Key details
Dr Ashley Brett
Senior Lecturer in Primary Education
Dr Ashley Brett is a senior lecturer in Primary Education in the School of Education at the University of Greenwich, and is a Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (SFHEA). He is a year lead for Primary Education Studies, and teaches on the undergraduate and postgraduate Higher Education routes for Initial Teacher Training - BA (Hons) degree; Post Graduate Certification in Education (PGCE). Ashley also supervises EdD students. Ashley also led a SCITT programme for external partners and supported a Professionals as Researchers outreach project (Action Research projects – school-based for teachers improving their practice and completing Masters' assignments). Prior to joining the university in 2015, he was a deputy head, primary school teacher across London, and a local authority Education Consultant delivering national training and supporting leadership teams and teachers with school improvement; he was awarded Local Consultant in Improvement status from the DfE. He holds a Masters in Health Education and Health Promotion. Ashley’s doctoral studies focused on how primary school leaders might support their teachers to be learners as part of school improvement.
Posts previously held:
- 2011–2015, Deputy Head; Class Teacher, Wohl Ilford Jewish Primary School, Redbridge
- 2005-11, Education Consultant, School Improvement Advisory Service, Essex County Council
- 2001-05, Departmental Lead for Mathematics; Senior Phase Leader; Class Teacher, Ray Lodge Primary School, Redbridge
- 1999-2000, Departmental Lead for Humanities, S.M.S.C., P.S.H.E. and Citizenship; Class Teacher, Earlham Primary School, Haringey
- 1994-99, Departmental Lead for Arts & Design Technology; Class Teacher, Springwell Junior School, Hounslow
Responsibilities within the university
- Year lead and lecturer – Primary Education studies
- Lecturer; art lead – BA (Hons) and PGCE for Initial Teacher Training
- Supervisor for Doctoral Students
- Link tutor for students on school placement
- Supervision of undergraduate research projects
- Member of the Working Party against Antisemitism
Awards
2020 - Student-led Teaching Awards: Outstanding Tutor of the Year
Recognition
- 2019-2023 - External Examiner for St Mary’s University, Twickenham, and Glyndwr University – BA (Hons) QTS
- 2022 onwards – Curriculum Governor (Local Academy Committee) for Willow Bank Primary School (Woodland Academy Trust)
Research / Scholarly interests
Ashley is interested in and has researched/ written about/ been involved with the following areas:
- Senior leadership and school improvement
- Parental engagement with their children’s learning
- Role of art in the primary curriculum
- Professional development for practitioners
- Equality, diversity, inclusion: International Holocaust Memorial Day (knowledge exchange)
- Action research
Key funded projects
- Professionals as Researchers - support teacher research projects within local action research hubs in schools.
Recent publications
Recent Publications
Brett, A., Hartley, B., Wallace, D. , Magaji, A., Smith, L. and Wolfendale, R. (2026). Parental involvement and engagement during COVID-19 lockdowns: School staff and parents' reflections about children's learning at home. British Educational Research Journal. (https://doi.org/10.1002/berj.70114Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
Lambirth, A., Cabral, A., McDonald, R., Philpott, C., Brett, A., & Magaji, A. (2021). Teacher-led professional development through a model of action research, collaboration and facilitation. Professional Development in Education, 47(5), 815–833. (https://doi.org/10.1080/19415257.2019.1685565)
Book
Gibson, Poppy , Morgan, Robert and Brett, Ashley (eds.) (2024) Primary teacher solutions: ready pedagogy and inspirational ideas. Routledge - Taylor & Francis, Abingdon; New York. ISBN 978-1032110288; 978-1032110271; 978-1003218098
Book chapter
Brett, Ashley (2021) Painting a canvas of creativity. In: McDonald, Roger and Gibson, Poppy , (eds.) Inspiring Primary Learners: Insights and Inspiration Across the Curriculum. Routledge, London, pp. 102-120. ISBN 978-0367110659 (doi:10.4324/9780429024597-8).
Journals
Lambirth, A. , Cabral, A. , McDonald, R. , Philpott, C., Brett, A. and Magaji, A. (2019) Teacher-led professional development through a model of action research, collaboration and facilitation. Professional Development in Education, 47 (5). pp. 815-833. ISSN 1941-5257 (Print), 1941-5265 (Online) (doi:10.1080/19415257.2019.1685565)
Presentations
Magaji, A. , Cabral, A., Lambirth, A., McDonald, R. , Brett, A. , Philpott, C. (2021), Working together with teachers and senior leaders in a teacher-led professional development through a model of action research, collaboration, and facilitation. In: SHIFT 2021, Radically reimagining Higher Education for a new era: working together for a just and sustainable future, 13 January 2021, Online (doi: https://www.gre.ac.uk/articles/public-relations/shift-registration-reminder).