ECER 2021 was a great success as an opportunity to discuss research and ideas at the forefront of the education policy field and nurture contacts between education policy researchers. The programme for Network 23 during the conference week included 16 symposia and over 70 paper presentations. All were of a very high quality, and the online format allowed high levels of participation leading to stimulating discussions. With keynotes available on demand during the week, participants could be flexible about their involvement. Inevitability, social and informal contact was a little more difficult than in previous years, but this was unavoidable, and the online conference provided an excellent alternative given the circumstances. Indeed, for many of those attending, the highlight was simply the opportunity to reconnect with colleagues and friends not seen for some time because of the pandemic. At the conference, we thanked Anna Tsatsaroni who stepped down as a NW23 convenor, having been link convenor from 2013-2017 and a convenor before and since. Anna has made a huge contribution to the network, and has always been generous with her time, help, advice and feedback.
