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  1. Dr Sacha Mason
    Sacha is Head of Programmes for Education, Health and Lifelong Learning. The role includes the strategic leadership and management of programme development and delivery of undergraduate and postgraduate courses in Early Childhood Studies, Education Studies, Professional Studies, and Special Educational Needs Disability and Inclusion, Psychology, Counselling, Health and Social Care and Sport within the Faculty. She is also Associate Dean for Research and Knowledge Exchange and a Senior Fellow of the HEA. Sacha is a Doctoral supervisor.
  2. How collaboration across Bishop Grosseteste University is supporting students to adapt in uncertain times
    By Cassie Rainey - BG Futures Administrator Covid-19 has transformed the world we live in, pushing us to adapt to a ‘new normal’. One aspect of this ‘new normal’ is the way in which graduates will have to navigate their transitions into the labour market. At Bishop Grosseteste University, the support of academic and professional support teams is more vital than ever to students and graduates. Last month, the Primary and Early Years ITE team and the BG Futures: Careers, Employability and Enterprise team collaborated to deliver a virtual session for students across programmes on the format and logistics of online interviews. The sessions incorporated information on best practice, tips for different video calling platforms and guidance on possible interview questions. The sessions included a Q&A from a recruitment industry expert and BG Futures tenant with questions put forward by students. Sarah Howe, Senior Lecturer on the PGCE Primary programme said: “The Covid – 19 pandemic has had a significant impact on the job application process for some of our students and trainees. Lecturers in the Primary and Early Years ITE Programmes turned to the Careers, Employability & Enterprise team at BG Futures to ensure that support offered at our institution, met the needs of our students and trainees. Several on-line workshops and personal tutorials have taken place with encouraging feedback.” Emma McCarthy, Co-Director of McCarthy Adams Recruitment Specialists, a tenant within the Business & Enterprise Centre in BG Futures, was on hand to provide expert tips to succeeding in online interviews and assisted with a video Q&A for the session. Andy Wright, Careers, Employability & Enterprise Coordinator at BG Futures commented: “This has been a great partnership between teaching staff, BG Futures, students and one of our own tenant businesses. We’ve been very excited to extend our reach to those students who are not able to access face-to-face support at this time, and we have been delighted with the results.” George Rhodes, BA (Hons) Primary Education student, who used this session to help prepare for an upcoming online job interview commented: “After being recommended by a fellow student, I joined an online interview support session which not only provided invaluable advice but also built up my self-confidence. I was successful in my interview, running against 90 other candidates, and I believe without attending the session with Andrew this may not have been the case.” Sarah Moseley, Enterprise Development Manager, said: “The BG Futures Business and Enterprise Centre offers 14 leasable office spaces for start-ups and is home to our Student Enterprise Club. With an emphasis on making a positive impact, we strive to attract tenants who will work collaboratively, to improve the lives of our students, bridging theory and practice. We are extremely thankful for Emma McCarthy’s time and input with this session” You can find out more about BG Futures here. You can explore our Primary and Early Years programmes here.
  3. Enterprising student’s journey to mastering the art of teaching and painting
    The partnership between BG Futures, the Careers, Employability and Enterprise department at Bishop Grosseteste University (BGU) and the Prince’s Trust continues to flourish with another of our students benefiting from the Prince’s Trust Enterprise Programme, which helps 18 to 30-year olds turn their big ideas into a business reality. Sarah Moseley, Enterprise Development Manager at BG Futures spoke to 1st year BA (Hons) Education Studies (SEDS) student Laurent McCready about how the Princes Trust webinar has helped him with his ideas for an Interior and Exterior Painting & Decorating Business. Laurent explains: “My degree choice was as a result of 3 years of voluntary work coaching primary school age children hockey for my Bronze, Silver and Gold Duke of Edinburgh award. I felt the children connected with me and I enjoyed the sessions. Following 2 weeks of work experience at St Peters in Eastgate primary school I decided that I wanted to go into teaching as a career.” Teaching is very different to painting & decorating so what is the connection? “I also really enjoy painting and decorating and feel confident doing it, having started about a year ago. I heard about the Princes Trust webinar via a notification on my BGU account and decided to take part. I have now developed my knowledge of how to set my own business up. The most useful part of the webinar for me was being encouraged to talk about the idea and learning the key aspects such as taxation and national insurance, as well as being able to ask questions. I see my biggest challenge is to actually brave up and start the business. The next step is to do this once I have conducted a little more research about gaining customers and my competitors” Laurent is already succeeding in balancing his University work, position as a Student Ambassador, part time work at the Doubletree by Hilton, and his role with NCS running workshops with older children leading to a community-based project. When asked what the future may hold Laurent said: “Currently my training to become a primary school teacher comes first, however this may differ if I set up my own business and if that happens, I hope to be running Duvalsdecorating (Duval being my middle name) and perhaps a couple others!” To see Laurent’s painting & decorating projects follow duvalsdecorating on Instagram. Contact sarah.moseley@bishopg.ac.uk to discover more about the work of the Enterprise Team at BG Futures Explore BGUs range of Undergraduate and Postgraduate Teaching programmes For further details of The Prince’s Trust programme contact John Holliday on 07766 778341
  4. Semester, Trimester & Holiday Dates
    Semester Dates for Undergraduate and Postgraduate Study
  5. Guidance for ECTs (Early Career Teachers) - Beyond ITE (BITE)
    We recognise that your early career induction matters – as your professional development continues during this two- year period. This section of BGU’s website has been designed to support early career teachers. It offers guidance, together with useful links to sites and documents. Below are key sections to support your development as a teacher covering: Early Career Teacher Advice and SupportUseful Resources and WebsitesNational Teaching PrioritiesContinued Professional Development and Further Study As stressed in BGU teaching sessions, we are not qualified to support you with legal matters and would strongly advise that you join a Teachers’ Union. BGU is committed to supporting you as you transition to the school workplace; we want to continue to work with you during these formative years. Your school mentor and tutor will provide guidance and support, including coaching and mentoring, for your professional development. However, remember that as early career teachers, BGU is still here to support you with aspects of your teaching activity. For example, advice on behaviour management or subject knowledge and pedagogy. The recently developed Early Career Framework offers a structured programme of development, support, and professional dialogue. This programme provides a set of materials which cover the five core areas of the ECF. These are Behaviour Management, Pedagogy, Curriculum, Assessment and Professional Behaviours. Please email us at beyondite@bishopg.ac.uk. Your communication will be forwarded to the appropriate member of staff.
  6. Dr Erik Grigg
    Lecturer in History erik.grigg@bishopg.ac.uk I have a wide background in teaching both academically and in the heritage sector (in museums and castles). My primary focus is early medieval Britain, but I also take an interest in the Home Guard, Magna Carta, the Cornish language, the fall of the Western Roman Empire, Vikings, Forest Law and warfare in history. I give regular talks to history groups throughout the East Midlands. Related courses: HistoryMilitary HistoryArchaeology & History
  7. Collaborative BGU Nursing Programme makes Finals at HSJ Awards
    The Postgraduate Certificate in General Practice Nursing (GPN-ST), a collaborative project between Bishop Grosseteste University (BGU), HEE East Midlands, University of Northampton and Lincs Healthcare community has made it to the final of the 2020 Health Service Journal (HSJ) Value Awards. Although there will be no face to face event to announce the winners there will be an online HSJ Value Awards Day on 4th September. The online day is open to all and will begin at 9am and end at 4pm. It will be held on twitter, via @HSJ_Awards, and there is no need to register in advance. A 20-min slot will be dedicated to each category, in which the shortlist will be showcased and details surrounding the winner including their project synopses and judge’s commentary will be highlighted. The category for the GPN-ST, ‘System or Commissioner Led Service Redesign Initiative’ starts at 3pm. Addressing workforce shortfalls is a key priority for England’s Chief Nursing Officer. General Practice Nurse Specialty Training (GPN-ST) successfully creates a pipeline of new GPNs across STPs and resolves inter-practice poaching and recycling from the diminishing pool of experienced GPNs. GPN-ST offers nurses a way into an exciting and dynamic first destination GPN career, providing invaluable ‘on the job’ exposure, postgraduate education and supervision whilst also financially supporting practices to train. Showcased nationally as a model of good practice and a forerunner of the Long Term Plan’s ‘GPN Fellowships’, GPN-ST is delivering a viable solution to the GPN workforce crisis. Kirsty is a General Practice Nurse in Market Rasen and completed the course earlier this year. She shared her experiences and what the course could offer her career: “I had always wanted to work within General Practice right from my placements as a student nurse. After working in secondary care for 2 years from qualifying I got a job in General Practice but with no real experience I applied for the PG Cert in General Practice Nursing. Completing the course has given me the skills and underpinning knowledge to provide great care to patients and it has helped me understand the role of a practice nurse and enabled me to fulfil the role. I love my job as a practice nurse and the course really helped me achieve where I wanted to be.” The PG Cert In General Practice Nursing is a fantastic opportunity for health care professionals to up skill and provides a pathway into the developing course portfolio within the School of Social Science at BGU which reflects current and future needs of the health and social care sector. Other current courses include Master's in Health & Social Care Leadership and Primary & Community Care. To find out how these courses can help develop your healthcare skills visit our website or contact our Enquiries Team.
  8. 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.
  9. Award Nomination for ‘Cooking with CELT’ Video Series
    The Centre for Enhancement of Learning and Teaching (CELT) at Bishop Grosseteste University (BGU) has been shortlisted for a prestigious HEIST award for its innovative YouTube-series ‘Cooking with CELT and friends’. ‘Cooking with CELT and Friends’ was launched in September 2019 to support student engagement and ran throughout the first half of the academic year. This inventive project sought to make every student at BGU feel part of their learning community and involved the production of short cooking demonstrations by professional support staff as they introduced themselves and their student support services to new students. “The videos really broadened my knowledge on the services on campus and made me more aware of the support available to me." Kieron Treacher, History and Education. A launch event was held at the Freshers’ Fayre in 2019. Free gifts of olive oil and balsamic vinegar were offered to students, as well as cupcakes and the opportunity to enter a raffle to win a food hamper. During the event, students were also able to sign up to a mailing list to receive information about each video as it was released. Continuing promotion through the semester included the use of printed posters and pull-up banners, as well as digital promotion via social media and the electronic student portal. "I watch the Cooking with CELT videos every week and they are all really good recipes for students. This is the perfect start in helping them cook for themselves as well as talking about what is on campus to help them academically, socially and mentally.” Jasmin Reid, BA (hons) Primary Education. As a Student Engagement project, Cooking with CELT was tailored to the unique and atypical nature of Higher Education at Bishop Grosseteste University (BGU). A small, specialist university which focuses on initial teacher training and education-based courses, BGU’s students often learn away from campus on work-based placements. Consequently, when the CELT team set out to create a resource to familiarise our students with BGU’s professional support services, it needed to be something innovative Cooking with CELT is certainly innovative. Its mission was three-fold: to make information about support services accessible; to provide guidance for cooking simple recipes; and to facilitate a sense of a learning community by allowing students to match real people to services. It also offered the benefit of delivering this information throughout the first semester, avoiding the information overload that can occur within the first few weeks of term. Staff at the University also enjoyed the series and learnt something new about the professional support services at BGU. “When you work in one specific area, it’s easy to lose sight of the work of other departments – Cooking with CELT helped my understanding of what we do across a range of services for students and has helped me signpost students better.” Fran Trzeciak, Learning Development Tutor. The project has been shortlisted in the Best Low Budget Initiative category by the HEIST team who are celebrating their 30th year rewarding best practice in the higher education sector. The winner of the category is due to be announced in October 2020. The Cooking with CELT videos have now been compiled into a playlist to run on the CELT area on BGU’s student portal
  10. Louise Connolly
    Louise has established a career in education over the last 24 years. Having previously worked with the University as a Visiting Tutor for three years before joining the team permanently, Louise joined Bishop Grosseteste University in September 2020 in a permanent role as a Senior Lecturer in Initial Primary Teacher Education where she now works on both undergraduate and postgraduate courses. Louise leads academic writing, research modules and also supervises masters students through their dissertations. Prior to joining the university academic team, Louise was a teacher in primary schools for nearly 20 years. Throughout her time in school, she carried out a number of roles such as Foundation and Key Stage One Leader, English Lead, History Lead and was also a Special Educational Needs Coordinator for 15 years. She later became a Head Teacher of a large primary school in a deprived area in Nottinghamshire and was also the Safeguarding Lead and Special Educational Needs Coordinator for a Multi-Academy Trust.Louise completed a Masters in Education in 2019 and predominantly focused on areas of Special Educational Needs and Emotional Health. Louise achieved Fellowship with the Higher Education Academy in 2021 and is in the final stages of her PhD where her topic of interest is around worry and wellbeing in undergraduate student teachers. She is a review editor for an educational journal and also an external examiner for Initial Teacher Education at another university. Louise also enjoys a role as a Primary School Governor in a local school. Louise has previously written articles on educational areas of interest in the TES and other educational magazines. She had her first book published by Sage in 2022 in their Super Quick Skills series about proofreading essays and also recently had an article approved for publication by The Teacher Education Advancement Network (TEAN).

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