Senior Lecturer, International Initial Teacher Training
I am a member of the International Initial Teacher Training (IITT) team in the School of Education. My main role is Programme Leader and Module Leader on our very popular PGCE iQTS Primary (DL).
My background is in primary education, teaching in schools across the north-east as Maths, English and Computing lead. As a previous Assistant Headteacher, I have experience in whole-school management, delivering internal and external staff CPD and education policy development.
I am a Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (SFHEA).
Teaching and supervision
- Programme Leader and Module Leader for PGCE iQTS Primary (DL)
- Assessor for Assessment Only Route to QTS
- Module Leader for PGCE Education (DL)
- Thesis supervisor for MA Education
Research
Doctoral research: How do primary maths teachers’ perceptions of Teaching for Mastery (TfM) inform their choices when selecting and using manipulatives (concrete resources) within their lessons?
Key themes: maths mastery, Teaching for Mastery (TfM), primary mathematics, manipulatives, concrete resources, teacher perceptions.
Publications
Article
Sheard, Simon (2025) Manipulatives: practicality, pedagogy or preference? Primary Mathematics, 29 (1). pp. 12-14.
Conference or Workshop Item
Sheard, Simon (2025) Manipulatives: what's your preference? In: BERA Practitioner Research in Mathematics Education, 05 Jul 2025, Online. (Unpublished)
Sheard, Simon (2024) Manipulatives: practicality, pedagogy or preference? In: British Society for Research into Learning Mathematics Day Conference, 07 Jun 2024, University of Loughborough. (Unpublished)
Sheard, Simon (2024) Manipulatives: practicality over pedagogy? In: Shape Up, Joint Conference of the Mathematics Subject Associations, 03-05 Apr 2024, Crowne Plaza, Stratford upon Avon. (Unpublished)
Sheard, Simon (2024) Manipulatives: Practicality over pedagogy? In: BERA: Practitioner Research in Mathematics Education, 03 Feb 2024, BERA Online.
Sheard, Simon and Simpson, Sarah (2023) How does the use of manipulatives (concrete resources) in primary mathematics lessons promote inclusion within the classroom? In: Faculty of Education and Society 2023 Economic and Social Inclusion, 12 Jun 2023, University of Sunderland.
Sheard, Simon and Simpson, Sarah (2022) Practicality or pedagogy? Exploring the rationale Primary Mathematics teachers give for using manipulatives in their classrooms. In: University of Sunderland 2nd Annual Postgraduate Research Conference, 15/09/22, University of Sunderland.
Hidson, Elizabeth, Sheard, Simon, Elliott, Ian, Griffiths, Alison, Bell, Jemma and Wynn, Vikki (2021) Video-enhanced dialogic assessment of teaching practice portfolios. In: Transforming Assessment and the Assessment in Higher Education Network webinar on using video in assessment and feedback, 06 Oct 2021, Macquarie University, Australia [online].
Hidson, Elizabeth, Elliott, Ian, Griffiths, Alison, Sheard, Simon, Wynn, Vikki and Bell, Jemma (2021) Video-Enhanced Dialogic Assessment: online vivas for teacher assessment. In: Practical Pedagogy Conference 2021, 13 September 2021, University of Lincoln (online).
Hidson, Elizabeth, Elliott, Ian, Griffiths, Alison, Sheard, Simon, Bell, Jemma and Wynn, Vikki (2021) Video-enhanced dialogic assessment (VEDA) of teaching practice portfolios: the dialogic construction of teachers’ standards evidence in an online space. In: BERA Annual Conference 2021, 13-16 September, 2021, Online.
Hidson, Elizabeth, Elliott, Ian, Griffiths, Alison, Wynn, Vikki, Sheard, Simon and Bell, Jemma (2021) Ready for Work: Video-Enhanced Dialogic Assessment as an international route to UK Qualified Teacher Status. In: Third Annual Faculty of Education & Society Staff Research Conference, 14 Jun 2021, Sunderland, UK. (Unpublished)
Ross, Dionne, Elliott, Ian, Hidson, Elizabeth, Griffiths, Alison, Sheard, Simon, Bell, Jemma, Wynn, Vikki, Bell, Deborah and Hughes, Mark (2021) International and Independent Distance Learning Team Showcase. In: Faculty of Education and Society Team Showcase Series, 10 March 2021, Sunderland, UK. (Unpublished)
Hidson, Elizabeth, Elliott, Ian, Sheard, Simon, Bell, Jemma, McMaster, Alison, Wynn, Vikki and Hughes, Mark (2021) Video-enhanced dialogic assessment of teaching practice portfolios: the process of constructing dialogic evidence in an online space to demonstrate meeting professional teachers’ standards. In: Assessment in Higher Education Conference 2022, 22-24 June 2022, Manchester.
Hidson, Elizabeth, Elliott, Ian, Sheard, Simon and Bell, Jemma (2020) Shaping research-informed practitioners: A case study of the impact of written feed-forward targets on summative outcomes in postgraduate school-focused research modules. In: 2nd Annual Faculty of Education and Society Research Institute Staff Research Conference, 15 June 2020, Sunderland, UK.
Film/Video
Elliott, Ian, Hidson, Elizabeth, Sheard, Simon, Bell, Jemma, Griffiths, Alison and Wynn, Vikki (2021) Video-Enhanced Dialogic Assessment on the Assessment-Only Route to UK Qualified Teacher Status. [Film/Video]
Other
Bell, Jemma, Elliott, Ian, Griffiths, Alison, Hidson, Elizabeth, Ross, Dionne, Sheard, Simon and Wynn, Vikki (2021) IIDL Team Newsletter February 2021. University of Sunderland, Sunderland.
- NC2014 UK Primary National Curriculum
- Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2 statutory assessment (SATs)
- Teaching for Mastery (TfM) in Primary Mathematics
- Applied Computing and Coding in primary schools
- Whole-school data analysis and assessment systems
- Moderation in the EYFS, Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2
- Designing and delivering in-school CPD