Dr Richard Watkins
Principal Lecturer in Research and Practitioner Enquiry in Schools
Dr Richard Watkins is Principal Lecturer in Research and Enquiry in Schools at Wrexham University. Richard’s work and research interests focus on the application of evidence-based teaching strategies in schools and teachers' use of research and enquiry to improve outcomes for learners. Richard currently manages a variety of research and school projects, including a national school enquiry project for Welsh Government.
Richard previously worked as the Research and Evaluation Lead for the North Wales Regional School Improvement Service (GwE) and a Senior Learning Advisor with Flintshire County Council.
He is currently an Honorary Associate Professor at the School of Education, Communication and Learning Sciences at the University of Warwick and an Honorary Senior Research Fellow at Bangor University.
Publications
| Year | Publication | Type |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | An Evaluation of Secondary School Students’ Use and Understanding of Learning Strategies to Study and Revise for Science Examinations, EDUCATION SCIENCES. [DOI] Fatema Sultana;Richard C. Watkins;Tarek Al Baghal;John Carl Hughes |
Peer Reviewed Journal |
| 2025 | Investigating the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the education of Gypsy, Roma and Traveller learners in Wales, Welsh Government . Richard Watkins;Fatema Sultana;Adina Grigorie;Emma Tiesteel;J Carl Hughes |
Other Publication |
| 2025 | Adding implementation support to a universal Acceptance and Commitment Therapy-based school well-being intervention: A cluster-randomised controlled trial, Journal of Contextual Behavioral Science. [DOI] Atiyya Nisar;Richard C. Watkins;Duncan Gillard;Corinna F. Grindle;Paul A. Thompson;Jane Pegram;Richard P. Hastings |
Peer Reviewed Journal |
| 2024 | The effects and costs of an anti-bullying program (KiVa) in UK primary schools: a multicenter cluster randomized controlled trial, Psychological medicine. [DOI] Lucy Bowes;Malavika Babu;Julia R. Badger;Matthew R. Broome;Rebecca Cannings-John;Suzy Clarkson;Elinor Coulman;Rhiannon Tudor Edwards;Tamsin Ford;Richard P. Hastings;Rachel Hayes;Fiona Lugg-Widger;Eleri Owen-Jones;Paul Patterson;Jeremy Segrott;Mia Sydenham;Julia Townson;Richard C. Watkins;Holly Whiteley;Margiad E. Williams;the Stand Together Team;Judy Hutchings |
Peer Reviewed Journal |
| 2024 | Where Are the Costs? Using an Economic Analysis of Educational Interventions Approach to Improve the Evaluation of a Regional School Improvement Programme, EDUCATION SCIENCES. [DOI] Emma Tiesteel;Richard C. Watkins;Carys Stringer;Adina Grigorie;Fatema Sultana;J. Carl Hughes |
Peer Reviewed Journal |
| 2024 | The factors that inform school leaders’ decisions when adopting programmes to use in schools, Cylchgrawn Addysg Cymru / Wales Journal of Education. [DOI] Jane Pegram;Carl Hughes;Marguerite Hoerger;Richard C. Watkins |
Peer Reviewed Journal |
| 2024 | The influence of Covid-19 on the independent study habits of learners. Welsh Government. Retrieved from, Welsh Government . Richard Watkins;Fatema Sultana;J Carl Hughes |
Other Publication |
| 2023 | Effects of implementation support on children's reading outcomes following an online early reading programme: A cluster‐randomised controlled trial, British Journal of Educational Technology. [DOI] Emily J. Roberts‐Tyler;Sarah E. Roberts;Richard Watkins;J. Carl Hughes;Richard P. Hastings;David Gillespie |
Peer Reviewed Journal |
| 2023 | Collaborative school improvement: Developing research-informed support for social justice, Child poverty in Wales: Exploring the challenges for schooling future generations . Richard Watkins |
Book Chapter |
| 2023 | Mainstream and special schools’ use of well‐being programmes: A regional survey, British Educational Research Journal. [DOI] Atiyya Nisar;Richard P. Hastings;Richard C. Watkins;Sharon Williams |
Peer Reviewed Journal |
| 2023 | An evaluation of the roles and responsibilities of executive headteachers in Wales, National Academy for Educational Leadership Wales. Richard Watkins;Fatema Sultana;Adina Grigorie;Emma Tiesteel;Luke Sibieta;J Carl Hughes |
Other Publication |
| 2022 | Assessing the range and evidence‐base of interventions in a cluster of schools, Review of Education. [DOI] | Peer Reviewed Journal |
| 2022 | The UK stand together trial: protocol for a multicentre cluster randomised controlled trial to evaluate the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of KiVa to reduce bullying in primary schools, BMC Public Health. [DOI] | Peer Reviewed Journal |
| 2022 | From evidence‐informed to evidence‐based: An evidence building framework for education, Review of Education. [DOI] | Peer Reviewed Journal |
| 2022 | Factors From Middle Childhood That Predict Academic Attainment at 15–17 Years in the UK: A Systematic Review, Frontiers in Education. [DOI] | Peer Reviewed Journal |
| 2022 | Evidence-based practice in schools: What’s really going on?, British Educational Research Association (BERA). Richard Watkins |
Other Publication |
| 2021 | Implementation Support Improves Outcomes of a Fluency-Based Mathematics Strategy: A Cluster-Randomized Controlled Trial, JOURNAL OF RESEARCH ON EDUCATIONAL EFFECTIVENESS, 14. [DOI] Owen, Kaydee L.;Hunter, Stacey H.;Watkins, Richard C.;Payne, Joshua S.;Bailey, Tom;Gray, Cameron;Hastings, Richard P.;Hughes, J. Carl |
Peer Reviewed Journal |
| 2021 | Assessing the Social Validity of the SAFMEDS Strategy From the Perspective of Teachers and Children, Frontiers in Education. [DOI] | Peer Reviewed Journal |
| 2021 | Implementation Support Improves Outcomes of a Fluency-Based Mathematics Strategy: A Cluster-Randomized Controlled Trial, JOURNAL OF RESEARCH ON EDUCATIONAL EFFECTIVENESS. [DOI] | Peer Reviewed Journal |
| 2021 | Teaching early numeracy to students with autism using a school staff delivery model, British Journal of Special Education. [DOI] | Peer Reviewed Journal |
| 2020 | Using an Instructional Fluency Approach to Teach Addition Skills in a Pupil Referral Unit: A Pilot Study, Wales Journal of Education. [DOI] | Peer Reviewed Journal |
| 2020 | Teaching Science to Students with Developmental Disabilities Using the Early Science Curriculum, SUPPORT FOR LEARNING. [DOI] | Peer Reviewed Journal |
| 2020 | Teaching science to pupils with SEND: using an evidence-based approach, Primary Science 165. | Peer Reviewed Journal |
| 2019 | Teaching science skills and knowledge to students with developmental disabilities: A systematic review, Journal of Research in Science Teaching. [DOI] | Peer Reviewed Journal |
| 2019 | The Collaborative Institute for Education Research, Evidence and Impact: A Case Study in developing regional research capacity in Wales, Wales Journal of Education. [DOI] | Peer Reviewed Journal |
| 2018 | The Collaborative Institute for Education Research, Evidence and Impact (CIEREI, Wales Journal of Education. [DOI] | Peer Reviewed Journal |
| 2017 | Welsh Government (2017) Exemplification materials at Key Stages 2 and 3 in science: Additional guidance for Level 5. Cardiff: Welsh Government, Welsh Government. | Other Publication |
| 2017 | Welsh Government (2017) Exemplification materials at Key Stages 2 and 3 in science: Additional guidance for Level 4. Cardiff: Welsh Government, Welsh Government. | Other Publication |
| 2017 | Re-thinking Educational Attainment and Poverty (REAP) - in Rural Wales, Bangor University. | Other Publication |
| 2016 | Evaluation of an online reading programme to improve pupils’ reading skills in primary schools: Outcomes from two implementation studies, Wales Journal of Education . | Peer Reviewed Journal |
| 2016 | Watkins, R. C. (2016) Key Stage 2 Science - Years 3 and 4: an exemplar scheme of work for learners in years 3 and 4. Hwb, Cardiff., | Other Publication |
| 2016 | Watkins, R. C. (2016) Key Stage 2 Science - Years 5 and 6: an exemplar scheme of work for learners in years 5 and 6. Hwb, Cardiff., | Other Publication |
| 2015 | Linking science to the wider curriculum, Primary Science: A guide to teaching practice. | Book Chapter |
| 2014 | Curriculum change and raising standards: the Welsh perspective, Primary Science 133. | Peer Reviewed Journal |
| 2012 | Linking science to the wider curriculum, Primary Science: A guide to teaching practice. . | Book Chapter |
| 2010 | Primary-secondary transfer: a science perspective, Primary Science Review 111. | Peer Reviewed Journal |
| 2007 | Primary Project Box, Primary Project Box. | Book Chapter |
| 2007 | Get Out of the Classroom to Study Climate Change – The Spring Bulbs for Schools Investigation, Primary Science Review 97. | Peer Reviewed Journal |
| 2006 | Are you listening? Primary science and the human ear, Primary Science Review 93. | Peer Reviewed Journal |
| 2005 | Scientific Reasoning – The pterodactyl and the crow, Primary Science Review 89. | Peer Reviewed Journal |
Employment
| Employer | Position | From/To |
|---|---|---|
| North Wales Regional School Improvement Service (GwE) | Research & Evaluation lead | 2013 - 2025 |
| Wrexham University | Principal Lecturer in Research and Enquiry in Schools | 2025 |
| Flintshire local authority | Senior learning advisor | 2007 - 2013 |
Education
| Institution | Qualification |
|---|---|
| University of Liverpool | Doctor of Philosophy |
| Bangor University | Postgraduate Certificate in Education |
| University of Liverpool | BSc |
Other Activities
| Institution | Title |
|---|---|
| University of Warwick | Honorary Associate Professor |
| Bangor University | Honorary Senior Research Fellow |