UCET blog editorial board
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Dr Keither Parker
York St. John University
More about Keither
k.parker@yorksj.ac.ukAs Associate Head of the School of Education, Language and Psychology (Education), I have overall responsibility for Initial Teacher Education programmes at York St John University (YSJ), working closely with colleagues and Lead Partners across the region. Before being Head of ITE I led Primary and Secondary PGCE programmes at YSJ and prior to that led the PGCE Secondary programme. I am passionate about teacher education and am actively involved in local, regional, national and international teacher education networks.
Before joining York St John University, my professional background in the UK included 18 years of teaching and leading in state secondary schools. I began my career as a teacher of Humanities in Luton where I was also Head of Sociology and Head of History. Moving to London I then worked as Head of Humanities and coordinator of whole school equal opportunities. The last six years within the secondary sector were as Deputy Headteacher of a comprehensive school where I was also Acting Headteacher prior to moving to Australia. Whilst in Australia I worked within Higher Education as a teacher educator, building upon my experience of working with a range of teacher education programmes in the UK.
My research interests focus in particular on teacher education and wider education policy and my PhD thesis is titled: ‘Diminishing inequalities? A critical feminist genealogy of education policy and practice in post-World War II England’.
Dr Keither Parker is the Executive Editor of the new UCET Teacher Education blog.
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Professor Stefanie Sullivan
UCET
More about Stefanie
s.sullivan@ucet.ac.ukFor the last 32 years Stef has been involved in education, first as a teacher and then a teacher educator. She is an Emeritus Professor of Education at the University of Nottingham.
Having taught mathematics in middle and secondary schools, Stefanie spent several years as a consultant and INSET provider working with primary and secondary teachers nationally and internationally, and writing and reviewing teaching and learning materials for teachers of mathematics, before joining Nottingham.
Stef has a particular interest in: the learning journey of beginning teachers and how this can be best articulated, beginning teacher identity and resilience, mentoring beginning teachers, developing mathematical subject knowledge for teaching.
Professor Stefanie Sullivan is, with Professor Jo McIntyre, Executive Director of UCET.
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Professor Lisa Murtagh
University of Manchester
More about Lisa
lisa.murtagh@manchester.ac.ukI am Professor of Education and Head of the Manchester Institute of Education, having served as Head of ITE since 2017. I was appointed as Director of Partnerships and Teacher Inquiry at The University of Manchester in October 2014. Prior to this, I was Head of School Direct at Edge Hill University and Programme Leader for the BA (Hons) Primary Education with QTS Part Time Programme. I joined Edge Hill University in January 2007, following several years as a senior lecturer at Newcastle University. I have always been passionate about seeking to improve my own practice and keen to work with others to develop their understanding and interpretation of new initiatives.
In September 2000, I embarked upon a PhD, to seek to develop an understanding of formative assessment, following the seminal review of Black and Wiliam (1998). The PhD thesis was grounded in developing insights into the practice of experienced practitioners, with a view that through unravelling their practice it could then be available to question and critically scrutinise, ultimately with a view to improving it.
My research interests lie not only in formative assessment but also in enhancing practice in pre-service teacher education, and my most recent research has focused more specifically on mentors, mentoring and the recent ITE reforms in England. My approach to research is rooted in the qualitative paradigm.
Professor Lisa Murtagh is the current Vice-Chair of UCET.
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Professor Trevor Mutton
University of Oxford
More about Trevor
trevor.mutton@education.ox.ac.ukTrevor Mutton is Emeritus Professor of Teacher Education at the Department of Education. He has taught on a number of different courses, including the Modern Languages PGCE programme, the part-time MSc in Learning and Teaching, the MSc Teacher Education and the MSc Medical Education, as well as supervising doctoral students whose research focuses on aspects of teacher education and teachers’ professional learning. His principal research interests are in the fields of initial teacher education, teacher education policy and teachers’ continued professional learning. Trevor is Deputy Editor of the Journal of Education for Teaching and is on the editorial board of Teaching Education. He is also a Visiting Professor at Cardiff Metropolitan University.
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Professor Martin Hagan
More about Martin
m.hagan@stmarys-belfast.ac.ukProfessor Martin Hagan serves as Head of Education at St. Mary’s University College, Belfast, Northern Ireland. With over 25 years of experience in teacher education, Martin began his career as a primary school teacher before transitioning into higher education. He has built extensive partnerships with schools, universities and other educational institutions across the UK and Ireland, demonstrating a long-standing commitment to enhancing teacher education. Martin has also maintained an active role in educational policymaking, including sustained collaboration with the Department of Education for Northern Ireland, to advance teacher education initiatives. From 2015 to 2021, he also contributed as a member of the General Teaching Council for Northern Ireland (GTCNI), and he currently holds the position of Chair for the Universities' Council for the Education of Teachers in Northern Ireland (UCETNI).
Martin’s research adopts a qualitative approach, with a particular focus on teacher education across all career stages. His extensive experience brings both a robust theoretical foundation and a deep contextual understanding of professional education, informed by his work in Northern Ireland and beyond. His primary research interests lie in the areas of professional learning and the formation of professional identity within diverse educational contexts. His publications reflect these themes, and he has delivered numerous presentations on his research at national and international conferences, contributing to the broad discourse on teacher education.
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Dr Sarah Stewart
The Open University
More about Sarah
Sarah Stewart (BA Hons; PGCE with QTS; MA Education; EdD; SFHEA) is a Senior Lecturer at The Open University in the School of Education, Childhood, Youth and Sport. She has worked in Higher Education (HE) for over ten years, developing a wide expertise across phases and sectors and drawing on a multi-disciplinary approach to her work. She has a particular interest in supporting initial teacher education and teacher education for practising teachers. As founding Chair of the OU ITE Partnership Committee, Sarah established the new Partnership leading to the initial regulatory accreditation of the OU routes into teaching in 2019, contributing her expertise in providing university-based alternative, pioneering forms of initial teacher education, including employment-based routes.
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Professor Aimee Quickfall
Durham University
More about Aimee
Aimee is Director of Initial Teacher Training in the School of Education at Durham University.
Aimee’s research interests include teacher careers and life stories, teacher and trainee teacher well-being and workload and broader issues around research ethics and gender in education.
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Dr Rupert Knight
University of Nottingham
More about Rupert
Dr Rupert Knight is Associate Professor at the University of Nottingham.
With a background as a primary teacher, he now works in Initial Teacher Education and on a range of other postgraduate courses, including MA Education, PGCHE, PhD and EdD. He is currently Social Science Faculty Adviser for colleagues on the PGCHE. Prior to working at University of Nottingham, Rupert held a similar position at the University of Derby (2006-2014) working on both undergraduate and postgraduate teacher education courses. Rupert’s current research interests include oracy, teachers’ professional learning and the intersection of research and practice in education.
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Dr Max Fincher
King's College London
More about Max
m.fincher@ucet.ac.ukMax joined UCET in April 2016 as a temporary PA/Administrative Assistant, and since September 2017, as Communications Officer. Max is responsible for communications with UCET members, the content management of the website, proofreading of publications, the administration of the UCET forum meetings, and with Dr Keither Parker (York St. John University) the new UCET teacher education blog.
Max has a PhD in English Literature from King’s College London (2004). Previous to joining UCET, Max taught English Literature temporarily at both KCL and Royal Holloway, and also worked in the Civil Service in London. He also worked for a number of not-for-profit organisations, including the King’s Fund and the Nuffield Trust as a personal assistant for executive directors. As well as working for UCET, he is a freelance proofreader on academic publications.
His hobbies are gardening, walking, theatre and travel.
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Professor Claire E Ball-Smith
University of York
More about Claire
claire.e.smith@york.ac.ukClaire Ball-Smith (University of York)
Claire has worked in schools, universities and educational organisations for the last 30 years. As a history and English teacher she worked in the UK, as well as in Africa. As a teacher educator, she has worked at three UK universities and one in Canada. Claire is currently a Senior Lecturer, and the Director of Initial Teacher Training at the University of York.
Claire served on the national Historical Association secondary committee as a History PGCE tutor and set up the West Yorkshire branch of the HA as a teacher. Her first love is history teaching, having worked as a History and Social Studies teacher educator for over a decade before moving into more senior ITE management positions. She chairs the Professional Programmes Forum at the University of York and sits on the University's Senate as an elected member. She also sits on the University's Apprenticeship Steering Group.
Claire's research interests are in history education; the beginner trainee's identity and its consequent influence on the teacher they then become; and models and types of mentoring. Her most recent chapter explores the types of mentors that exist in English schools, and how their strengths can be best harnessed to benefit as challenge trainees placed within ITE partnerships.
Claire is the new Chair of UCET.