Stuart Gallagher

Senior Lecturer and Course Leader in Children and Families & Education & Inclusion

Children and Families

Education and Inclusion

Contact Details

email: s.gallagher@worc.ac.uk
tel: 01905 855052

Stuart is a Senior Lecturer in the Institute of Education. He is a keen learner, attentive listener and experienced leader. He leads Education Studies BA (Hons) and Leading Culture Change in Safeguarding (PG Cert).

Both courses provide their students with relevant knowledge, appropriate real-world challenges and wholehearted support. Stuart balances whole-class teaching with individual tutorials to make sure all learners are seen and heard. He collaborates with student reps and university services to see that all students really enjoy their subject and get the most from each module. The shared goal is an excellent course experience and long-lasting impact of student learning.

It took some time before Stuart found his feet in education. On leaving school, he worked in a warehouse and spent time as a bicycle courier and on building sites, filling skips. He studied archaeology and excavated in all weathers. He also studied Italian. An opportunity arose to work at an educational charity with marginalised learners. Stuart grabbed it and never looked back.

His experiences as an educator include home tutoring to school-excluded young people; helping learners gain confidence and qualifications through informal education; and later, as an Education Welfare Officer, building partnerships between families, carers, schools and settings. During the Covid pandemic, Stuart worked part-time as a School Lead to re-open a school following lockdown, making strategic and operational decisions to see the school community flourish. Stuart is not afraid to take the road less travelled in order to navigate challenges and to beat the odds in and through education.

Stuart is a published writer and regularly presents his work at conferences. He frequently seeks out opportunities for collaboration in his writing and research. He likes old maps, 90s shoegaze, long-distance cycling and family time. Looking ahead, Stuart hopes to develop his research interest in corporate parenting and coaching of safeguarding leaders.

Qualifications

MPhil (University of Bath, 2015)
MLitt (with Distinction, University of St Andrews, 2002)
BA (Hons) (First , Trinity College Dublin, 1999)
Academic Course Leadership (2016)
Team Leaders Certificate (2015)
PGCert Teaching and Learning in Higher Education (University of Worcester, 2014)

Teaching & Research

Course Leadership

Stuart leads the following two courses:

Student as Academic Partners Project

Gibson, L., Griffin, M., Sundari, S., Tully, E., Purcell, S., Courage, K., Hill, E. and Gallagher, S. (2024) ‘Resource Lists as Liberation: Amplifying Lesser-Heard Voices in Education’, Student as Academic Partners Project: Department for Education and Inclusion, Library Services and Decolonising the Curriculum Group, University of Worcester.

Teaching Interests

Safeguarding children and adults
Leadership of culture change in safeguarding organisations
Social pedagogy and utopian childhood
Sustainable futures and education

Research Interests

Academic course design
Humanising safeguarding in the Early Years
Social pedagogy

Membership of Research Groups

Educating for Sustainable Futures Special Interest Group (ESF SIG), University of Worcester
Social Pedagogy Research Interest Group (SPRiG), University of Worcester

Continuing Professional Development (CPD)

Stuart has helped to design and deliver the following CPD:

Leading Culture Change in Safeguarding (two-day)
Preventing Sexual Violence in Schools: a whole-school approach (one-day)
Bringing the Behaviour Curriculum to Life: Social Pedagogy in Schools (one-day)

Professional Bodies

Member – Association of Child Protection Professionals (AoCPP)
Member – Social Pedagogy Professional Association (SPPA)
Member – University and College Union (UCU)

Publications

PUBLICATIONS

Gallagher, S. (in preparation) Safeguarding Children in the Early Years: Humanising Practice, London: SAGE.

Gallagher, S. and N. Stobbs (2023) ‘Creating hope in dystopia: Utopia as Method as social pedagogy in early childhood studies’, International Journal of Social Pedagogy, 12(1) DOI: https://doi.org/10.14324/111.444.ijsp.2023.v12.x.005.

Stobbs, N., C. Solvason, S. Gallagher and S. Baylis (2023) ‘A human approach to restructuring the education system: why schools in England need social pedagogy’, International Journal of Social Pedagogy, 12(1), DOI: https://doi.org/10.14324/111.444.ijsp.2023.v12.x.008

Gallagher, S. (2023) ‘Early Childhood Studies in a Polarised Dystopia: Pedagogy as ethical leadership in education', in C. Solvason and G. Elliott (eds) Ethics in Education: Contemporary Perspectives on Research, Pedagogy and Leadership, Bradford: Ethics International Press, pp 43-65.

Unwin P. and S. Gallagher (2023) An assessment of the effectiveness of Early Help services in Worcestershire, Report for Worcestershire Safeguarding Children Partnership, (Unpublished).

Prowle, A., R. Walker, S. Gallagher and M. Duncan (2020) Evaluation of Blaenau Gwent Strategy for Safe Reduction of Looked After Children, Blaenau Gwent.

Richards, C.M and S. Gallagher (2018) ‘Common Vigilance: A perspective on the role of the community in safeguarding children’, in Z. Brown and S. Ward (eds) Contemporary Issues in Childhood: A bio-ecological approach, London: Routledge, pp 84-93.

Gallagher, S. and S. Sutton-Tsang (2017) ‘Safeguarding: Understanding our responsibilities’, in J. Musgrave, M. Savin-Baden and N. Stobbs (eds) Studying for Your Early Years Degree: Skills and knowledge for becoming an effective Early Years practitioner, St Albans: Critical Publishing, pp 159-71.

Stobbs, N. and S. Gallagher (2017) ‘Assessment and feedback’, in J. Musgrave, M. Savin-Baden and N. Stobbs (eds) Studying for Your Early Years Degree: Skills and knowledge for becoming an effective Early Years practitioner, St Albans: Critical Publishing, pp 69-80.

Gallagher, S. (2013) ‘A dangerous research journey: researching child abuse as a new dad’, in E. Lee, C. Blackmore and E. Seal (eds) Research Journeys: A collection of narratives of the doctoral experience, Newcastle-upon-Tyne: Cambridge Scholars Publishing, pp 111-122.

CONFERENCES ORGANISED (as part of steering group)

Education Beyond Covid: Reality, resilience and renewal, Quaker Values in Education with Woodbrooke Learning, 15 May 2021.

Quaker Values in Education Conference 2019, Priory Rooms, Birmingham, 28 September 2019.

Children and Families Foundation Degree Student Conferences, University of Worcester 2017-19.

Meeting the Challenges of Working with Children, Young People, Families and Communities, Annual Multi-Disciplinary Conferences in Collaboration with the University of Worcester Careers & Employability Service 2015-19.

PRESENTATIONS

Gibson, L., M. Griffin, S. Sundari, E. Tully, S. Purcell, E. Hill and S. Gallagher (2024) ‘Resource Lists as Liberation: Amplifying Lesser Heard Voices in Education’, A Community of Learners: Learning and Teaching Conference, University of Worcester, 18 June 2024.

Prowle, A. and S. Gallagher (2024) ‘Social Pedagogy Research and Anti-Oppressive Practice: researching disability service delivery and finding a fight for resources’, Institute of Education Research Conference, University of Worcester, 15 May 2024.

Gallagher, S. (2023) ‘Social Pedagogy Research Group: Institute of Education today; tomorrow – the world!’, Institute of Education Research Conference, University of Worcester, 17 May 2023.

Gallagher, S. and N. Stobbs (2021) ‘Utopia as method with early childhood undergraduates: personal political potential and practitioner power’, Paper presentation at the online conference, Creating Hope in Dystopia, organised by the Social Pedagogy Association.

Gallagher, S. and M. Burton (2021) ‘Prepare to poop the party: the new normal looks very like the old normal – only worse – and why this matters to educators’, Workshop provided at the online conference, Blended Learning: Maintaining teaching excellence through a year of challenge and change, University of Worcester Learning and Teaching Conference.

Gallagher, S. (2020) ‘What do we mean when we say we are learning from case reviews? A focus on learning and the transfer of learning and implications for case review practice’, Presentation to Practice Learning Review Specialist Interest Group (Association of Child Protection Professionals), held at the University of Birmingham.

Gallagher, S. (2019) ‘Hope and optimism in the workforce’, Keynote Lecture, Building Brighter Futures (Student Conference), University of Worcester.

Gallagher, S. (2016) ‘Cacophony and clamour: How can children speak up when no one will shut up?’, Paper presentation, Making Our Voices Heard: Children, families, practitioners, (Partnership Research Conference), University of Worcester.

Gallagher, S. (2015) ‘Learning to prevent the maltreatment of babies and young children: a contribution of pedagogic design innovation in an undergraduate Early Years professional practice programme’, Paper Presentation, New Directions in Child Protection and Wellbeing: Making a Real Difference to Children’s Lives, (Ninth BASPCAN International Congress), University of Edinburgh.

Gallagher, S. (2014) ‘Safeguarding vulnerable children and adults: the professional dilemma’, Invited Panel Member, Safeguarding vulnerable children and adults: risk and vulnerability, (International Professional Symposium), Bucks New University.

Gallagher, S. (2013) ‘The Common Assessment Framework and child protection’, Invited Speaker and Workshop Leader, Annual Safeguarding Practitioners’ Conference, Bucks New University.

Gallagher, S. (2013) ‘Serious case reviews and the Early Years’, Keynote Lecture, Early Years Student Conference, University of Worcester.

Gallagher, S. (2012) ‘Theorising similarity and difference: Children’s safety and risk according to principles of child welfare practice as recorded in serious case reviews’, Paper Presentation, Celebrating Childhood Diversity, (Fourth International Conference), University of Sheffield.

Gallagher, S. (2012) ‘Dangerous research journeys: researching the significant maltreatment of very young children as a new dad’, Paper Presentation, Research Journeys, (Research Students’ Conference), University of Bath.

Gallagher, S. (2012) ‘Serious case reviews and early intervention’, Annual Safeguarding Practitioners’ Conference, Bucks New University.

External Roles

External Examiner – BA (Hons) Working with Children, Young People and Families, University of Hull (2019-2023)
Governor – Worcestershire Virtual School
Steering Group Member – Quaker Values in Education (QvinE)
Fellow – Higher Education Academy (FHEA), membership of Advance HE