Mr Malcolm Richards

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About me

I am a Black [British] cis-heterosexual male. I was born in Hackney to Caribbean (Guyana and St Lucia) parents of African descent. I am the eldest of three children. I am an English and [English] Caribbean patois speaker. I live in Devon with my wife and two children. I am RastafarI.

I have been formally educated at every level of the United Kingdom schooling system (from EYFS to PhD). I am also a graduate of the African Caribbean supplementary school movement (Josina Machel and Dimbaleh). I am a qualified teacher, former senior leader, and school's governor, and previously worked in schools across London, Buckinghamshire, Devon (UK).

I worked as a local authority advisor, and developed digital and in-person teaching, and teacher professional development initiatives to colleges, local authorities, higher education institutions, and with student, teacher, community-led groups.

In 2022 I joined UWE as a Senior Lecturer in Education. I am the co-lead for the Equity in Education research strand for the Education and Childhood Research Group. I am also module lead for Policy and Contemporary Issues (postgraduate). As well as facilitating teaching and learning for students across undergraduate and postgraduate modules, I am dissertation supervisor for several PGCE and MA students.

Area of expertise

I welcome enquiries from anyone interested in engaging in collaborative research, particularly in advancing notions of anti-racist teaching in schooling contexts across Western-European geographies. My ongoing research interests include Black Studies in Education, Funds of Identity approaches, race equity in education, teacher education and teaching development, critical race methodologies, anti-racist pedagogies, transformative digital education, and professional teaching cultures in education.

In 2022/23 I am co/leading development of exciting projects related to my research interests:

  • Towards Black Studies in Education: A digital centre for Black Studies in Education research which supports teacher and community-led research, alongside students and staff.
  • Funds of Identity: Identifying and using student Funds of Identity across Bristol primary schools.
  • Living histories of teaching with Black teachers in English and Wales (co-lead with Camille London Miyo, Stephen Lawrence Research Centre, De Montfort University Leicester).

In addition, I will be collaborating with colleagues on the following projects:

  • The Respect Project (Racialized Experiences Project: School, Education & Trust), a collaborative research project on children, racism, and mental health in Bristol,  led by Verity Jones (UWE).
  • The REST (Race Equality Strategic Tool), a collaborative project on school leadership, racism, and anti-racist schools in Bristol, led by Sarah Whitehouse (UWE).

I am on the editorial board of one journal (Dialogic Journal International) and have contributed to multiple publications, co-written inquires, and presented papers at several peer reviewed conferences (national and international). My doctoral thesis (University of Exeter, 2019-2023) is a qualitative research study, which applies a Funds of identity approach to explore how teachers relate with Black cultures and communities in curricula, pedagogy, and resources to advance notions of anti-racist teaching in Devon schools.

Additionally, I am co/owner Bookbag, an independent bookshop in Exeter. I am a member of the advisory group for the Tafari Museum, at Fairfield House in Bath. I am also a founding board member of Exeter UNESCO City of Literature. I am a regular discussant to educational discussions, and have been invited to contribute to award winning podcasts including Surviving Society (E140), and Disrupting the Discourse (#6).


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