Simon Edwards

Dr. Simon Edwards is a Senior Lecturer in the School of Education, Languages and Linguistics at the University of Portsmouth, where he leads the Childhood and Youth Studies with Social Pedagogy pathway. As a Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy and departmental ethics representative, he contributes to faculty governance while supervising PhD candidates and teaching in the MA Education program.

His research examines:

• Youth work methodologies in formal education settings
• Social justice approaches for marginalized students
• Participatory action research with excluded youth
• Critical pedagogy in austerity-impacted schools
• Social media's role in youth development

Recent publications demonstrate a strong focus on educational exclusion mechanisms, with 2023-2025 works examining youth work's role in school contexts, Freirean responses to educational austerity, and systemic analysis of rising school exclusions in England. His research consistently centers student and parent voices through qualitative methodologies.

Honors include Senior Fellowship of the Higher Education Academy. He leads Beyond the School Gates, training formerly excluded students as mentors, and has authored UK Parliament briefings on youth engagement. As PhD supervisor and project lead, he mentors emerging scholars while collaborating with charities and policymakers to translate research into practice.