Dear Alumni,

Welcome to the ICE newsletter, which keeps you up-to-date with news, events and opportunities specifically tailored for alumni of the Institute of Childhood and Education (and all educational courses prior to its formation).

The pandemic has caused a year of disruption, but we are so proud that so many of you have excelled and adjusted to give the best teaching experience possible. We'd also like to congratulate and wish our latest graduates the very best of luck as they start their teaching careers. Please remember that whatever your next career steps are, we're still here to help and support you.

Recently, as you may already be aware, we were extremely sad to lose our much revered colleague, Senior Lecturer Andrew Brownless. Andrew joined the University in 2009 and had a positive impact on so many of those he taught.

"He loved working with people and passing on his love of teaching and his subject."

As a teenager he loved playing and working on computers and actually struggled at school, which is no doubt a big reason why he wanted to help so many others during his career. He would spend hours and hours planning and preparing his classes, as he was so dedicated to his profession.

"Andy was a gifted teacher and a brilliant colleague on the Leeds SCITT." 

He trained a generation of new IT and Computer Science teachers, leading by example and sharing his love of his chosen subject with enthusiasm and his own unique style.

"He was a mentor, a friend and an ally in my teens." 

Andy never moaned about going to work on a Monday morning. Occasionally on an evening or weekend, his wife Jen and daughter Charlotte would hide his work bag so he couldn't work! After work, cooking was a massive part of Andy's life. He'd often recreate recipes he'd seen other great chefs make. 

Andrew – you are missed by so many. You had such a positive influence on us all and we were so lucky to have you as a colleague.

We are always extremely proud when our graduates recommend us to other prospective students. For many years, it's been great to see generations of the same family attendeding Leeds Trinity. This happened recently after Wendy Huggins completed a Foundation degree in 2014 followed by a Professional Practice degree in 2015.

Her daughter, Ayesha Huggins, followed in her footsteps, just eight months after having a child. It didn't end there though! Wendy also encouraged her niece, Paige, to enrol and she joined us in 2019. All three had similar lecturers (in ICE) and became known as the Fab Family!

Read more about their story here. 

Did you know that you could enhance your career with a postgraduate programme in Education or Inclusive Leadership at Leeds Trinity?

Whatever your level of experience, the MA Education aims to develop and strengthen your identity, critical confidence and academic expertise as an educational professional. It will broaden your critical perspective on education and includes both sector-wide and context-specific content and tasks.

Our PGCert Inclusive Leadership programme, developed and delivered in partnership with Leeds Learning Alliance, is aimed at managers and leaders looking to explore inclusive practice and develop strategies to maintain and promote cultures of inclusivity. This course also offers an alternative pathway onto the MA Education degree.

Find out more and apply today via our website. Please let any colleagues or contacts know about our courses too!

During the 2020/21 academic year, our final year Children, Young People and Families undergraduate students worked with alumni on a racism in the workplace collaborative project. 

The project, led by Syra Shakir, showcased a collection of short dramatised scenes playing out racism, discrimination and micro-aggressions in the workplace. The objective was to provide students with a sound knowledge base and understanding of racism in the workplace, the harm this conveys and what actions should be taken to address racial inequalities.

If you are interested in taking place in future projects with a similar theme, please email the Alumni Office. 

We are so grateful that so many alumni have helped us adapt to new digital demands during lockdown. We were able to invite alumni to sessions in all curriculum areas during the last academic year.

Just one example of this was being able to involve Joe Houseman and Georgia Dimitriou (both Philosophy, Ethics and Religion, 2018) in talks to inspire final year students. They most certainly ticked that box and have also starred during online Leeds Trinity offer holder days.