Vernee Samuel
holywellpercy.co.uk
Testimonials
Hannah Nonnenmacher, Assistant Headteacher,
Chiswick School
I've done ten years of September INSETs and I think that may have been the best session I've ever attended. It was so lovely to listen and talk about something that really matters, in a way that felt meaningful and intelligent. I really appreciated the fact you didn't speak down to us at all, or assume a lack of knowledge and brains, whilst at the same time there was no nonsense and none of the flowery meaningless terminology some people use. I felt like it was a really thoughtful and valuable hour.
Rachel Davies, Headteacher,
Grove Park School
We are grateful to Vernee for the contribution she made to our training day. As a local cluster of schools we decided to pool our resources and host a shared INSET Day on the theme of how to support our most vulnerable pupils. Vernee's talk was extremely well-attended and popular with both primary and secondary staff alike. Vernee's research and presentation reminded us that relationships and connection are at the heart of all we do. Her talk started with a good opportunity for us to all get to know each other and her insight into relationships and how these are key to everything was very thought -provoking. Vernee was adaptable for our audience and keen to deliver a talk that would meet the needs of all of our schools. Staff really enjoyed meeting Vernee and getting to know her too. She is personable, professional and exceptionally knowledgeable.
Matthew Foster, Assistant Head,
Bute House School
Vernee delivered an engaging EDI workshop at a primary education conference hosted by Bute House. She focused on the impact of rapport between teachers and pupils on building an inclusive classroom environment. She shared interesting research from her MA dissertation and key findings from her work on the Common Ground Project at King’s College London to show how better relationships lead to better outcomes. Vernee shared a range of practical strategies for building rapport in the primary classroom and facilitated thought-provoking discussions amongst the delegates.
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Dr Mari Cruice, Principal Teaching Fellow,
University of Roehampton
Vernee's knowledge and experience of race in education shone through and it was great to see her share her own primary research in this field. She put the students at ease while, at the same time, challenging them to think about how they might understand and resist racism and prejudice. Vernee created an atmosphere of safety and trust and enabled students to share their own perspectives and questions.
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Dr Ben Johnson, Lecturer in Primary Education,
Newman University
It was a pleasure to hear Vernee Samuel speak with such knowledge and eloquence about race and attainment whilst delivering her lecture 'Ambitious Teaching in a Pluralist Society' to our second year undergraduate students here at Newman University as part of our module on Equality Diversity and Inclusivity. Her lecture was very well received and helped students to critically reflect upon how they can better understand the complex lived experiences of their students and how they, as future teachers, can build positive relationships in schools. Vernee also shared her Common Ground Project research which again helped empower students with tools to build rapport with their students regardless of their diverse backgrounds. It is a pleasure to work with Vernee and we look forward to continuing to work with her in the future.
Patrick Hayes, Head of Mathematics and EDI Coordinator,
Bute House School
Vernee delivered an EDI parent workshop which aimed to equip parents to cultivate a home environment that is comfortable discussing race with their children. She shared interesting research from her MA dissertation and key findings from her work on the Common Ground Project at King’s College London to show how better relationships lead to better outcomes. This lead to interesting discussions between staff and parents and was a starting point to future collaboration between staff and parents in this important ongoing conversation.
Laura Ellener, Head Teacher,
Chiswick School
Vernee delivered an inspiring and incredibly useful keynote speech at inset day which allowed staff to consider the idea of rapport and the research around how this can impact students academic progress at school. The session allowed staff to consider how their interactions and the research around this could support our learners, particularly those who face socio economic challenges. Vernee facilitated questions and debate and the session was incredibly well received with staff enjoying relating research to their own practice.
Prof. Carol Vincent & Dr Sara Bragg,
UCL Institute of Education
Vernee is an excellent and inspiring writer and researcher. Her interests focus on ways in which the education system can be made more socially just, and within this she has a particular interest in how class and race shape student experiences of schooling. She communicates clearly and vividly in both written and spoken forms, and is skilled at communicating complex theoretical ideas in ways that are accessible, practical and immediate. This enables her to effectively translate research findings into policy recommendations. Due to the strength of her dissertation, we invited her to be a keynote speaker at our MA student dissertation conference. She provided a wonderful recorded presentation in advance and was an excellent panel member at the event itself.
Lauren Cracknell, Associate Director,
King's Academy, Kings College London
At King’s we have a strong focus on the belonging and wellbeing of our students. We are also committed to addressing attainment gaps and the complex reasons this can occur. We began our collaboration with Vernee in early 2021 following recommendation of her research thesis and began developing the Common Ground project to examine student/staff rapport. As the project initially launched we immediately identified this was an area of importance for our staff through the huge interest in and willingness to take part. Through 21/22 Vernee has worked closely with King’s Academy, Faculty staff and, students exploring the project and the methods we can use to build that connection in our learning environments. We highly commend the way she has worked with our King’s community on sometimes sensitive and personally challenging experiences, always seeking to examine constructive ways we can build rapport. Whilst the project itself is drawing to a close we are confident the learning we have gained from this research will continue to be embedded and applied at King’s.
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Steve Abrams, Head of Professional Studies,
University of Roehampton
Vernee delivered a highly engaging, challenging and yet empathetic lecture to a large cohort of University of Roehampton PGCE Secondary student teachers at the start of their journey to become qualified teachers. The purpose of the lecture was to broaden their understanding of how racial inequalities manifest in schools. The aim of doing this was to give them greater confidence to have conversations about race with staff and students, help them develop practical strategies to support pupils and ultimately reduce classroom inequalities. The response from the student teachers has been very encouraging in terms of their enthusiasm and appetite to learn more. They have also begun to apply some of Vernee’s ideas and thinking in secondary classrooms throughout London. Vernee’s educational philosophy is an excellent fit with the Froebelian approach central to the University of Roehampton School of Education, where the whole child’s development including their social relationships and emotional wellbeing is considered vital. We will be delighted to invite Vernee back to lecture to our students and staff again in the future.