Dr Helen Woodley Editor

Dr William McGovern is a Senior Lecturer, Childhood Studies and the Early Years at Northumbria University, UK. Prior to joining Northumbria University, William McGovern worked as a professionally qualified Youth and Community worker, with children and adults in the fields of substance use and mental health, as a manager in children’s’ services and as PPI lead in the NHS: Public Health Commissioning and Reform. He currently leads teaching on modules which include: the voice of the child, substance use, research and leadership in children’s services. 

Dr Aidan Gillespie is a Senior Lecturer in Education (Religious Education lead) at Northumbria University, UK. Aidan came to Initial Teacher Education having had a successful career as a primary school teacher, teaching in Lincoln, Italy, London and Kent. Now as Initial Teacher Education subject lead for Religious Education at Northumbria University, Aidan designs and teaches modules focussed on the role of religion in state education in the UK and the way in which religion, society and values intersect. With a research focus on spirituality, Aidan is deeply interested in the intersection between spirituality and professional identity.

Dr Helen Woodley is a Senior Lecturer in Children and Young People’s Improving Access to Psychological Therapies at Northumbria University, UK. Previously, Helen worked as a teacher in both specialist and alternative provision settings. Her final teaching role was as a KS1 – 4 Special Educational Needs Coordinator (SENCo) in a large alternative provision setting. Here she worked with children and young people who were at risk of, or who had been, permanently excluded from mainstream education.