Centre for Research in Equity, Inclusion and Community
An interdisciplinary collaborative Research Centre with a broad range of colleagues whose research aims to transform learning and lives.
The Centre for Research in Equity, Inclusion and Community (CREIC) interrogates the conditions that lead to marginalisation and exclusion within education, and our research aims to develop theories and practices of equity, inclusion and social justice.
Our work focuses on educational issues concerning: identity; childhood, including looked-after children and children who have experienced trauma; disability; race; gender; and sexuality.
Our members draw from a variety of educational disciplines such as sociology, anthropology, philosophy and disability studies, and we utilise a broad array of methodologies in our research.
We work with communities, practitioners, charities, public bodies, funders, policymakers and other universities to develop research that responds to real-world priorities.
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CREIC welcomes enquiries from organisations, communities and researchers interested in developing collaborative research, evaluation, consultancy, knowledge exchange, events or funding applications.
Contact us
To discuss a potential partnership or learn more about CREIC, please email the Centre's Co-Leads:
- Dr Stuart Read
s.read@bathspa.ac.uk - Dr Shaddai Tembo
s.tembo@bathspa.ac.uk
Research outputs
book
Dyer, H, Bates, A, Gordon, J and Hinchliffe, G, eds. (2025) Society, politics, and education in uncertain times: rethinking citizenship and belonging in international contexts. Routledge, Abingdon. ISBN 9781032658247
book
Bates, A (2021) Moral emotions and human interdependence in character education: beyond the one-dimensional self. Routledge, Abingdon. ISBN 9780367503314
book_section
Cole, A, Hayes, S, Jopling, M and Jandri膰, P (2026) 'Universities as engines of inclusive innovation.' In: Declercq, L, Loeckx, J, De Laat, M, Dohn, N.B and Ryberg, T, eds. Proceedings of the Fifteenth International Conference on Networked Learning 2026. Aalborg University Open Publishing.
book_section
Tembo, S and Bateson, S (2025) 'Diversity in unity: developing an anti-racist framework within Froebelian pedagogy.' In: Bamsey, V, McNair, L.J and Campbell, N, eds. Anti-racism in early childhood education: theory and practice. Bloomsbury Academic, London, pp. 69-86. ISBN 9781350441040
book_section
Simmons, B, Read, S and Parfitt, A (2025) 'Phenomenology of sociality and relational accounts of personhood: reinstating the moral status of children with profound and multiple learning difficulties.' In: Dyer, H, Bates, A, Gordon, J and Hinchliffe, G, eds. Society, politics, and education in uncertain times: rethinking citizenship and belonging in international contexts. Routledge, Abingdon, pp. 148-161. ISBN 9781032658247
book_section
Dyer, H, Bates, A and Gordon, J (2025) 'Conclusion: growing citizenship.' In: Dyer, H, Bates, A, Gordon, J and Hinchliffe, G, eds. Society, politics, and education in uncertain times: rethinking citizenship and belonging in international contexts. Routledge, Abingdon, pp. 192-202. ISBN 9781032658247
book_section
Chadderton, C and Bates, A (2025) 'Challenging individualism, whiteness, and depoliticisation: reframing neoliberal citizenship education in England as social, inclusive and political using a Butlerian lens.' In: Dyer, H, Bates, A, Gordon, J and Hinchliffe, G, eds. Society, politics, and education in uncertain times: rethinking citizenship and belonging in international contexts. Routledge, Abingdon, pp. 33-50. ISBN 9781032658247
book_section
Bates, A, Dyer, H and Gordon, J (2025) 'Introduction - society, politics, and education in uncertain times.' In: Dyer, H, Bates, A, Gordon, J and Hinchliffe, G, eds. Society, politics, and education in uncertain times: rethinking citizenship and belonging in international contexts. Routledge, Abingdon, pp. 3-16. ISBN 9781032658247
book_section
Read, S, Parfitt, A and Bush, T (2025) 'Can disabled people鈥檚 experiences of exclusion in pandemic higher education encourage the promotion of inclusive research practices?' In: Sati, S, Das, S and Mahanta, B, eds. Narrative universes of disability: global perspectives. Springer, Singapore, pp. 183-197. ISBN 9789819633838
book_section
Bhatti, G, Levinson, M and Simmons, B (2024) 'Doubly-disadvantaged or even hidden away: the situation of migrant and refugee children with special educational needs and disabilities.' In: Hammar茅n, N, Ivemark, B and Stretmo, L, eds. Migrant youth, schooling and identity: perspectives and experiences from Northern Europe. Springer, Cham, pp. 127-141. ISBN 9783031633447
book_section
Read, S (2023) 'When the webcam is off: disabled and academic identities before and during the Coronavirus pandemic.' In: Vance, M.L and Harrison, E.G, eds. Disabled faculty & staff: intersecting identities in higher education (volume 2). AHEAD, Huntersville, NC, pp. 91-95. ISBN 9780999608951
book_section
Tembo, S and Benham, F (2023) 'Gender and LGBTQ+ inclusive practice in early childhood.' In: Nutbrown, C, ed. Early childhood education: current realities and future priorities. Sage, London, pp. 107-117. ISBN 9781529600063
book_section
Simmons, B (2022) 'Social embodiment in early childhood education for children with PMLD.' In: Conn, C and Murphy, A, eds. Inclusive pedagogies for early childhood education: respecting and responding to differences in learning. Routledge, Abingdon, pp. 94-110. ISBN 9780367756130
book_section
Tembo, S (2021) 'More work to do: thinking through equalities with young children in Scotland.' In: Palmer, S, ed. Play is the way: child development, early years and the future of Scottish education. CCWB Press, Paisley, pp. 186-195. ISBN 9781916009424
article
Read, S and Parfitt, A (2026) 'Re鈥恑magining inclusive and compassionate futures: challenging the bureaucracy of disability through compassion.' Social Inclusion, 14. e11929. ISSN 2183-2803
article
Colilles, S, Pascal, C and Bertram, T (2026) 'A funds of knowledge approach to explore how play-based pedagogies support mixed ethnic identity formation: listening to children鈥檚 perspectives.' European Early Childhood Education Research Journal. ISSN 1350-293X
article
Mathur, S.K, Tarbox, J, Chown, N and Suckle, E (2026) 'Listening with humility: lessons learned from a dialogue with scholars from Critical Autism Studies.' Behavior Analysis in Practice, 19. pp. 718-731. ISSN 1998-1929
article
Ozsezer-Kurnuc, S and Bates, A (2026) 'Deconstructing the rationalities and epistemologies of school accountability in England.' Research Papers in Education, 41 (1). pp. 24-50. ISSN 0267-1522
article
Tembo, S and Jones, D (2025) '鈥榃hy don鈥檛 we teach loving who you are?鈥� Exploring the need for a positive racial literacy programme for young children.' Journal of Childhood, Education & Society, 6 (3). pp. 650-665. ISSN 2717-638X
article
Tembo, S, Wilkinson, B, Blessitt, E and Ruddick, I (2025) 'What white people did next: insights on building an anti-racist early years forum.' Journal of Childhood, Education & Society, 6 (3). pp. 581-596. ISSN 2717-638X
article
Morris, T.H, Simmons, B, McLaughlin, S, Read, S, Parfitt, A, Yeh, C.S.-H and Mitchell, B (2025) 'Pedagogy of empowerment: co-produced self-directed pedagogic spaces for inclusion.' International Journal of Inclusive Education. ISSN 1360-3116
article
Jackson-Perry, D, Suckle, E, Chown, N and Tarbox, J (2025) 'A tactful prompt: the time is right for 'Critical Behavioral Studies'.' Perspectives on Behavior Science, 48 (3). pp. 539-545. ISSN 2520-8969
article
Parfitt, A, Gristy, C, Read, S and Garland, M.C (2025) 'Multigrade teaching and learning: developing theoretical frameworks through mapping conceptual territories with an inclusive education lens.' International Journal of Educational Research, 133. e102675. ISSN 0883-0355
article
Derbyshire, D.W, Grosskopf, B, Blackmore, T, Goodwin, E and Spencer, A.E (2025) 'Widening inclusion: a discrete choice experiment of job preferences of disabled people.' The Economic and Labour Relations Review, 36 (1). pp. 234-256. ISSN 1838-2673
article
Simmons, B and Read, S (2025) 'What does it mean to be a 鈥榩erson鈥� with profound and multiple learning disabilities? Presenting the views of family members and allies.' British Journal of Learning Disabilities, 53 (3). pp. 457-465. ISSN 1354-4187
article
Tembo, S and Bateson, S (2025) 'Before race: a literature review on de/colonial habits in play within early childhood.' Journal of Early Childhood Research, 23 (2). pp. 109-123. ISSN 1476-718X
article
Suckle, E, Chown, N, Tarbox, J and Mathur, S.K (2025) 'Speaking across the autism worldview divide: a dialogue between critical autism studies and behaviour analytic scholars.' Disability & Society, 40 (12). pp. 3263-3285. ISSN 0968-7599
article
Tembo, S and Bateson, S (2025) 'Playing with power: an ethnography by proxy study of de/colonial play habits in UK Froebelian early childhood environments.' Journal of Early Childhood Research, 23 (3). pp. 337-352. ISSN 1476-718X
article
Jopling, M et al (2025) 'Postdigital citizen science and humanities: a theoretical kaleidoscope.' Postdigital Science and Education, 7. pp. 31-77. ISSN 2524-485X
article
Simmons, B, Churchill, B and Crouch, K (2024) 'Creating a resource that captures the social histories and lived experiences of the PMLD community: which stories should be collected and shared, and how?' PMLD Link, 36 (3). p. 42. ISSN 2042-5619
article
Simmons, B and Read, S (2024) 'What does it mean to be a 鈥榩erson鈥� with profound and multiple learning disabilities? Interviews with family members and allies.' PMLD Link, 36 (2). pp. 2-4. ISSN 2042-5619
article
Tembo, S, Dujczynski, M and Sakr, M (2024) '"Maybe that makes a difference actually": attuning to praxis for anti-racist social justice leadership among nursery school head teachers in the UK.' Journal of Early Childhood Research, 23 (1). pp. 31-45. ISSN 1476-718X
article
Parfitt, A and Read, S (2024) 'Walking-creating for fostering teachers鈥� education in peripheral coastal communities.' Journal of Education for Teaching, 50 (2). pp. 329-340. ISSN 0260-7476
article
Tembo, S (2024) 'Attuning to processes of affective sociomaterialisation: exploring subjectivity and identity in outdoor early childhood provision in Scotland, UK.' Children's Geographies, 22 (5). pp. 682-699. ISSN 1473-3285
article
Tembo, S and Bateson, S (2024) 'Skin deep: a review of early childhood policy affordances for anti-racist practice in England and Scotland.' Journal of Early Childhood Research, 22 (4). pp. 527-539. ISSN 1476-718X
article
Marchuk, O, Melnychuk, L, Paguta, T, Pocheniuk, Y, Bates, A, Paez, Y and Parfitt, A (2024) 'Peace education in a time of war: the Museum of Peace in Rivne, Ukraine as a space of memory making and hope.' Journal of Peace Education, 21 (1). pp. 16-33. ISSN 1740-0201
article
Tembo, S and Bateson, S (2024) 'Liminal relationalities: on collaborative writing with/in and against race in the study of early childhood.' International Journal of Qualitative Studies in Education, 37 (2). pp. 530-544. ISSN 0951-8398
article
Tembo, S (2023) 'End discriminatory practices and prioritise meaningful inclusion.' Early Education Journal, 101. pp. 11-12. ISSN 0960-281X
article
Parfitt, A and Read, S (2023) 'Educator views regarding young people鈥檚 aspirations in peripheral coastal communities in England: a Q study.' Oxford Review of Education, 49 (6). pp. 764-780. ISSN 0305-4985
article
Chown, N, Murphy, S.L and Suckle, E (2023) 'The autism worldview dilemma: to normalise or not to normalise, that is the question.' Good Autism Practice, 24 (2). pp. 5-12. ISSN 1466-2973
article
Read, S, Parfitt, A and Macer, M (2023) 'Breaks in the chain: using theories of social practice to interrogate professionals鈥� experiences of administering Pupil Premium Plus to support looked after children.' Oxford Review of Education, 49 (5). pp. 604-619. ISSN 0305-4985
article
Simmons, B (2023) 'Mainstream placements for children with PMLD: the perspective of teaching staff and parents.' PMLD Link, 35.2 (105). pp. 15-17. ISSN 2042-5619
article
Williams, V, Gall, M, Mason-Angelow, V, Read, S and Webb, J (2023) 'Misfitting and social practice theory: incorporating disability into the performance and (re)enactment of social practices.' Disability & Society, 38 (5). pp. 776-797. ISSN 0968-7599
article
Read, S, Simmons, B and Parfitt, A (2023) 'Creating authentic and positive stories about personhood for people with profound and multiple learning disabilities: a call for reader expressions of interest.' PMLD Link, 35.1 (104). pp. 37-38. ISSN 2042-5619
article
Derbyshire, D.W, Spencer, A.E, Grosskopf, B and Blackmore, T (2023) 'The importance of disability representation to address implicit bias in the workplace.' Frontiers in Rehabilitation Sciences, 4. e1048432. ISSN 2673-6861
article
Colilles, S (2023) 'Play and listening to children's narratives.' Early Years Educator, 23 (20). pp. 20-21. ISSN 2052-4617
article
Chown, N, Beardon, L, Murphy, S.L, Suckle, E and Baker-Rogers, J (2023) 'Autism community research priorities: the potential of future research to benefit autistics.' Canadian Journal of Educational and Social Studies, 3 (2). pp. 15-32. ISSN 2816-2587
article
Colilles, S (2023) 'Inclusive pedagogies.' Early Education Journal, 99. pp. 10-12. ISSN 0960-281X
article
Bates, A (2023) 'Learning 鈥榠n the hive鈥�: social character and student wellbeing in the age of psychometric data.' Critical Studies in Education, 64 (1). pp. 19-34. ISSN 1750-8487
article
Read, S, Parfitt, A, Bush, T, Simmons, B and Levinson, M.P (2023) 'Disabled people鈥檚 experiences of the Coronavirus pandemic: a call to action for social change.' Social Inclusion, 11 (1). pp. 38-47. ISSN 2183-2803
article
Simmons, B, Read, S, Parfitt, A and Bush, T (2022) 'What constitutes 'ethical' research for people with PMLD? A call for reader responses.' PMLD Link, 34.3 (103). pp. 38-40. ISSN 2042-5619
article
Simmons, B (2021) 'How special are mainstream schools? Reflections on social spaces for children with profound and multiple learning difficulties.' PMLD Link, 33.3 (100). pp. 36-38. ISSN 2042-5619
article
Read, S, Simmons, B, Levinson, M.P and Bush, T (2021) 'A call to action for conducting research with people with profound and multiple learning disabilities.' PMLD Link, 33.3 (100). pp. 6-7. ISSN 2042-5619
article
Clarke, Z, Darley, S, Wright, A, Surridge, J, Martindale, A, Simmons, B, Hunnisett, S and Dukas, T (2021) 'Where next for people with cognitive disabilities and electronic assistive technology?' Communication Matters Journal, 35 (3). pp. 32-34. ISSN 2756-1011
article
Bates, A (2021) 'The 鈥榤agic鈥� of grandmother鈥檚 spectacles: how philosophy can help us to see children with new eyes.' SERA Researching Education Bulletin, 11. pp. 11-13. ISSN 2752-4000
article
Parfitt, A (2021) 'Turning around coast-based schools: an interpretive narrative analysis of a report on school reform in English coastal communities.' Improving Schools, 24 (3). pp. 245-260. ISSN 1365-4802
article
Tembo, S (2021) '鈥楬ang on, she just used that word like it鈥檚 totally easy鈥�: encountering ordinary racial affects in early childhood education and care.' Ethnicities, 21 (5). pp. 875-892. ISSN 1468-7968
article
Simmons, B (2021) 'The production of social spaces for children with profound and multiple learning difficulties: a Lefebvrian analysis.' British Journal of Sociology of Education, 42 (5-6). pp. 828-844. ISSN 0142-5692
article
Parfitt, A, Read, S and Bush, T (2021) 'Can compassion provide a lifeline for navigating Coronavirus (COVID-19) in higher education?' Pastoral Care in Education, 39 (3). pp. 178-191. ISSN 0264-3944
article
Bates, A and Slater, B (2021) 'Personal principles for a roadmap to educational recovery in the 'Covid decade'.' FORUM, 63 (3). pp. 37-45. ISSN 0963-8253
article
Tembo, S (2021) 'Bodies out of place: affective encounters with whiteness.' Emotion, Space and Society, 41. e100839. ISSN 1755-4586
article
Simmons, B (2021) 'From living to lived and being-with: exploring the interaction styles of children and staff towards a child with profound and multiple learning disabilities.' International Journal of Inclusive Education, 25 (6). pp. 657-670. ISSN 1360-3116
article
Tembo, S (2021) 'Black educators in (white) settings: making racial identity visible in Early Childhood Education and Care in England, UK.' Journal of Early Childhood Research, 19 (1). pp. 70-83. ISSN 1476-718X
article
Bates, A, Choi, T-H and Kim, Y (2021) 'Outsourcing education services in South Korea, England and Hong Kong: a discursive institutionalist analysis.' Compare: A Journal of Comparative and International Education, 51 (2). pp. 259-277. ISSN 0305-7925
article
Suckle, E (2021) 'DSM-5 and challenges to female autism identification.' Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 51 (2). pp. 754-759. ISSN 0162-3257
conference_item
Lamont, B.R, Taylor, L and Simmons, B (2023) Make room! The art of LGBTQIA+ accessibility in the southwest of England. In: Migrant Youth, Education, Culture & Identity Network Event, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden.
commissioned_report
Simmons, B, Read, S and Parfitt, A (2026) Disabled people's lived experience of education in the UK: an evidence review. Office for Equality and Opportunity, London.
commissioned_report
Simmons, B, Read, S, Parfitt, A and Blackmore, T (2026) Public perceptions and attitudes towards disabled people: a thematic report. Office for Equality and Opportunity, London.
commissioned_report
Chadderton, C, Bates, A and Jackson-Cole, D (2026) Exploring the experiences of students originally from the EU newer member states in Eastern Europe in UK higher education: research report. Society for Research into Higher Education, London.
commissioned_report
Earle, S, Read, S and Parfitt, A (2025) Review of scientific literacy and oracy in primary school education. The Royal Society, London.
commissioned_report
Simmons, B, Taylor, L, Lamont, B.R, Vernon, H, Richards-Cottell, L and Read, S (2024) Make Room! Creative conversation workshops researching LGBTQIA+ accessibility: Bristol workshop findings report, March 2024. 黑料正能量.
commissioned_report
Simmons, B, Taylor, L, Lamont, B.R, Vernon, H, Richards-Cottell, L and Read, S (2024) Make Room! Creative conversation workshops researching LGBTQIA+ accessibility: Bath workshop findings report, March 2024. 黑料正能量.
commissioned_report
Simmons, B, Taylor, L, Lamont, B.R, Vernon, H, Richards-Cottell, L and Read, S (2024) Make Room! Creative conversation workshops researching LGBTQIA+ accessibility: survey findings report, March 2024. 黑料正能量.
commissioned_report
Simmons, B, Taylor, L, Lamont, B.R, Vernon, H, Richards-Cottell, L and Read, S (2024) Make Room! Creative conversation workshops researching LGBTQIA+ accessibility: project development and research methods, March 2024. 黑料正能量.
commissioned_report
Simmons, B, Taylor, L, Lamont, B.R, Vernon, H, Richards-Cottell, L and Read, S (2024) Make Room! Creative conversation workshops researching LGBTQIA+ accessibility: community fellows' experiences and considerations for disabled people led research, March 2024. 黑料正能量.
commissioned_report
Howard, A, Crouch, K and Read, S (2024) We are everywhere. 黑料正能量, Bath.
commissioned_report
Crouch, K, Read, S and Howard, A (2024) Activism and protest research report. We Are The People and Wellcome Trust, Bath.
commissioned_report
Read, S (2023) Disabled people鈥檚 experiences of higher education during the time of the Coronavirus pandemic: pasts, presents, and futures. Research report. Society for Research into Higher Education, London.
audio
Colilles, S and Tembo, S (2023) Promoting inclusive practice with Dr. Sharon Colilles [podcast].
audio
Colilles, S and Tembo, S (2023) The importance of reflective practice with Dr. Sharon Colilles [podcast].
audio
Colilles, S and Tembo, S (2023) The voice of the child with Dr. Sharon Colilles [podcast].
audio
Colilles, S and Tembo, S (2023) An introduction to inclusive practice with Dr. Sharon Colilles [podcast].
other
Simmons, B (2022) Narrowed lives: meaning, moral value and profound intellectual disability [book review]. British Journal of Learning Disabilities, 50 (3). pp. 448-449. ISSN 1354-4187