About

I am a Lecturer in Education with 15 years of experience in secondary education. During my teaching career I taught ages 11 - 18 and held middle and senior leadership positions, including Pastoral and Inclusion Leader, ITT Coordinator, DEI Lead, and SCITT Course Leader.

My Doctorate in Education researched the ways in which schools are constructed as heteronormative, exploring the implications for the LGBT+ students and staff that occupy these spaces. My passion for LGBT+ inclusion in schools led to the creation of Pride & Progress: a podcast, network, and book that supports teachers in making their spaces LGBT+ inclusive.

My primary role at the University of Derby is as a researcher within the ISEND cluster, working on projects largely focussed on inclusion and LGBT+. I also teach on initial teacher education programmes, as well as supervise doctoral students.

Recent publications

• Brassington, J., & Brett, A. (2023). Pride and progress: Making schools LGBT+ inclusive spaces
• Brett, A. (2022). Under the spotlight: exploring the challenges and opportunities of being a visible LGBT+ teacher. Sex Education, 1-15. https://doi.org/10.1080/14681811.2022.2143344
• Brett, A. (2024a). LGBTQ+ teachers don’t receive the training and support they need. http://theconversation.com/lgbtq-teachers-dont-receive-the-training-and-support-they-need-228162
• Brett, A. (2024b). Space, surveillance, and stress: a Lefebvrian analysis of heteronormative spatial production in schools, using a photo elicitation method with LGBT+ teachers. Sex Education, 1-17. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/14681811.2023.2296473
• Brett, A. (2024c). Unveiling heteronormativity: a visual exploration of LGBT+ teachers’ experience using photo elicitation. Sex Education, 1-17. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/14681811.2024.2365256
• Brett, A. (2024d). Using photo elicitation to capture authentic LGBT+ narratives.  https://www.bera.ac.uk/blog/using-photo-elicitation-to-capture-authentic-lgbt-narratives
• Brett, A., Bodfield, K., Culshaw, A., & Johnson, B. (2024). Exploring LGBTQ+ teacher professional identity through the power threat meaning framework. British educational research journal, 1-17. https://doi.org/10.1002/berj.4060