Dr Alison Murphy

Role

Dr. Alison Murphy is a Senior Lecturer and leads the final fourth year of the undergraduate BA (Hons) in Primary Education at the Nottingham Institute of Education.

She has responsibility for strategic, operational, and pastoral elements of the training. As part of this role, she has led the independent study dissertation strand, the level 7 Masters module in Leadership, and the professional development module focusing on employability.

Alison works in close contact with NIoE alumni graduate teachers through her involvement with a range of partnership workshops, local teach meet events, and final professional placement. She teaches on a range of modules from the primary undergraduate courses. Currently, her teaching is focused on undergraduate primary science, inclusion, and professional development strands.

She is a personal tutor for undergraduate students. She works closely with a wide range of schools, supporting school mentors to ensure trainee teachers achieve the best outcomes and moderating judgments. Having completed the NTU researcher degree supervisor training, she also supervises MA and doctoral candidates.

Career overview

Alison joined NTU in 2008 as a Lecturer for the Primary Education team. She also has a permanent supply role in a partnership school which enables her to stay current with educational issues.

Before this, Alison was a teacher in Nottingham and Kent. In 2006, her teaching was graded as ‘Outstanding’ by Ofsted. She was the Science curriculum leader in both schools, which involved leading curriculum development. She developed and resourced a whole school scheme of work and led a successful science week. These included community involvement, hands-on investigations, an inflatable planetarium, exotic animals, and a whole school trip to a science center. She was also committed to supporting staff development.

As a Primary National Strategies ‘Leading Teacher’ for the Local Authority, Alison was involved in supporting and training teachers in both Kent and Nottingham.  She delivered inset training in local schools and was a mentor for trainee teachers. Alison was involved in assessment and attainment, taking on the role of assessment co-coordinator for three years. She was a KS2 Science SATs marker for four years with AQA and Edexcel. Her role as a teacher governor developed her understanding of the reporting requirements involved in assessments within schools. She supported a local primary school by running booster groups for gifted and talented children, and ran a science summer school for gifted and talented children who were transitioning between primary and secondary schools in Medway.

Alison undertook an MA in Education while working as a classroom teacher. She developed an interest in learning through analysing children’s reflective writing. She also completed several action research studies with Canterbury, Warwick, and NTU. These enabled her to have a broader view of education and practice-related research, focusing on areas such as mentoring and coaching, diversity and achievement, and innovation.

External activity

Alison is an active ASE member, presenting at the 2024 National Conference and contributing to the Primary Science Journal in 2021. She moderates the PSTT primary science enhancement award and serves as an external examiner for Leeds Beckett University.

Alison has a passion for learning in the outdoors and is Level 3 Forest School trained. She has delivered training to trainees, teachers and lecturers across the partnership of schools. She utilised this when volunteering at a Sure Start gardening club where she supported disadvantaged families.

Alison is a registered supply teacher. She is committed to safeguarding children and inclusive practice. She regularly completes internal and external training in order to remain up-to-date with educational policy, for example on child protection, prevent and unconscious bias.