Education (Early Childhood) MA

Dr Seán Bracken

Seán Bracken is a Principal Lecturer and Principal Fellow of the HEA. He has worked internationally as a primary and secondary teacher, a teacher educator, a lecturer and an educational project manager in a diversity of countries including; the United States, Ireland, Samoa, Vanuatu, the UK and Papua New Guinea. For the past 10 years he has acted as the Course Coordinator for the National Award SENCO. Additionally, he currently teaches on the PG Cert in Learning and Teaching in Higher Education and he also supervises students pursuing Doctoral and Masters level studies.

Dr Mandy Duncan

Mandy joined the University of Worcester in 2019 as Head of Department for Children and Families. She is currently Deputy Head of the Institute of Education with responsibility for research, knowledge exchange and collaborative partnerships. Prior to joining the University, Mandy worked as Senior Lecturer in Education at Staffordshire University. She has led and developed a range of undergraduate and postgraduate early childhood and education programmes and has extensive experience of supervising research students on BA (Hons), Masters, EdDoc and PhD programmes. Her main teaching areas and research interests include sociological and global perspectives of childhood, children’s rights, child protection, child development and research methods.

Mandy has a deep commitment to early years having begun her career in this sector as a nursery nurse and then going on to teach early years practitioners and teachers for many years. She has also worked with young people in a variety of capacities including running summer camps and teaching 14-19 year olds in college.

Mandy gained a PhD at the University of Gloucestershire in 2016 for a thesis entitled ‘A critical examination of children’s participation in child protection interventions’.

Dr Madeleine Findon

Maddy started working at the University of Worcester in November 2023. She has worked in academia since 2011, starting at the University of Warwick and then more recently at the University of Birmingham. Prior to this, her background included working as an Early Years Professional and as a TESOL teacher in both the UK and Spain.

She currently teaches on the MA Education, though she also has extensive experience working with undergraduates, trainee teachers, doctoral students and apprentices. In particular, she has taken on the role of International lead for the MA, working with the growing number of international students who are choosing to study at Worcester.

Maddy completed her PhD in 2015, which investigated how creativity has been fostered through early years education systems in England and Catalonia. She co-convenes the Leadership in Early Years Education Research Interest Group for BELMAS (@ey-leadership on Twitter/X).

Dr Ellie Hill

Ellie is a Principal Lecturer and the Course Leader for the PGCert Learning and Teaching in Higher Education (LTHE). She has worked as a primary school headteacher, teacher educator and lecturer. Ellie currently also teaches the dissertation module for undergraduates and supervises MA Education and PhD students.

Ellie joined the School of Education at Worcester in 2013, as Senior Lecturer working within the School of Education. Her expertise and interest lie in the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning in Higher Education, student experience at university, personal values, social justice, reflexive research, narrative approaches to research and inclusion.

Prior to her role at the University of Worcester, Ellie held a post of Senior Lecturer in Education at the University of Northampton for four years. There she was Head of Year 3 BA QTS and supported the trainee teachers as they prepared for their first year as qualified teachers.

The preparation for this role came from Ellie's earlier career in Primary Education which culminated in headship of a village primary school for 5 years. The school was placed in special measures by Ofsted during her first term, thus ensuing an upward climb to leave the school as Good when she moved into lecturing in Higher Education.

Ellie has completed a PhD in Higher Education student experience, using narrative inquiry to find out about Gen Z student values and the impact of the student experience. Her methodological expertise is in narrative methods and reflexivity as a researcher.

Jane Owens

Jane is a qualified Career Coach and Executive Coach, who has used her coaching skills throughout her career. She teaches at the University of Worcester on two days per week and, when not here, Jane provides coaching support to senior leaders who are undertaking a postgraduate degree apprenticeship at Aston University.

She also runs her own business through which she conducts research for government departments and charities. This research focuses upon young people, careers, and employability: a recent example is a 2-year study for Worcestershire Children First/ Worcestershire Local Enterprise Partnership into the county’s risk of NEET indicator (RONI).

In addition to lecturing and coaching, Jane is also undertaking a part-time PhD through which she is researching older teachers’ career aspirations.  Her qualitative longitudinal study has a particular focus on how age and gender - including the menopause - can influence these aspirations.

Dr Elizabeth M A Russell

Elizabeth has been involved in research, teaching, and course development at the University of Worcester since 2010. Elizabeth's professional experience is in secondary education, with particular expertise in single-sex and boarding education. Prior to joining the University, Elizabeth spent a decade in teaching and subject leadership in schools in the South East, South West and the West Midlands. Elizabeth held a number of roles during this time, including working with sixth form students on Oxbridge and university admissions.

Elizabeth primarily teaches postgraduate students and is also involved in delivering some undergraduate modules. Elizabeth is interested in the philosophical foundations of research and in the use of historical research methods in education. In her own research in the history of education, Elizabeth is influenced by social and cultural history and looks at the interaction between historical discourse and personal narrative. In her doctoral research, Elizabeth used oral history to explore RE teachers’ identities and looked at how former teachers situated themselves within a particular historical space when speaking about their lives in teaching.

Dr Alexandra Sewell

Alexandra joined the University in 2018 and is course lead for the BA (Hons) in Special Educational Needs, Disability and Inclusion. Alexandra is a HCPC registered Practitioner Psychologist. Prior to embarking on a career in academia, she held positions as an educational psychologist and trainee educational psychologist across the West Midlands and currently maintains an independent practice. She completed her Doctorate degree in Applied Educational and Child Psychology at the University of Birmingham in 2016.

Alexandra is passionate about the application of psychology to education to promote evidenced informed, inclusive practice. She focuses her practice and research on the topic of ‘inclusive voice’ and is broadly interested in how traditionally marginalised voices can be listened to and acted upon to promote equality and diversity across a range of contexts.

Alexandra’s portfolio of educational research and publications consists of a co-written introductory textbook in Special Educational Needs, Inclusion and Disability for Sage Publications and an edited book titled, ‘Diverse Voices in Educational Practice’, published with Speechmark Routledge. Her research has been published in numerous international educational research journals.

Joanne Smith

Jo has worked at the University since 2014. She also owns a local children's day nursery and was in Primary Education for 15 years, with responsibility for Inclusion for the last 7 years.

Jo has taught both at undergraduate and postgraduate level programmes within the department. She is passionate about Inclusive Education and has a variety of experience and anecdotes to share. She believes in lifelong learning and values the contributions all students make to group discussions and activities.

Dr Carla Solvason

Dr Carla Solvason came to the University of Worcester in 2008 having previously worked as a primary teacher for twelve years, an advisor for a children’s communication charity and a writer/ researcher.

She has led on a wide range of modules, including parent partnership, language development, study skills, and special educational needs. Over recent years her teaching has increasingly focused upon preparing students to carry out ethical practitioner research and preparing final year students for the professional responsibilities of leadership in practice. Carla also delivers CPD in supporting children with speech and language difficulties.

Carla is an active researcher and has published widely over the past ten years, particularly in the areas of ethical practitioner research and parent partnership. She has carried out longitudinal, funded studies on supporting language development in primary schools, the role of collaborative leadership clusters in primary schools, and the impact of Maintained Nursery Schools.

Dr Marie Stephenson

Marie joined the Department for Education & Inclusion in 2014 and brings extensive teaching experience from the post-compulsory (FE) sector. Marie has several specialisms, which include teaching the visually impaired, having spent a few years designing and delivering courses at the Royal National College for the Blind. She teaches on undergraduate & post graduate courses in the Department for Education & Inclusion and is pathway lead for the MA in Education (Leadership & Management). Marie also spent time in the USA, delivering on the Executive Leadership Doctoral Program at the George Washington University, Graduate School of Education & Human Development.

Marie holds a master’s degree in Educational Leadership & Management and a doctorate in Education. Her doctoral thesis concerned “Ethical decision-making: Learning from Prominent Leaders in Not-for-Profit Organisations”. The research has provided many insights into the ethical leader mindset, particularly how such leaders maintain their moral compass in morally intense situations in value expressive organisations (contexts). The contribution adds to the field by linking individual ethical awareness, with that of the organization and as corollary, society. The concepts of responsibility, trust and ethics are shown to be perpetually interwoven.

Simon Taylor

Simon joined the School of Education in January 2016 having worked in the arts and cultural sector for many years. He specialises in collaborative research, building partnerships, commissioning, strategic planning, interdisciplinary working and professional development supporting artists, teachers and senior managers.

Simon is a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (HEA) and a Fellow of the Royal Society for the Encouragement of the Arts, Manufactures and Commerce (FRSA).