Mr James English

I am a Senior Lecturer in Education and the course leader for the Science PGCE leading to Qualified Teacher Status (QTS).  I have extensive teaching, leadership and management experience, in senior leadership as Associate Vice Principal, Assistant Principal, MAT Science Lead and Head of Faculty of Science in a diverse range of schools, across the country.  I worked in close partnership with MAT's, LA's, trade unions, teachers and parents, before moving into Higher Education.

I'm currently undertaking my PhD with Durham University and my initial research is focused on leadership in schools and the impact upon culture and outcomes.  As a physicist and science teacher I'm interested in exploring students misconceptions and how they can be mitigated through sound conceptual development and intervention within a framework of knowledge and domain centric skills.  I'm a firm believer of the (social) constructivist approach to science education, with particular regard to the work of Phil Scott, Jim Donnelly, Rosalind Driver and Jim Ryder of Leeds University, CSSME. 

I'm an experienced teacher with over 20 years at the coal face of secondary education, with a focus on school improvement.  As a former Quality of Education (QoE) lead, I have led Curriculum, Assessment, Teacher development, Outcomes, Teaching and Learning across a wide variety of schools, ranging from Inadequate to Outstanding.  As a former Head of Science Faculty I managed a large diverse science team out of RI to Ofsted Good, teaching across KS3, 4 and 5.  In 2012, I was appointed the Network Director of Science for Ark Schools, a high performing MAT.  I was appointed an Institute of Physics Teaching Fellow and Queen Mary's, University of London in 2006 to research Physics undergraduate retention and progression rates.  

• PhD - Doctoral Research in Education, Currently under study (Durham University)
• FHEA - Fellow of the Higher Education Academy
• NPQH - National Professional Qualification for Headteachers
• MEd - Masters of Education, Leadership and Management (The Open University)
• PGCE (QTS) - Post Graduate Certificate in Education, Physics and Science (Leeds University)
• BSc (Hons) - Bachelor of Science, Physics (Warwick University)