Keira Sewell is a Lecturer in Primary Education in the School of Education at the University of Southampton. Having trained in the middle school age phase, she began her career teaching science to GCSE level in a secondary school in Yorkshire. From there she moved into advisory teaching, first as a cross-phase advisory teacher for science in Calderdale, supporting GEST funded projects aimed at creating greater continuity between the Science curriculum delivered at Key Stages 2 and 3, and later as an advisory teacher for primary science in Bradford where much of her time was spent providing in-service training for teachers in the foundation stage and Key Stage 1. In 1993 she moved to Bradford College to take up the post of Senior Lecturer in Science Education where she taught on undergraduate and postgraduate Initial Teacher Education (ITE) programmes and a BA and Foundation Degree in Education Studies. She also contributed to the research element of Masters programmes and used the foci of her own research in school transition and bullying to teach Secondary postgraduate ITE students.

In 2001 she took up the post of Curriculum and Staff Development Co-ordinator at Bradford College where she co-ordinated all programme development and revision and led staff development in the areas identified within the Department’s strategic plan. She also had an overview of the quality assurance mechanisms within the Department and contributed to developments at the wider College level. As a result she played a major role in inspection and review of programmes by both Ofsted and QAA.

She has been able to pursue her research interests through both her Masters and PhD. The first looked at the issues for children preparing to transfer from primary to secondary school and the extent to which their expectations were realised. As many children identified bullying as a major concern she used this as the focus for her PhD which resulted in a four year, qualitative case study of the ways in which one secondary school managed bully/victim problems.

As a way of pursuing her interest in the relationship between research and teaching, she took up her present post, moving from Yorkshire to Hampshire in the process. Here, she continues to pursue her interest in the management of bully/victim problems.

In her spare time, Keira spends time with her husband and two young sons, often on freezing football pitches, and enjoys cycling, reading, travel and gardening.

Member of the editorial panel of Primary Science, the primary journal of the ASE
Primary consultant to the Rolls-Royce Science Challenge
Primary consultant to ‘The Pandora Project’, British Nuclear Group
Principal External Examiner Primary and Early Years, PGCE, Cambridge University
External panel member on the validation of PGCE Primary M level awards at
Winchester University and the University of Gloucestershire.
Teachers’ TV : Resource Review - ICT Special: Primary Science 3