Professor Cathy Nutbrown
BEd, MEd, PhD
School of Education
Professor of Education
+44 114 222 8139
Full contact details
School of Education
The Wave
2 Whitham Road
Sheffield
S10 2AH
- Profile
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Professor Cathy Nutbrown researches in the field of Early Childhood Education. Cathy began her career as a teacher of young children and has since worked in a range of settings and roles with children, parents, teachers, and other early childhood educators. Cathy is committed to finding ways of working 'with respect' with young children, and sees the concept of quality in the context of what it means to develop curriculum and pedagogy in the early years with the ambition of working in a climate of 'respectful education'.
She established the University of Sheffield MA in Early Childhood Education in 1998 and a Doctoral Programme in Early Childhood Education in 2008. In 2010 she contributed to the Tickell Review of the Early Years Foundation Stage and served on the Ofqual Advisory Group on Early Years Assessment 2010-2012. In June 2012 she reported on year long independent review of Early Education and Childcare Qualifications for the government. She is Editor-in-Chief of the Sage Journal of Early Childhood Research. In May 2013 Cathy was awarded the ESRC prize for Research with Outstanding Impact on Society for her family literacy work.
In September 2013 Cathy received the Lifetime Achievement Award at the Nursery World Awards 2013 ceremony, for her work with and for young children and those who work with them.
- Research interests
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Early literacy work with parents
One of Cathy´s key research areas is early literacy work with parents. This has formed a major part of her research over the past 15 years. The Raising Early Achievement in Literacy (REAL) project is well known and the methods used in this project are being used by many practitioners in several countries to support parents in their efforts to help their young children´s literacy development. Cathy is currently working with the National Children´s Bureau on a three year project `Making it REAL´ and is also running and ESRC project Early Literacy Work with Families, working with practitioners to explore new uses of the ORIM framework.
Family Literacy in Prisons project
The Family Literacy in Prisons (FLiP) project was a collaboration between the School of Education, University of Sheffield, and Pact (Prison Advice and Care Trust) which focused on fathers in prison and sought to address the question:
In the event of their imprisonment, how can absent fathers be supported in their vital contribution to young children’s literacy development?
FLiP has implications for desistance and resisting reoffending, and provides a positive starting point for UK prison education reform. The School of Education and Pact are now working together to continue to run FLiP programmes in several prisons for mothers and fathers. Pact Family workers have worked collaboratively with Cathy Nutbrown and Peter Clough and are fully trained in FLiP work through the University certificated route.
- For further details about the project, click FLiP briefing document (PDF, 743KB)
- To download a leaflet about about the project, click FLiP leaflet (PDF, 4MB)
- To view the FLiP presentation, click FLiP-presentation-FSSRC-September-2015 (PDF, 863KB)
Inclusion in the early years
Cathy´s work on children´s rights and curriculum development has led her to explore aspects of inclusion in the early years. Her work has included work on the preschool educators´ beliefs and practices around inclusion and has looked at work in Europe and the UK. Cathy´s interest in inclusion extends to ways of developing inclusive practices where the voices of children, parents and practitioners are heard and their roles and perspectives valued.
History of early childhood education
Cathy believes that early childhood educations need to know and understand the extraordinary legacy of the pioneers of the field. Exploring the roots of early childhood education through the work of Susan Isaacs, Rachel and Margaret McMillan, Maria Montessori and many others, it is possible to identify enduring values and understandings which support new pioneering in the field today.
Recent funded projects
- Early Literacy Work with Families Awarding Body: Economic and Social Research Council (2010 –2012)
- Daring Discoveries: Arts Based Learning in the Early Years. Awarding body: Creative Partnerships/Arts Council. (2005/6).
- Comparative Approaches to Preschool Education. Awarding body: University of Sheffield, Social Sciences Devolved Fund. (2000/2002).
- Raising Early Achievement in Literacy. Awarding body: Nuffield Foundation. (1997/2002).
- Publications
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Books
- Home Learning Environments for Young Children. Sage Publications Limited.
- Early Childhood Educational Research: International Perspectives. SAGE Publications Ltd.
- Understanding Schematic Learning at Two. Bloomsbury Academic.
- Early Childhood Education: History, Philosophy and Experience. London: Sage.
- Understanding Schemas and Young Children
From Birth to Three. London: Sage Publishing.
- Inclusion in the Early Years. London: Sage.
- Working with Babies & Children: From Birth to Three. SAGE Publications, Ltd.
- A Student's Guide to Methodology. London: Sage.
- Threads of Thinking. London: Sage.
- Inclusion in the Early Years: Critical Analyses and Enabling Narratives. SAGE Publications Ltd.
- Early Literacy Work with Families: Policy, Practice and
Research. SAGE Publications Ltd.
- Early Literacy Work with Families. London: SAGE.
- Recognising Early Literacy Development: Assessing Children's Achievements. SAGE Publications Ltd.
Edited books
- Informing Educational Change: Research Voices from Malta. Sheffield:. View this article in WRRO
Journal articles
- Family Literacy in Prisons: Fathers' engagement with their young children. Research Papers in Education, 34(2), 169-191. View this article in WRRO
- Exploring the place of arts-based approaches in early childhood education research. Journal of Early Childhood Research, 17(1), 3-13. View this article in WRRO
- Effects of extending disadvantaged families' teaching of emergent literacy. Research Papers in Education. View this article in WRRO
- Families’ roles in children’s literacy in the UK throughout the 20th century. Journal of Early Childhood Literacy, 17(4), 551-569. View this article in WRRO
- Signs, symbols and schemas: understanding meaning in a child’s drawings. International Journal of Early Years Education, 26(1), 4-23. View this article in WRRO
- A Pedagogy of Friendship: young children’s friendships and how schools can support them. International Journal of Early Years Education, 24(4), 395-413. View this article in WRRO
- Schematic pedagogy: supporting one child’s learning at home and in a group. International Journal of Early Years Education, 24(1), 63-79. View this article in WRRO
- Co-production of family literacy projects to enhance early literacy development. Journal of Children's Services, 10(3), 265-279. View this article in WRRO
- A box of childhood: small stories at the roots of a career. International Journal of Early Years Education, 19(3-4), 233-248.
- Conceptualising arts-based learning in the early years. Research Papers in Education(2), 239-263.
- Naked by the Pool? Blurring the Image? Ethical Issues in the Portrayal of Young Children in Arts-Based Educational Research. QUAL INQ, 17(1), 3-14.
- Effects of a preschool bilingual family literacy programme. Journal of Early Childhood Literacy, 10(2), 183-208.
- Citizenship and Inclusion in the Early Years: Understanding and Reponding to Children's Perspectives on Belonging. International Journal of Early Years Education, 3, 191-205.
- Fathers' involvement in young children's literacy development: implications for family literacy programmes. BRIT EDUC RES J, 35(2), 167-185.
- Parents experiences of a family literacy programme. Journal of Early Childhood Research, 3, 19-44.
- Inclusion and Development in the Early Years: Making Inclusion Conventional?. Child Care in Practice, 11(2), 99-102.
- Inclusion and exclusion in the early years: Conversation with European educators. European Journal of Special Needs Education, 19(3), 301-315.
- Special Educational Needs and Inclusion: multiple perspectives of preschool educators in the UK. Journal of Early Childhood Research, 2, 191-211.
- Children's perspectives on family literacy: methodological issues, findings and implications for practice. Journal of Early Childhood Literacy, 2, 115-145.
- Purpose and Authenticity in Early Literacy Assessment. Reading, 33(1), 33-40.
- Baseline assessment of writing: the need for reconsideration. Journal of Research in Reading, 22(1), 37-44.
- Early Assessment‐‐Examining the Baselines. Early Years, 19(1), 50-61.
- Teachers' use of a conceptual framework for early literacy education involving parents. Teacher Development, 1(3), 405-420.
- Assessing early literacy - New methods needed. International Journal of Early Childhood, 25(2), 27-30.
- Key Issues in Early Childhood Education. Early Years, 12(2), 18-21.
- A study of work with parents to promote early literacy development. Research Papers in Education, 6(2), 77-97.
- Training teachers to work with parents to promote early literacy development. International Journal of Early Childhood, 23(2), 1-10.
- Early childhood educators’ qualifications: a framework for change. International Journal of Early Years Education.
Chapters
- Writing before school, Developing Writers Across the Primary and Secondary Years (pp. 40-59). Routledge
- Respectful educators, capable learners, The Routledge International Handbook of Young Children’s Rights (pp. 331-341). Routledge
- Rachel and Margaret McMillan: practice and politics, The Routledge International Handbook of Philosophies and Theories of Early Childhood Education and Care (pp. 61-72). Routledge
- Talking of Early Childhood Education: Nine
Conversations, Early Childhood Education: History, Philosophy and
Experience (pp. 75-135). SAGE Publications Ltd
- Watching and listening: The tools of assessment, Working with Children in the Early Years: Second Edition (pp. 239-251).
- Kinderrechte: ein Grundstein frühpädagogischer Curricula, Frühpädagogik international (pp. 117-127). VS Verlag für Sozialwissenschaften
- Questions for Respectful Educators, Respectful Educators – Capable Learners: Children's Rights and Early Education (pp. 99-108). SAGE Publications Ltd
- Wide Eyes and Open Minds – Observing, Assessing and Respecting Children's Early Achievements, Respectful Educators – Capable Learners: Children's Rights and Early Education (pp. 44-55). SAGE Publications Ltd
- Home Learning Environments for Young Children. Sage Publications Limited.
- Teaching interests
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Cathy was nominated by her students, and recognised by the University, as an inspirational teacher.