Dr Simon Asquith

• Education Doctorate, University of Birmingham
• MA Human Geography, University of Leeds 
• PGCE, University of Leeds 
• BA Geography, University of Lancaster

Before joining the School of Education at the University of Birmingham, Simon Asquith worked as a teacher in two other universities. Having completed his Masters study within the School of Geography and initial teacher training within the School of Education, both at the University of Leeds, he taught and held leadership positions in schools in Leeds, Bradford and Cumbria before becoming a senior lecturer in geography at Liverpool Hope University. His career in schools has allowed him to develop a particular interest and expertise in outdoor and field-based learning.

Whilst at Liverpool, Simon led modules and programmes in cultural and historical geography, the social, economic and political geographies of transition and transformation in Central and Eastern Europe, and geographical education. He helped lead a number of intensive fieldwork-based modules in Romania and France and developed a range of teacher education placement opportunities, particularly in Romania. Latterly at Liverpool Hope, Simon was Director of the undergraduate Initial Teacher Training and became increasingly involved in teacher education development work at the regional level in the North West. He developed and taught on a range of in-service programmes for schools across the North West, the Isle of Man and Northern Ireland and worked nationally with the Geographical Association, particularly in connection with its journals and resources for teachers. Simon completed a number of major writing projects for educational publishers, including a number of series of books on primary geography and contributed regularly to a number of educational periodicals.

Recent research has centered on the positioning and identity of headteachers and school leaders as they lead their schools but he has also become increasingly involved in teacher education. Simon’s work with schools, universities and other providers, has impacted on and framed by shifting government policy, providing the impetus for this work and has led to interest in the ways in which professionals and academics from different contexts can work together in system change for schools and teacher education.

Simon held a range of leadership positions at the University of Cumbria including those of Partnership Manager (Initial Teacher Education), Director of School Partnerships and Associate Head of the School of Educational Partnership and Enterprise. His work at Cumbria included the strategic development of partnerships across an extensive and diverse range of partner organisations and the development of educational enterprise. He took a lead role in projects including the north west Masters in Teaching and Learning and a range of government initiatives in teacher education in partnership with schools.

At the University of Birmingham, Simon has fulfilled roles including Head of the Department of Professional Education (now Teacher Education) and Director of Postgraduate Taught Programmes. Both of these roles were based in the School of Education.

For eight years Simon was national chair of the Association for Partnership in Teacher Education (APTE) growing and developing the association in its scope, representation and impact and delivering its annual national conferences for the sector. In this role he worked closely with the National College for Teaching and Leadership (formerly the Teaching Agency), National College for School Leadership and Ofsted and, as national chair of APTE, has supported the National College for Teaching and Leadership in developing and updating the then ‘Self Evaluation Document’ and Ofsted in its development of initial teacher education inspection methodology.

Recent research activity has focused on school leader identities and positioning in the context of government policy and approaches to school sector system change and leadership within changing partnership contexts.  In this Simon has particular interest in the position of headteachers, especially those working within Teaching School Hubs and those engaged in 'school-to-school support' within what has become known as a 'self-improving school system'.

Simon leads on modules including:

• MA Module Leader: Education, Policy and Society
• BA Module Leader: Education, Policy and Social Justice
• BA Module Leader: Placement Module

Recent research activity has focused on school leader identities and positioning in the context of government policy and approaches to school sector system change and leadership within changing partnership contexts.  In this Simon has particular interest in the position of headteachers, especially those working within Teaching School Alliances and those engaged in 'school-to-school support' within what has become known as a 'self-improving school system'.

Member of British Educational Leadership, Management and Administration Society

Affiliate Member of Chartered College of Teaching

Member of Commonwealth Council for Educational Administration and Management
Member of Geographical Association

Member of Society for Educational Studies

Past National Chair – Association for Partnership in Teacher Education
Past Member of Executive Committee – Universities’ Council for the Education of Teachers