The Joyce Morris Research Programme in Early Years Literacies

The School of Education and Lifelong Learning is the recipient of a bequest as part of the late Joyce Morris legacy.

Joyce Morris worked to improve the teaching and learning of literacy, particularly early years literacy as well as research in reading. Joyce Morris was central to a group of researchers and teachers who in 1961 established the Reading Council, which became the UK Reading Association (now the UK Literacy Association). Joyce Morris served as the association’s president in 1965-66 and was appointed OBE in 1992.

The School's aims are to use the bequest to:

stimulate high impact, interdisciplinary research in Early Years literacies;
to promote this research through dissemination events & collaboration with research and practitioner communities;
to build long term interdisciplinary research capacity in the School in the field of Early Years Literacies.

Our programme has two parts -

The Joyce Morris Fund for research in early years literacies: This is a research programme supporting 3 large interdisciplinary projects (two year duration), awarded through a competitive, independently reviewed scheme.
The Joyce Morris Early Years Literacy Forum: This is a forum for researcher and practitioner networking, hosting a national conference and a space to engage with a range of stakeholders in early years literacy.