This is an exciting opportunity for an experienced researcher to join a prospective research project, focused on the disproportionate impact school exclusions have on minority ethnic students in the UK. The project is jointly delivered by Communities Empowerment Network (CEN) - a London based charity that promotes equality of opportunity for those who would otherwise be discriminated against because of their race, primarily in the areas of school admissions and exclusions; and the Runnymede Trust - the UK’s leading race equality think tank.

The role requires working as a Researcher in Residence within the team at CEN where you will deliver innovative qualitative research employing ethnographic research methods. You will follow a cohort of students and their associated families as they navigate the exclusions and appeals process, accurately record their journeys and stage 1-2-1 semi-structured interviews at key intervals. Strong interpersonal and relationship building skills are essential for the role, as you will shadow a triage administrator, a number of caseworkers, and a pastoral support worker. Alongside this, you will need to maintain companionate relationships with students and their families over the course of a school year and ensure that ethical and safeguarding protocols are followed. 

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As Researcher in Residence your role will consist of the following duties:

• Shadow a triage administrator, a number of caseworkers and pastoral support workers, recording the details of exclusion cases as they reach their resolution and identifying key moments to stage 1-2-1 interviews with affected pupils and families.
• Effectively document research findings over a medium term prospective research project, including regularly producing annotated transcripts and providing termly summary reports over the course of the school year.
• Work collaboratively with parent empowerment co-ordinators and engagement officers to ensure research findings inform pop up empowerment events, and other meaningful assets informing parents how to exercise their rights once a child is excluded and how to navigate the exclusion and appeals process.

• Help develop CEN’s research approaches, supporting the CEO to build the organisation's capability and capacity in this area and scoping future projects.

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To succeed in the role:

You will have experience delivering longitudinal research and have familiarity with casework in relation to justice services. You’ll have an ability to build trust positive relationships with a diverse group of stakeholders. Your thoughtful approach to issues of ethics, positionality and power will ensure the research is rich, co-created and centres the experiences and voices of participants.