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University of Bedfordshire
Park Square
Luton
Bedfordshire
UK, LU1 3JU
I arrived at the University of Bedfordshire in September 2010. Up until that point I was employed by Cambridgeshire County Council’s Race, Equality and Diversity Service where I worked with schools, settings, parents and communities to improve access and attainment for Black and Minority Ethnic groups, including Travellers and learners of English as an additional language. I am committed to equality & diversity and continue to work to promote an agenda for change for marginalised individuals and groups.
I initially trained as an early years teacher, then went on to obtain professional qualifications as a Youth & Community worker. I hold a Dip HE with JNC and MA in Youth and Community studies and was awarded the Prydderch Williams Prize for Education from Brunel University. My working practice has been situated in the margins of education, supporting a variety of vulnerable and often disengaged young people.
Currently I am researching why increasing numbers of Gypsy, Roma and Traveller families take up Elective Home Education. This research is part of my professional doctorate (the EdD) at the University of Sheffield. I actively enjoy research, particularly research which has an impact upon policy and practice. For this reason I obtained funding in 2009 and 2010 for Practitioner-Led Research projects, which I used with teachers in schools to develop inclusive practices for Gypsy, Roma and Traveller children.
One of my main research interests concerns Traveller education. I managed a national Department of Children, Schools and Families (DCSF) pilot called the Electronic Learning and Mobility project (ELAMP) in Cambridgeshire. The aim of this project was to re-engage adolescent Travellers back into education through a blended learning approach. I was also seconded by the University of Sheffield for over 2 years to help evaluate this pilot.
I have extensive practical and research experience in youth work & education, with children, young people and their families. I enjoy teaching across a range of subjects.
I consider professional networking and effective partnership working to be central to teaching, research and learning. I strongly advocate partnership work and currently teach on Multi-Agency Working and Career Development, Current Issues in Services for Children and Families: A Critical Approach and Perceptions and Discourses of Youth.
I have developed a strong commitment to Equal Opportunities and Anti-discriminatory practice and I actively promote inclusion, equality and diversity. Hence, my other main research interest is focused upon access and inclusion in education.
