Professor Andrew Townsend

Professor of Education and Head of Department

Education and Childhood Studies

andrew.townsend@swansea.ac.uk

Meeting Room - 413
Fourth Floor
Keir Hardie Building
Singleton Campus

Available For Postgraduate Supervision

Research Links

https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2589-9433

About

Professor Andrew Townsend is Professor of Education at Swansea University, a post he took up in 2023. He currently serves as Head of the Department of Education and Childhood Studies, where he leads strategic initiatives in teaching, research, and educational partnerships.

Andrew’s research explores leadership for learning, participatory action research, and professional development in education. He has directed and collaborated on numerous national and international projects, including evaluations of school leadership programs, teacher development initiatives, and innovative approaches to curriculum design. His work has attracted funding from organisations such as the ESRC, International Baccalaureate, and the National College for School Leadership.

Andrew has published widely, mainly in the area of actions research, and he serves as Coordinating Editor of Educational Action Research.

Areas Of Expertise

Action Research
Teacher Development
School Improvement
Educational Leadership

Publications

Research Highlights

Day, C., Gu, Q., Townsend, A., & Holdich, C. (2021). School-University Partnerships in Action Routledge.
https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315560403, SU Repository: https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa71245
https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315560403
Townsend, A. & Taylor, P. (2022). Participatory Action Research and Teacher Education. Encyclopedia of Teacher Education (pp. 1203-1208). Springer Nature Singapore
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-16-8679-5_119, SU Repository: https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa71244
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-16-8679-5_119
Townsend, A. (2024). Addressing the pressing issues of our time. Educational Action Research, 32(5), 743-745.
https://doi.org/10.1080/09650792.2024.2424023, SU Repository: https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa71243
https://doi.org/10.1080/09650792.2024.2424023
Extremera, M., Townsend, A., & Segovia, J. (2025). Resilient leadership in principals: case studies of challenged schools in Spain. International Journal of Leadership in Education, 28(5), 1010-1029.
https://doi.org/10.1080/13603124.2022.2052758, SU Repository: https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa71242
https://doi.org/10.1080/13603124.2022.2052758

All Research

Journal Articles

Townsend, A. (2025). Books that changed my life: reading and re-reading Learning from Experience by Richard Winter. Educational Action Research, 0, 1-7.
https://doi.org/10.1080/09650792.2025.2590608, SU Repository: https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa71091
Extremera, M., Townsend, A., & Segovia, J. (2025). Resilient leadership in principals: case studies of challenged schools in Spain. International Journal of Leadership in Education, 28(5), 1010-1029.
https://doi.org/10.1080/13603124.2022.2052758, SU Repository: https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa71242
https://doi.org/10.1080/13603124.2022.2052758
Townsend, A. (2024). Addressing the pressing issues of our time. Educational Action Research, 32(5), 743-745.
https://doi.org/10.1080/09650792.2024.2424023, SU Repository: https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa71243
https://doi.org/10.1080/09650792.2024.2424023

Authored Books

Day, C., Gu, Q., Townsend, A., & Holdich, C. (2021). School-University Partnerships in Action Routledge.
https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315560403, SU Repository: https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa71245
https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315560403

Book Chapters

Townsend, A. & Taylor, P. (2022). Participatory Action Research and Teacher Education. Encyclopedia of Teacher Education (pp. 1203-1208). Springer Nature Singapore
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-16-8679-5_119, SU Repository: https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa71244
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-16-8679-5_119

Supervision

Martin's focus is on pupil participation in schools following the introduction of the curriculum for Wales. (current)

PhD

Other supervisor: Dr Zoe Clegg
What are the key elements influencing the wellbeing of early career teachers (within the first five years) in Wales, and how do these factors interact to shape their professional and personal experiences (current)

PhD

Other supervisor: Dr Emily Marchant

Taught Modules

ED-M15 Leading Within and Across Education Systems

System leadership within and across educational organisations is increasingly important to build the necessary professional capital and professional capacity for improvement. There is international evidence that when properly deployed, system leaders/ship can be a positive force for change. This module will focus on the leadership roles, functions, and responsibilities of those acting as system leaders, at different levels. The international evidence about system leaders/ship, however, consistently points to the need for clarity about: ¿ The definition, role, and functions of system leaders. ¿ The criteria for selection and the process of appointment. ¿ Core responsibilities and the expectations placed upon system leaders. ¿ The accountability structures and evaluative processes that surround their role as a system leader. ¿ Gauging the impact of system leaders/ship through agreed monitoring and evaluation processes. Hence the 4 core strands of this module will cover the micro and macro aspects of leading within, across and between systems.
EDPM24 School and Community

This module will introduce students to the concepts of family and community engagement in education and schooling, and the role of school leaders in fostering the relationship between school and community to effect change. The module will introduce students to the background to the concepts of parental and community engagement and school leadership and their impacts on schooling and education. The module will critically engage with some of the issues surrounding family and community engagement in learning, education and schooling, including: the difference between involvement and engagement, deficit discourses and their impact on staff perception of families, issues of racism and marginalisation of communities, and the role and impact of leadership styles and approaches on the links between school and community. Through critical discussion and analysis, students will be able to apply these theoretical and practical concepts to issues of change or challenge and consider the overall impact of the relationship between school and community in Wales, as this is a focus of Welsh Government, and globally.
FY-014 Critical Reflection and Problem Solving

This module will develop students¿ academic skills by exploring a range of methods and techniques for improving motivation, planning and time management and organisational skills. By reflecting on their current practice and planning for change, students will increase their understanding and application of reflective practice to support their own personal development.

Professor Andrew Townsend

Email address

Research Links

About

Areas Of Expertise

Publications

Research Highlights

All Research

Journal Articles

Authored Books

Book Chapters

Supervision

Martin's focus is on pupil participation in schools following the introduction of the curriculum for Wales. (current)

What are the key elements influencing the wellbeing of early career teachers (within the first five years) in Wales, and how do these factors interact to shape their professional and personal experiences (current)

Taught Modules

ED-M15 Leading Within and Across Education Systems

EDPM24 School and Community

FY-014 Critical Reflection and Problem Solving