In October 2020 Lisa started her Doctorate (DPhil) at the University of Oxford in the Department of Education based in the Rees Centre.

The Rees Centre “produces research evidence to improve policy and practice in the areas of children’s social care and education. We aim to improve the life chances and particularly the educational outcomes of those who are, or have been supported by children’s social care services, with a focus on children in need (including those in care), adoptive and special guardianship families and care experienced adults.”

Lisa’s research is looking at the experience of having been in care and also excluded from school and how these experiences have been made sense of in adulthood, in relation to ‘belonging.’

In November 2019, Lisa and others gave a public lecture at the Rees Centre ‘public lecture series’ on exclusions and reducing the impact  which you can watch here. 

This research follows on from Lisa’s Masters which looked at this with specific reference to education and employment in adulthood. To learn more about the MA findings, you can see a short presentation here. For stories and voices on school exclusion there is a dedicated website where you can read personal accounts and share your story.