Francis Dockerty

Lecturer in Primary Education

Primary Education

Contact Details

Fran is the Subject Lead for Primary Physical Education and Cohort Lead for the PGCE Primary PE pathway. He joined the department in 2021 after a successful career in primary teaching where Fran was subject lead for PE and a regular mentor for trainee teachers from the University of Worcester. In 2023, Fran was part of the primary Initial Teacher Education (ITE) team, which earned an 'Outstanding' rating from Ofsted, with Physical Education being one of the areas of interest.

Fran holds a Master's degree in Educational Leadership, where his research focused on areas such as school leadership, mentoring and coaching, and effective subject leadership. Currently, Fran is in the thesis stage of his Doctorate in Education, concentrating on professional development for effective subject leadership in Primary Physical Education. As part of his doctoral studies, Fran has delved into various topics related to Primary Physical Education including child obesity, philosophy of Physical Education and models-based pedagogy in Physical Education.

Qualifications

MEd: Masters in Educational Leadership
Post Graduate Certificate in Learning and Teaching in Higher Education
Post Graduate Certificate in Education: Primary Education
Level 5 Certificate in Primary Physical Education Specialism
BA: Education Studies
Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (2023)

Teaching & Research

Teaching Interests

Primary PE
Primary PE leadership
Teachers as researchers
Subject specific pedagogy

Research Interests

Professional development for effective subject leadership in PE
Childhood obesity and physical activity in children
Primary PE pedagogy
Subject leadership

Professional Bodies

Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (2023)

External Roles

School governor for a primary school in Worcestershire

Publications

Pritchard, R., & Dockerty, F. (2024) Game on! Enhancing primary physical education through a Rosenshine-inspired approach, Curriculum Studies in Health and Physical Education, DOI: 10.1080/25742981.2024.2314057

Dockerty, F., & Pritchard, R. (2023) Reconsidering models-based practice in primary physical education, Education 3-13, DOI: 10.1080/03004279.2023.2263470