Professor Pete Sanderson is Dean of the School of Education and Professional Development. He joined the university in 1985 after working variously in the travel business, as a residential child care worker, a contract researcher and a further education lecturer. During his time at the School he has worked on Post-Compulsory Education and Training teacher training courses, the MA in Professional Development, the BAs in Youth and Community Work, Early Years, Communications and Cultures and the EdD.

Pete gained his BA in History from Cambridge, and a Diploma in Social Administration from York. His MPhil at York was concerned with issues of race and housing in Bradford, and he went on to work as a contract researcher on Leverhulme and EEC funded projects on race, ethnicity and educational achievement before embarking on a career in teaching. His PhD in Psychology from the University of Leeds was concerned with applying social judgement and cognitive process theories to the activity of assessing expository text, based in part on his experience as a Senior Examiner for Sociology A Level.

Pete developed two DFID HE Link bids for collaborative work with Zambian higher education institutions, one of which supported the first programme of training for Zambian youth workers.

Pete is Associate Editor of the Journal of Vocational Education and Training.

• Community perceptions of community cohesion
• The impacts of policy work around cohesion in Kirklees, West Yorkshire