Agnes Allan

As an experienced educational practitioner with a comprehensive background in both the primary and early years sectors, I bring a broad and informed perspective on the learning journeys of children, young people, and educators. My career has spanned a variety of roles across educational settings, providing me with a deep understanding of pedagogy, curriculum development, and leadership in early years and primary education.

I am a GTCS-registered primary teacher, with the majority of my classroom teaching experience focused on the P1–P4 stages. In 1998, I transitioned into the Early Education and Childcare sector, where I initially served as a nursery class teacher before progressing into senior leadership roles. These included senior teacher in nursery, head of a large standalone nursery, and subsequently head of a combined primary school and nursery. These leadership roles enabled me to build extensive expertise in educational leadership and management, and to lead a range of innovative projects — most notably, the design and development of an outdoor nursery facility and the strategic leadership of creativity across the curriculum.

Since joining the University of the West of Scotland (UWS) in 2008, I have contributed to a variety of programmes, initially as a part-time associate lecturer across the BA (Hons) Childhood Studies, BA Childhood Practice, BA GA Early Years, M.Ed. in Early Years, and Initial Teacher Education programmes. I was appointed to a full-time lecturer post in 2015 and have since taken on key responsibilities including module coordination and programme leadership. From 2018 to 2020, I served as Programme Leader for the BA (Hons) Childhood Practice and the Graduate Diploma Childhood Practice.

I also led the UWS development team in successfully delivering a tender awarded by the Scottish Government to design four Continuing Professional Learning (CPL) modules. These modules, launched in 2020, support the evolving professional development needs of the Early Years Workforce.

My particular areas of expertise and academic interest include Creativity in the Curriculum, Promoting Learning, and Leadership and Management in Early Years Education.

I completed a Doctorate in Education in 2024.

I am a researcher with a strong focus on the intersection of early years education, policy, and the social dynamics that shape educational practices. My doctoral research explored the contested concept of “quality” in early years education, particularly within the context of early learning and childcare in Scotland. Through a Foucauldian lens, my thesis titled A Foucauldian Analysis of the Discourses of Quality and Its Relationship to Tools of Surveillance in Early Learning and Childcare in Scotland explored how "quality" is both defined and enacted, examining the ways in which it is measured, regulated, and institutionalised within policy frameworks.

In this work, I used Foucault's theories of power and surveillance to understand how dominant discourses of quality function as disciplinary mechanisms that shape the practices of early childhood education. By analysing how these discourses are embedded in policy and implemented in everyday practices, my research highlights the ways in which quality is often mobilised as a tool of control, subtly shaping the behaviours of educators and children alike.

In my current research I go beyond Foucault's care of the self as I offer a new theorisation that includes the notion of care of others within the context of early years education. I aim to reframe the relationship between educator, child, family, and policy by exploring how care practices within educational settings contribute to broader social and ethical dynamics. This research seeks to offer more inclusive and nuanced understandings of care in education, which not only focuses on the individual but also attends to the communal and relational dimensions of educational practices.

Through my work, I am committed to challenging dominant narratives in education policy and fostering more equitable, ethical, and responsive approaches to early years education that prioritise care, inclusivity, and critical reflection.