Sheila Riddell

Sheila Riddell
Born	2 December 1953 (1953-12-02) (age 71)
Known for	Education and social justice research

Sheila Riddell (born 2 December 1953), is an academic at the University of Edinburgh and Director of the Centre for Research in Education Inclusion and Diversity (CREID).[1] She has also been Director of the Strathclyde Centre for Disability Research, University of Glasgow. Her research interests include equality and social inclusion[2] in education and adult education,[3] with particular reference to gender, social class and disability[4]

Early life

At Boston High School, she took part in the school dramatic society, and gained 9 O-levels in 1970.[5] In 1972 she gained A-levels in English, French and German.[6]

Career

Riddell's work has mapped the development of policy and support for vulnerable groups and believes that social justice, equality and inclusion are complex and inter-linked concepts in social policy rhetoric^[5]. She has published a number of books on disability[7][8][9] and on the gender balance of teachers in primary and secondary teaching in Scotland.[10] She has spoken out on issues of support for vulnerable pupils in Scottish schools,[11][12] free higher education[13] and argued that free tuition had not “markedly altered” recruitment to Scottish universities of those from the poorest backgrounds.[14]

She was commissioned by Universities Scotland to undertake a review into the evidence of what works in widening access. Universities undertake widening participation activities and are set external benchmarks to address inequalities in the take-up of higher education opportunities among different social groups. The purpose behind strategic efforts within the sector and in government is to ensure that student bodies at universities reflect the diversity represented in wider society. She recommended that universities should carry out more evaluation of projects and initiatives to widen access including tracking of students ^[10].[15] She reviewed access for The Sutton Trust in a report on Access in Scotland.[16]

Riddell's sister is the journalist Mary Riddell and she is married to Ken Sorbie, Professor of Petroleum Engineering at Heriot-Watt University since 1992.^[citation needed]

References

1. "Professor Sheila Riddell". The University of Edinburgh. Retrieved 2021-03-31.
2. Riddell, Sheila (2009-09-01). "Social justice, equality and inclusion in Scottish education". Discourse: Studies in the Cultural Politics of Education. 30 (3): 283–296. doi:10.1080/01596300903036889. ISSN 0159-6306. S2CID 145349303.
3. John Holford; et al. (2008). Patterns of lifelong learning policy & practice in an expanding Europe. Wien. ISBN 978-3-8258-1448-9. OCLC 311067328.
4. Riddell, Sheila; Watson, Nick (2014-06-11). Disability, Culture and Identity. Routledge. ISBN 978-1-317-90446-5.
5. Lincolnshire Standard Friday 4 September 1970, page 8
6. Lincolnshire Standard Friday 18 August 1972, page 3
7. Riddell, Sheila (2006). Special educational needs: providing additional support (2nd ed.). Edinburgh: Dunedin Academic Press. ISBN 978-1-906716-80-6. OCLC 647824833.
8. Riddell, Sheila; Teresa Tinklin; Alastair Wilson (2005). Disabled students in higher education: perspectives on widening access and changing policy. London: Routledge. ISBN 0-203-08712-7. OCLC 252763122.
9. Riddell, Sheila (1992). Gender and the politics of the curriculum. London: Routledge. ISBN 0-415-04813-3. OCLC 24546812.
10. Riddell, Sheila (2006). Gender and teaching: where have all the men gone?. Lyn Tett. Edinburgh: Dunedin Academic. ISBN 978-1-903765-57-9. OCLC 70987593.
11. Andrew Denholm (15 May 2019). "Review after decline in use of vital support plans for vulnerable pupils". The Herald. Scotland. Retrieved 2021-03-31.
12. Riddell, Sheila; Weedon, Elisabet (2017-03-01). "Social justice and provision for children with additional support needs in Scotland". Education, Citizenship and Social Justice. 12 (1): 36–48. doi:10.1177/1746197916683469. hdl:20.500.11820/99d0169c-ee79-4ad8-b965-2497afd20855. ISSN 1746-1979. S2CID 151675790.
13. "Sheila Riddell: The education class ceiling". The Scotsman. 30 May 2013. Retrieved 2021-03-31.
14. Chris Marshall (30 May 2013). "Scottish universities remain 'elitist'". The Scotsman. Retrieved 2021-03-31.
15. "Widening Access to Higher Education: What Works?". Universities Scotland. 2013-10-29. Retrieved 2021-03-31.
16. Lucy Hunter Blackburn; Gitit Kadar-Satat; Sheila Riddell; Elisabet Weedon (May 2016). "Access in Scotland" (PDF). Sutton Trust.