Dr Doug Martin is the Course Director for BA (Hons) Childhood Studies and BA (Hons) Education Studies courses. He also teaches on our postgraduate courses and supervises PHDs. Doug has many years of practitioner experience working in children, young people and family services.

Here, Doug tells us why applicants should consider studying Childhood Studies or Education Studies, why he's so passionate about what he does, and what sort of roles the courses could lead to.

Can you tell us a bit about yourself and what led you to work at Leeds Beckett University?

I am a Course Director for two courses at our university’s Carnegie School of Education. I lead BA (Hons) Education Studies and BA (Hons) Childhood Studies.

As well as that, I teach on postgraduate courses and supervise PhDs.

I was a senior manager in children, young people and family services, so I know all about the working on the frontline and dealing with the complex issues many families face.

My work included primary and secondary schools, as well as more specialist schooling, through to working with community-based services such as: children’s social care, youth services, and of course the NHS.

This means I can guide our students through the range of professions available to them as they progress through the course. There are many more job roles out there than you would imagine.

I came to Leeds Beckett to make a difference by supporting our students through our courses and assisting them to become tomorrow's professionals.

What are your career highlights and what achievements are you most proud of?

The greatest achievement in my career is a difficult one to answer. Every child, every young person, and every family has different needs to help them along the way.

This is particularly true as poverty is on the rise. So, the short answer is every child, every young person and every family that I have assisted in one way or another represents a fantastic achievement.

The same applies to course teams and our students. Every student we can support to be successful is what we aim to do and that is our greatest achievement when we are at graduation and see them getting their degree.

What makes you passionate about your work and the courses you teach?

We live in a very unequal society. Poverty is on the rise, children are going hungry, young people are exploited – its just not good enough.

Through my frontline work, which I still do – working with those most vulnerable in our society, and through teaching and supporting our students, I hope we can all make a difference and make life better for all families.

Can you tell us a bit about what this courses covers?

The courses I work on cover a wide range of areas from schooling through to children’s social care. Both Childhood and Education Studies courses provide a very flexible offer so that you can test out your career aims.

Our students are able to use the flexibility the courses provide to develop a portfolio for their postgraduate choice of profession. That might be primary teacher, secondary school teacher, Special Education Needs teacher, adult or children’s social worker, youth offending worker, etc.

Our students tailor the degrees to suit their intended profession. You are not confined to one area of work as our course teams are highly skilled in a variety of professions.

To help you make the right choice of career we have work placements in each year of the courses.

Alongside this, we have dedicated professional practice modules which assist you in learning about not just childhood or education, but broader transferrable skills.

We bring in experts from a range of outstanding schools and other relevant entities, such as the NHS, to talk through what their work involves.

When you graduate, you will leave with a deep understanding of education or childhood, depending on which course you select, ready and equipped for the next stage in your life. For most of our students that means entering professional training.

Why do you think students should study this courses at Leeds Beckett?

Leeds is a great student city. It is a very vibrant place. Our campus in Headingley, which is where much of student life is based, is fantastic.

If you are planning on travelling into university every day rather than moving to Leeds, the public transport to the campus is good.

But the main reason why these courses might suit you is the flexibility they offer: you don’t need to be pinned down to one career. Our expert course teams can help you make that important choice as you progress through the course.

For more information about our BA (Hons) Childhood Studies or BA (Hons) Education Studies courses, please get in touch by emailing Doug.