Faculty Academic Support Lead
I graduated from Northumbria University in 2018 with an undergraduate degree in Early Primary Education with Qualified Teacher Status. During my studies, I took a keen interest in neurodiversity within the mainstream school setting and the exacerbated challenges children with Special Educational Needs face in comparison to neurotypical children and adolescents. As a result of this, I made the jump to psychology by completing the MSc Psychology (Conversion) postgraduate degree, also at Northumbria. Following this, I completed my PhD in 2023, with a thesis titled "The design and validation of a school-based measure of psychological wellbeing".
Currently, I am the Faculty Academic Support Lead for the School of Psychology and act as a conduit between our School and the wider institution to ensure student success across our courses. I am responsible for leading and evaluating university and Faculty initiatives linked to student retention.
Teaching and supervision
Research
- Francis, C. (2024). The development and validation of a measure of school-related psychological wellbeing. Doctoral thesis, Northumbria University.
- Francis, C., & McKenzie, K. (2023). The factors affecting pupil psychological well-being in mainstream schools: A systematic review. Under review in Children and Youth Services Review.
- Francis, C., McCarty, K., & McKenzie, K. (2023). The design and validation of the Mental Health in Schools Questionnaire. Under review in Improving Schools.
- School-based mental health
- Neurodivergence in mainstream schools
- Developmental psychology
- Psychometrics