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Continuing the exploration of liminality, join Dr Lisa Cherry in conversation with Tracey Smith, who taught for many years in primary schools in Oxfordshire. She was Headteacher for Bladon, Tower Hill and New Marston Primary Schools in Oxfordshire, before becoming Head of Primary Teacher Training at the University of Buckingham. Tracey returned to Headship as Executive Headteacher of two Faringdon Primary Schools before continuing working with teacher training and supervision at the University of Buckingham. Tracey is also a trainer and consultant for Values-based Education and is in the process of completing her EdD entitled 'Working-Class Teachers and the Issue of Belonging in a Middle-Class Profession'. She has co-authored a book on Teacher Training with Barnaby Lenon (Hachette) and is writing her second book entitled: A Framework for Values-Based Education: From Vision to Practice (Emerald Publishing)

In this conversation, Lisa and Tracey explore how liminal transitions shape teacher identity, belonging and retention, with a focus on working class teachers navigating middle class norms. Stories, theory and practical steps show how mentoring, culture and values-based leadership turn the uncertainty times of a liminal space into growth.

Topics covered include:

• Defining liminality and communitas in schools
• Class, accent and identity pressures in early career
• Values-based leadership, psychological safety and agency
• Reading culture through staff room signals and tacit rules
• Representation as aspiration for pupils and teachers
• Gramsci, Hall and the theory behind belonging
• Practical rituals that build shared trust and ease transitions
• Leadership attention to staff wellbeing as a lever for outcomes

You can connect with Tracey on LinkedIn HERE.

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Learn more about Lisa here:
www.lisacherry.co.uk

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