Rewriting history: St Valery and Remembrance
The Wavell Room: Contemporary British Military Thought
Contributions to Specialist Publications: Articles
Senior Lecturer (Scholarship)
Neil McLennan has held a number of key roles in supporting change and improvement in public services. After a teaching career in the central belt he was seconded to Learning & Teaching Scotland (now Education Scotland) as a National Development Officer. After two successful secondments implementing national policy he moved to the North East as Quality Improvement Officer (Education, Culture and Sport) for Aberdeen City Council where he also undertook a period as Acting Service Manager (Schools & Curriculum). He continues to be a Reading Champion for Aberdeen City Council and is also a Burgess of Guild of the City and Royal Burgh of Aberdeen.
In 2011 The Herald described Neil as, "a charismatic visionary in Scottish education." In 2018 Dame Sue Bruce DBE described Neil as "a pioneering figure in Scottish education."
Neil has led a number of national education organisations and professional membership bodies. He is a former President of both the Scottish Association of Teachers of History (SATH) and the Enterprise Practitioners’ Association (EPA). Neil was a co-chair and the General Secretary of the Royal Society of Edinburgh Young Academy of Scotland and former Trustee of the Royal Society of Edinburgh Foundation (the National Academy of Scotland). Neil was the chair of the RSE YAS Curriculum for Excellence Working Group and the Excellence in Education Working Group. These groups engaged in issues as diverse as inter-disciplinary learning, numeracy, skill development, aspirations and the recruitment and retention of teachers.
Neil regularly leads school leader and teacher in‐service training course and residential courses on a broad range of themes such as pedagogy, education change and improvement. He also delivers internationally on active learning, citizenship, history and social studies education. He is an established author with textbooks being used in Scottish Schools across the country and his other articles and publications used by leaders in education and beyond. He is a regular contributor to TESS and other national media outlets. He has had a skills column in the Courier Newspaper, still writes a history column in History Scotland magazine and also appears on radio and broadcast media shows on education, skills and current affairs related matters. Neil was a Scotsman 200 writer and also reguarly reviews publications, most reccently for publications such as Bloomsbury, Scottish Education Review and Scottish Archives.
Neil was awarded Professional Recognition for Enterprise in Education by the General Teaching Council Scotland and also was the recipient of a Royal Society of Edinburgh Medal for “for his outstanding contribution to civic society, creativity and social enterprise, education and the social sciences.” He has also completed the Association of Directors of Education Scotland (ADES) Senior Leadership Development Programme as well as ILM accreditation for Leadership in Social Enterprise.
Neil also sits on a number of panels and working groups including previously being involved in Ministerial Working Groups and giving evidence to Government Comission. He is a lay advisor to the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh and Director of the Royal Caledonian Education Trust, North East Scotland College and the Royal Scottish National Orchestra. He was a Board Director for Connect (the Scottish Parent Teacher Council) and a Board Director for the Scottish College for Educational Leadership before it was subsumed into Education Scotland.
Neil supports leaders across public and uniformed services in his role as Senior Lecturer and Director of Leadership Programmes at the University of Aberdeen School of Education. He has lectured across the world including invites to speak at University of Oxford, Korea University (South Korea), Toyo University (Tokyo, Japan), Athens State University (Alabama, USA), Valenciennes University (France) and Royal Military Academy Sandhurst (UK).
Neil retains an interest in history and history education where he still researches, writes and lectures extensively. His main focus areas are The First World War, First World War poet Wilfred Owen's 're-education' and Scottish History. The poet Helen Boden described Neil as an "indefatigable researcher." Neil's research work into the Great War was described by STV journalists as "great detective work." The Evening Express noted him as "one of the top authorities on the First World War." Neil was appointed an ambassador of the Western Front Association in 2020. He is also an honorary member of the Wilfred Owen Association.
Programme Director MSc Leadership in Professional Contexts
Member, School of Education Communications Working Group
Present
Scottish Education Research Network: Leadership in Scottish Education Network (LiSEN) Co-Convenor 2020-present
Course Architect, Tecmillenio University, Mexico, Certificate in Management of Educational Institutions (CMEI) 2018- present
Director, Royal Caledonian Education Trust, 2018 - present
Director, North East Scotland College, 2018- present
Director, Royal Scottish National Orchestra 2017- Present
Lay Advisor, Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh 2015 to Present
Associate Member Voluntary Health Scotland 2018- Present
Member of Scottish College for Educational Leadership 'Into Headship' Team 2016- Present
Member of Scottish College for Educational Leadership 'In Headship' Design Team 2016- Present
Editorial Board Member, History Scotland
Chair #iPlay4Peace / #iSing4Peace International Concert for Cooperation, 2017 to Present
Previous:-
Fellowship Councillor, RSA (Royal Society for the encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce) 2017- 2020
Director, Scottish Parent Teacher Council 2016- 2019
Director, Scottish College for Educational Leadership 2016-2018
(Also member, Organisational Growth and Structure Committee, Scottish College for Educational Leadership)
Chair, Wilfred Owen 1917-2017 Committee, 2014-2018
Convenor, War Poets' Corner (Scotland) Committee, 2017-2018
Member of Character and Values Pathway Team to 2017
Trustee, Royal Society of Edinburgh SCIO (2012-2016)
Former General Secretary and Co Chair of Royal Society of Edinburgh Young Academy of Scotland
Former Chair Excellence in Education Working Group (formely Curriclum for Excellence Working Group), Royal Society of Edinburgh Young Academy of Scotland
Former President, Enterprise Practitioners Association
Former President, Scottish Association of Teachers of History
Judge- Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh, Inspiring Physician of the Year 2018/19
Judge- Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh, Inspiring Physician of the Year 2017/18
Leadership models- cooperative leadership
Values and leadership
Public sector improvement
Change theory and practice
History curriculum
Multiperspectivity
Social studies pedagogies
Teaching 'controversial' issues
First World War History especially that of the Great War poets
Scottish History
Public engagement in the arts
National Design Group member- Scottish College for Educational Leadership, Into Headship Qualification
National Design Group member- Scottish College for Educational Leadership, In Headship Qualification
International Collaboration with SCEL writing:-Social emotional learning - a summary of changing the odds
This paper by Jay Helbert (SCEL Lead Specialist) and Neil McLennan brings together some of the core areas of research that underpin SEL. It reports on a 2016 conference and summarises the inputs to the field made by a number of significant contributors. The paper also provides a gateway to further reading and exploration into some of the fundamental aspects of SEL.
Leadership of cross sector and joint HEI projects:-
Chair of cross sector collaboration of 25 organisations to produce 17 events sharing my research into and cultural output inspired by, war poet, Wilfred Owen:- www.napier.ac.uk/Wilfred-Owen-100
Chair of cross sector collaboration to commemorate Scotland's Great War Poets:- https://www.napier.ac.uk/about-us/community/scottish-war-poets-memorial
Chair of international concert for coopeartion on 100th anniversary of Armistice (#iPlay4Peace):- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0spaVbaM6II&fbclid=IwAR0wqELOeqvoNABIg-FX9ipasWCH5txrq5aBuI2JHdyQus31MbYu4Cd84sU
https://www.napier.ac.uk/about-us/events/play-for-peace-a-concert-for-cooperation
2019 University of Aberdeen grant to support REF case studies.
2017 Scottish College for Educational Leadership grant to support travel, conference attendance in USA and writing of Professional Learning Resource on social and emotional learning.
2015 Royal Society of Edinburgh award to support Wilfred Owen research at Harry Ransom Centre, University of Texas, Austin (UTA).
Programme Director for MSc Leadership in Professional Contexts
I currently teach:-
Exploring Leadership
Leading Effective Improvements
Leading Change
Action Research Project
Developing as a Strategic Leader (Into Headship programme for HT/principal preperation)
Leading Strategic Change (Into Headship programme for HT/principal preperation)(Into Headship programme for HT/principal preperation)
Shaping Professional Identity and Practice (In Headship programme for newly apponted HT/principals)
Excellence and Equity (In Headship programme for newly apponted HT/principals)
Building Capacity in Self and Others (In Headship programme for newly apponted HT/principals)
I also teach intial teacher education primary teachers and secondary social studies teachers on the following programmes
MA/PGDE
I also teach on the MSc Cultural and Creative Communication programe, lecturing on the Public Engagement for the Arts course where I share my scholarship and leadership work.
Page 1 of 8 Results 1 to 10 of 73
The Wavell Room: Contemporary British Military Thought
Contributions to Specialist Publications: Articles
BMJ
Contributions to Specialist Publications: Articles
Contributions to Journals
Western Front Association Journal - Bulletin, no. 118, pp. 27-28
Contributions to Journals: Articles
Teaching Scotland (General Teaching Council of Scotland periodical)
Contributions to Specialist Publications: Articles
The Army Leader
Contributions to Specialist Publications: Articles
The Army Leader
Contributions to Journals: Reviews of Books, Films and Articles
Non-textual Forms: Web Publications and Websites
Teaching Scotland (General Teaching Council of Scotland periodical), vol. 82, pp. 44-45
Contributions to Specialist Publications: Articles
History Scotland, vol. 20, pp. 50-51
Contributions to Specialist Publications: Articles