EdD Student blog: Kate Williams (update)

I wanted to update the previous blog that was written for me in 2024. I am a Year 4 EdD (Doctorate in Education) student and have passed my IFS (Institution Focused Study) and preparing for my main thesis adventure. It has been a challenging journey so far in many ways, including balancing a busy family life and working fulltime as a teacher. I am still learning my trade as an educational researcher, under the expert guidance of my patient supervisors Prof Christine Callender and Dr Robin Whitburn.

I am an activist, campaigner, collaborator, advocate and volunteer regarding Afro hair discrimination in our schools. I am passionate about the research I am undertaking and have a responsibility to ensure it is high quality and useful for pupils, families and schools in order to assist change. The work also needs to warrant the trust that children and families have shown in sharing their difficult experiences with me.

In addition to educational research, it is important to keep raising awareness more generally and ensure that information is easily accessible for children, families and educators. My daughter, Ruby and I have had this Runnymede Trust blog published today (09.01.2025) which we hope will be supportive to stakeholders.

We were interviewed by our own Alison Wiggins in October 2024 for Black History Month as part of CPA’s (Curriculum, Pedagogy and Assessment department) ‘Let’s Talk About Anti-Black Racism’ Series. This will be used in various ways at the Institute of Education, including Initial Teacher Training for Secondary PGCE. I am immensely proud of Ruby for continuing to revisit these painful memories, in order to protect other children from similar racial trauma. Ruby also wrote for the Guardian to mark World Afro Day in 2023 and contributed to their campaign in 2024 too.