Margaret Tildesley
Senior Lecturer (Teaching) in Primary Education: Mentor Lead (Primary Phase)
Institute of Education
Primary Education
email: m.tildesley@worc.ac.uk
Maggie Tildesley is a Senior Lecturer in Primary Education and Mentor Lead in Primary Phase. Prior to joining University of Worcester, Maggie worked as a class teacher and arts professional. Maggie has 10 years classroom experience working across all Primary phases from the Early Years Foundation Stage to Upper Key Stage 2. Additionally, Maggie was Induction Tutor for the Early Career Framework (ECF), Initial Teacher Training (ITT) Mentor, Phase Leader: Key Stage 1 and Lower Key Stage 2, and Subject Leader: Art and Design.
Maggie undertook an alternative placement teaching in international and community schools in Bangalore, South India and has also volunteered for the Partnerships Schools for Liberia programme in West Africa.
Prior to teaching, Maggie had a career as an actor and theatre practitioner working with organisations such as Shakespeare’s Globe Education and Guildhall School of Music & Drama. Recently, Maggie has collaborated with Bright Torches and UC Davis on the Active Literacy Academy. Her interests are social justice through arts and education. She values inclusion, collaboration, creativity, resilience, rest, and courage. During her free time, Maggie loves climbing mountains and swimming in lakes.
As a neurodivergent woman, Maggie’s experience of school was challenging but via the arts she discovered a medium through which she could learn, communicate, and flourish. Maggie is passionate about enabling others to discover their potential and exceed expectations.
As Induction Tutor for the Early Career Framework (ECF), Maggie managed the development of all Early Careers Teachers (ECTs) and their mentors. Establishing deliberate practice clinics to embed good teaching practice.
As Phase Leader for Key Stage 1, she worked closely with the Assessment and Phonics Lead to monitor the progression and attainment of pupils in years 1 and 2. She has successful experience of SATs and the process of external moderation.
Maggie led a ‘deep-dive’ into Art and Design for which her Academy was graded Outstanding, Ofsted 2022. She also contributed to the development of the Harris Primary Curriculum for Art and Design and led Continued Professional Development at the Harris Federation Conference, attended by 4000 staff.
Whilst teaching in the Primary phase she led several creative projects including whole-school Shakespeare productions involving all pupils from nursery to year 6 (400 children) and an Environmental Art Week where pupils transformed the school building into an immersive activist art gallery and produced a Zine to teach the community about the climate crisis and sustainability.
At the Harris Federation, Maggie was nominated for two awards:
- Transforming Lives as a Leader award
- Transforming Lives as a Teacher award
Maggie has extensive experience as an arts professional working with a range of organisations. At Guildhall School of Music & Drama, London she was a Mentor on the Inside Out project for the BA in Performance and Creative Enterprise. She supported students to develop Workshop Skills in Socially Engaged Practice in schools, care and community supervised by a professional artist. At Shakespeare’s Globe, London she led school and community events for the main stage including Our Theatre and A Concert for Winter in addition to developing schemes of work to support the teaching of literacy. At the Roses Theatre, Tewksbury she worked in Arts and mental health with Gloucestershire NHS and university – art on prescription/referral. At Full Body and the Voice, Huddersfield she facilitated the 2-year professional acting course for actors with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and Down’s syndrome.
Maggie is passionate about inclusion in education and finding innovative approaches to increase social capital and improve wellbeing. She is a compassionate person who works for social justice and inclusion in society and equal opportunities in the workplace.