Mr James Wright

About

I joined Kingston University as Associate Professor and Professional Lead for Secondary Teacher Education in September 2023. As an experienced teacher-trainer and mentor, I have worked across a wide variety of training routes, providing support and training both for beginning and experienced teachers as a Senior Lecturer, Local Authority Advisor and Independent Consultant.

I holds a Master's degree in Psychosocial Studies and Education and I have taught in London schools across a range of subject areas including Citizenship, Religious Education, English and Media, Philosophy, and Government and Politics. I have worked as a Subject Leader in schools and as a Senior Lecturer in Education in university. As a Local Authority Teaching and Learning Consultant, I advised primary and secondary schools across the borough of Hackney on SMSC, Citizenship and PSHE. I have also worked as an associate consultant for the Association for Citizenship Teaching (ACT), am a member of the ACT council and was a member of the Expert Subject Advisory Group for Citizenship.

My academic research has centred on the application of psychosocial concepts and methodologies to educational settings, with a particular focus on Initial Teacher Education. I have advised schools on strategies and approaches for promoting mental health and well-being among students and staff and have developed guidance and training for primary, secondary and post-16 settings on educational approaches which promote critical literacy, active Citizenship and social justice. As part of this work, I worked with the English and Media Centre (EMC) to publish, 'Diverse Shorts' an anthology of short stories and novel extracts which encourages pupils to explore texts from a range of critical standpoints and is now widely used in schools across the country.