Welcome to the Website of the Society for Educational Studies
In November 1950, at a research meeting of Professors of Education at St Catherine's College, Windsor, it was decided to draft proposals for the establishment of a new Journal of Educational Studies. These proposals were brought to a special conference of the Professors of Education in December 1951 and were accepted. Professor Beales agreed to become the first Editor of the journal now known as the British Journal of Educational Studies and the Standing Conference on Studies in Education was set up with Professor Judges as its Chairman.
For the next twenty years the SCSE remained something of a 'professors club' with a special clause in the constitution allowing Scottish Principals of Colleges of Education to be admitted. In the early 1970s the idea of an extended membership was suggested and in due course a new constitution was written and the Standing Conference was registered as a Charity. The first officers of the 'open' SCSE and who had guided the development were Alan Blyth - Chairman, James Scotland - Secretary and Gerry Bernbaum - Treasurer. Membership was then open to anyone who was concerned with the study of Education and the principal objective of the Standing Conference was to advance the study of Education in the true tradition of a learned society.
In 2001 the Executive Committee under the Chairmanship of Professor Denis Lawton decided that the title of Standing Conference was not readily understood in the twenty-first century nor did it indicated the work which was done. A Sub-committee chaired by Professor Gerald Grace produced a document that proposed a new name for the organisation, a broader set of aims and greater benefits for the membership. These were accepted by the Executive and put to the Annual General Meeting together with a new Constitution prepared by the Secretary, Professor Graham Littler in November 2001. The proposals were carried unanimously.
