Matt is currently the Associate Dean – Curriculum and holds a broad portfolio of responsibility for the School of Health, Science and wellbeing. Matt has responsibility for curriculum development and both UG and PG academic portfolios for the School along with being responsible for student number planning and student recruitment. Outside of Staffordshire University Matt also holds national and international positions with awarding bodies.
I have 17 years’ experience of working across Further and Higher Education institutions and awarding bodies in England, holding a range of teaching, leadership and Senior Assessment Associate roles including my current role of Associate Dean for the School of Health, Science and Wellbeing at Staffordshire University. I am also a youth justice professional and researcher who specialised in early intervention projects and has 10 years of practitioner education experience across a range of youth justice settings including Youth Offending Teams and the secure estate, my area of research is trauma informed practice and Adverse Childhood Experiences in offending cohorts
I have experience of raising educational standards and achieve better outcomes for learner cohorts through driving several projects around assessment, curriculum design, the use of a range of pedagogic approaches, inclusion planning and embedding employability and career planning.
I have national qualification writing experience for AQA, City and Guilds and Pearson developing qualifications across levels 2 and 3 and been given a ‘Services to’ Award by the Joint Council for Qualifications for this work and my examiner work. I am currently engaged in awarding body work for Pearson as a Lead Standards Verifier, International Verifier and Standards Verifier across a number of subject areas. Previously I have held the post of Chief Examiner for AQA and City and Guilds, which required National oversite of exam performance and standards.
As Associate Dean I have a number of externally facing responsibilities working with a range of stakeholders and partner trusts to ensure sustainable workforce pipelines and drive-up patient safety standards. Along with this I sit on policy think tanks such as the Council of Deans to ensure professional standards which are set for the Health industry are checked and their rigor challenged to ensure the suitability of the future workforce as we move to an ever more digital approach to health.
I am also experienced in working across a wide range of standards set by several professional standard regulatory bodies including the NMC, HCPC, BPS, SWE. I also work across a range of regulatory inspection frameworks including OFSTED (apprenticeship provision), TEF standards, the Office for Students (in particular their B3 conditions) to ensure the quality of the Schools provision.
Professional memberships and activities
Senior Fellow of Higher Education Academy
Member UCLan Criminal Justice Partnership
Lead Standards Verifier / Standards Verifier for vocational qualifications in Health and Social Care and Public Services.
Academic qualifications
BA (Hons) Public Service Management
Cert. Ed. Adult and Further Education
MSc Criminology and Criminal Justice
Post Graduate Certificate in Integrated Practice with Children and Young People
DCrimJ (Professional Doctorate in Criminal Justice pending 2021) Thesis title ‘How would a Youth Offending Team use trauma informed research to inform improve outcomes for children and young people?’
Expertise
Youth justice practice
Methods of engagement and assessment.
Intervention design and delivery.
Childhood trauma
Adverse Childhood Experience
Vocational qualification writing and design (levels 1 – 3) nationally
Research interests
My current research focuses on childhood trauma and adverse childhood experience and its impact on offending behaviour in children and young people.
Enterprise and commercial interests
Worked in a consultancy capacity designing qualifications for multiple awarding bodies at level 1-3 across a range of Health and Social Care sectors