Rethinking Care in Education

This chapter serves as a final reflection on the themes explored throughout the book. It argues that performance-based discourses of care in education, often driven by policies and agendas focused on measurable outcomes, can inadvertently neglect the relational dimensions of teaching and learning. This can have detrimental effects on teachers’ practices and, notably, on the experiences of marginalised students. The chapter calls for a re-examination of care, shifting away from a performance-oriented perspective and towards relational ethics. This approach recognises that vulnerability is a fundamental human condition. It also emphasises the need to move away from a purely transactional or instrumental understanding of care. By centring care on mutual vulnerability, the chapter advocates for a renewed focus on equity and justice in education to ensure that the needs of all students, particularly marginalised groups, are adequately addressed.