Grace Healy

Dr. Grace Healy serves as an Honorary Associate Professor at University College London's Institute of Education (IOE) within the Curriculum, Pedagogy & Assessment department and as an Honorary Research Fellow at the University of Oxford. She concurrently holds the position of Education Director (Secondary) at the David Ross Education Trust, where she oversees strategic curriculum development and teacher education initiatives across multiple schools.

Her educational background includes a Master of Education from the University of Cambridge and a PhD from the Institute of Education, UCL. She has also earned the National Professional Qualification in Executive Leadership. Professionally, she is a Fellow and Chartered Geographer (Teacher) of the Royal Geographical Society and has held significant leadership roles including Trustee and Honorary Secretary (Education) on the RGS Council.

Grace Healy's research focuses on curriculum theory and implementation, with particular emphasis on geography education, teacher professional development, and subject-specific mentoring. Her work explores how subject teachers construct disciplinary knowledge and how research capacity can be developed across educational communities. She has made significant contributions to understanding the relationship between curriculum leadership and teacher development at scale.

Her extensive publication record reveals a clear trajectory toward addressing contemporary educational challenges, particularly around climate change education and sustainability. Recent publications show increasing focus on professional practice in curriculum development, knowledge co-production, and translating academic geographical research for classroom application. Her work consistently bridges theory and practice, connecting university research with school-based curriculum implementation.

• Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society
• Chartered Geographer (Teacher)
• National Professional Qualification in Executive Leadership
• Co-editor of Geography Education in the Digital World (Routledge, 2021)
• Co-editor of Mentoring Geography Teachers in the Secondary School (Routledge, 2022)

As Education Director, Healy leads substantial curriculum reform initiatives across the David Ross Education Trust, working with principals to implement evaluation models that continuously renew curriculum practices. She has secured significant funding from RGS and AHRC grants for collaborative projects with University of St Andrews geographers to adapt geographical research from Bolivia and Peru for school geography contexts. Her editorial roles include Associate Editor for The Curriculum Journal and service on the editorial boards of London Review of Education and Teaching Geography.

Healy maintains active leadership roles in professional communities, serving as Treasurer for the Geography Education Research Collective, member of BERA's Publications Committee, and previously holding positions as Chair of the Teacher Education Phase Committee and Chair of the Geography Education Research SIG at the Geographical Association.