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Emma Edwards
Before joining BGU Emma had been a Primary school teacher for over twenty years. She worked in a number of settings, both rural and city based and in every year group from Foundation Stage to Year Six. She still maintains a teaching role within school, allowing her the opportunity to make links to current practice for training teachers. Emma has worked with trainee teachers and ECTs (NQTs) for many years as well as training and supporting the mentors with whom they work. Whilst working in schools Emma has led in most areas of the curriculum, but her main interest lies in Reading. She is particularly interested in text choice and how all pupils can be engaged to read through a curriculum which prioritises their love of reading. Emma is currently studying for the Children's Literature and Literacies Masters, here at BGU and has found the modules exploring the reflections of the child within a text both fascinating and relevant for today's classroom. -
Dr Steve McNichol
Steve joined Bishop Grosseteste University after eleven years teaching in primary schools. During his teaching career, Steve taught throughout the primary age range and developed specialisms in behaviour management and Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND). Having completed the National Programme for Specialist Leaders of Behaviour, Steve undertook the role of lead behaviour teacher in three schools and has also led provision for pupils with SEND as a Special Educational NeedsCo-ordinator (SENCO). Steve holds a Master's Degree in Education from the Open University, a Doctorate in Education from the University of Nottingham and is a Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (SFHEA). Teaching Steve holds the role of Associate Dean for Teaching and learning, promoting high quality curriculum, pedagogy and practice across the university. He is also is the Programme Leader for the National Award for Special Educational Needs Co-ordination (NA-SENCO), a nationally recognised master's-level qualification for current and aspiring Special Educational Needs Co-ordinators in schools. Steve also leads the teaching of behaviour management skills for students on undergraduate and postgraduate routes into teaching. He also makes a significant contribution to the teaching of Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) on courses that lead to Qualified Teacher Status (QTS). -
Chris Ives
Chris joined Bishop Grosseteste University in 2019 after many years teaching in primary schools in Lincolnshire. During his teaching career, Chris taught throughout the primary age range and developed specialisms in computing, Project-Based Learning and assessment. Over the years, he has led the teaching and learning of computing and also given keynote presentations about the effective use of computing in primary schools. His teaching interests include the teaching of computing, mathematics and humanities. He has particular interests in the immersive, purposeful classroom experience; planning and assessment; creative curriculum approaches; maths mastery, and; trauma-informed principles of relational and restorative approaches to behaviour management. Chris has also worked alongside Oxford Owl in the development of their online Numicon software. Chris currently teaches on the undergraduate programmes, with specific responsibilities including cohort leader and joint-module leader for Learning to Learn. -
Janet Atkinson
Janet joined BGU in September 2016 from Bath Spa University where she was a Senior Lecturer. She worked with the PGCE students in Maths and Professional Studies alongside being an Academic Tutor for a group of teacher trainees. Her introduction to Higher Education was as an Associate Lecturer at the University of the West England teaching on both their undergraduate ITT and PGCE courses. She worked within the primary and early years teams supporting the 3rd Year students and PE Subject Specialists. Janet had previously been a Primary School Teacher in Lancashire for over 15 years, teaching across the Primary age range. She held a number of leadership and subject responsibilities, including supporting colleagues in both primary and secondary school settings. Teaching Janet teaches on the BA (Hons) Primary Education Course and contributes to the Primary PGCE and PTS programmes. Her teaching interests include Maths, PE and computing. -
Dr Joy Mullan
Joy joined Bishop Grosseteste in 2011. Since then, she has taught predominantly on the Undergraduate primary teaching programmes, with specific responsibilities including professional co-ordinator and cohort leader. Prior to working in Higher Education, Joy taught in a range of primary schools, in a variety of teaching roles and senior leadership. While most of her experience has been in England, Joy has also gained experience of teaching overseas in Australia and New Zealand. Teaching Joy teaches on the BA (Hons) programmes in Primary Education and Primary Teaching Studies. Her particular area of interest is global learning, and she currently leads a module which explores issues of culture and inclusion. Other teaching areas in which Joy is particularly involved include primary RE and geography. -
Katie Potter
Teaching Katie teaches on a range of Education Studies modules. She is a Primary School teacher with over twenty years experience. She has taught all Primary years including the Early Years in schools in the UK. Katie has also taught in state schools in Sweden and an international school in Portugal. -
Sophie Longney
Sophie Longney joined Bishop Grosseteste University in February 2021 as a Senior Lecturer in Initial Primary Education. She had previously visited the university as a guest lecturer for many years, where she contributed to the Education Studies undergraduate programme. Prior to joining the university academic team, Sophie was the Vice Principal of a large primary school located in a deprived area of Nottinghamshire. As part of this role, she was Head of Teaching and Learning, English and Key Stage Two Lead while continuing to teach daily English lessons in Year 6. She was also the English and Year 6 Lead for a multi-academy trust. Sophie completed her Master's in Education in 2019 and focussed on improving the teaching of reading within Key Stage Two. The findings from this research had a very positive impact and significantly improved end of KS2 reading outcomes. Sophie has also been awarded Chartered Teacher Status (CTeach) and is a trained KS2 writing moderator for Nottinghamshire County Council. -
Paul Staples
Paul has a wide range of experience across the education and youth work sectors. His most recent position was as a curriculum lead for Higher Education courses in an FE college. Paul has worked for several third sector and education organisations, including the Prince’s Trust and Lincolnshire County Council. Paul has experience of managing education settings including alternative education and supporting NEET young people in deprived areas of the county. Academically Paul undertook the Applied Studies in Children and Youth Work BA (Hons) at Bishop Grosseteste and gained a 1st class honours degree with JNC, and then went on to complete a Masters in Education at BGU. -
Ami Montgomery
Position: Deputy Head of ITE Programmes Current Role and Responsibilities As the Deputy Head of ITE Programmes since April 2024, Ami provides strategic and operational oversight for a diverse portfolio of programmes, including primary, secondary, and further education ITE, as well as postgraduate teacher education programmes. She collaborates closely with the Head of ITE Programmes to support the overall strategies of the Faculty, ensuring the quality and standards of courses, managing staffing, and leading the ITE Leadership Group. Approved Individual Licensed Practitioner (ILP) Ami is an approved Individual Licensed Practitioner (ILP) of The Bell Foundation’s Language for Results services, demonstrating her commitment to enhancing language education and supporting learners with English as an Additional Language (EAL). Academic Experience Teaching and Learning: Ami has extensive experience in designing and delivering high-quality educational programmes. She has contributed significantly to curriculum development, teaching material design, and the delivery of modules across various levels. Her expertise includes areas such as Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI), EAL, Multiculturalism, and Initial Teacher Education. Research and Knowledge Exchange: Her doctoral research seeks to explore the intercultural dialogic teaching and learning interactions within UK primary classrooms, with a focus on the relevance of linguistic and cultural capital for inclusion. The study uses a multimodal ethnographic approach, employing a NEW and adapted T-SEDA (Toolkit for Systematic Educational Dialogue Analysis) toolkit for analysing classroom interactions. It highlights the importance of fostering intercultural communicative competence and inclusive pedagogies in enhancing social cohesion and equitable educational opportunities. The findings provide insights into the nature of intercultural dialogic interactions and their impact on social cohesion and social justice in the UK primary classroom setting. Ami continues to actively engages in research, knowledge exchange, and scholarly activities, seeking opportunities for income generation and contributing to the institution’s research profile. -
Andy Dickenson
Andy Dickenson joined BGU in 2015 as a Senior Lecturer after many years as a visiting tutor at the university. Andy has worked as a class teacher, ICT coordinator and advisor for a local authority, teaching in classrooms from nursery, all the way up to secondary level. He has lectured in universities and schools across the globe, including co-authoring the computing curriculum for the Saudi Arabian education ministry. Andy has also worked as part of the education team for Lego After-School clubs in the Far East and Lego Education’s robotics program. Andy’s doctoral research is linked to children’s literature, examining the macabre and Gothic nature of illustrated books. Teaching Andy mainly works as part of the TD undergraduate team, but he also supports other courses across different schools at the university. He is joint lead for the Critical Thinking modules, Computing and eSafety, as well as being a member of the Mental Health and Wellbeing curriculum group. Andy is also part of the Research and Knowledge Exchange Unit, Literature and Literacies Group (RKEULiLi) at the university, which links to his interest in children's illustrated literature and graphic novels.
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