Faculty of Humanities

Questions from the audience now. When asked about how students can help navigate and influence the world today, "Persistence... It's about demonstrating that you can vote with your feet".

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💬 Natalie reflects on her career so far and the world today: "War is never simple, but it seems incredibly complex today"

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Natalie shares her experiences working in conflict zones, such as Syria and Ukraine. How she and her team were received differently by civilians, especially across generations, and the relationships they formed.

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We're joining @hcrinstitute.bsky.social for a special lecture, "Navigating Humanitarian Medical Care in Active Conflict" with Dr Natalie Roberts (@docnat.bsky.social) from @msf.ca. A talk focused on her experiences as a medical practitioner working on the front lines in humanitarian zones.

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What does the Greens’ victory in Gorton and Denton mean for the future of British politics? Our panel responds Greens first, Reform second, Labour trailing – and the Tories losing their deposit. This felt like a rejection of the status quo

'The problems are real – but the solutions Reform offered were not. Its politics relies on fear and scapegoating, and the racism feels barely disguised'
Remi Joseph-Salisbury comments on the Gorton & Denton by-election
@uomhums.bsky.social @uomsoss.bsky.social
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

Now exhibiting in the Samuel Alexander Glass Corridor: MossWorlds – Re-Storying Urban Lives

📅 Until 2 March 2026
📍Sam Alex Glass Corridor

The exhibition is based on an interdisciplinary research project undertaken at The University of Manchester during 2024-5, supported by Creative Manchester.

P‑S WELLS is shifting how we understand and support children’s emotional wellbeing during the context of primary-secondary school transitions, providing a first step in minimising educational disadvantage and social inequality in children’s developmental pathways.

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Throughout the project, they have worked in partnership with non-academic stakeholders, and all work has been guided by two advisory groups: one panel of young people (aged 9-13 years) and a second panel of educational and clinical practitioners, NGOs and policymakers.

3. To develop a P-S WELLS manual for use in schools, including CPD opportunities to administer, score and interpret the measurement. This will give teachers real‑time insight into their class’s emotional wellbeing on a universal and targeted basis.

2. To pilot and conduct longitudinal psychometric assessment and longitudinal validation on two discrete samples, across two primary-secondary school transitions periods: doi.org/10.1177/1073...

Emotional Wellbeing in the Context of Primary-Secondary School Transitions: A Concept Analysis Paper - Educational Psychology Review The number of children experiencing poor emotional wellbeing, which can lead to clinically significant mental health conditions in the long term, is increasing rapidly, as are government initiatives o...

1. To develop a clear theoretical and conceptual definition of emotional in the context of primary-secondary school transitions: doi.org/10.1007/s106...

The project’s key aims to develop the first robust, sensitive, and standardised accessible measure, to longitudinally assess children’s emotional wellbeing in the context of primary-secondary school transitions, through the following objectives:

So, what will P‑S WELLS do differently? It is novel in its approach (asking children about their feelings towards the changes they are negotiating in context), and in its design and operationalisation (through careful phrasing of items and longitudinal psychometric assessment and validation)

👉Have inconsistent reliability and validity
👉Use inaccessible formats, that lack child voice
👉Key constructs (primary-secondary school transitions and emotional wellbeing) are not conceptualised and/or theoretically defined

They often:
👉Ignore the dynamic, longitudinal nature of primary-secondary school transitions in the design and operationalisation of scales
👉Follow a negative discourse using unbalanced items and negative wording

These changes can be exciting and worrying. They’re dynamic, ongoing, and multi‑layered.

But current tools for measuring emotional well-being during this transition fall short.

Why? Because primary-secondary school transitions are emotionally demanding, critical periods for 2/3 of children. Children experience academic, social, psychological, environmental, and personal changes, simultaneously.

The P‑S WELLS project has designed, piloted, and is now validating the first sensitive and standardised scale for assessing children’s emotional wellbeing during primary-secondary school transitions.

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@uomseed.bsky.social @manchester.ac.uk #ChildrensMentalHealthWeek #EduSky

2 children in winter coats and hats building a den out of wood in woodland. Text reads: Noticing nature - supporting your wellbeing and mental health at all ages

When did you last pause to really notice nature? 🌱
This #ChildrensMentalHealthWeek, research from the @educationuom.bsky.social shows how simple, unhurried moments outdoors can support children’s mental health and wellbeing.
Read 👉 c-js.uk/4pVwpGO
#MentalHealth #Nature #OutdoorLearning

This #childrensmentalhealthweek @smqpsych.bsky.social has co-written an article for Countryside Jobs Service on the importance of noticing nature and how families, educators and policy makers can encourage play and exploration in natural spaces

📖 www.countryside-jobs.com/article/noti...

When did you last pause to really notice the world around you? 🍃

Simple moments of engaging with nature are tools for supporting mental health and wellbeing, and research shows that giving children space to explore and play in nature encourages creativity, curiosity and a sense of calm.

Text reads 'Nature as therapy, research shows how the outdoors can help us to heal' - image of two men walking in woods

A study examines a form of outdoor, ‘eco' therapy.

Participants said moments in nature helped them process the past: watching trees grow and decay, feeling the wind on their face, or sitting quietly in a forest.

@uomhums.bsky.social #ecotherapy

journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/...

Text reads 'Manchester research reveals how global laws can give workers real power' - image is workers on a tractor

Study reveals that ‘due diligence’ laws are beginning to give a voice to some of the world’s most vulnerable workers.

The laws are designed to make multinational companies accountable for labour and environmental abuses.

@uomhums.bsky.social #workersrights

academic.oup.com/joeg/advance...

Discover funding, mentorship, and elevate your research to industry.

@digitaluom.bsky.social is hosting this workshop for those whose work has a digital element or for those curious about how a digital strand could enrich their research.

24 March (1- 4:40PM): tinyurl.com/yxmhden6

Book now for our @mcrlitfest.bsky.social events in partnership with @uomcreativemcr.bsky.social and @newwritingmcr.bsky.social – featuring Douglas Stuart and Tayari Jones 📚

Join the Linguistic Diversity Collective, Creative Manchester and Manchester Museum as we participate in Manchester City of Lit’s International Mother Language Day 2026 celebrations!

📅 21 Feb, 11am–12pm
📍Manchester Museum
🎟️ https://ow.ly/l5sw50Y9o5y

#MCRIMLD26 #motherlanguageday

Did you spot some of our colleagues from Manchester Institute of Education on ITV news this week?

The story highlighted how more people are training as teachers, but a third still leave the profession within five years.

📹 Watch the report which was broadcast this week 👉 www.itv.com/watch/news/c...

@manchester.ac.uk–led project is supporting Chinese communities in Greater Manchester & beyond, tackling ageing, health & inclusion.

Led by Dr Nan Zhang (GNARC) with partners incl. Chinese Health Information Centre & Wai Yin Society.

www.socialresponsibility.manchester.ac.uk/all-news/eng...

The CreaTech Network Series returns for 2026 with the first of three events, 'Creativity and AI: Entertainment', led by Digital Futures in partnership with Creative Manchester and Turing Innovation Catalyst!

📅 26 Feb, 2.30pm–5pm
📍 Contact Theatre, Oxford Road
🎟️ Register: https://ow.ly/QMiF50Y5Wio

And that's a wrap! After a Q&A full of questions from science communications to 'greenwashing', Fiona Divine (Vice Dean for Humanities @manchester.ac.uk) closes the event, emphasising the importance of the humanities in navigating these challenges in everyday life 📚

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