Thomas Procter-Legg is a DPhil Student in the Department of Education and is researching restorative practice within the context of special educational needs and disabilities.

His previous experience includes five years as the Head Teacher of a special academy in Oxfordshire UK, specialising in education for students with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities. He has also worked as a SEND Reviewer for Whole School SEND; a Teaching School Director; and as the Principal Designate on a successful Free School bid.

Thomas is passionate about restorative practice and is involved in many communities of practice, such as the Global Alliance for Restorative Justice and Social Justice, where he is a member of the research sub-group exploring the interactions between restorative justice and social justice.

Thomas is also a strong advocate for creativity in education; having previously gained a Fine Art degree from Chelsea College of Art. This heavily influenced his educational leadership and during his time as a Head Teacher, he became the co-founder of a co-constructed initiative between the academy and the University of Oxford Gardens Libraries and Museums. This work placed cultural learning opportunities and relationships at the heart of the curriculum and is the longest standing project between a special school and The University of Oxford. This sustainable partnership champions marginalised voices and has been highly celebrated e.g., inclusion in the Durham Commission for Creativity in Education; recent dissemination at the Museum Ideas Conference 2022; highly commended award at the Museum and Heritage Awards 2021; and awarded Platinum ArtsMark in 2021.

Whilst this creative work may seem to be separate from restorative practice, Thomas subscribes to the idea that there are significant overlaps, both within pedagogical practice and wider school culture, topics which his current research touch on within the context of special education.

 

Publications

Procter-Legg. (2022). A Discourse on Restorative Practice—Participants’ Views of a Divergent Ideology. Laws, 11(6), 86–. https://doi.org/10.3390/laws11060086

Procter-Legg. (2022). Practitioner Perspectives on a Restorative Community: An Inductive Evaluative Study of Conceptual, Pedagogical, and Routine Practice. Laws, 11(1), 4–. https://doi.org/10.3390/laws11010004

 

Supervisors

Ian Thompson and Jason Todd