when confirmed, or follow us on social media for updates.