I am a Professor in Early Childhood Education, specialising in the quality of early childhood education, particuarly the role and place of the workforce in driving quality and the imporatnce of a child-centred curriculum. I teach on the BA (Hons) Early Childhood Studies, the MA Education and the EdD, along with supporting PhD students. 

Recent projects include:

A-high-quality-early-years-curriculum.pdf

Child-Centred Competences for Early Childhood Education and Care - Early Education

Early years workforce policy in the four UK nations: a comparative analysis - Early Education

A systematic review of early years degrees and employment pathways - Nuffield Foundation

Prior to these, I was a European Research Fellow in the Faculty of Child and Adult Education at the University of Debrecen, Hungary. Whilst in Hungary I conducted a research project on the Knowledge, Skills and Attitudinal Competences for Quality Early Childhood Education and Care.

Vice President - British Association for Early Childhood Education (Early Education)

Chair - Implementation Review Qualifications Advisory Board (Early Childhood Education Degrees), Republic of Ireland

Co-Chair - Leaders in Education Around Plymouth (LEAP - Plymouth City Council)

Chair - SMART Multi Academcy Trust, South East Cornwall

Mehmet Mart - A Comparison of English and Turkish Early Years Kindergarten Teachers' Understandings of and Practices in Outdoor Activities

Louise Webber - Mature Women and Higher Education: Reconstructing Identity and Family Relationships

Kathrin Paal - Learning a(l)lot - The impact of school gardening on pre-schoolers´ environmental attitudes, behaviour, and knowledge

Ramazan Merk - The effects of school policies regarding inclusive education on early childhood teacher’s beliefs and practices: A multiple case study in England

o   Sasha Tregenza-May – October 2021 – December 2024 (PhD) - A critical investigation using the Mosaic Approach to identify children’s (3-4 years old) perceptions of learning and how this might relate to the entanglement of existing philosophical concepts within early childhood education and care

o   Maria Presley – October 2021 – present (PhD) Parental experiences of the Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP) process through an arts-based methodology

o   Hayley Fisher- January 2021 – present (EdD) - How do the previous learning experiences of early years educators contribute to the transformation of their professional identity?