Dr Rachel Shanks

Biography

I research school uniform, dress codes and appearance policies, in particular how school uniform can be made more affordable, comfortable and sustainable.

In 2020 I issued a policy briefing on the affordability of school uniform in secondary schools in Scotland and discussed this with politicians across Scotland. Following these discussions, the manifestos for the Scottish Parliament elections in 2021 of three political parties included a commitment to national guidance on school uniform. Since then introducing national guidance on school uniform has been included in the Scottish Government programme of government and a national consultation on school uniform took place in 2022.

I have worked in higher education, community education, the trade union movement and the voluntary sector. In higher education, I have been a law lecturer, worked in the University of Aberdeen’s former Centre for Lifelong Learning and I am currently a Senior Lecturer in Education.

In the late 1990s, I led the Trade Union Congress partnership project Bargaining for Skills, in the East and West Midlands regions in England, working with trade unions, employers, colleges and Training and Enterprise Councils. I have also been an adult education tutor and worked for the National Association of Citizens Advice Bureaux (NACAB) and a local Citizens Advice Bureau.

Prizes and Awards

Collaborative Award for Teaching Excellence (Advance HE)

Teaching Qualification Further Education/ BA Professional Development Team, 2021

Research Overview

I research school uniform, dress codes and appearance policies, in particular how school uniforms can be made more affordable, comfortable and sustainable. 

In 2020 I issued a policy briefing on the affordability of school uniform in secondary schools in Scotland and discussed this with politicians across Scotland. Following these discussions, the manifestos for the Scottish Parliament elections in 2021 of three political parties included a commitment to national guidance on school uniform. Since then introducing national guidance on school uniform has been included in the Scottish Government programme of government and a national consultation on school uniform took place in 2022.

I also research professional learning and mentoring covering both formal and informal learning, in particular during teacher induction.

Children and young people's rights combine my legal and community work background and my interest in social justice.

Current Research

Mentoring

I am part of the European Educational Research Association-funded project Ecologies of Teaching Induction and Mentoring in Europe (TIME). 

Past Research

I was a Co-Investigator of Measuring Quality in Initial Teacher Education (MQuITE)

Collaborations

I am a member of an international research network Children’s Human Rights Education which is being funded by the Swedish Research Council between 2021 and 2025. The members of this network aim to strengthen international collaboration in research into human rights education for children. Theory development, joint publications and funding applications are planned. The network has included researchers from regions that are underrepresented in children’s rights research. 

Funding and Grants

Co-investigator of NIHR Global Health Research Group project on promoting children’s and adolescents' mental wellbeing in sub-Saharan Africa. The University of Aberdeen, the University of Rwanda and Addis Ababa University are working together to design, deliver and evaluate the impact of a mindfulness intervention in schools on child and adolescent mental wellbeing in sub-Saharan Africa.

In 2021 I received pump-prime funding for interdisciplinary research from the University of Aberdeen for work on the Affordability and Sustainability of School Uniform. This pilot study has investigated the impact of school uniform banks on the affordability and sustainability of school uniforms in Scotland.

Principal Investigator of BERA COVID-19 research: New teachers’ responses to COVID-19: building on Initial Teacher Education for their professional learning.

Co-Investigator of Measuring Quality of Initial Teacher Education (MQuITE) in Scotland funded by the Scottish Government 2017- A longitudinal study involving all higher education institutions that provide initial teacher education in Scotland.

Co-Investigator of EU Marie Curie COFUND grant (2018-22) Political Concepts in the World (POLITICO). The POLITICO PhD programme builds on the success of the interdisciplinary training provided by the University of Aberdeen’s Centre for Citizenship, Civil Society and the Rule of Law (CISRUL), which specializes in the global application of political ideas. 

Non-course Teaching Responsibilities

NVivo training for staff and postgraduate students

NIHR Global Health Research Group on promoting children’s and adolescent’s mental wellbeing in sub-Saharan Africa Project Lead for capacity building and training.