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Dr Emma Rogers
Emma joined BGU in August 2017 after 6 years as a self-employed school advisor providing in-class coaching and training to local authorities and schools. She has experience in Primary English, assessment and learning. She worked for several years for the Primary National Strategies leading the successful Every Child a Writer programme and has developed languages curricula and assessment guidance in over 150 countries. In 2018 Emma became a Fellow of the Higher Education Association. Emma leads an OU/UKLA Teachers’ Reading group to develop Reading for Pleasure Pedagogies with teachers and students. Teaching Emma will be contributing to a range of programmes within Teacher Development including undergraduate and PGCE course. Emma is English lead for the School of Teacher Development. -
Hannah Wells
Hannah joined BGU in September 2018. Prior to this, Hannah taught for eleven years across key stages in both primary and junior schools in Lincolnshire, leading subjects including Humanities, Art, DT and English. She spent the last three years working as a Deputy Head across a Multi-Academy Trust and a year as an Interim Head of School. Hannah successfully established School Direct Teacher Training across the Trust she worked for, in partnership with BGU. As well as establishing School Direct Teacher Training, Hannah was also responsible for induction, NQT and RQT support. She created a bespoke programme of support linked to career entry targets and the Teacher Standards’ document for the NQT year. As part of her Master's Degree, Hannah’s research culminated in the creation of a mentor standards document that was used as part of teacher performance management across the Trust. Teaching Hannah is the Programme Leader for PGCE Primary and EYs. Hannah primarily teaches and contributes to the PGCE programme as well as contributing to the Undergraduate and School Direct programmes. -
Dr Helen Bushell-Thornalley
Helen has oversight of Secondary PGCE for Physical Education and Dance, leadership in secondary mentor training and Educational Ethnography research in the Education Master's programme team. Helen had an International career of fourteen years, playing Hockey for England and Great Britain and coaching professionally within this sport. During the 2018 Helen was part of the former Women’s International group during the Hockey World Cup. Helen’s first degree is in Sports Science and her subsequent qualification as a secondary Physical Education teacher at Brunel University. Throughout her school career, she was Head of Department of Physical Education department and then as Head of Sixth Form in an outstanding school of over 1200 pupils in London. Helen then moved from her role in leadership to work with undergraduate, PGCE, GT, OTT and Master's in Education degree students at St Mary’s University. Helen took on a leading role within mentoring and coaching Secondary Physical Education Specials at St Mary’s University for four-years QTS degrees and PGCE programmes. During ten years at that institution, Helen held leadership roles in Education at Academic, and Programme Director levels and course leads and completed her Master’s degree from Surrey University. This research developed an institutional Academic Tutoring System ATS, focusing on tutor support for degree classifications and target setting for undergraduate QTS students through Action Research. In 2012 Helen embarked on her Doctorate in Education at Bishop Grosseteste University. The focus of Helen’s research is in Physical Education and School Sport and how the Olympic movement has politically influenced practices in the UK, from its origin in Victorian Britain and then during the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games. -
Ruth Pearson
Ruth taught in Doncaster schools for twenty five years across the Foundation Stage, Key Stage One and Key Stage Two. She was responsible for many areas of the curriculum including the Early Years, English, Art, ICT, MFL, SEN and EAL. As a member of the Senior Leadership Team, she led all Key Stage Teams during her long and very happy teaching career. Ruth joined Bishop Grosseteste University as a Lecturer after being a School Based Mentor to many of our trainees in January 2015 on a secondment from her role in school as Assistant Headteacher. She became the Cohort Leader for the PGCE (EYTS) and took up a full time permanent role in 2017. Teaching Ruth is the Cohort Leader for School Direct (Primary) and as a Senior Lecturer, currently teaches on the PGCE Primary programme. Her particular areas of specialism are English, Phonics and the Early Years. -
Stephen Smith
Head of Partnerships Stephen joined BGU in September 2015 from the University of Northampton where he previously worked for six years in a number of roles including Programme Leader for Secondary PGCE, Programme Leader for Primary and Secondary Professional Studies, and as Head of Partnerships. During his time in Northampton he also taught on a number of primary and secondary programmes, postgraduate and undergraduate course – principally in the areas of Professional Studies and History. Stephen has worked as an External Examiner for a large training provider in Essex and for the University of Derby on their Assessment Only programme. Much of his work has been directly involved with schools and he has been on the Executive Boards and steering groups of a number of Teaching School Alliances in the East Midlands and is currently taking on similar roles in schools in the Lincolnshire region. Research Stephen’s, research for his MEd has been focused on the area of developing teacher identity, particularly in the role played by the Teacher Standards in this development. His main research interests lie in the area of ‘teacher identity’, particularly regarding trainee and emerging teachers. -
Stefanie Jacklin
Stef joined Bishop Grosseteste University in January 2021, on a part- time basis whilst still working as a primary school teacher. In April, she moved across to BGU full- time. Stef is an ex-student of Bishop Grosseteste University and has many fond memories of the University. Stef started her teaching career in Peterborough and then moved to Lincolnshire. During Stef’s many years of teaching, she has led a range of subjects including Science, English, and Humanities. Humanities, diversity, and black history are areas which really interest Stef. In her previous teaching role, Stef was School Direct and NQT Lead mentor for a multi-academy Trust in Lincolnshire. As a Senior Lecturer, Stef primarily teaches and contributes to the PGCE 5-11 programme as well as contributing to the Undergraduate and School Direct programmes. -
Dr Ursula McKenna
Dr Ursula McKenna is Senior Research Fellow in Implicit Religion at BGU where she is located within the Department of Theology and the World Religions and Education Research Unit. Upon completion of her BA (QTS) she was awarded an Economic and Social Research Council MA studentship and obtained an MA (with distinction) for her work on religious education for children with special educational needs in the primary school. While combining a part-time research post with a job-share class teaching position she then completed her doctorate. Her research was an evaluation of the Building E- Bridges programme, a project which advocated the use of email in primary schools to promote interfaith dialogue amongst pupils across the UK. For fourteen years Ursula taught across the primary age range and as research fellow at the University of Warwick (1999-2021) she contributed to the PGCE Primary and Early Years Religious Education module and the MA in Religious Education by distance learning course. She has undertaken supervision of dissertation students on BA and MA Education Studies degrees and has co-supervised research students. For twelve years she was editorial assistant for the British Journal of Religious Education, co-ordinating the refereeing process for all submissions and special issues. -
Nishi Bremner
Nishi is a Senior Lecturer in Primary & Early Years Initial Teacher Education and ITaP Coordinator at Bishop Grosseteste University, having joined the institution in September 2024. She brings over 25 years of successful teaching experience across diverse educational settings, including inner city schools in London, village schools, and international schools in Spain, before settling in Lincolnshire in 2011.Beginning her career after completing a PGCE in London, Nishi progressed through various teaching roles and year groups, ultimately serving as Deputy Head Teacher and Head of Academy at a school in a deprived area of Lincolnshire. Her extensive classroom experience provides a strong foundation for her current role in teacher education.Coaching and mentoring are central to Nishi's professional passion. She served as ECT Lead for 10 years, successfully supporting and mentoring Early Career Teachers in school settings. This commitment to developing new educators led to collaborative work with the EoETTC and SCITT programmes as a School Based Mentor and Quality Assurance Mentor. Her expertise in clinical practice, coaching and mentoring aligns seamlessly with her ITaP coordinator responsibilities.Nishi has also contributed to academic scholarship, co-authoring a chapter on supporting vulnerable children in the Early Years alongside BGU colleagues. Her areas of specialism include EYFS, Mathematics, Assessment and Science, with interests in English as an Additional Language (EAL) and supporting children and families from disadvantaged backgrounds.Through her experience and ongoing commitment to mentoring trainees, Nishi continues to champion the development of high-quality teaching practice and the support of newly qualified educators entering the profession.
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