Professor Cathy Nutbrown
BEd, MEd, PhD
School of Education
Professor of Education
+44 114 222 8139
Full contact details
School of Education
The Wave
2 Whitham Road
91Ö±²¥
S10 2AH
- Profile
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Professor Cathy Nutbrown researches in the field of Early Childhood Education. Cathy began her career as a teacher of young children and has since worked in a range of settings and roles with children, parents, teachers, and other early childhood educators. Cathy is committed to finding ways of working 'with respect' with young children, and sees the concept of quality in the context of what it means to develop curriculum and pedagogy in the early years with the ambition of working in a climate of 'respectful education'.
She established the University of 91Ö±²¥ MA in Early Childhood Education in 1998 and a Doctoral Programme in Early Childhood Education in 2008. In 2010 she contributed to the Tickell Review of the Early Years Foundation Stage and served on the Ofqual Advisory Group on Early Years Assessment 2010-2012. In June 2012 she reported on year long independent review of . She is Editor-in-Chief of the Sage Journal of Early Childhood Research. In May 2013 Cathy was awarded the for Research with Outstanding Impact on Society for her family literacy work.
In September 2013 Cathy received the Lifetime Achievement Award at the ceremony, for her work with and for young children and those who work with them.
- Research interests
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Early literacy work with parents
One of Cathy´s key research areas is early literacy work with parents. This has formed a major part of her research over the past 15 years. The Raising Early Achievement in Literacy (REAL) project is well known and the methods used in this project are being used by many practitioners in several countries to support parents in their efforts to help their young children´s literacy development. Cathy is currently working with the National Children´s Bureau on a three year project `Making it REAL´ and is also running and ESRC project Early Literacy Work with Families, working with practitioners to explore new uses of the ORIM framework.
Family Literacy in Prisons project
The Family Literacy in Prisons (FLiP) project was a collaboration between the School of Education, University of 91Ö±²¥, and Pact (Prison Advice and Care Trust) which focused on fathers in prison and sought to address the question:
In the event of their imprisonment, how can absent fathers be supported in their vital contribution to young children’s literacy development?
FLiP has implications for desistance and resisting reoffending, and provides a positive starting point for UK prison education reform. The School of Education and Pact are now working together to continue to run FLiP programmes in several prisons for mothers and fathers. Pact Family workers have worked collaboratively with Cathy Nutbrown and Peter Clough and are fully trained in FLiP work through the University certificated route.
- For further details about the project, click (PDF, 743KB)
- To download a leaflet about about the project, click (PDF, 4MB)
- To view the FLiP presentation, click (PDF, 863KB)
Cathy´s work on children´s rights and curriculum development has led her to explore aspects of inclusion in the early years. Her work has included work on the preschool educators´ beliefs and practices around inclusion and has looked at work in Europe and the UK. Cathy´s interest in inclusion extends to ways of developing inclusive practices where the voices of children, parents and practitioners are heard and their roles and perspectives valued.
History of early childhood education
Cathy believes that early childhood educations need to know and understand the extraordinary legacy of the pioneers of the field. Exploring the roots of early childhood education through the work of Susan Isaacs, Rachel and Margaret McMillan, Maria Montessori and many others, it is possible to identify enduring values and understandings which support new pioneering in the field today.
Recent funded projects
- Early Literacy Work with Families Awarding Body: Economic and Social Research Council (2010 –2012)
- Daring Discoveries: Arts Based Learning in the Early Years. Awarding body: Creative Partnerships/Arts Council. (2005/6).
- Comparative Approaches to Preschool Education. Awarding body: University of 91Ö±²¥, Social Sciences Devolved Fund. (2000/2002).
- Raising Early Achievement in Literacy. Awarding body: Nuffield Foundation. (1997/2002).
- Publications
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Books
- Home Learning Environments for Young Children. Sage Publications Limited.
- . SAGE Publications Ltd.
- Understanding Schematic Learning at Two. Bloomsbury Academic.
- . London: Sage.
- Understanding Schemas and Young Children
From Birth to Three. London: Sage Publishing.
- Inclusion in the Early Years. London: Sage.
- . SAGE Publications, Ltd.
- A Student's Guide to Methodology. London: Sage.
- Threads of Thinking. London: Sage.
- . SAGE Publications Ltd.
- . SAGE Publications Ltd.
- Early Literacy Work with Families. London: SAGE.
- . SAGE Publications Ltd.
Edited books
- Informing Educational Change: Research Voices from Malta. 91Ö±²¥:.
Journal articles
- . Research Papers in Education, 34(2), 169-191.
- . Journal of Early Childhood Research, 17(1), 3-13.
- . Research Papers in Education.
- . Journal of Early Childhood Literacy, 17(4), 551-569.
- . International Journal of Early Years Education, 26(1), 4-23.
- . International Journal of Early Years Education, 24(4), 395-413.
- . International Journal of Early Years Education, 24(1), 63-79.
- . Journal of Children's Services, 10(3), 265-279.
- . International Journal of Early Years Education, 19(3-4), 233-248.
- . Research Papers in Education(2), 239-263.
- . QUAL INQ, 17(1), 3-14.
- . Journal of Early Childhood Literacy, 10(2), 183-208.
- . International Journal of Early Years Education, 3, 191-205.
- . BRIT EDUC RES J, 35(2), 167-185.
- . Journal of Early Childhood Research, 3, 19-44.
- . Child Care in Practice, 11(2), 99-102.
- . European Journal of Special Needs Education, 19(3), 301-315.
- . Journal of Early Childhood Research, 2, 191-211.
- . Journal of Early Childhood Literacy, 2, 115-145.
- . Reading, 33(1), 33-40.
- . Journal of Research in Reading, 22(1), 37-44.
- . Early Years, 19(1), 50-61.
- . Teacher Development, 1(3), 405-420.
- . International Journal of Early Childhood, 25(2), 27-30.
- . Early Years, 12(2), 18-21.
- . Research Papers in Education, 6(2), 77-97.
- . International Journal of Early Childhood, 23(2), 1-10.
- Early childhood educators’ qualifications: a framework for change. International Journal of Early Years Education.
Chapters
- , Developing Writers Across the Primary and Secondary Years (pp. 40-59). Routledge
- , The Routledge International Handbook of Young Children’s Rights (pp. 331-341). Routledge
- , The Routledge International Handbook of Philosophies and Theories of Early Childhood Education and Care (pp. 61-72). Routledge
- , Early Childhood Education: History, Philosophy and
Experience (pp. 75-135). SAGE Publications Ltd
- Watching and listening: The tools of assessment, Working with Children in the Early Years: Second Edition (pp. 239-251).
- , Frühpädagogik international (pp. 117-127). VS Verlag für Sozialwissenschaften
- , Respectful Educators – Capable Learners: Children's Rights and Early Education (pp. 99-108). SAGE Publications Ltd
- , Respectful Educators – Capable Learners: Children's Rights and Early Education (pp. 44-55). SAGE Publications Ltd
- Home Learning Environments for Young Children. Sage Publications Limited.
- Teaching interests
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Cathy was nominated by her students, and recognised by the University, as an inspirational teacher.
Links