Biographical summary
Frances Ross-Watt is a lecturer in Additional Support Needs, specialising in the areas of Inclusion, Able Pupils and the Early Years. Her career began in mainstream primary education, where she worked within a variety of central Scotland local authorities. Moving into Support for Learning, she became a Senior Teacher and provided considerable Staff Development. Shortly afterwards, she was awarded the Diploma in Advanced Educational Studies, from the University of Strathclyde.
As part of her responsibilities, she developed Able Pupil provision across Central Region. Mrs. Ross-Watt also set up a Support for Learning department in Queen Victoria Military School, serving both Secondary and Primary pupils. She became part of Stirling Council's Support for Learning Area Network Team, providing guidance to seven schools simultaneously. Frances joined Strathclyde in 1999, gaining her MSc degree from the University the following year.
At the present time, Frances works from the Centre for Educational Support and is Course Director of Postgraduate Educational Support Cert/Dip/M Sc courses. She also leads the Need for Support and Able Pupils modules within the Educational Support Diploma. Frances runs a short course on Awareness Raising: Able Pupils. She is the Department's representative on the Scottish Network for Able Pupils and a member of the Scottish Universities Forum on Professional Development in Educational Support.
Frances is an enthusiastic supporter of the Chartered Teacher programme. She was one of the first cohort of Strathclyde lecturers to begin its delivery and is coordinator of the Accreditation for Prior Learning scheme. Every year she delivers her Chartered Teacher Able Pupil option module in addition to teaching the core module.
Teaching interests
As indicated above, Frances Ross-Watt is Course Director of the Postgraduate Educational Support MSc/Dip/Cert course. Teaching commitments, past and present include:
Undergraduate Teaching:
Dept. of Primary Education: B Ed (Hons) Course
- B Ed.4 Elective: Special Educational Needs
- B Ed.3 Language Elective: Able Pupils
- B Ed.2 Language Special Educational Needs
- B Ed.1 School Experience/Preparation for Teaching
- B Ed.2 School Experience/Preparation for Teaching
Dept. of Mathematics
- B Ed.3 Maths Elective: Special Educational Needs
Dept of Speech and Language Therapy
- B.Sc.3 Special Educational Needs - Module Leader
Cross Faculty Module
- Personal Development in a Professional Context - Years 1, 2, 3 and 4
She also carries out Undergraduate Student Supervision:
Dept. Of Primary Education: B Ed (Hons) Course
- B Ed.4 Major Projects: 3 students each year. This resulted in a prestigious award for the University of Strathclyde. Against stiff competition every other Scottish University, Emma Hobson's B Ed.4 (Hons) Major Project: Specific Learning Difficulties (Dyslexia) won the GTC for Scotland, George D Gray Award Winner 2001 for the best "finishing project".
Postgraduate Teaching includes the following:
PGCE (Secondary) Course
- APD: Support For Learning - double module
- APD: Support for Learning - Able Pupil Identification and Provision lecture
PGCE (Primary) Course
- Preparation for Effective Teaching and Learning (PETL)
- Nursery/Early Years - Inclusion lecture
- APD: Support for Learning - option module
- APD: Support for Learning (2 year part time evening course) - option module
ATQ (Primary) Course
- Additional Support Needs
Diploma in Special Educational Needs - Modules
- Understanding Educational Support
- The Need for Support - Module Leader
- Early Intervention and Literacy Development
- Working Together
- Specific Learning Difficulties (Dyslexia) 1
- Specific Learning Difficulties (Dyslexia) 2
- Specific Learning Difficulties (Dyslexia) 1 - Outreach North Ayrshire Council
- Disorders of Communication 1
- Major Projects
- Able Pupils - Module Leader (New Option Module created by FR-W in 2000)
- Developing Support Roles in Mainstream Education (i) - Module Leader
- Developing Support Roles in Mainstream Education (ii) - Module Leader
Chartered Teacher
- Professional Development: Review, Reflection and Planning - core module
- Able Pupils - new option module devised and developed. Module accredited by the GTC and delivered annually from 2005 (Module Leader).
- Accreditation for Prior Learning - Module Leader responsible for a team of 12 lecturers.
- Accreditation for Prior Learning - individual tutoring
- Accreditation for Prior Learning - assessment of claims
- Accreditation for Prior Learning - Claim Workshop Saturdays (2 per year)
Postgraduate Student Supervision
- Educational Support - Minor Projects: up to 6 students each year
- Educational Support: 8-10 students undertaking three core modules
Research interests
Principal areas of research for Mrs. Ross-Watt are Inclusion for pupils within the Nursery and Primary sector and also Able Pupils. In the context of Inclusion, she is undertaking a long term Case Study, from nursery to P7, on a child with Spina Bifida. This has resulted in papers, already delivered at International conferences and subsequently published. Frances's main interests in the Able Pupils field are identification and provision, both within the classroom and across the whole school, at Primary and Secondary level. She is also a member of the faculty Disability Research Group.
Consultancy
Frances Ross-Watt acted as a consultant to Dunblane High School in 2004. This work entailed developing and improving practice within the school in relation to identification and provision for Able Pupils.
Publications
Frances Ross-Watt's recent publications include:
Ross-Watt, F. (2006) Early Years Inclusion: Policy and Practice in Primary 3. in Research in Education. Giannakaki, M.S., Papanikos, G.T. Pozios, Y. & Richards, J.K. (Eds.) Athens: ATINER.
Ross-Watt, F. (2006) Inclusion in the Early Years - Policy into Practice in International Perspectives on Education and Training. Richards, J.K. (Ed) Athens: ATINER.
Ross-Watt, F. (2005) Inclusion in the Early Years: The Road from Rhetoric to Reality. Child
Care in Practice. Vol.11. No. 2.
Clark, K., Cooper, M. and Ross-Watt, F. (2004) Inclusion: Moving Beyond the Margins. REACH - Journal of the Irish Association of Teachers in Special Education. January 2004. Vol.17. No.1
Ross-Watt, F. (2003) BBC Scottish Web Guide Special Educational Needs.
Grant income/external contracts
The Development of Professional Practice
2005-2007
Contract, West Lothian Council - The West Lothian Inclusion Project. This research, presently underway and yielding over £50,000 in revenue for the University, involves evaluation of current practice and is conducted by Kathleen Clark and Frances Ross-Watt. It includes a large scale survey by questionnaire of the Council's primary schools, with analysis and correlations carried out through the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS). A steering group has been formed and meets regularly. The product of the research will be a Staff Development Package, including a set of quality indicators, a video and CPD development materials for all schools in the Authority. The Education Authority aim to sell this package to other councils throughout Scotland. The research entails 100 hours of work for Mrs. Ross-Watt each year.
The Development of Professional Practice
2000-2003
Contract, North Ayrshire Council in partnership with the University of Strathclyde: Special Educational Needs and Inclusion in the Early Years. This extended project, value £70,000, sought to identify the degree and quality of inclusive practice present within each of the Council's schools. It was conducted by Kathleen Clark and Frances Ross-Watt. The resulting package received a very high profile launch, backed by the Authority, to which were invited representatives from every Education Authority in Scotland. This event received coverage in the Times Educational Supplement. The package produced is now present and in use within every primary school in the North Ayrshire Council area and is also employed by other councils.
Recent conference presentations include:
Ross-Watt, F. (2007) Included from the Start. (ATINER) Athens.
Clark, K. & Ross-Watt, F. (2007) Inclusion: A Rich Tapestry of Diversity Clouded by Needs and Considerable Challenge. (EECERA) Prague.
Clark, K. & Ross-Watt, F. (2007) Inclusion: Shaping Quality into Practice. (IATSE) Dublin.
Ross-Watt, F. (2006) Early Years Inclusion: The Headteacher's Perspective. (ATINER) Athens.
Ross-Watt, F. (2006) Early Years Inclusion: The Headteacher's Perspective. (IATSE) Dublin.
Clark, K., Ross-Watt, F. & Cooper, M. (2006) Diversity and Democracy: How Well do they Blend? (EECERA) Reykjavik.
Clark, C., Ross-Watt, F. and Cooper, M. (2006) Inclusion: Shaping Quality in Practice. (IATSE) Dublin.
Ross-Watt, F. (2005) Inclusion in the Early Years - Policy into Practice. (ATINER) Athens.
Ross-Watt, F. (2005) Inclusion in Action - Going the Extra Mile. (IATSE) Dublin.
Ross-Watt, F. (2004) Inclusion in the Early Years - the Road from Rhetoric to Reality. (EECERA) Malta.
Ross-Watt, F. (2004) A Changing Time for Special Educational Needs: Inclusion for Heather.
(IATSE) Dublin.
Clark, K., Cooper, M., & Ross-Watt, F. (2003) Whose Rights, Whose Responsibilities in the Inclusion Arena? (EECERA) Glasgow.
Clark, K. & Ross-Watt, F. (2003) Inclusion in the Early Years: How Can Staff Be Supported in the Process? (EERA) Hamburg.
Clark. K., Cooper, M. & Ross-Watt, F. (2002) Inclusive Practice and its Implications for the Effective Learning of Children in the Early Years who have Special Educational Needs. (EECERA) Cyprus.
Clark, K., Cooper, M. and Ross-Watt, F. (2002). Special Educational Needs and Inclusion in the Early Years. (IATSE) Dublin.
Clark, K., Cooper, M. and Ross-Watt, F. (2001). Special Educational Needs and Inclusion in the Early Years. (BERA) Leeds.
Membership of professional bodies
Frances Ross- Watt is a member of:
Centre for Educational Support: Department of Educational and Professional Studies 2004 -
General Teaching Council of Scotland, full registration No: 704566, 1972 -
Higher Education Academy, 2002 -
National Association for Special Educational Needs, 1999 -
Scottish Universities Forum on Professional Development in Educational Support, 1999 -
as well as being the Centre for Educational Support representative on the Scottish Network for Able Pupils (SNAP), 1999 -
University responsibilities
Mrs. Ross-Watt is a member of the Faculty Board of Studies and the Professional Resources Committee and also serves as a Departmental representative on the Learning Resources Committee. She has served on the Faculty Academic Strategy Committee and was a member of TALQIC from 2001-6.
