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Introduction There is a long tradition of school uniform within the UK, yet the topic receives relatively little attention in UK-based research, particularly compared with other parts of the world. In my experiences within FE, I have encountered a prevailing narrative that uniform benefits students’ academic and vocational successes, yet I have not seen robust evidence to support this; whilst some studies explore such correlations, few – perhaps none – are situated within FE; yet this research setting has witnessed diminishing numbers of students adhering to uniform policy, against a backdrop of socioeconomic disruption caused at least in part by Covid-19. Accordingly, this research aims to explore purpose and effects of uniform in FE, with a view to informing future policy design within the setting. Participants and Methods The research was set in a large FE college in South-East England. Following an extensive literature review, which provides both justification and direction for the research, a particular faculty within the setting was selected, due to the breadth and variety of vocational courses delivered; all staff and students therein were invited to complete questionnaires, answering questions regarding motivation for uniform policy, understanding of policy, use of uniform, feelings towards uniform and perceived effects of uniform. 34 students and 7 staff responded. The questionnaires were a mixture of open ended and Likert-scale-type questions, producing both qualitative and quantitative data. Thematic analysis was applied to the qualitative data in order to produce semantic-based codes. Results The questionnaire results illustrated noticeable disparities between staff and students, regarding their respective understanding of uniform, the reasons for such policies and the desire for them. Neoliberalist values were apparent in the staff’s responses, whilst Foucaultian principles were evident not only within the literature review but within college narratives

Mountains are global reservoirs of biodiversity, water, and soil carbon (C), but are warming at greater than average rates, with reducing snow cover and changing rainfall regimes. These changes may alter biogeochemical cycling, impacting the fate of soil C. For oceanic-alpine ecosystems, there is limited knowledge about basic attributes and functioning, particularly responses to environmental change. This thesis aimed to improve understanding of C cycling in these ecosystems and potential impacts of climate change. I conducted surveys and experiments across snow melt gradients, elevations, and contrasting habitats. Survey of vegetation and soils in the Cairngorm Mountains showed that snow cover duration, elevation, and topography (snow-collecting vs snow-shedding sites) drove vegetation community composition. However, differences in vegetation were not reflected by C pool size in the upper 15 cm organic topsoil. In laboratory experiments, I examined effects of drought and rewetting intensity on C and nitrogen (N) cycling. Gas fluxes differed between plant communities and drought generally reduced ecosystem respiration rates. Rewetting led to a pulse in ecosystem respiration rates in Nardus snowbeds, but the nature of rewetting did not determine the size of the gas flux. Total leachate losses of C and all forms of N were greater following high intensity rewetting (storm). Drought reduced total losses of C and some forms of N, but increased total nitrate losses. Nitrate losses were greatest when storm followed drought. Large losses of nitrate due to dry periods and heavy rain events could acidify soils and lead to eutrophication of surface waters, potentially impacting ecosystem functioning. I conclude that oceanic-alpine ecosystems hold significant carbon stocks and are resilient to drought events, but it will be important to evaluate the functions of soil microbial communities, including the source of C mineralised following rewetting events, as soil microorganisms

We report on progress to assess carbon stocks in UK saltmarsh habitats, highlighting best practice in achieving national-scale assessments, including advances in field, laboratory and data methods. New understanding of coring disturbance highlights sediment compaction and its influence on carbon stock assessment; improvements in remote sensing methods are outlined and approaches to upscaling for carbon stock assessment are described. Here, we introduce the first UK-specific saltmarsh conversion for loss-on-ignition estimates of soil organic matter to soil organic carbon. The underlying drivers that determine the spatial distribution, magnitude and future vulnerability of these important natural capital assets are assessed, highlighting the significance of long-term sea-level drivers in shaping UK coastal environments and carbon stocks. The potential for management interventions that safeguard these long-term carbon stores through the protection, restoration and creation of saltmarsh habitats are also assessed. We highlight the emergent national policy opportunities for the inclusion of saltmarsh habitats in the UK greenhouse gas inventory, providing an important first step necessary to account for, protect and restore these long-term carbon stores, realising their potential for climate change mitigation.

Projected climate warming may substantially increase carbon emissions from wet organic soils, contributing to a positive feedback between the terrestrial carbon cycle and climate change. Evidence suggests that in these soils the stimulation of soil respiration by warming can be sustained over long periods of time due to the large availability of C substrates. However, the long-term response of wet organic soils to drought remains uncertain. Organo-mineral soils might be particularly vulnerable, because of their limited soil moisture pool to buffer drought events. Using a whole-ecosystem climate-change experiment in North Wales (UK) we show that soil respiration in podzolic (organo-mineral) soils from wet shrublands is more vulnerable to recurrent drought than to warming, and that the drought impact does not attenuate at decadal time scales. Stimulation of soil respiration by drought was linked to major changes in soil structure that led to a 54 % reduction in water holding capacity compared to control. Bryophyte abundance was found to buffer soil moisture losses, moderating soil CO2 efflux under warming. As there was no evidence of change in plant productivity to offset the increased soil C emissions under drought, this response may result in a positive climate feedback. The results indicate the potentially critical role that changes in sub-dominant vegetation and in soil physical properties may have in determining climate change impacts on soil C dynamics.