Role
Dr O'Grady is a Principal Lecturer; Nottingham Institute of Education. Dr O'Grady leads a number of postgraduate programmes and continuing professional development courses, including the Masters in Educaiton, Postgraduate Certificate in Higher Education and the PGCE SEND. Her research focuses on marginalised groups, and increasingly, on the provision and experience of prison education. Currently, Dr O'Grady in focussing on the provision of Higher Education in prisons and has recently completed a project, exploring the feasibility of providing digital higher education distance learning for prisoners, She has undertaken a number of research projects across the prison estate, including young offenders, men's and the women's estate, working with prisoners and prison education staff, exploring how education is experienced by prisoners; as well as the professional identity of prison educators. She has been co-lead on a number of Learning Together projects with HMP partners, bringing HMP and HEi students together in collaborative learning opportunities. She has presented her research at national and international conferences, and has published a number of journal articles and books. She has successfully supervised a number of doctoral candidates, and continues to supervise doctoral candidates.
Career overview
Dr O'Grady has previously worked at a number of Higher Education Institutions, including the University of Nottingham and the University of Derby, where she developed a new international MA in Education; and supported the delivery of the Professional Doctorate in Education in Hong Kong. Dr O'Grady also spent several years working at the National Institute of Adult Continuing Education where she undertook a wide range of research, working with stakeholders across a broad agenda of lifelong learning.
Research areas
Dr O'Grady's research advocates for a dialogic, social justice, approach to education that provides space for people to make informed choices for their future. She focuses on providing a voice to educationally marginalised groups; particularly prisoners, to consider the role, value and purpose of education for them.
She has worked on projects covering:
- Prison education
- Prisoner preparedness for release
- Young offenders
- Children in Challenging Circumstances
- Adult learners
Opportunities to carry out postgraduate research towards an MPhil/PhD in the School of Education exist and further information may be obtained from the NTU Graduate School.
External activity
Dr O'Grady has examined a number of doctoral thesis (PhD and EdD) both in the UK and Hong Kong.
Additionally, she has held several External Examiner positions.
Dr O'Grady works in partnership with a number of HM Prisons
Publications
Publications
- TEAGUE, K, HAMILTON, P and O’GRADY, A Forthcoming.Advancing prison education through partnership working and public criminology. In Public Criminology and Social Change: Reimaging Public Education and Research Practice, London: Palgrave.
- SLATER, J., WINDER, B., O'GRADY, A. & BANYARD, P. 2023 ‘There is nothing for me’: A qualitative analysis of the views towards prison education of adult male prisoners convicted of a sexual offence. The Howard Journal of Crime and Justice, 00, 1-17. https://doi.org/10.1111/hojo.12521
- OGRADY, A and TADGH, T. 2023. Higher Education in prisons: Access, benefits, and challenge; Policy Brief; London: Ministry of Justice.
- O’GRADY, A. 2021. Evidence submitted to the Education Committee Prison Education Inquiry, available at: https://committees.parliament.uk/writtenevidence/19877/pdf/
- O’GRADY, A., 2020. Where have all our prison partnerships gone? Speaking out for prison-university Learning Together programmes; Nottingham Institute of Education Blog: Nottingham Institute of Education.
- HAMILTON, P. and O’GRADY., A. 2020. Preparedness for Release: A Needs Analysis of ‘Pathway’ Services provided by HMP Sudbury; Research Report: Nottingham Trent University.
- O'GRADY, A., 2019.The Education Doctorate as a mechanism to influence and inform our future; NIoE Blog: Nottingham Institute of Education: https://nottinghaminstituteofeducation.wordpress.com/2019/10/25/nioe-in-hong-kong/
- O’GRADY, A. and HAMILTON, P., 2019. ‘There’s more that binds us together than separates us’: exploring the role of Prison-University partnerships in promoting democratic dialogue, transformative learning opportunities and social citizenship, In: Journal of Prison Education and Reentry: https://scholarscompass.vcu.edu/jper/
- O'GRADY, A., 2018. Exploring the contribution of music intervention programmes for children in challenging circumstances: a collaborative research project between soundLINCS and Nottingham Trent University. Lincoln: soundLINCS. ISBN 9781916441408
- COTTLE, V. and O'GRADY, A., 2018. The future of education. In: J. MARSHALL, ed., Contemporary debates in education studies. Abingdon: Routledge, pp. 182-194. ISBN 9781138680234
- O’GRADY, A., and deMOTTE, C., 2018. An exploration of the education provision in a HMP Young Offenders Institution: perspectives of young offenders and prison staff. Staffordshire: HMP Swinfen Hall
- O’Grady, A and Hamilton, P., 2017. Re-Imagining The Prison Education Paradigm: identity transitions, social learning and ‘de-othering’ in a climate of penal exactitude. In: Crane, P., 2017. Life Beyond Crime . London: Lemos & Crane. ISBN: 9781898001775
- O'GRADY, A., 2016. Applying education thinkers to contemporary educational practice. In: O'GRADY A, and V. COTTLE, eds., Exploring education at postgraduate level: policy, theory and practice. Abingdon: Routledge. ISBN 9781138814080
- O'GRADY, A. and COTTLE, V., 2016. Exploring education at postgraduate level: policy, theory and practice. Abingdon: Routledge. ISBN 9781138814080
- O’GRADY, A., 2014. Equality and diversity in the lifelong learning sector. International Review of Education, 60 (4), pp. 581-582. ISSN 0020-8566
- O'GRADY, A., 2013. Lifelong learning in the UK: an introductory guide for education studies. Abingdon: Routledge. ISBN 9780415517416
- O'GRADY, A., 2012. Smoke alarms and smoke screens: the learning journey of an undergraduate. Educationalfutures, 5 (1), pp. 29-42. ISSN 1758-2199
- O'GRADY, A., 2010. A consideration of possible models for sustainability and growth of the strand of activity: Corby reads! Leicester: NIACE.
- O'GRADY, A., 2010. A qualitative exploration of the curriculum offer for women sentenced to less than one year. Leicester: NIACE.
- O'GRADY, A. and ATKIN, C., 2009. Skills for life and issues of choice: a study in rural England. RaPAL: Research and Practice in Adult Literacy(68/69), pp. 40-47. ISSN 1747-5600
- ATKIN, C. and O'GRADY, A., 2008. Skills for life: has the need to support social cohesion been displaced by the drive for economic success? International Perspectives on Adult and Lifelong Education: Selected Papers, pp. 57-74.
- ATKIN, C. and O'GRADY, A., 2007. Adult learning in Lincolnshire and Rutland: voices from practice. Nottingham: The University of Nottingham: UNESCO Centre for Comparative Education Research.
- Evaluation of the Skills for Life Materials for Embedded Learning. Atkin C, O'Grady A and Rose A, National Research and Development Centre for Adult Literacy and Numeracy, 2007, London
- O'GRADY, A. and ATKIN, C., 2006. Choosing to learn or chosen to learn: the experience of Skills for Life learners. Research in Post-Compulsory Education, 11 (3), pp. 277-287. ISSN 1359-6748
- ATKIN, C. and O'GRADY, A., 2006. Devaluing social networks in the race to compete. The International Journal of Learning: Annual Review, 13 (6), pp. 165-171. ISSN 1447-9494
- ATKIN, C. and O'GRADY, A., 2006. Skills for life: has the need to support social cohesion been displaced by the drive for economic success? International Journal of Adult and Lifelong Education, 4 (1-4), pp. 29-44. ISSN 0973-1601
- O'GRADY, A. and ATKIN, C., 2005. Forced to learn or choosing to learn: challenges and concerns for non-voluntary adult basic skills learners. RaPAL: Research and Practice in Adult Literacy (58), pp. 38-43. ISSN 1747-5600
Press expertise
Dr O'Grady can comment on prison education.