Leading faith schools in a secular society: Challenges facing head teachers of Muslim schools in the United Kingdom

2018 ◽  
Vol 47 (6) ◽  
pp. 943-959 ◽  
Author(s):  
Waheed Hammad ◽  
Saeeda Shah
Keyword(s):  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Muslim Identity ◽  
Head Teachers ◽  
Qualitative Research Design ◽  
The United Kingdom ◽  
Leadership Experiences ◽  
Negative Perceptions ◽  
Secular Society ◽  
The Uk ◽  
Faith Schools

Muslim faith schools have been existent in the UK since the 1980s and their number has been rising ever since. These schools are established specifically to provide Muslim children with a learning environment based on Islamic values. However, fulfilling such a mission would not be an easy task in a globalised context characterised by secularism and materialism. The study reported in this paper sought to explore the leadership experiences and challenges as perceived by the head teachers of Muslim schools in the UK. The study employed a qualitative research design using semi-structured interviews with a sample of head teachers from four Muslim schools in London and Nottingham. The findings revealed that although the participating head teachers were proud of their role as leaders of Muslim schools, they faced significant challenges in their practice of leadership within British secular society. While some of these challenges were general in nature such as parental expectations and lack of support from Muslim community, other challenges were more practical and mission related such as negative perceptions among the wider society, issues in developing Muslim identity among students in a secular society, recruitment of qualified Muslim teachers and financial challenges.

scholarly journals Anti-money laundering in the United Kingdom: new directions for a more effective regime

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Rafael Pontes ◽  
Nick Lewis ◽  
Paul McFarlane ◽  
Patrick Craig
Keyword(s):  
Money Laundering ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Regulatory Requirement ◽  
Public And Private ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Qualitative Research Design ◽  
The United Kingdom ◽  
Nuanced Understanding ◽  
And Performance ◽  
The Uk

Purpose This paper aims to provide a more nuanced understanding of the effectiveness of the anti-money laundering (AML) regime in the UK and explore opportunities to improve policy and performance. Design/methodology/approach Qualitative research design using semi-structured interviews and a focus group with practitioners from both public and private sectors. Findings This paper identifies preventive measures are underfunded by the public sector; there is a disconnect between the regulatory requirement and the regulators’ supervisory approach leading to the ineffective application of the risk-based approach; and authorities have limited ability to stop low-utility reports. Increased collaboration across institutions and sectors, better utilisation of innovative technologies and a sustainable funding plan are needed to drive a collective response to money laundering. Research limitations/implications Few practitioners in the industry have the knowledge and expertise to discuss the topic at a strategic level and participants were limited (n = 8). Practical implications This paper adds to the growing corpus of research showing that the AML regime in the UK is ineffective and needs reform. Social implications This paper encourages practitioners to improve the AML regime, this research contributes to the reform of the existing measures against financial crime. Originality/value This paper presents new data from AML practitioners to provide a better understanding of the limitations of the AML regime in the UK.

Citizenship Education and Faith Schools: What Should Children in Christian Schools Understand and Appreciate about a Liberal and Secular Society?

2005 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 35-45 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mark A. Pike
Keyword(s):  
Citizenship Education ◽  
Christian Schools ◽  
Sexual Ethics ◽  
Contemporary Society ◽  
Faith Based ◽  
Secular Society ◽  
Faith And Learning ◽  
The Uk ◽  
Biblical Perspective ◽  
Faith Schools

THE DEBATE ABOUT the extent to which faith-based schooling prepares children for life in contemporary society has recently been reopened in the UK. This paper explores the issue and examines what children in Christian schools should learn about the liberal, plural and secularised society in which they live. It also considers, from a biblical perspective, why they should engage in such learning. What young people should understand and appreciate about sexual ethics, the place of rational autonomy as an educational aim, and the relation between faith and learning will be evaluated.

scholarly journals Creating a climate that catalyses healthcare innovation in the United Kingdom – learning lessons from international innovators

2017 ◽  
Vol 23 (4) ◽  
pp. 772 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kathrin Cresswell ◽  
Sarah Cunningham-Burley ◽  
Aziz Sheikh
Keyword(s):  
United Kingdom ◽  
Care Service ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Technology Markets ◽  
The United Kingdom ◽  
Central Direction ◽  
Regional Strategies ◽  
Service Staff ◽  
Healthcare Innovation ◽  
The Uk

Background: The United Kingdom (UK) lags behind other high-income countries in relation to technological innovation in healthcare. In order to inform UK strategy on how to catalyse innovation, we sought to understand what national strategies can help to promote a climate for innovation in healthcare settings by extracting lessons for the UK from international innovators.Methods: We undertook a series of qualitative semi-structured interviews with senior international innovators from a range of health related policy, care/service delivery, commercial and academic backgrounds. Thematic analysis helped to explore how different stakeholder groups could facilitate/inhibit innovation at individual, organisational, and wider societal levels.Results: We conducted 14 interviews and found that a conducive climate for healthcare innovation comprised of national/regional strategies stimulating commercial competition, promoting public/private relationships, and providing central direction (e.g. incentives for adoption and regulation through standards) without being restrictive. Organisational attitudes with a willingness to experiment and to take risks were also seen as important, but a bottom-up approach to innovation, based on the identification of clinical need, was seen as a crucial first step to construct relevant national policies.Conclusions:  There is now a need to create mechanisms through which frontline National Health Service staff in relation can raise ideas/concerns and suggest opportunities for improvement, and then build national innovation environments that seek to address these needs. This should be accompanied by creating competitive health technology markets to stimulate a commercial environment that attracts high-quality health information technology experts and innovators working in partnership with staff and patients.

Evolving Online Learning

2013 ◽  
pp. 534-551
Author(s):  
Geraint Lang
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Online Learning ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Mobile Internet ◽  
Online Information ◽  
Head Teachers ◽  
The United Kingdom ◽  
University Courses ◽  
Talking Heads ◽  
The Uk

In the United Kingdom, the increased broadband speeds and the availability of mobile Internet access via 3G mobile phones and tablet computers, along with an ever growing number of free Wi-Fi hotspots located within urban areas becoming available, has meant that there are now more opportunities than ever to access online information. For the adult learner, technology considered innovative a decade ago to pioneering online communities of UK head teachers who collectively made up Talking Heads has now become commonplace, particularly in the guise of virtual learning environments (VLEs). This chapter sets out to show how the knowledge gained from those early communities of practice informed the development of the fully online Ultraversity degree, which in turn has been able to provide pointers to the possible framework for online learning provision in higher education. This is particularly pertinent for this sector of education in the UK, which is faced with raising course fees threefold. By making a greater number of university courses accessible online, available anytime, and from virtually anywhere, particularly via mobile Internet devices, an alternative and more affordable route to higher education in the UK and elsewhere in the world awaits to be developed.

scholarly journals Non-medical prescribing in primary care in the United Kingdom: an overview of the current literature

2021 ◽  
Vol 3 (9) ◽  
pp. 352-361
Author(s):  
Amanda Armstrong ◽  
Andrea Manfrin ◽  
Josephine Gibson
Keyword(s):  
Primary Care ◽  
United Kingdom ◽  
English Language ◽  
Inclusion Criteria ◽  
Exclusion Criteria ◽  
The United Kingdom ◽  
Organisational Support ◽  
Primary Care Patients ◽  
Negative Perceptions ◽  
The Uk

Background: Non-medical prescribers (NMPs) are perceived as a complement to busy general practice in primary care. Aim: To conduct an overview of the literature available on the role and impact of non-medical prescribing (NMP) on primary care patients. Method: The search was conducted using multiple databases to find articles published between January 2015-January 2021. Inclusion criteria: NMPs in primary care in the United Kingdom, written in English language. Exclusion criteria: research conducted in secondary care or outside the UK. Findings: 285 studies were identified; 15 were eligible for critical appraisal. Key themes were: NMP's positive perceptions were autonomy, job satisfaction and colleague support; negative perceptions included risk, lack of continuous professional development (CPD), organisational support. Conclusion: By reviewing the perceptions of NMPs in primary care, organisations can ensure when employing new NMPs that the adequate CPD and support is in place. Thereby reducing NMPs concerns about the ligation risk of prescribing.

scholarly journals UK-Based Police Officers' Perceptions of, and Role in Investigating, Cyber-Harassment as a Crime

2019 ◽  
pp. 113-130
Author(s):  
Catherine M. Millman ◽  
Belinda Winder ◽  
Mark D. Griffiths
Keyword(s):  
Thematic Analysis ◽  
Police Officers ◽  
Exploratory Study ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Cyber Harassment ◽  
The United Kingdom ◽  
The Uk ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Detrimental Impact ◽  
Insight Into

Within the UK, cyber-harassment is a criminal act and perpetrators can be prosecuted if the crime is reported to the police. Cyber-harassment has a detrimental impact and causes psychological distress to victims but due to its online nature, complaints made may not be taken seriously and the impact may not be fully acknowledged. Police officers' perceptions of this crime and its victims are crucial as this will impact on how the crime is investigated and whether perpetrators are prosecuted. The present exploratory study aimed to gain insight into how cyber-harassment is investigated and identify issues and barriers. Eight police officers based in the United Kingdom were recruited using a snowball technique to participate in semi-structured interviews. The data were analyzed using thematic analysis and three themes were identified: online accessibility, threat, and the unhelpful victim. Each theme is discussed in relation to theory, policy and legislation within the UK.

scholarly journals The Voices of Male Nurses in Kerala: Career Choice and Satisfaction

2019 ◽  
Vol 7 (3) ◽  
pp. 115-126
Author(s):  
Cinoj George ◽  
Feyza Arman Bhatti
Keyword(s):  
Working Conditions ◽  
Career Paths ◽  
Male Nurses ◽  
State Governments ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Work Related ◽  
The United Kingdom ◽  
Negative Perceptions ◽  
Industrialised Countries ◽  
Female Nurses

There are more male nurses than ever before in India. While there is a large number of studies that focus on the differences in working conditions between male and female nurses and perceptions towards male nurses in western contexts, these studies are almost non-existent in highly patriarchal contexts like India. Utilising twenty semi-structured interviews with male nurses in three cities of Kerala, geospatially located in South India, this research aims at exploring the reasons why male nurses select the profession and their gendered experiences during their career paths. The research argues that male nurses select the profession for increasing their chances to migrate to industrialised countries like Australia and the United Kingdom. However, they face various social and work-related impediments in their career, which include negative perceptions of families and others towards the profession, the discrimination faced in terms of occupational segregation at the workplace, negative perceptions towards their manhood and the difficulties in finding a bride. Male nurses, if unsuccessful in migrating abroad, are not committed to remaining in the profession, particularly after their “shelf-lives” are over. In this case, they are highly likely to move to other professions or migrate to second-option countries in the Middle East. This emerges as a concern for India which is in dire need of nurses and highlights that Indian and State governments need to take prompt actions that would eliminate the stereotypes concerning male nurses, improve the working conditions and reduce discrimination towards male nurses, and in general to include more men in mainstream nursing.

scholarly journals Towards an Understanding of the Influence of National Culture on Organizational Viability: An Exploratory Study

2017 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 20-38
Author(s):  
Bankole O. Awuzie ◽  
◽  
Peter McDermott ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Qualitative Research ◽  
National Culture ◽  
Exploratory Study ◽  
Self Regulation ◽  
Project Managers ◽  
Project Delivery ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Qualitative Research Design ◽  
The United Kingdom

Viability connotes a system’s ability to become ultra-stable through effective self-regulation of its internal processes and information processing among its subsystems. Applying this to an infrastructure delivery system (IDS) context, this study proposes that an IDS can successfully deliver on client requirements only if they attain and maintain viability. Research into the influence of National Culture (NC) on an IDS’s viability appears to be lacking; hence this study. Adopting a multi-case study, qualitative research design, this study explores three IDSs involved in the delivery of infrastructure projects in two different NC contexts; Nigeria and the United Kingdom. 25 semi-structured interviews were conducted across the cases to provide for an in-depth understanding of existing interactions between participants in these delivery systems: client/project sponsor; main contractor and sub-contractors and to understand the influence of the prevailing national culture on such interactions, if any. Findings indicate that NC in project delivery environments influence the ability of IDSs to attain viability, especially as it pertains to the sustenance of Team Quality Attributes (TWQ) within the system. Based on these findings, it is expected that in modelling IDSs for viability, adequate consideration should be given to the prevailing NC by project managers and planners.

scholarly journals UK-Based Police Officers' Perceptions of, and Role in Investigating, Cyber-Harassment as a Crime

2019 ◽  
pp. 290-307
Author(s):  
Catherine M. Millman ◽  
Belinda Winder ◽  
Mark D. Griffiths
Keyword(s):  
Thematic Analysis ◽  
Police Officers ◽  
Exploratory Study ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Cyber Harassment ◽  
The United Kingdom ◽  
The Uk ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Detrimental Impact ◽  
Insight Into

Within the UK, cyber-harassment is a criminal act and perpetrators can be prosecuted if the crime is reported to the police. Cyber-harassment has a detrimental impact and causes psychological distress to victims but due to its online nature, complaints made may not be taken seriously and the impact may not be fully acknowledged. Police officers' perceptions of this crime and its victims are crucial as this will impact on how the crime is investigated and whether perpetrators are prosecuted. The present exploratory study aimed to gain insight into how cyber-harassment is investigated and identify issues and barriers. Eight police officers based in the United Kingdom were recruited using a snowball technique to participate in semi-structured interviews. The data were analyzed using thematic analysis and three themes were identified: online accessibility, threat, and the unhelpful victim. Each theme is discussed in relation to theory, policy and legislation within the UK.

scholarly journals Practitioner Insights Regarding Modern Slavery in Gloucestershire, UK.

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Jordan Brealy
Keyword(s):  
Research Policy ◽  
Sexual Exploitation ◽  
Evidence Base ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Policy And Practice ◽  
Local Responses ◽  
The United Kingdom ◽  
Modern Slavery ◽  
Local Awareness ◽  
The Uk

Slavery remains present in society and has been found to occur under various manifestations throughout the United Kingdom. Knowledge derived from academic enquiry regarding modern slavery has increased over recent years although sparse attention has been given to localised communities. It is important to develop the evidence-base locally to effectively increase the understanding of this diverse issue and aid local responses. This study aimed to produce evidence on local practitioners’ perspectives on modern slavery, focusing on the case study of Gloucestershire. Fourteen semi-structured interviews were conducted with a range of local practitioners in modern slavery related fields in Gloucestershire, including the police, healthcare and non-governmental organisations (NGOs). Thematic analysis was used to identify key themes from the data. These themes related to differing perceptions of the problem locally and numerous types of exploitation e.g. sexual exploitation, labour exploitation, criminal exploitation. One example of this is the alleged increase in sexual exploitation during a localised sporting event. The data also highlighted several barriers hindering local responses, progress and awareness e.g. victims not perceiving themselves as victims, victim co-operation with services and public service funding issues. This study contributes to the evidence indicating that localities such as Gloucestershire are not exempt from a variety of slavery practices. The enquiry highlights evidence of various types of slavery offences manifesting in Gloucestershire. However, a key finding of this study is the fragmented perceptions of localised modern slavery, which highlights the need to support a collaborative approach to this diverse problem. Barriers and complexities with the local response are acknowledged such as; concerns regarding local awareness, pressures associated with resourcing and the struggles associated with identifying victims of hidden criminality and exploitation. Although these findings relate to Gloucestershire they carry wider implications relevant to other localities across the UK. Due to the wider implications of this enquiry, a number of research, policy and practice recommendations are made based on the data from this study.

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