Professor Neil Hall

Neil Hall

School of Education
Honorary Associate Professor

Contact details

Address
School of Education
University of Birmingham
Edgbaston, Birmingham
B15 2TT, United Kingdom

Neil Hall is an Honorary Associate Professor in Social, Emotional and Behavioural Difficulties (SEBD) in the Department of Disability Inclusion and Special Needs and former Programme Lead for postgraduate qualifications in SEBD.

Qualifications

  • BEd (Hons) (Sussex) Education and Geography
  • MA (Lancaster) Educational Research (Psychology & Social Science Research Methods)
  • MLitt (Aberdeen) Educational Psychology
  • PG Dip (Lancaster) Health Research (Mental Health)
  • AFBPsS (Associate Fellow of the British Psychological Society)
  • CPsychol (Chartered Educational Psychologist; Chartered Forensic Psychologist) (BPS)
  • CSci (Chartered Scientist) (Science Council)
  • Statement of Competence in Educational Testing (BPS)

Biography

Neil has been the Head of a Child and Family Psychology Service within a Social Services Department; he has been the Head of and Consultant Psychologist in a Child & Family Clinical Psychology Service in the NHS and he has worked in an Adult Mental Health Clinical Psychology Specialty in an Adult Psychiatry hospital; previously, he has worked as a Consultant Psychologist in a Risk Assessment Project of the NSPCC.

Neil also qualified as a forensic psychologist and he regularly undertook Court work in regard to children who have been or are at risk of being maltreated; of those who have been charged with various criminal matters; and of parents with learning disabilities, substance misuse and or mental health problems.  He has written hundreds of reports and given evidence in more than 100 trials in the Magistrates, County and High Courts; he has also presented evidence to Adoption Panels and Special Needs Tribunals.   As a part of his continuing professional development, he undertook further postgraduate study as an Expert Witness in Family Work for the Courts.

Research

Research interests

  • Learning and teaching in higher education
  • Student mental health in higher education
  • Child and family forensic psychology and mental health – risk assessment; parent-child interactions; contact
  • Teachers’ models of mental health and psychological well-being;

Neil has previously been awarded a Research Fellowship by the NHS Health Action Zone Programme to develop an assessment and treatment programme for parents with mental health problems where child-care might be a cause for concern. 

He has also been awarded Social Science Research Council scholarships for PGT and PGR study at Lancaster University.

Publications

Recent publications

Book

Hall, N & Stone, K 2011, Assessing Children at Risk (In preparation). Palgrave Macmillan.

Article

MacLeod, A, Sandland, B, Hall, N & chown, N 2023, 'Accommodation through personalisation: ensuring the autistic student has an equal opportunity for success in the PhD viva voce', Journal of Further and Higher Education, vol. 47, no. 10, pp. 1404-1419. https://doi.org/10.1080/0309877X.2023.2250740

Sandland, B, MacLeod, A & Hall, N 2023, 'Neurodiverse students within higher education: initial thoughts from a collaborative project', Good Autism Practice, vol. 24, no. 2, pp. 13-22. <https://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/bild/gap/2023/00000024/00000002/art00004#>

Sandland, B, MacLeod, A & Hall, N 2023, 'Neurodiverse students within higher education - initial thoughts from a collaborative project', Education in Practice, vol. 4, no. 1, pp. 26-37. <https://intranet.birmingham.ac.uk/as/hefi/documents/public/journal/v4-i1/neurodiverse-students-within-he.pdf>

Delbauve, M, Hall, N, Hall, S, Stolberg, T & Wilson, K 2017, 'Collaborative conversations: developing a new way to view and approach peer-observation', Education in Practice, vol. 3, no. 1, pp. 19-21. <https://intranet.birmingham.ac.uk/staff/teaching-academy/documents/public/EiP-June-2017/Delbauve-et-al-Collaborative-Conversations.pdf>

[No Value], NV, Douglas, G, Hodges, E, McLinden, M & Hall, N 2004, 'Current conceptions of literacy - insights from work with children and older learners with sensory needs', Journal of Research in Special Educational Needs, vol. 4, no. 2, pp. 82-90. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1471-3802.2004.00022.x

Chapter

Upton, G, Varma, V & Hall, N 1996, Physical and sexual abuse. in Stresses in Teachers of Children with Special Educational Needs.

Other

Sandland, B, MacLeod, A & Hall, N 2025, 'Using ‘Universal Design for Learning’ (UDL) Principles to Embed Inclusive Practice in Academic Support for Neurodivergent Postgraduate Researchers', Autism Europe International Congress, Ireland, 11/09/25 - 13/09/25 pp. 63-63. <https://autismcongress2025.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/AEC2025-Book-of-Abstracts-23.09.25-1.pdf>

Other contribution

Hall, N 1997, Child Protection: Comprehensive Assessment Schedule and Guidelines: Co-author of guidance and training materials, Birmingham Social Services Department.

View all publications in research portal