PGCE - Primary Education with SENDI (QTS)

Andrew Taylor

Andy is a senior lecturer in primary education, teaching on both the PGCE and BA Primary Initial Teacher Education courses and he is the Regional Training Hub Co-ordinator. Mainly teaching on Professional Practice modules he also leads the Developing Teacher module on the PGCE course which supports trainees in developing their knowledge and understanding of the skills needed to develop into an effective teacher. He also leads the behaviour management provision in the primary department and has enjoyed developing the provision for this since taking on the role.

Previous to starting at the University of Worcester Andrew had taught in schools in Gloucestershire for 16 years as a class teacher, assistant head and Deputy head teacher. Over his time in schools Andrew has honed his coaching and mentoring skills to support NQTs, ECTs and trainee teachers in building their strengths to be the best teachers they can be.

He joined the university in 2018 to pursue his passion for supporting trainee teachers, ECTs and NQTs and works as part of the staff team developing the support and provision for the Early Career Teacher Community.

Alison Tugwell

Alison is the Primary SEND Lead and Cohort Lead for the PGCE SENDi pathway.

Alison teaches on the Primary Initial Teacher Education (with QTS) BA (Hons), PGCE Primary (QTS) and Teacher Apprenticeship courses within the Department for Primary Education. She also works as a school experience tutor and personal academic tutor as part of Primary ITT.

Alison has almost 30 years experience in the education sector in a wide range of roles as tutor, teaching assistant, teacher, subject co-ordinator, SENDCo, teaching head of a small rural primary school, co-headteacher of a single form entry primary school, educational consultant and Section 5 & 48 inspector. She also worked as an Associate Lecturer for the Children and Families Team at the University of Worcester.

Alison’s work has mostly been in primary schools although she has taught all stages from Early Years to KS4 in a variety of educational contexts including Alternative Provision.

In 2021, Alison was privileged to receive an award for Academic Achievement in Education (in memory of Professor Peter Pumfrey) from the University of Worcester.

Catherine Clutterbuck

Catherine lectures in inclusive practice, Primary Computing and works closely with our Partnership schools. She also works as a school experience tutor and personal academic tutor as part of Primary ITTE.

Catherine’s background is in the development of teachers. She was the Head of Pupil and Staff Welfare and Development and mentor for trainee teachers and NQTs. She is passionate about the holistic development of teachers and the impact educationalists have on pupils.

Julie Sutton

Julie is the Primary Lead for School Based Provision and the PGCE Primary School Direct Strategic Lead. She works in close partnership with schools across the West Midlands and in the South West, supporting course development.

Julie lectures in music education across the postgraduate and undergraduate programmes and teaches pedagogy and professional practice within the PGCE ‘Developing Teacher’ module. She is a School Experience tutor and moderator for the PGCE Primary School Direct programme.

Prior to joining the University, Julie taught in Primary schools across Worcestershire and has experience of Early Years, Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2. Alongside leading music, she was a Senior teacher and Deputy Head teacher. Throughout her career, Julie has always followed her passion for developing high-quality music education for all, working as a Vocal Force facilitator for schools across the county and delivering music CPD to class teachers. She is currently the Chair of the Worcestershire Music Hub Steering committee.

Julie is a Senior Fellow of the HEA.

Lorna Williams

With a passion for early years education, Lorna Williams has invested 20 years working in early years settings, prominently serving 17 of those years as a dedicated Reception teacher. During this time Lorna was an early years phase leader, supporting a team of committed early years professionals, the children and their families in a thriving and successful onsite pre-school. Lorna's focus on holistic child development, creating dynamic learning environments, and fostering effective relationships with children and their families has been a cornerstone of her career.

Now serving as a Principal Lecturer at the University of Worcester, Lorna guides aspiring early years teachers through various programs. Her emphasis lies in appreciating the distinctiveness of the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS), cultivating a robust early years teacher identity, and igniting a passion for early years pedagogy and practice among teachers. Lorna also co-coordinates the Reception Class Teacher Network (RCTN), a joyful community dedicated to positive and purposeful practices in Reception classes to influence early years education. Lorna's commitment to celebrating and championing the magic of early years persists through her writing, outreach efforts, and knowledge exchange.

Sharon Lannie

Sharon is module leader for PGCE English at the University of Worcester and teaches on all the post-graduate, undergraduate and School Direct English modules. She also supports the development of English in primary schools across the Midlands through leading English CPD, including a termly network meeting for primary and middle school English Subject Leaders in the area. Sharon is also the PGCE Later Years Cohort Leader.

Genea Alexander

Genea Alexander has worked in education for many years. Currently, Genea teaches on the Primary Initial Teacher Education (with QTS) BA (Hons) and PGCE - Primary (QTS) courses within the Department for Primary Education. Genea’s roles include ‘The Learning Child: Pedagogy and Practice - Teaching and Learning for All’ Module Leader on the PGCE - Primary (QTS) course and Primary Languages Subject Lead.

Genea is a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy, a committee member of the National Primary Teacher Education Council (NaPTEC) and co-author of several publications. 

Kate Morley

Kate is a senior lecturer, teaching across the postgraduate and undergraduate modules for English at the University of Worcester. She jointly leads English and safeguarding within the Primary Department. Kate also works as a School Experience and Dissertation tutor as part of Primary ITT and is a Personal Academic Tutor for postgraduates.

Kaytie Holdstock

Kaytie is the course leader for the BA (Hons) Teaching in Primary Education (QTS) Top Up course, supporting school colleagues both working and volunteering in Primary Schools to achieve Qualified Teacher Status. She has 18 years experience working as a primary school teacher and has a passion for promoting creativity in the classroom.

Throughout her career, she has worked with children across the primary age range and held many in-school roles including Deputy Head teacher. Kaytie was awarded Advanced Skills Teacher status which gave her the opportunity to support other schools in developing engaging, creative and inspiring content for their own pupils. She later became a Teacher advisor for Worcestershire Local Authority specialising in The Arts.

Kate Howen

Learning to love our fellow human beings and understanding different perspectives is a vital component to any teacher, in any context, and this underpins Kate’s whole teaching philosophy.

Kate joined the university in 2017 and teaches on the Undergraduate and Postgraduate teaching courses. She has a focus on inclusion through adaptive and culturally responsive teaching with specialisms in teaching Music, History and English.

Kate is the PGCE cohort leader for the Part Time pathway, teaching across the modules and supporting trainees during their school experience. She also leads modules on the BA Teaching in Primary Education (TIPE) course to enable trainee teachers to develop their professional identities and become research informed practitioners.