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Registrar and Secretary Appointed at Bishop Grosseteste University
Dr Anne Craven has been appointed as the new Registrar and Secretary at Bishop Grosseteste University in Lincoln. Dr Craven comes to BGU from the University of Northampton, where she has been working as Head of Quality and Academic Partnerships and Deputy Director (Quality) in Student and Academic Services. Previously she was Director of Administration at Helsinki Theatre Academy, where she provided leadership for the strategic merger of three acclaimed Finnish arts universities into the new University of the Arts Helsinki. Before this she was Registrar at the School of Social Sciences at the University of East London, leading the school’s administration through a major change process. She has also worked as Departmental Administrator at Goldsmiths, University of London, and held several administrative positions at Royal Holloway, University of London. As a member of the senior leadership team at BGU Dr Craven will be responsible for quality, governance, student administration, data, admissions and recruitment and marketing. “I’m passionate about higher education, its management and its development and I’m very much looking forward to meeting and working with all colleagues at Bishop Grosseteste University and implementing the new university strategy together with staff and the Students’ Union,” Dr Craven said. Dr Craven earned her PhD in Music at Royal Holloway, University of London and holds a number of other qualifications, including an MBA in Higher Education Management, Master's Degrees in Music and Musicology and a Graduate Diploma in Law. Her research and publications have covered higher education management studies including governance; higher education policy and funding systems in UK and Finland; quality and standards; widening participation; change management; social justice and higher education; law and legal studies; reception and cultural history; aesthetics and analysis of musical recordings; and performance studies. She is a graduate of Royal Holloway, University of London; Institute of Education, University of London; Birkbeck, University of London; Goldsmiths, University of London; BPP University Law School, London Waterloo; Royal Academy of Music, London; Trinity College of Music, London; HAMK University, Finland; and Åbo Akademi University and Turku Conservatory, Turku, Finland. Anne Craven is a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (HEA), a Fellow of the Royal Society for the Encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce (RSA); a Chartered Fellow of the Chartered Management Institute (CMI) and a Fellow of the Association of University Administrators (AUA). -
BGU Academic Elected to Children’s Spirituality Role
An academic at Bishop Grosseteste University in Lincoln has been elected Vice-Chair of the International Association for Children’s Spirituality (IACS). Dr Kate Adams, Reader in Education at BGU, has been researching and publishing on the topic for 15 years. The IACS promotes research and practice in children's spirituality and has members in 16 countries.Ofsted currently inspects schools’ provision for pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development, and if it finds weaknesses in this provision a school will be judged to require improvement or be rated inadequate. “Most academics in the field agree that schools’ recognition of children’s spiritual life is extremely important at this point in history, when many teachers feel overwhelmed by targets, exam results, league tables and inspections,” said Kate.“However, variable provision in initial teacher training and continuing professional development can mean that many teachers have not been fully informed about children’s spirituality, leading them to miss the richness of this dimension of children’s lives. “This is worrying, because without the appropriate grounding, adults can underestimate young people’s ability to explore and express their sense of self. In a busy classroom it is too easy to miss the fascinating ways in which children seek meaning and purpose in their lives and find their place in the world.” Kate has recently secured a grant from the British Educational Leadership, Management and Administration Society to explore the key leadership qualities which help primary schools to be outstanding in relation to children’s spiritual, moral, social and cultural development (SMSC). “If we can capture those specific leadership qualities, this knowledge and understanding can be used to support schools who find it difficult to achieve effective SMSC throughout their curriculum, thereby benefiting more children,” said Kate. Members of the International Association for Children’s Spirituality across the world collaborate to help educators and other professionals understand this compelling dimension of children’s lives. “As Vice-Chair I’m looking forward to working with international colleagues in developing the association in meeting these aims,” Kate added. -
New Degrees on Offer as BGU Expands Portfolio
Students at Bishop Grosseteste University will be able to take degrees in Health and Social Care, Sociology, Psychology, Counselling and Entrepreneurship from September 2015 thanks to a major expansion of courses announced today (Wednesday). In response to demand from students and employers BGU has reviewed its academic portfolio and will introduce a suite of new degree courses in a range of new and existing subject areas. BGU will introduce a new Health and Social Care degree as well as other courses for professionals working in this area. There will also be new degree courses in Psychology and Counselling. In Business and Enterprise, BGU will have an innovative programme promoting entrepreneurship that will focus on students working in teams to start and run new businesses in dedicated business units. The university will enhance its already strong Education programmes with the introduction of a new single honours degree in Education Studies, and there will also be new degree courses in Sociology as part of suite of Social Science subjects. “Developing BGU’s academic portfolio through a range of new and exciting courses is a key part of our growth strategy,” said The Reverend Professor Peter Neil, Vice Chancellor of Bishop Grosseteste University. “Like all universities we have to respond to what students and employers want, and these new courses will ensure that we can continue to provide students and businesses with the skills that they require to be successful in the future.” As part of the ongoing management of the courses it offers Bishop Grosseteste University will no longer teach Music or Visual Art at undergraduate level once current students have completed their studies. PGCE courses in Music will continue to be offered as part of the university’s postgraduate portfolio. BGU intends to continue its musical tradition through the University Choir and to maintain engagement with the local community through the work of the Community Music Development Co-ordinator. -
New Head of Teacher Development Takes Up Post at BGU
Bishop Grosseteste University in Lincoln has appointed Dr Nick Gee from the University of East Anglia to lead its School of Teacher Development. The university has now made three appointments to take charge of its new Schools of Teacher Development, Humanities and Social Sciences. Under the new academic structure Dr Graham Basten is Head of the School of Social Sciences while Dr Andrew Jackson is Head of the School of Humanities. BGU has been a pioneer and a leader in teacher education since its creation in 1862 and Dr Gee says he is looking forward to building on its strong reputation in the field of teacher training. "Speaking as someone who’s been involved with teacher education for over 11 years, BGU has a great reputation and heritage and I’m delighted to be joining an institution that has such strong traditions,” he said. “I’m excited about the fact that as an institution we’re at the start of a process of change; our new Five-Year Strategy was launched recently and I’m pleased to be arriving at a time when there’s an ambition to move forward and develop both the international and the research agendas.” Dr Gee joins BGU from the University of East Anglia, where he held the positions of Associate Dean in the Faculty of Social Sciences and Senior Lecturer in the School of Education and Lifelong Learning. He graduated from the University of Oxford with a BA (Hons) in Geography and holds a PGCE and EdD from the University of East Anglia. His primary research interest is outdoor education, and he is also a higher education representative in national consultations on assessment reform. “I am really looking forward to working with with partnership colleagues and strengthening our links throughout the region,” he said. The university’s Five-Year Strategy was announced in October 2014. -
Pioneering Degree Course for Would-Be Entrepreneurs
Students on a pioneering new business degree course at Bishop Grosseteste University in Lincoln won’t spend their time sitting in lectures and reading books on business theories. Instead they will call themselves team entrepreneurs, create their own start-up companies and take part in business coaching sessions in creative labs. The new Business (Team Entrepreneurship) degree course starts in September and Elinor Vettraino, the new Academic Co-ordinator for Business and Enterprise at BGU, is busy recruiting students. “Team Entrepreneurship is a very exciting opportunity because it straddles the business world and the academic world,” said Elinor. “It’s pioneering: we’re only the fourth university in the country to offer a course of this sort. We’re part of a small, select group of like-minded institutions which want to push the boundaries of business education away from traditional delivery and towards a full experiential learning experience. “Our students will be known as team entrepreneurs – that’s important because they will see themselves as being business people. Our job is to help them balance the duality of being an entrepreneur and being a full-time student. We will coach the team entrepreneurs how to run their own business; their job is to learn by doing.” BGU intends to recruit 20 first-year students of all ages and from all backgrounds to make up the first cohort in September. “We’re marketing the course not only to schools and colleges but also to more experienced people who may want to set up their own business,” said Elinor. “It would be lovely to get a mix of ages as people with a bit more experience have a better understanding of life and can contribute different things to the group.” Unlike other students, who attend lectures and tutorials, take exams and write dissertations, BGU’s team entrepreneurs will set up their own businesses in order to make real money. “The idea is that by the end of the course they will have made enough money between them to send every student on a round-the-world trip for six months. The target is 10,000 euros each.” But the Team Entrepreneurship course is not about making a profit at the expense of everything else. “The students will also need to understand the social responsibility aspect that goes along with running a business, and they’ll be working with Karen Lowthrop from the social enterprise Hill Holt Wood near Lincoln to develop that,” said Elinor. “It’s very important that the team entrepreneurs get excited about giving something back to the community. In their third year, for example, they will go overseas and support a social enterprise.” The academic discipline known as Team Academy originated in Jyväskylä in Finland in the early 1990s and now there is a global network of academics running this kind of programme. -
Three New Heads Appointed Following BGU Restructure
Bishop Grosseteste University in Lincoln has made three new senior academic appointments following a major restructure. Dr Graham Basten has moved to BGU to head up the new School of Social Sciences, while the new School of Humanities and the new School of Teacher Development will be led by Dr Andrew Jackson and Dr Nicholas Gee respectively. The new School of Social Sciences is launching a suite of new courses including Health and Social Care, Sociology, Psychology, and Counselling. “This is an exciting and timely phase for BGU given the recent news of devolved health and social care budgets to the Greater Manchester region, a model which could be rolled out across England, putting BGU graduates at the heart of this new initiative,” said Dr Basten. Most recently Dr Basten was Acting Head of The School of Allied Health Sciences at De Montfort University in Leicester, where he was responsible for strategic leadership and management of a complex, broad, multidisciplinary and fast-growing school. He joined DMU in 2007 and has significant experience in teaching, learning, research and knowledge transfer. He secured both a Royal Society grant to look at science in primary schools and funds to deliver projects with charities, sports clubs and local government. He is a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy and the Institute of Biomedical Science, and a DMU Teacher Fellow interested in translating primary education methods to higher education and the use of technology and democracy in learning spaces. He holds a PhD in Nutritional Biochemistry from the Institute of Food Research (University of East Anglia) and a BSc in Biomedical Science from the University of Wolverhampton. He has previously worked at the Medical Schools of the University of Sheffield and the University of Nottingham. “I am absolutely delighted to be joining the team at Bishop Grosseteste University,” Dr Basten said. “It is a university with a powerful vision based on sound values, and I very much look forward to playing my part in its onward journey.” Dr Nicholas Gee will move from the University of East Anglia to BGU next month to become Head of Teacher Development. Meanwhile Dr Andrew Jackson now leads the School of Humanities and was formerly Head of the Department of Culture and Creative Arts at BGU. The university’s new academic structure has been put in place as part of BGU’s Five-Year Strategy which was announced in October 2014. -
Chance to Train as an Early Years Teacher
Teachers who want to become outstanding specialists working with the youngest children can now undertake professional training at Bishop Grosseteste University in Lincoln. In September last year, 13 trainees were the first to begin the new PGCE Early Years with EYTS (Early Years Teacher Status) programme at BGU – and the university will recruit another cohort this autumn. The course has been tailored to suit both those working in early years settings who can be released for study and those who are studying full time. It enables trainees to gain the recommendation for Early Years Teacher Status which is equivalent to QTS (Qualified Teacher Status) through 120 days teaching young children from nought to five and 10 days looking at the progression children make into Key Stage 1. “The new Early Years Teacher Status introduced by the Government is an important development because there is clear evidence that high-quality early education and childcare can have a powerful impact on young children and can fully prepare them for school and later life,” said Amy Stancer, Academic Co-ordinator for the Early Years Programme at BGU. “The new programme is a good fit with our other courses which include QTS (working with ages three to 19 years) and teaching in the lifelong learning sector. Early Years Teacher Status broadens the scope of our training so that we’re now teaching people to teach all age ranges, from babies to pensioners.” Places are still available on the EYTS programme for this September – and two students currently on the course can thoroughly recommend it. Ryan Gilbert (30) from Halifax graduated with a degree in primary education from Leeds Metropolitan University (now Leeds Beckett University) and was working as a supply teacher in West Yorkshire when he decided to enrol on the EYTS programme at BGU. “During my time with the supply agency and in settings when I was studying for my degree I found a fondness for early years more than Key Stages 1 and 2,” said Ryan. “Add to that the comments I had from schools about how positive it is to have a male teaching in early years, and I firmly decided that I wanted to become qualified to teach within the age range. When I wanted to progress more into early years Bishop Grosseteste University was the only university which responded promptly and guided me through its application process. I have enjoyed the course immensely, from the dedicated team of lecturers at BGU to outside professionals who have come to speak to us and the passionate members of my course who really do want the very best for young children. Being surrounded by all these makes me want to continually improve my own skills, passion and knowledge relating to early years.” Ryan continued: “I have learned far more than I realised I would, and I’m still only halfway through the course! I am truly shocked at just how little I knew about early years and how the course content from my degree did not even begin to scratch the surface of what I now know.” Jenna Farrow (22) from near Sleaford volunteered at a nursery between lectures and coursework while studying for a degree in Visual Communication at Birmingham City University as she had always taken a keen interest in how young children learn. “After I’d worked there for a year the manager signposted me towards a new postgraduate opportunity that specialised in the early years,” said Jenna. The course so far has been an enormous learning curve, enabling me to build on all areas of my professional development. The opportunity to work with all ages from birth to seven in a range of placements has given me a clear insight into how the process of the early years practice supports foundations in school. “I would highly recommend this course to others interested in working with young children as it has broadened my knowledge and understanding of the wider social context around early years practice and how early learning must be understood and fostered as a vital component to support our next generations.” To find out more about the PGCE Early Years with EYTS programme at BGU contact Amy Stancer on 01522 527347 or email enquiries@bishopg.ac.uk. -
Foundation Degree Sets Dad of Three on Road to Learning
A father of three from Boston set off on the road to postgraduate study by enrolling on a Bishop Grosseteste University foundation degree course at Boston College. This week Dave Callow (37) will graduate with an honours degree from BGU at Lincoln Cathedral – and he is now set to embark on a master's course at the University of Lincoln. Dave left school at 16 with a good set of GCSEs, and after studying Art and Design at Boston College he tried factory work, landscape gardening and office roles, but he didn’t settle into a permanent career. After becoming a full-time dad he realised he needed a rewarding occupation. “I wanted to be an example to my kids,” he said. “I didn’t want to be coming home to them feeling miserable from a job that left me unfulfilled.” He approached Boston College for careers advice, began volunteering at his local school and re-took his Maths GCSE. In 2012 he enrolled on the BGU Foundation Degree in Applied Studies (Learning Support) at Boston College and soon found himself being challenged to think about his work in school in fresh and interesting ways. “It awakened a thirst for knowledge,” said Dave. “I wanted a deeper understanding of social issues and injustices. At my work setting I found I was suddenly more aware of the complexities of children’s lives outside of school. “The connection between what we were learning in the modules and the day-to-day work was so strong; I felt drawn to working with families and to making a positive contribution to society.” One of the benefits of BGU’s collaborative partnership with Boston College is the opportunity it offers to people to study locally, said Dave. “At that time, as a full-time Dad in Boston, I just couldn’t have gone anywhere else. It gave me such an important step on the way.” At the end of his foundation degree in Boston Dave stepped up to the BA (Hons) degree in Applied Studies in Education at BGU in Lincoln. “I’ve loved the experience of being in a university,” he said. “The BGU campus is lovely, the library is amazing and the tutors are nice and helpful. I like the structure of the progression year - the way the modules had been planned allowed us to become more independent as the year passed.” As he neared the end of his degree Dave knew he wanted to continue studying, so he spoke to careers staff at BG Futures and undertook an in-depth psychometric test. He applied for the MSc in Social Work at the University of Lincoln and within a few weeks he had been offered a place. Dave recognises that he has come a long way since he started. “When I think now about the first presentation I had to do on my foundation degree, it was one of the scariest days of my life! But now, at the end of the honours degree, I feel much more confident in my ability, my knowledge and myself. Even though I’ve finished my degree, I’m still reading about the things I’ve studied – it’s definitely unleashed something within me that wants to go on learning.” BGU’s Foundation Degree in Applied Studies is a work-related programme that enables working practitioners (or experienced volunteers) to study alongside their work and family responsibilities. Students choose from three pathways: Learning Support, Early Childhood or Children & Youth Work, according to their work role. The course is validated by the university and delivered at three colleges in Lincolnshire – Boston College, New College Stamford and North Lindsey College in Scunthorpe – as well as at BGU in Lincoln. It usually runs over two years. -
International Health Expert Looks Forward to Working with BGU
A leading healthcare expert from Australia led two research seminars for staff at Bishop Grosseteste University in Lincoln on Wednesday and is looking forward to future collaborations. Amanda Kenny is Professor of Rural and Regional Nursing at La Trobe Rural Health School, La Trobe University in Bendigo near Melbourne. Her seminars looked at how to build a strong research culture and how co-production can improve understandings in mental health. Co-production is defined as the development of services through equal partnerships between those who deliver services and those who use them. Global mental health policy identifies the need to involve consumers in all stages of healthcare design, delivery and evaluation. “We are very pleased this week to welcome Professor Kenny, who is a world-renowned researcher in mental health and cancer,” said Dr Graham Basten, Head of the School of Social Sciences at BGU. “We recently launched a suite of health and social care courses to complement our counselling and psychology programmes. I am delighted as Professor Kenny is keen to work with BGU and contribute to the research drive to enhance publications, grants and international collaborations in health and social care and with multidisciplinary teams across BGU. “Most importantly our work is in co-production with service users and will make a difference to local communities.” Professor Kenny is widely published internationally and is frequently invited as a key speaker at national and international conferences. Next week she will be chairing a conference on health and social care at the University of Cambridge. -
PGCE (Secondary) Social Science
Announcing a new PGCE in Social Science (14-19 curriculum) starting in September 2016 The School of Teacher Development at Bishop Grosseteste University, Lincoln has a longstanding national reputation for providing high-calibre initial teacher training in Secondary specialist subjects. Drawing on expertise within the team of PGCE Secondary partnership programme we are planning to introduce a new PGCE in Social Science for graduates in Sociology, Psychology, Politics and Law. We work with a wide range of schools, colleges and educational organisations across county of Lincolnshire and beyond. Our PGCE Social Science is aimed at trainees wishing to mainly teach the 14-19 curriculum in one or more of the social sciences (sociology, psychology, politics and law) in secondary schools and/or post-16 colleges. Trainees will be given the opportunity to study and teach areas of the Social Sciences (Psychology, Sociology, Politics, Law, Health and Social Care, Citizenship and PSHE) at Key Stages, 4 and 5. Trainees may gain some experience of teaching the humanities (RE, Geography and History) subjects at Key Stage 3 and 4. Social Science subjects are exceptionally popular choices at GCSE, 'A' level, IB and BTEC levels. For further information please contact Dr Yvonne Hill: 01522 583 730 yvonne.hill@bishopg.ac.uk
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