Carla Solvason, Nicola Stobbs and Geoffrey Elliott are all based at the University of Worcester. They have always had an interest in more human-centred approaches to education, illustrated by Carla and Geoffrey publishing Ethics in Education in 2023. Just prior to this, Nicola had embedded a social pedagogical approach within the BA Early Childhood in Society course that she led, and they established a Social Pedagogy Research Group at the university. This group has grown from strength to strength, and their seminal publication, A human approach to restructuring the education system: why schools in England need social pedagogy, published in the International Journal of Social Pedagogy, has been read by thousands of people keen to see educational change.

Chapter 1: The case for social pedagogy in education
Nicola Stobbs

Chapter 2: What does it mean to be a social pedagogue?
Jacqueline Hine and Amanda Sheehy

Chapter 3: Creating a nurturing environment in early childhood education and care, with a focus upon relationships, awe and wonder
Johanna Cliffe

Chapter 4: Adopting social pedagogical values to support children with SEND
Sue Baylis

Chapter 5: The potential of art to break down barriers and draw together
Kaytie Holdstock

Chapter 6: Harmony and connection: integrating social pedagogy with music education
Kate Howen

Chapter 7: Taking a social pedagogical approach to including Gypsy, Roma and Traveller communities in a setting
Stacey Hodgkins

Chapter 8: Creativity and the common third: approaches in education
Nicola Watson and Rosemarie Hill

Chapter 9: Managing emotions and maintaining wellbeing as an empathic social pedagogue
Angela Hodgkins and Suzanne Allies

Chapter 10: Why college-based higher education needs social pedagogy
Olivia Storey and Geoffrey Elliott

Chapter 11: A social pedagogical approach to tackling social-class bias in higher education
Raquel Labella Jara

Chapter 12: Building relationships within blended learning
Samantha Sutton-Tsang

Chapter 13: A head, heart and hands approach to collaborative mentoring
Yvonne Cashmore and Margaret Tildesley

Chapter 14: Leadership: not a role but a way of being
Shaun McInerney and Emma Laurence

Chapter 15: Accepting relationships and emotions in research
Carla Solvason

Chapter 16: The next chapter
Stuart Gallagher