Sue Swaffield
Position/Status
Senior Lecturer - Educational Leadership and School Improvement
E-mail Address
ses42@cam.ac.uk
Phone
01223 767633
Qualifications
- MA (Cantab)
- MEd (Cantab)
- MA (UEA)
- BEd (Hons)(Cantab)
- Cert Ed
Membership of Professional Bodies/Associations
- Association for Achievement and Improvement through Assessment (President 1999-2001)
- British Educational Research Association
- Collaborative Action Research Network
- Chartered Institute of Educational Assessors
- International Congress for School Effectiveness and Improvement
- International Professional Development Association
Profile
Sue Swaffield is a member of the Leading Learning for School Improvement academic group in the Faculty of Education and a founder member of Leadership for Learning: the Cambridge Network. Sue's teaching and research interests are within the fields of educational leadership, school improvement and assessment. Leadership for learning, critical friendship for headteachers, and assessment for learning are particular interests. She co-directed the Wallenberg funded Leadership for Learning Carpe Vitam project working with schools and universities in seven countries. Sue was also a member of the ESRC/TLRP Learning How to Learn project involving 40 schools and five universities in England, and worked on the DfES funded evaluation of Schools Facing Exceptionally Challenging Circumstances project. Current research activity includes investigating support and challenge for headteachers, and with the Faculty's Centre for Commonwealth Education Sue is contributing to a collaborative initiative developing headteachers' leadership capacity in Ghana. She teaches on the Masters and Certificate programmes, and co-ordinates the Educational Leadership and School Improvement MEd and MPhil. She is an Associate Editor of the international journal 'Professional Development in Education' and is on the editorial board of Reflective Teaching. Her work in Higher Education builds on previous experiences as a teacher and adviser.
Academic Area/Links
- Educational Leadership
- School Improvement
- Leadership for Learning
- Assessment for Learning
Research Topics
- Leadership for Learning
- Assessment for Learning
- Critical Friendship
Current and Recent Research Projects
- Learning How To Learn (ESRC/TLRP)
- Leadership for Learning: the Carpe Vitam project (Wallenberg) (Co-director)
- Schools Facing Exceptionally Challenging Circumstances (DfES)
- Luton Assessment for Learning Evaluation (Luton Borough)
- Support and Challenge for Headteachers
Course Involvement
- MEd: Educational Leadership and School Improvement
- MPhil: Educational Leadership and School Improvement
- CFPS: Leading Assessment for Learning
- CFPS: Leadership and School Improvement
Publications
Refereed journal articles
MacBeath, J., Swaffied, S. and Frost, D. (forthcoming) Principled Narrative: the Carpe Vitam project International Journal of Leadership in Education.
Swaffield, S. (2008) Critical Friendship, dialogue and learning, in the context of Leadership for Learning. School Leadership and Management 28 (4) 323-336.
MacBeath, J., Frost, D. and Swaffield, S. (2008) Editorial. School Leadership and Managment 28 (4) 301-306.
Swafffield, S. (2007) Light touch critical friendship. Improving Schools 10 (3) 205-219.
Swaffield, S. (2007) Scaffolding discourse in multi-national collaborative enquiry: The Carpe Vitam Leadership for Learning project. Leading and Managing 12 (2) 10–18.
Swaffield, S. and MacBeath, J. (2006) Embedding Learning How to Learn in school policy: the challenge for leadership. Research Papers in Education 21 (2) 201-215.
Warwick, P. and Swaffield, S. (2006) Articulating and connecting frameworks of reflective practice and leadership: perspectives from 'Fast Track' trainee teachers. Reflective Practice 7 (2) 247–263.
MacBeath, J., Frost, D. and Swaffield, S. (2005) Researching Leadership for Learning in Seven Countries (The Carpe Vitam Project)'. Education Research and Perspectives 32 (2) 24 - 42.
Swaffield, S. (2005) No Sleeping Partners: relationships between head teachers and critical friends. School Leadership and Management 25 (1) 43 - 57.
Swaffield, S. and MacBeath, J. (2005) School self-evaluation and the role of a critical friend. Cambridge Journal of Education 35 (2) 239 - 252.
Swaffield, S. (2004) Critical friends: supporting leadership, improving learning. Improving Schools 7 (3) 267 - 278.
Other articles and research reports
Frost, D., MacBeath, J., Swaffield, S. and Waterhouse, J. (2008) The Legacy of the Carpe Vitam Leadership for Learning Project. Inform No. 8. Cambridge: University of Cambridge Faculty of Education.
MacBeath, J. and Swaffield, S. (2007) Schools Facing Exceptionally Challenging Circumstances: A summary of the project evaluation. Inform No. 7. Cambridge: University of Cambridge Faculty of Education.
MacBeath, J., Frost, D., Swaffield, S. and Waterhouse, J. (2006) Making the Connections: The story of a seven country odyssey in search of a practical theory. Cambridge: University of Cambridge Faculty of Education.
Swaffield, S. (2006) Evaluation of the Assessment for Learning strand of the Collaborative Approach to Raising Attainment in Luton. Cambridge: University of Cambridge Faculty of Education.
MacBeath, J., Gray, J., Cullen, J., Cunningham, H., Ebbutt, D., Frost, D., Steward, S. and Swaffield, S. (2005) Schools Facing Exceptionally Challenging Circumstances: Final Report. Cambridge: University of Cambridge Faculty of Education.
Swaffield, S. (2005) Supporting principals through critical friendship. Prime Focus Spring 2005, 16 - 18.
Swaffield, S. (2005) Supporting principals through critical friendship'. Principal Matters Spring 2005, 25 - 27.
Swaffield, S. (2003) Critical Friendship Inform No. 3. Cambridge: University of Cambridge Faculty of Education.
Swaffield, S. (2003) Assessment: Servant or Dictator? Forum 45 (2) 39-43.
Swaffield, S. (2003) Doing Research in Schools. Primary Leadership No. 49, 51-56.
Swaffield, S. (2003) The role of a critical friend. Managing Schools Today. 12 (5) 28-30.
Swaffield, S. and Dudley, P. (2003) Wising up to Assessment Literacy.' Education Journal. Issue 67, 9.
Swaffield, S. with Green, J. (2003) Luton Assessment for Learning Best Practice Project Evaluation. Cambridge: University of Cambridge Faculty of Education.
Books and book chapters
Dudley, P. and Swaffield, S. (2008) Understanding and using assessment data, in S. Swaffield, (Ed) Unlocking Assessment: Understanding for reflection and application. London: Routledge.
Swaffield, S. (Ed) (2008) Unlocking Assessment: Understanding for reflection and application. London: Routledge.
Swaffield, S. (2008) Feedback - the central process in assessment for learning, in S. Swaffield (Ed) Unlocking Assessment: Understanding for reflection and application. London: Routledge.
Swaffield, S. and Dempster, N. (2008) A learning dialogue, in J. MacBeath and N. Dempster (Eds) Connecting Leadership and Learning: Principles for practice. London: Routledge.
Swaffield, S. and MacBeath, J. (2008) Leadership for Learning, in J. MacBeath and N. Dempster (Eds) Connecting Leadership and Learning: Principles for practice. London: Routledge.
Frost, D. and Swaffield, S. (2008) Leadership for Learning: Lessons from a seven country project, in J. MacBeath and Y.C.Cheng (Eds) Leadership for Learning: International Perspectives. Rotterdam: Sense Publications.
Pollard, A. with Anderson, J., Maddock, M., Swaffield, S., Warin, J. and Warwick, P. (2008) Reflective Teaching: Effective and evidence-informed professional practice, 3rd ed. London: Continuum.
James, M., Black, P., Carmichael, P., Drummond, M-J., Fox, A., MacBeath, J., Marshall, B., McCormick, R., Pedder, D., Procter, R., Swaffield, S., Swann, J., and Wiliam, D. (2007) Improving Learning How to Learn in classrooms, schools and networks. London: Routledge.
James, M., Black, P., Carmichael, P., Conner, C., Dudley, P., Fox, A., Frost, D., Honour, L., MacBeath, J., McCormick, R., Marshall, B., Pedder, D., Procter, R., Swaffield, S. and Wiliam, D. (2006) Learning How to Learn: tools for schools. London: Routledge.
MacBeath, J., Gray, J., Cullen, J., Frost, D., Steward, S. and Swaffield, S. (2006) Schools on the Edge: Responding to challenging circumstances. London: Paul Chapman.
Pollard, A. with Collins, J., Maddock, M., Simco, N., Swaffield, S., Warin, J., and Warwick, P. (2005) Reflective Teaching: Effective and evidence-informed professional practice, 2nd ed. London: Continuum.
Swaffield, S. and Dudley, P. (2003) Assessment Literacy For Wise Decisions, 2nd ed. London: ATL.
Harrison, C. and Swaffield, S. (2003) Formative Assessment in Action, in Richardson, C. (Ed) Whither Assessment? London: Qualifications and Curriculum Authority
Pollard, A. with contributions by Collins, J., Simco, N., Swaffield, S., Warin, J., and Warwick, P. (2002) Reflective Teaching: Effective and evidence-informed professional practice. London: Continuum.
Swaffield, S. and Dudley, P. (2002) Assessment Literacy For Wise Decisions. London: ATL.
Swaffield, S. (1999) The Role of the LEA in Supporting Assessment in the Primary School, in Conner, C. (Ed) Assessment in Action in the Primary School. London: Falmer Press.