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Lecturer’s new article reveals the early history of book collecting by the Cavendish family
Dr W. Jack Rhoden, Programme Leader for History at Bishop Grosseteste University (BGU), has had an article published in the Midland History journal outlining the early history of book collecting by the Cavendish family. The article, the first such study of its kind, seeks to reveal the extensive book collecting activities of one of the most wealthy and powerful aristocratic families of early modern England. It analyses the early modern book collecting activities of the Devonshire branch of the Cavendish family as an example of elite cultural capital accumulation across multiple generations. Speaking following publication, Dr Rhoden discussed what readers and prospective students could expect from the article: “The article will be of interest for those who like book history along with anyone who has visited Chatsworth House and Hardwick Hall and has a general interest in the history of the Cavendish/Devonshire family. It is also linked to our level 4 module - HIS404: British Libraries, Museums and Archives: A History of Collection, 1600-2000 which provides a general history of British libraries, museums and archives from the collections of wealthy individuals in the early modern period to more middle and working-class collections and the ultimate establishment of state-supported national and public institutions from the mid-18th century to the present day beginning with the British Museum.” The article, which is now available here to online subscribers of the Midland History journal, is the product of work originally undertaken during Dr Rhoden’s time as a post-doctoral researcher at Chatsworth House, Derbyshire. You can read his full series of blogs, which delve into the intriguing history of a library that has evolved over 400 years, by clicking here. -
BGU Academics Awarded €178,000 Erasmus Funding for Well-being Research
Academics from Bishop Grosseteste University’s (BGU) Well-being and Workload in Education RKEU group have been awarded 178,000 euro of Erasmus+ funding to research and develop the well-being of initial teacher education students. The group from BGU, who will be leading this international project, consists of Dr. Emma Clarke, Dr. Phil Wood, Shaun Thompson and Aimee Quickfall. They will be working with colleagues at the University of Eastern Finland and Kobenhavns Professionshojskole, University of Copenhagen. Aimee, who is Head of Programmes for Primary and Early Years at BGU, commented that: “It is great to be working with our Finnish and Danish colleagues again on a topic that is dear to all of us – the continued success and happiness of our teacher trainees.” The aim of the project is to produce a package of resources for ITE students, school mentors and university staff, including ‘well-being toolkits’ that will be tailored to Finnish, Danish and UK contexts. Shaun, who is Regional Partnership Lead at BGU explained this: “It is really important to consider different education systems and also the different people that need support with well-being. If a student struggles with their well-being during their training, mentors and university tutors also need resources to support their trainee in their context; on placement, in tutorials, at a distance and in person.” The project will run for three years and include events in all three countries to share findings with students, school mentors and initial teacher educators. Emma pointed out: “The project has a real activist aim – we want to improve the experiences of teacher trainees as widely as we can.” To that end, the project outcomes will include a website with free to access online resources, blogs and advice, as well as the toolkits for supporting trainee well-being. Phil explained that: “Although the toolkits and resources will be based on research carried out at BGU, UEF and Copenhagen, there will be useful materials and findings for teacher trainees, mentors and tutors in other contexts and countries.” If you’re interested in a future in education, our BA (Hons) Primary Education with QTS (3 year undergraduate degree), BA (Hons) Primary Teaching Studies with QTS (15 month top up degree), and PGCE courses are the perfect ways to begin or continue your adventure on the path to becoming a fantastic teacher! If you have any questions, our Enquiries Team are ready to help. Contact them today or visit our website to find out how to take your next steps. -
Remembering Ray Clemence, MBE and Honorary BGU Graduate
Ray Clemence’s achievements as an outstanding person in the field of sport were recognized with an honorary degree by Bishop Grosseteste University in 2011. He was one of English and European football's most decorated goalkeepers but his life started in Lincolnshire. Raymond Neal Clemence was born in Skegness and started his football journey at the age of nine. Throughout his childhood, Ray surprisingly never wanted to be a goalkeeper and went on to enjoy playing football at both centre-half and left back positions. One day at school they were short of a goalkeeper and the Sportsmaster nominated Ray to go into goal, he was 15 years of age at the time and found that he had a natural ability. However, he still did not have a burning ambition to be a goalkeeper! As a schoolboy he had a brief spell at Notts County before making his debut for Scunthorpe United in 1966 - at this time he could scarcely have imagined what lay ahead of him. Scunthorpe United weren’t in a position to pay Ray, so he also worked at Skegness beach. It was whilst working at Skegness beach that Scunthorpe United informed Ray that they needed to speak to him. It was to inform him that Liverpool FC had been in touch and were interested in signing him, if he was at all interested - they were presumably hoping that he was not! Ray was, of course, very interested, and was in Liverpool the following day. Ray was spotted and signed by the Liverpool manager Bill Shankly, joining the Reds for £18,000 in 1967, after 48 appearances for Scunthorpe United. Although Ray had to wait two and a half years before getting a regular first team place, he soon became an Anfield institution in his vivid green shirt and will go down as one of the shrewdest transfer bargains in football history. Tall and agile, with the sharpest of reflexes, he was superbly balanced, kicking with his left foot and throwing with his right hand. Ray’s unflappable and reassuring presence between the sticks inspired confidence in those around him. Bill Shankley went on to say, ‘that with him in goal, Liverpool would have won everything in the 1960s’. Well, with Ray in goal during the 70’s and early 80’s, Liverpool certainly did go on to win almost everything and during his 11 years in the first team at Liverpool he missed just six league matches, won virtually every major honour in the game and displayed a level of consistency that no Reds' keeper has since matched. Ray was also a regular for England between 1972 and 1984 and his England career encompassed several World Cup qualification campaigns as well as trips to the European Championship in 1980 and the World Cup Finals in 1982. Ray went on to make a total of 61 appearances for England and to captain the team at Wembley. Ray left Liverpool in 1981 to join Tottenham Hotspur for a fee of £300,000 and continued in excellent form, playing until he was almost 40 and making over 1000 first team appearances in total. Ray’s club career was nothing short of spectacular. With Liverpool he won three European Cups, five League Championships, the FA cup, the League Cup and two UEFA Cups, while at Tottenham he added a further FA and UEFA cup. Following such a highly successful playing career is never easy, as many famous sportsmen and women have discovered. But when Ray retired from the professional game in 1988 he immediately joined the coaching staff at Tottenham and soon progressed to the first team, before leaving to manage Barnet in 1994. Three years later, he joined Glen Hoddle’s England team as the goalkeeping coach, a key role he continued to hold under Kevin Keegan, Sven-Goran Eriksson and Fabio Capello. Ray was also the head of the FA’s Development Team, overseeing the England youth teams and working with England U21 coach Stuart Pearce in monitoring young players’ progression to the U21 side. With Ray’s wealth of knowledge and experience he was regularly invited to appear on television and radio to summarise and co-commentate on major football matches. Ray’s contribution to the game was recognized in 1987 when he was awarded an MBE for services to football. His dedication and love of football was clear throughout his illustrious career. Ray’s legacy in the world of football is as a performer at the highest level and in the development of people in football, as well as the sport of football itself. -
Hull’s Historic Docks and Ceremonial Culture Explored in Lecturer’s Award-Winning Essay
Dr Michael Reeve, Lecturer in History at BGU, has won the 2020 Gordon Forster Essay Prize, awarded by the Northern History journal, for his article exploring Hull’s historic docks and civic ceremonial culture. The piece, entitled ‘'An Empire Dock’: Place Promotion and the Local Acculturation of Imperial Discourse in ‘Britain’s Third Port’', looks in detail at civic ceremonial culture in Hull in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, with a specific focus on new dock openings. This includes the grand opening of the 'Joint Dock' in east Hull in June 1914. This state-of-the-art dock was later known as King George Dock in honour of George V, who opened it with his wife, Mary, the Queen-consort. The article is concerned, in particular, with the way the British empire figured as a symbol and motif in dock openings and the promotional materials that surrounded them. Speaking following the article’s publication, Dr Reeve discussed what drew him to the subject: “This area of history has long interested me as a native of the port city of Hull, where I grew up just a stone's throw from the King George Dock. I kind of stumbled upon the topic when trying to develop a blog post about urban culture and civic ceremony during the First World War about three years ago (most of my work to date has focused on this conflict)! I ended up developing it into something much broader, related to the mid-nineteenth and early-twentieth century history of the British empire and its impact on urban culture in culture in coastal places. I found the opening ceremony for the dock fascinating and thought that it had clear connections to historical accounts I had read about imperial citizenship, as well as a wider research concern I have with 'coastal-urban' experience and identities in history. When I got into the archives (mainly the Hull History Centre and the British Newspaper Archive), I found a wealth of material to go on, from colourful brochures and ticket stubs, to richly-detailed newspaper accounts and planning documents. The article should be of interest to students enrolled on modules related to the British empire and identity (such as the third-year module, The Sun Never Set and the Blood Never Dried: The British Empire in the Long Nineteenth Century and the first-year module, History of Identity) and those researching local historical topics and methods. It will also relate to the MA Social and Cultural History module, City and Countryside in Transition 1870-1914, given its focus on urban historical change.” The article is currently available to download for free (for a limited time) by clicking here. To find out more about how you can uncover new adventures on a History course at BGU, visit our website, book onto one of our Open Events or speak to a member of our Enquiries Team. -
"By choosing BGU you are doing more than just a degree, you are setting yourself up for life" - How studying at BGU started Jake's career in sport
I came to Bishop Grosseteste with the ambition of becoming a PE Teacher. BGU helped me achieve everything, and more, than I could have ever hoped for. During my three years studying Education Studies and Sport, I was able to gain my first experiences of what it would take to become a teacher. I was able to work in a variety of settings including a secondary school PE Department along with Primary and UTC college environments. The secondary placement in particular, reaffirmed to me that I was right in wanting to be a PE Teacher and chase my dream career. I was able to work alongside the entire PE department, assisting in delivering lessons, running extra-curricular clubs and gaining experience across different Key Stages. The modules allowed me to learn about educational philosophies and different pedagogical approaches to teaching, which allowed me to form my own style of teaching. The wealth of experience the lecturers have meant you could be challenged but also challenge them on contemporary issues and have a high-level discussion about what is happening in the world of sport and education. I was able to achieve a first-class honours degree and I felt like I earnt my degree as the level of scrutiny and academic rigor made sure you get what you put into each assessment. My favourite module though was when I got to complete my dissertation. I used my dissertation as preparation for my PGCE at Loughborough University. I was able to interview many PE teachers across the country about the feasibility of a Models-Based Practice being adopted in a PE curriculum. Rafe Elliot, my sport lecturer was always there to give me advice and support throughout. To this day, my dissertation is my proudest piece of work. -
Lecturer aiming to raise over £1000 by walking over Cancer
Tracey Kilcoyne, BAPE/PTS Placement Lead & Senior Lecturer at Bishop Grosseteste University (BGU), is aiming to raise over £1000 for Cancer Research by participating in the Charity’s 'Walk all over Cancer' challenge this month. Those undertaking the ‘Walk all over Cancer’ challenge need to travel 10,000 steps everyday throughout March by walking, running, cycling, exercising, or any other physical activity. Tracey is currently storming her way through challenge and has already covered over 50,000 steps. As she reached the end of her first week of walking, Tracey shared her motivation for taking part: “I didn't know this until recently but Cancer affects 1 in 2 of us in someway in our lifetime. This has had significant impact on my family over the last 3 years. Without going into details Cancer Research has been part of my family's life for a while now and without the amazing discoveries in research into Cancer those affected may not have had hope, early diagnosis, treatment or a even a cure. So I wanted to give something back and contribute to this important charity so that this life-saving work continues. I had set myself a modest goal of raising £150 but already I have smashed this and am aiming to raise £1K so anyone willing to donate to Cancer Research can do so through my fundraising pages. I will be tweeting and posting on Facebook daily about my aches and pains, the songs I listen to and the beautiful views I encounter on the way. If anyone living in my area spots me out and about walking with my dogs give me a wave or a pip of the car horn. I am following COVID guidelines and staying local by walking the roads and bridle paths surrounding my home, as I am lucky enough to live in a very rural location just outside of Newark. It's not too late for others to sign up and take part in the challenge and join me to create a TEAM walking in our respective areas. Alternatively, words of encouragement on social media or even ideas for walking playlists would also be appreciated.” You can support Tracey’s efforts through her general fundraising page or her Facebook fundraising page. You can also follow her on twitter and send messages of support with #walkallovercancer and #10000stepsaday. Are you fundraising or supporting a charity and would like to share your efforts? Contact us at news@bishopg.ac.uk to share your story. -
BGU Lecturers suggest improved disaster risk reduction policy for Bangladesh
Bangladesh has more than 700km of coastline within the Bay of Bengal (BoB). It is a low-lying flood plain and high population density country. Due to the geographical location and topography, any cyclonic activities on BoB and beyond on it, on the Indian Ocean, impact on the coastal communities in Bangladesh. (Below photo: Approximate origin and path of severe tropical cyclone Amphan on May 2020) -
Looking for facilities to support or start your business? Then the BG Futures Centre is the perfect place for you
As the world begins to come out of restrictions brought in to combat COVID-19, many businesses and entrepreneurs are having to navigate new waters to get themselves up and running. For any professionals unsure what next steps to take, the BG Futures team are ready to help, with a range of positive services and facilities. Hear below from Sarah Moseley, Enterprise Development Manager at BG Futures, about how they could support you. -
Ideas Café – Autism
On 5th April, we held an ideas cafe surrounding the topic of autism. Attendees came from a diverse range of health, social care and academic backgrounds. A range of ideas were highlighted for discussion, in relation to autism that the attendees felt would be valuable to discuss. Ideas that were put forward included: Managing parents’ expectations around obtaining a diagnosis for their childHow to keep autistic children in mainstream schoolSpecial needs training for all trainee teachersTransition for a child into adult servicesTraining for educational staff – increasing training and confidence levels of staff to better manage children with autismHow do we access school staff in order to train them?Can technology be used to link up all of these different areas?Mapping the services available for different age groups. The group consensus was that a mapping exercise would be useful to visualise what services are currently available and who they are aimed at. This led to an interactive session of plotting out services and gaps in service for different age ranges: Early YearsPrimary School AgeSecondary School AgePost 16/Teenagers/Young adultsAdultsThe Elderly Where gaps were identified, the group considered what was being done, or what could be done to address the shortcomings. Once plotted, services were categorised according to whether they could be accessed through universal services or self-referral, or whether they required a referral to be made via a professional. A follow-up event to further map out out the autism landscape of Lincolnshire, and to discuss and collaborate on other themes relevant to autism has been planned at LORIC on Friday 7th June 10am-12pm. This event is open to anyone with a personal or professional interest in autism and places can be booked via the LORIC Eventbrite page. -
British Educational Research Association releases findings on BGU research on NQT experiences
The British Education Research Association (BERA) have released initial findings of a British Academy funded research currently being carried out by Bishop Grosseteste University’s (BGU) Professor Phil Wood, Dr. Emma Clarke and Dr. Aimee Quickfall. The blog post, titled ‘How newly qualified teachers are coping in the time of Covid-19’, shares initial findings from interviews and surveys carried out this year, with further data collection ongoing into August. You can read it in full by clicking here. Phil, Professor of Education Change at BGU, explained the context of the current newly qualified teacher cohort: “Newly qualified teachers (NQTs) have arguably always had tough challenges to overcome, but the pandemic has added to these challenges, including rapid adaptations to initial teacher education content (ITE) delivery in 2019/20 and many involved in ITE and NQT support fear that the pandemic has created a ‘lost cohort’.” However, the research trio have found that whilst the year has been challenging, there are reasons to be cheerful. Emma, Senior Lecturer in Primary and Early Years ITE at BGU, explained what the participants are reporting so far: “We have been surprised by some of the data coming out of our project so far. The majority of NQTs – 77 per cent – agreed or strongly agreed that their ITE prepared them well for their NQT year, with just under 30 per cent reporting that they did not feel confident on entering their NQT year. Almost 80 per cent of NQTs agreed or strongly agreed that they were being supported well by colleagues to develop their teaching practice, and 81 per cent agreed or strongly agreed that despite Covid-19 they were continuing to develop their skills as a teacher.” The project involves national survey results as well as in depth interviews with NQTs, which Aimee, Head of Programmes for Primary and Early Years ITE at BGU, commented on: “As researchers we have been mindful that often national research on teacher experiences involves large scale survey data and a limited range of answers. This study has provided opportunities for the NQTs themselves to explain what they have been through and what resources have supported them to succeed. We can use these findings to improve preparation for early career teachers.” NQTs have been sharing their pragmatic approaches to their first year in the profession, and whilst the year has been very challenging and some NQTs are reporting fewer uplifting experiences, participants like Alisha have commented on how relationships and networks that started in their universities and training providers have supported them: “Everyone on my PGCE course… we’ve still got our little group chat and that’s been great because when something goes completely wrong and you can just throw that in, and somebody else goes, ‘Well actually that’s gone wrong for me as well. I’m confident that we’ll all pass our NQT year. It’s just working out how we can get more support or navigate through this interesting time.” You can find more information on the wide range of innovative PGCE courses offered by BGU on our website. Alternatively you can contact our Enquiries Team or join us on one our Open Days to find out how to begin your journey into teaching.
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