Mrs Holly Carter

I am a Senior Lecturer in Primary Education at Canterbury Christ Church University, with a particular interest in inclusive and relational approaches to education, teacher development and the experiences of children who may be vulnerable within education systems.

Before entering higher education, I worked as a primary school teacher. My experience in schools continues to shape my teaching and research, particularly my interest in how teachers make professional judgements in complex situations and how relationships, belonging and emotional safety influence children’s experiences of school.

I completed my Doctor of Education (EdD) in 2026, researching adopted children’s experiences of mainstream education and teachers’ understanding of their needs.

I am a Fellow of Advance HE (FHEA) and a qualified Trauma Informed Schools UK practitioner. My work spans Initial Teacher Education, programme and curriculum leadership, student experience, and research into inclusive and relational education.

At CCCU, I have held leadership responsibilities across the BA (Hons) Primary Education programme, including Year Lead, ITAP Lead and cohort lead responsibilities. I contribute to the development and revalidation of undergraduate and postgraduate Initial Teacher Education provision and work closely with university and school-based colleagues to strengthen connections between research, taught provision and professional practice.

My wider interests include trauma-informed education, children’s rights and voice, safeguarding, professional judgement, teacher agency and the development of inclusive practice.

I teach across undergraduate and postgraduate Initial Teacher Education, with particular interests in social justice, behaviour for learning, ethical education and professional practice.

I lead and contribute to Intensive Training and Practice (ITAP), including work focused on behaviour and high-quality teaching. My teaching emphasises the relationship between theory, research and classroom practice and supports student teachers to move beyond simply applying strategies towards understanding why particular approaches may work, for whom and in what contexts.

I also teach mathematics education and contribute to modules exploring social justice and ethical issues in education. Across my teaching, I am particularly interested in developing student teachers’ professional judgement, criticality and capacity to respond thoughtfully to the diverse experiences and needs of children in front of them.

My research focuses on children’s experiences of education and the development of teachers’ professional judgement within complex educational contexts.

My doctoral research, Pupil and Teacher Perceptions of the Needs of Adopted Children in Mainstream Schools, explored how adopted pupils articulate their educational needs, how teachers interpret those needs and how school and policy contexts shape teachers’ responses. The research highlighted the importance of emotional safety, relational trust, pupil voice and trauma- and attachment-aware practice.

My current research extends this work into teacher education, safeguarding and professional judgement. I am particularly interested in how teachers and student teachers interpret situations in which policy, professional responsibilities, children’s rights and relational considerations may pull in different directions.

A further strand of my research examines teacher formation and professional attention within Initial Teacher Education, including the concept of attentional agility: the capacity to move between different ways of noticing and interpreting classroom practice rather than allowing accountability or procedural demands to determine what becomes professionally significant.

Across these areas, my work is concerned with how education can retain space for curiosity, interpretation and professional judgement while meeting its responsibilities towards children.

I contribute to professional and scholarly activity within Initial Teacher Education and inclusive and trauma-informed education nationally and internationally.

I am involved in the Advance HE Trauma-Informed Initial Teacher Education Network and the Trauma-Informed Approaches in Higher Education (TIA-HE) network. I have presented research internationally, including at the World Conference on Teacher Education, and have contributed to research and professional discussions concerning trauma-informed practice, inclusion, teacher development and the experiences of adopted children in education.

I undertake external examining and peer-review activity and work with colleagues across schools, Initial Teacher Education providers and professional networks. I am also developing knowledge-exchange and professional-development work that brings together research, teacher education and school practice, particularly in relation to relational and trauma-informed approaches, professional judgement and inclusive education.