Miss Catherine O'Leary

• National Professional Qualification for Middle Leadership, National College for Teaching & Leadership, 2021
• MA Teaching Studies, University of Birmingham, 2016
• Postgraduate Diploma in Primary Education (PGDip Ed/PGCE Advanced) University of Birmingham, 2014
• BA (Hons) English Literature, University of Durham, 2013

Before joining the University, Catherine taught in a number of primary schools in Birmingham and Durham where she was also a member of the senior leadership team and held roles such as English Lead and Art Lead. Whilst working as a teacher, Catherine completed her MA in Teaching Studies which researched the impact that classical music can have on improving concentration levels for pupils in Upper Key Stage Two.

Between September 2020 and December 2022, Catherine was a Research Fellow in the Jubilee Centre for Character and Virtues at the University of Birmingham, where she contributed to a research project focused on character education pedagogies.

Whilst working as a Research Fellow at The Jubilee Centre, Catherine created a set of resources for pupils aged 5-7 years old called, ‘Read Grow Go’.  Each lesson in the programme uses a story as a stimulus to teach a different character virtue. The lessons provide teachers with resources, practical activities and questions that promote class discussion and individual reflection on each of the virtues. 

Catherine also co-created resources for parents, carers and guardians to use with their children, offering opportunities for character development outside of the classroom during the seasons of Christmas, Easter and Summer. 

Catherine contributed to the Framework in Action project which involved working with five schools located across England, each with an exemplary character education provision, to demonstrate how the Jubilee Centre’s Framework for Character Education in Schools had been used as a source of inspiration by schools across the UK. The two primary schools and three secondary schools who participated in the project designed and produced innovative and practical examples of how the Framework can effectively be put into action in schools. 

Catherine was a Birmingham Challenge Lead in 2022 and 2023, enabling and supporting student research as part of the annual Birmingham Challenge. An Academic Challenge Lead is responsible for writing a Project Brief which details the various areas of research that can be explored in relation to the challenge and supporting students in their exploration of the challenge as well as contributing to a final assessment.

Catherine’s teaching responsibility is primarily on the PGDipEd in Primary Education (PGCE Advanced) programme where she teaches Primary and Early Years English in University based training.

Catherine also teaches on the Education, Curriculum Design, Planning & Social Justice MA module which critically explores the purpose of education and the concept of the curriculum as part of the MA Education (Social Justice). 

She supervises students on the MA in Teaching Studies programme, supporting qualified teachers to complete their dissertations. 

Whilst working as a Research Fellow at The Jubilee Centre for Character and Virtues, Catherine contributed to the research project, Character Education Pedagogies: What works, where and why? This project included conducting research with schools across England with an embedded and intentional character education provision to explore which character education teaching strategies were being used in schools and what impact these strategies were perceived to have on the character development of pupils. The findings from this research informed the development of The Character Teaching Inventory, a comprehensive overview of 70 character education teaching strategies for schools to implement as part of their character education provision. Catherine supported the dissemination of this report at a launch event held at the university, which was attended by over 150 practitioners from across the UK, including the Chair of the Association for Character Education, CEO’s & Executive Principals, and the Chief Executive of the Chartered College of Teaching. 

In October 2022, Catherine worked with ITE colleagues and a colleague from the School of English to successfully apply for EEF funding to run a project titled, Equality, Diversity and Inclusion through Children’s Literature. Responding to previous feedback from a group of global majority primary PGDipEd students, the project sought to expand the selection of children’s literature available to student teachers to include texts which were representative and inclusive. The project culminated in a celebratory symposium event which brought together a range of speakers to discuss the importance of inclusive children’s literature. 

Catherine has contributed to the Mentoring in Initial Teacher Education research project, run by Dr. Kirsty Wilson, alongside other ITE colleagues. This research has been disseminated through mentor toolkits and forthcoming publications.

Catherine is currently pursuing a PhD which explores trainee teacher identity through the lens of fictional teachers. The research focuses on how teachers are portrayed in English literature and how literary teachers can be used as a stimulus for trainee teachers to reflect on their own professional identities.