Newcastle University

Liz Todd is Professor of Educational Inclusion at Newcastle University.  She engages in research with a strong social justice agenda and looks at all kinds of social and educational inequalities.

Her 2007 monograph published by Routledge, 'Partnerships for inclusive education: A critical approach to collaborative working', was nominated for the 2007 NASEN/TES academic book prize. This book looks at what gets in the way of some of the key areas of collaboration that schools and services try to develop: multi-agency working; parent partnership; and the involvement of children and young people.

In recent years Prof Todd has brought just under £1M in research funding into the School of Education, Communication and Language Science. For the last 10 years she has directed 6 funded projects looking at community orientated and extended schooling.

She is co-author of two other monographs that were published in 2011. Both are the first books on their topics to be published in the UK. One, with Alan Dyson and Colleen Cummings, published by Routledge called 'Beyond the School Gates', is on the role of schools in tackling disadvantage. It is a Prize winner, highly commended, by the Society of Education Studies in 2012. The other, with Hilary Kennedy and Mim Landor, is the first UK book on Video Interaction Guidance. Prof Todd is, with Melanie Nind, co-editor of the International Journal of Research and Method in Education, one of the only journals that focuses on innovation in the full range of educational research methods.

Liz Todd actively maintains her educational psychologist's skills, by training people in and using directly democratic approaches that can be used to bring change to people's lives. Narrative therapy re-stories identity, and video interaction guidance uses the collaborative review of video clips of successful interaction to bring change in the connection between people. She uses these approaches with individuals, families, and professionals working in (mostly) school settings. Liz delivers courses on each of these approaches every year.

Liz Todd is regularly asked to contribute to national and international conferences. She has been asked to contribute expertise to the governing authorities in Amsterdam on the development of extended schools, to the schools and colleges in Catalonia on theory of change in the evaluation of educational interventions, and on child involvement in research to the Master Class in Children's Rights at University Institute Kurt Bosch, Sion.

Prof Todd is the leader of the research cluster on inclusion in the School of Education, Communication and Language Sciences. She is also deputy research director in the School, with particular responsibility to co-ordinate education staff for the research assessment framework (REF).

Background 

Liz Todd joined Newcastle University 1994, having worked abroad in Fiji for 3 years lecturing in critical educational psychology at the University of the South Pacific, training teachers from 13 different pacific island countries, and delivering in-country workshops. She has worked in the roles of market trader, researcher, maths teacher, parent advocate, lecturer, therapist and educational psychologist.

Prof Todd has always been drawn to community practices that help people to act in ways that are in line with their values and with ideas of justice. She likes to find out, research and be part of such practices. In her own professional training one of her placements was in Edinburgh with Jimmy Boyle, the Glaswegian gang member who had served a sentence for murder and who had, on release, set up a community project, run by the community, to help people coming out of prison, and those dealing with issues of drug dependency and mental health problems. She was particularly interested in the facilitation of non-professional solutions to the problems of those attending the project. 

Qualifications

• PhD  MSc in Educational Psychology  PGCE (Primary/Middle Years)   MA Psychology

Previous posts

• Lecturer in educational psychology: University of the South Pacific
• Educational psychologist: Northumberland LA, North Tyneside LA and Sunderland LA
• Parent partnership office: North Tyneside LA 
• Mathematics teacher: St Pauls school, Haywards Heath, W. Sussex
• Research assistant: Inner London Education Authority 

Memberships

• Chartered Member of the British Psychological Society
• Membership of Health Professions Council as a practicing Educational Psychologist
• Council Member of the British Education Research Association

Languages

English and French

Other interests

Cycling, allotment, Woodcraft folk, weaving & sculpture, singing

Research Interests

A book drawing on our research over the last 10 years is published in April 2011 by Routledge - by Colleen Cummings, Alan Dyson and Liz Todd - 'Beyond the School Gates'. I have two main current projects in this area:

• 5-year DoE funded project, National Evaluation of Extended Services. 'What impacts do extended services have on schools, young people, families and communities?' with Manchester University, Ivy Papps (economist, Tecis Ltd), and BMRB (British Market Research Bureau). The project started in April 2009 and ends in March 2012. This is an excellent team - we have worked together on several funded projects now.
  
  Two thematic reviews on: the role of extended services in reaching disadvantaged groups (published); and the role of local authorities in extended services and swift and easy access to services (in press).
  
• Joseph Rowntree Foundation funded review of evidence on 'Interventions in aspirations and attitudes: influencing educational attainment'. A multi-disciplinary research team: Prof Liz Todd, Colleen Cummings, Dr Elaine Hall, Pam Woolner, Prof James Law (from speech), Dr Janice McLaughlan (sociologist, director of PEALS) and Dr Ivy Papps (economist from Tecis Ltd). October 2010 - July 2011.

Current Work

Other current work in children's services looks at the changing the roles of professionals in children's services. Last year we finished a university-funded project looking at the role of social work students on placement in schools. This research uses innovative visual methodology. Research team: Liz Todd, Pam Woolner, Colleen Cummings, Ulrike Thomas, Jeanne Pratt (Gateshead Council). We presented this to the European Educational Research Association conference in August 2010 in Helsinki.

I have been very interested this year in the development of tools to help the process of change in communities and individuals, using two approaches: narrative practices and video interaction and guidance. Some of the projects, both on-going and competed last year, include:

•  University-funded project developing the use of narrative practices to assist resilience building amongst communities. Liz Todd and Marilyn O'Neill (Sydney Narrative Therapy Centre). Oct 2010 - ongoing. Activities in Oct 2010 included narrative training for: educational psychologists on developing resilience in teams; university staff on tools for change; social workers on developing their roles in line with professional values; and with educational psychologists on using narrative therapy with individuals.
  
• Co-editor with Hilary Kennedy and Mim Landor of the first book on Video Interaction Guidance (VIG), to be published by Jessica Kingsley Publishers later in 2011. This is a highly reputed relationship-based intervention that focuses on attunement and collaboration. Chapters on VIG and attachment, using VIG with troubled families, VIG and supervision, VIG in schools etc.
  
• University funded project developing the use of Video Interaction and Guidance in a school-based parent support group in Darlington - Liz Todd with school personnel and parents. Jan 2010
  
• Evaluation of Darlington Council's narrative-based Targeted Mental Health in Schools Project - Liz Todd with Darlington Educational Psychology Service. Oct 2010-March 2011

Research Roles

• Deputy Research Director, School of Education, Communication and Language Sciences.
• Research Co-ordinator for education UoA for the REF
• Leader of the Research Cluster on Inclusion and Challenging Inequalities

Esteem Indicators

• Shortlist (in top 4) for NASEN/TES Academic Book Prize 2007 for sole author monograph published by Routledge, 2007: Partnerships for Inclusive Education: A critical approach to collaborative working.
• Co-editor International Journal of Research and Method in Education. Reviewer for a number of other journals.
• Keynote: Conference on Developments in Talents and Extended Schools in Amsterdam, Presentation on 12th Feb 2010 ‘Beyond the School Gates
  Extended Schools: their conceptualisation, evaluation and achievements’
• Invited to speak at a debate for caféscientifique, on ‘What Works With Families?’, 6.10.09, with Joel Yoeli, NHS clinical psychologist, at the Urban Café, Dance City Newcastle. PEALS
• Presentation: Massey University College of Education, Albany Campus, Auckland, New Zealand, Beyond the School Gates: can full services extended schools overcome disadvantage? 24th Feb, 2009
• National keynote: BPS ‘EPs for Inclusion’ entitled ‘Voice and Inclusion: from tokenism to participation’, BPS London Office, 30 Tabernacle St, London, 30th March 2009
• Conference presentation, Council of Pacific Education (COPE) Roundtable and Biennial Conference, conference title 'Improving the Status of Teachers and Promoting Children's Rights to Quality Education', 18-20 August 2008, Nadi, Fiji, 'Capacity Building for Effective Partnerships in Child Friendly Schools' Joint presentation with UNICEF Pacific
• Workshop presentation, Wollongong, Australia, August 1st 2008, 'Introduction to Narrative Approaches to Counselling and Community Work'
• Seminar: Research and Training Centre for Community Development (RTCCD), Hanoi, Vietnam and the Department of Student Affairs, Ministry of Education and Training, Vietnam. Hanoi, Vietnam, 22.3.07: ‘Sharing international experience in implementing the Full Service Extended School (FSES) model and research strategy for piloting FSES in Vietnam’
  

Postgraduate Teaching

• Degree Programme Director of the doctorate in educational psychology (DEdPsy).
  
• Teaching and supervision on the both the DEdPsy and the professional educational psychology doctorate (DAppEdPsy).
  
• Teaching on modules in qualitative research (qualitative data analysis, researching children and young people, participative research, visual methodology, theory of change)
  
• Teaching on particular therapeutic practices: narrative therapy and video interaction and guidance.
  
• A number of teaching sessions relating to research in extended schools, parent partnership, multi-agency working and consultation with children.
  

Postgraduate Supervision

Selected successful doctorate submissions over the last few years:

Lee Wilkinson, PhD, 2003; Charmian Hobbs, DEdPsy Thesis, Oct 2005; Dennis Wilson, EdD Thesis, April 2005; Barry Hymer, DEdPsy Thesis, April 2007; Nathalie Fletcher, DEdPsy Thesis, 2008;Alan Haughey, DEdPsy Thesis, 2008; Liz Locke, DEdPsy Thesis, 2009 and Claire Camsey DAppEdPsy Thesis and Denise McCarten DAppEdPsy Thesis 2009. Geraldine Jones 2009. Pam Grandison DEdPsy thesis 2010. Debra Brewer DEdPsy thesis 2010. Linda Corlette 2010. Katherine Parker 2011. Katie Gibson 2011. Patricia Murray 2012. Wilma Barrow 2012. Philomena Keane 2012. Katherine Philips 2012.

Topics have included the following:

• Debra Brewer - Storying Lunchtimes - What is the lunchtime supervisors' story of lunchtime
• Denise McCartan - Using Video to Promote the Development of a Collaborative Approach between Parents and Teachers around Pupil Behaviour
• Claire Camsey - Reconsidering the Concept of Resilience: A study of the ways some care experienced young people understand their lives
• Charmian Hobbs - Professional Consultation with Pupils Through Teaching about Learning
• Liz Locke - ‘We can do it together’ An investigation into multi-disciplinary team meeting in schools where a solution focused approach is used.
• Barry Hymer - Learning to be gifted: students’ self-identification of individual gifts and talents through meta-cognitive reflection.
• Dennis Wilson - Using Solution Focused Brief Therapy To Support Secondary Aged Pupils Facing Exclusion From School

• Law J, Todd L, Clark J, Mroz M, Carr J. Early Language Delays in the UK. London: Save the Children, 2013.
• Todd L. Interagency working and special education: beyond ‘virtuous’ ideas of partnership towards alternative frameworks for collaborative work with children. In: Florian, L, ed. Sage Handbook of Special Education. Sage Publications Ltd, 2013. In Press.
• Cummings C, Laing K, Law J, McLaughlin J, Papps I, Todd L, Woolner P. Can changing aspirations and attitudes impact on educational attainment? A review of interventions. York: Joseph Rowntree Foundation, 2012.
• Todd L. Critical dialogue, critical methodology: bridging the research gap to young people's participation in evaluating children’s services. Children's Geographies 2012, 10(2), 187-200.
• Bell V, Watson P, Crawshaw P, Dunkerley E, Laing K, Todd L. Evaluation of the Diamond Model pilots: Interim Report. Newcastle upon Tyne: Teeside University, Newcastle University, 2012.
• Laing K, Clark J, Todd L. Evaluation report for Sub 21 Wallsend. Newcastle upon Tyne, UK: Mentor UK, 2012.
• Laing K, Todd L. Fair or Foul? Towards practice and policy in fairness in education. Newcastle upon Tyne: Centre for Learning and Teaching, Newcastle University, 2012.
• Billington T, Todd L. Guest editorial. Special issue. Narrative: Approaches in research andprofessional practice. Educational and Child Psychology 2012, 29(2), 5-9.
• Hopkins P, Todd L. Occupying Newcastle University: student resistance to government spending cuts in England. The Geographical Journal 2012, 178(2), 104-109.
• Cummings C, Dyson A, Todd L. Beyond the school gates; can full service and extended schools overcome disadvantage?. London: Routledge, 2011.
• Todd L. Improving inter-professional collaborations: multi-agency working for children's wellbeing. International Journal of Research and Method in Education 2011, 34(1), 111-113.
• Florian L, Todd E. Methodology, Policy and Practice: Dizzy Development, but for how long?. Research Intelligence 2011, Summer 2011(115), 12-13.
• Todd L. Multi-Agency Working and Disabled Children and Young People: From 'What Works' to 'Active Becoming'. In: Haines, S., Ruebain, D, ed. Education, Disability and Social Policy. London, UK: Policy Press, 2011, pp.65-88.
• Kennedy H, Landor M, Todd L, ed. Video Interaction Guidance: A Relationship-based Intervention to Promote Attunement, Empathy and Wellbeing. London: Jessica Kingsley Press, 2011.
• Dyson A, Todd L. Dealing with Complexity: Theory of Change Evaluation and the Full Service Extended Schools Initiative. International Journal of Research and Method in Education 2010, 33(2), 119-134.
• Cummings C, Dyson A, Jones L, Laing K, Scott K, Todd L. Thematic Review: Reaching Disadvantaged Groups and Individuals. London, UK: Department for Education, 2010. DCSF Research report RR196 (DCSF).
• Sykes G, Todd L, Carson S, Dhir G, Gilbert S. Clarifying and developing the role of the EP in relation to all aspects of Parent and Carer Partnership, Advocacy and Training. Leicester: British Psychological Society, Division of Educational and Child Psychology, 2007. DECP Parent Partnership Working Party REP65/11.2007.
• Cummings C, Todd ES, Dyson A, Muijs D, Papps I, Pearson D, Raffo C, Tiplady L, Crowther D. Evaluation of the full service extended schools initiative: final report. Nottingham: Department for Education and Skills, 2007. DfES Research Brief and Report 852.
• Todd L. Enabling Practice for Professionals: the need for Practical Post-Structuralist Theory. In: Goodley, D., Lawthom, R, ed. Disability and Psychology: Critical Introductions and Reflections. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan, 2006.
• Todd L. Disability and the restructuring of welfare: The problem of partnership with parents. International Journal of Inclusive Education 2003, 7(3), 281-296.
• Taverner S, Baumfield VM, Lin M, Clark J, Fisher P, Hall I, Smith P, Todd L. Transition between key stages in schools: [second output report]. London: Department for Transport, Local Government and the Regions, 2001. Beacon Council Research.
• Todd ES, Hobbs C, Taylor J. Consulting with children and young people: Enabling educational psychologists to work collaboratively. Educational and Child Psychology 2000, 17(4), 107-115.
• Todd ES, Higgins SE. Powerlessness in professional and parent partnerships. British Journal of Sociology of Education 1998, 19(2), 227-236.