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Interview with Dr Catherine Lee
Interview with our new Visiting Professor, Catherine Lee on 10th October 2023 by Dr Helen Bushell-Thornalley. -
English Language & Teaching with Foundation Year
Our English Language and Teaching programme immerses you in the fascinating study of English, from how it developed from humble origins to the global language with all its variations that we use today, to how it is learned by children as a first language or by learners of English as a second or further language - and much more. You will explore questions about language structures and language use in society, language disorders, and language acquisition and you will learn practical methods - and get hands-on experience - of how to teach it. Crucially, you will develop skills and knowledge to help you gain employment or pursue further studies for work or research in linguistics, education, and language teaching, and a range of other relevant fields. -
Virtual collaboration: Health & Social Care Students and the University of Szczecin
Second year Health & Social Care BSc (Hons) and Masters students from BGU took part in a virtual collaboration with Social Work students from the University of Szczecin (Poland). The exchange was via Microsoft Teams and both groups explored a number of health and social care related issues from the perspective of the UK and Poland. This helped their understanding of the systems in both countries, with student led discussions revealing a divergence between the systems in the two counties. For example, the funding mechanisms and organisational structures related to provision and the distinct differences around referral processes and social care provision. Students from BGU and Szczecin undertook presentations, namely; Sam Williams (MA in Health and Social Care Leadership, BGU) presented on the relatively new concept of social prescribing in England and how this works in Lincolnshire. Pat Chuchro (BSc (Hons) Health and Social care, BGU) talked about her role in the NHS, having moved to the UK over 13 years ago from Poland. Pat’s insight into both healthcare systems was illuminating and helps support learning both at BGU and Szczecin. Natalia Niciecka (Social Work student, Szczecin) also gave an informative overview of the Polish social cares system. You can read one of the completed evaluations of the virtual exchange here. -
Student Village
Secure your premium room at accommodation@bishopg.ac.uk -
BGU wins OFS bid to expand apprenticeship provision
BGU is delighted to announce that the University has been successful in securing additional funding as part of a competitive bidding process launched by the Office for Students (OFS), to increase the number of Level 6 degree apprenticeship courses and places available. The OFS have confirmed they will invest £12million in the first wave of three, to support university providers to both increase the number of students and the equality of opportunity within Level 6 apprenticeship programmes. The full article can be viewed here. Apprenticeships and Partnerships Manager Jane Fletcher said: “We are incredibly excited with this outcome and the opportunity this has presented us with. This will enable us now to build upon our already strong foundations and develop two new Degree-Apprenticeship standards – namely Project Manager and Youth Worker, to support our local and regional employer partnerships.” Dr Nick Gee, Dean of Faculty commented: “We are delighted to have been awarded OFS funding to develop these new apprenticeship standards. This represents a fantastic opportunity to grow our apprenticeship provision at BGU, by developing our current expertise.” An implementation project is now underway to develop these programmes and have them available for 2024/25. Employers wishing to express an interest in collaborating with us on this exciting portfolio development should contact apprenticeships@bishopg.ac.uk -
Dr Ros Gammie
Dr Ros Gammie is a lecturer Theology specialising in medieval theology and philosophy. She received her PhD in medieval memory and confession in 2022 from the University of Leicester and has been lecturing at BGU since 2018/19. Her publications and foci of interest include medieval epistemology (2019), memories of the Crusades (2023) and the medieval folk-story of the Green Children of Woolpit (2024). Her current research focus is on manifestations of memory and trauma in the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries, particularly with regards to works of autobiography, and the relationship between history, memory, and space. She is also interested in the way the medieval world is treated in popular media, particularly in video games and film, and the intersectionality of medieval studies. Dr Gammie currently teaches across a number of Undergraduate and Postgraduate modules in Theology including a History of Christianity, Women and Faith, and Religion, War, and Terrorism. Her goal is to make the medieval world accessible to students, who often encounter it for the first time as Undergraduates. She has a BA in American Studies with History from the University of Nottingham (2012) and an MA in Medieval History from the University of York (2014). Potential supervision topics: Medievalism in popular media/culture; medieval philosophy and theology broadly defined; collective/collected memories; memory and recollection; confession and the internal senses. -
First Aiders for Mental Health at BGU
A helpful page for further information, First Aiders for Mental Health colleague list, and useful articles. -
BGU Sports Day success!
20th to 24th May 2024 -
An interview with Ann Osbourne
Me at home, in a relaxed environment in a state of contentment and gratitude. SP: Thank you for making the time to talk to me this afternoon. It would be great if you could tell us a bit more about your background in equality work. AO: I got involved with equality work through my last Chambers (the offices where barristers work). We worked on opening access to the Bar through mentoring, young people probably from around 15 or 16 years old to encourage them to start thinking about careers at the Bar (i.e. becoming a Barrister) and wider careers in law with the idea that we would mentor them through A levels and university - a commitment of five years. I thought that the scheme would be an important thing to do because of my own experiences at that age group of being told what you can and can't do. I wanted to circumvent that message and say you can choose not to accept that. All the students came from inner city schools in the most deprived areas of London, were on free school meals and they would be the first in their family to go to university. I ended up mentoring a very bright young woman, who was 15 years old when I first met her. It was a pleasure seeing her development from that 15-year-old through to the confident accomplished young woman she became at 23 years old starting her first graduate job. This was a young person who had not thought of going to university until she was accepted into the scheme, let alone thinking of Oxbridge. She ended up going to Cambridge. That was a world away from anything she'd even considered. SP: Reflecting on your own experience, did you have an easy access through education? AO: My early education was without difficulty but when I was in high school, I remember being told that I was overly ambitious. It was the first time that I had odd experience in education. I thought, overly ambitious - isn't that what a 13- or 14-year-old should be? SP: What was it you wanted to do that that made them say that? AO: I said I wanted to be a Barrister. I knew that I wanted to be a barrister at age 7. When I said that I wanted to be a barrister, I suppose that that teacher said ‘you're overly ambitious’ because in her mind, I didn't seem to set the world alight. She had their own narrative about my intellect and where I should be, and in that narrative, it wasn't here. I told my parents and they said, you ‘don't let other people tell you what you can and can't do - you define yourself.’ My second and perhaps most difficult experience arose at the end of my second year of my A levels, when the head of 6th called me into her office and she said, ‘People like you don't go to University of London Colleges- how dare the likes of you apply’. She wanted me to write a withdrawal letter to UCAS, I refused. She then said ‘Well, it doesn't matter if you don't withdraw it, because with the recommended grades I've put down for you, you will never get in.’ She opened her desk drawer, pulled out a piece of paper and slung it across the desk at me and where I had been predicted a grade B, she had written D. I walked away from that in tears, and I thought ‘Well that's her opinion. I'm going to keep pressing on’. I remember her saying ‘You can't do it. People like you don't become Barristers, and even if you manage to get through, it will take you years.’ I replied, ‘People like me do become Barristers, because my father is one and he also happens to have the same skin colour that I do, so I know that people like me do make it.’ I knew that both he and his friends were examples of people like me doing it. That experience left me with a sense that if my parents hadn't told me I could make it, and if I didn't keep hearing that message at home, I would have stopped it in my tracks. How many other young people are told ‘no’ at school? ‘no’ at home and ‘no’ when they step out into the wider world? I had to develop this blind, almost crazy self-belief of I'll get there, it doesn't matter what you say, I'll get there. So that is the reason for my commitment to mentoring these young people. If you can't see it, how do you do it? Seeing someone like me walking into that school and saying ‘Well, here I am’ it helps to challenge those assumptions. Some minority children, who they may not immediately scream ‘genius’ but given the right tools and right opportunity, suddenly they blossom and given a bit of direction can achieve amazing things. They're not even given that opportunity. So, all those things force me to continue that process of mentoring, young women coming through the legal professional, mentoring Black female students. Going into schools so they can see we exist, we are here, and we are here in increasing number. SP: You've talked about your home life as a significant influence. Who else would you identify as inspirational figure? Who else has inspired you to think there is no ceiling to my abilities. AO: I've had two amazing parents. So, my mother who as a young woman was an incredibly feisty character – ‘Don't tell her no;’ she was not going to be dissuaded from doing the things that she set her mind to, and she did not have the benefit of a continuous education. She grew up in a fee-paying system during colonialism and she to wait and to go to secondary school after her older sister. She always wanted to get a degree but selflessly she supported first her husband and then her children with their education and careers taking the back seat. And amongst all of that, the constant refrain from her was ‘don't let other people tell you no, don't let other people tell you that you can't do it.’ And she would only get cross if she thought you let someone else tell you what you could do. She did get her degree and became a lay reader, the first woman to be made a lay reader and was subsequently ordained as a Deacon at the cathedral church in Antigua and then at 65 to be priested (i.e. ordained as a Priest) in the Church of England. That wasn't her plan, but the opportunity came, and she took it. I have great admiration for her. So, I try to say ‘yes’ to things because you never know where it can lead. Those are my key role models. SP: Your mother clearly achieved several academic and professional goals and the thing that seems to be the persistent thread is this idea of integrity, endeavour, and idea of excellence. How have those ideas affected your value set? AO: For me, when I put myself in the position of doing something I either don't do it because I know I can't do it (and I'll have the humility to say I can't) or I put my soul into it because I think part of the integrity is knowing a what your limits are, but also recognising if someone has entrusted you to do something, do it to the very best of your ability. SP: So how did effectiveness integrity impact on you? AO: While it created a certain fuel to keep striving forward it gave me a larger sense of imposter syndrome and when I finally got to that point, I wondered ‘Do I really belong here? Could I really do those things? Am I a bit deluded?.’ That can be so crippling, and I had to pull back to that point of the girl with that blind self-belief. I needed to be that person again. So, the challenge now is, how far can I go? Because I know that there are others who come behind me and they need to believe they can do it too. SP: Thank you for taking the time to talk to me today and to share your thoughts and insights. I am sure we will be in touch again. -
Top heritage sites recognised as 2024 Sandford Award winners announced
The National Army Museum, a Victorian steamship, and Windsor Castle are among the winners of this year’s Sandford Award. Bishop Grosseteste University (BGU), in partnership with the Heritage Education Trust and supported by Historic Royal Palaces, is thrilled to announce the winners of the prestigious 2024 Sandford Award. This year’s award presentation ceremony will take place at the historic Kensington Palace on Tuesday 10 December 2024. The Sandford Award, established in 1978, is the gold standard for heritage learning, recognising the exceptional contribution of heritage organisations to formal and informal education. In 2024, the award attracted 39 applicants, many of whom have been previous recipients. This year, the honour is being awarded to 36 winners. A list of winners can be found here. Professor Andrew Jackson, speaking on behalf of BGU said: “Bishop Grosseteste University is delighted to be joining the celebrations of the Sandford Award 2024. The number and diversity of winners form a fabulous testimony to the role of our sites and organisations and reflects the dedication of their staff to heritage education and learning. BGU is proud to be supporting and championing their endeavours.” Dr Tracy Borman, OBE, Chief Executive of the Heritage Education Trust and Chancellor of BGU said: “I am thrilled to see such a rich and diverse range of sites celebrated in this year’s Sandford Awards. From iconic historic buildings such as Windsor Castle, Whitby Abbey, and the Roman Baths to art galleries, archives, ships, and even a farm, they are all united by the excellence of their education provision. My heartfelt congratulations go to all the worthy winners of 2024.” The Sandford Award continues to recognise a wide variety of heritage sites, including historic buildings, museums, archives, and natural landscapes that provide exceptional educational experiences for visitors of all ages. The award is not only a validation of formal learning programmes that align with national curricula but also acknowledges the value of informal learning opportunities such as family programmes and self-guided tours. Looking ahead, the 2025 Sandford Awards will open for entries on Monday, 2 December 2024. Heritage organisations across the UK are encouraged to apply. Find more information on the Sandford Award and how to enter here. Photo credit for banner image: Learning at Royal Collection Trust
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