New chair of the qualifications consultation steering group announced

We are pleased to announce Professor Carol McGuinness as the new Chair of the Steering Group overseeing the consultation on the future of BPS-run qualifications. 

Carol, who is a current trustee and Chair of the Member Board, is Professor Emerita at Queen's University Belfast. She is a Chartered Psychologist, member of the Division of Academics, Researchers and Teachers in Psychology, the Cognitive Section, and the Northern Ireland Branch. Carol graduated from University College Dublin with a 1st class honours BA psychology degree in 1972, and an MA in 1974. 

She received her PhD from Queen's in 1979, where she has worked for most of her professional life, teaching and researching.

She has been a passionate advocate for teaching psychology, both locally in Northern Ireland and UK wide, and was awarded a National Teaching Fellow in 2000 (the first year the fellowships were awarded).

With a background in cognitive psychology, Carol's research has a strong educational focus. Her work on designing interventions to enhance children's classroom learning and evaluating early years interventions has a sharp policy/impact focus, being influential in several educational systems, as well as specifically informing changes to statutory curriculum requirements in Northern Ireland.

Carol's first act as Chair of the Steering Group has been to complete the shortlisting of applications for the remaining members of the Steering Group and the Expert Reference Group. All candidates will receive information about their applications this week. We want to thank everyone for their patience in bearing with us while we confirmed Carol as Chair. 

After trustees recently agreed to extend the consultation period, Carol and the rest of the Steering Group will now be working towards bringing together the evidence and the views of members, trainees, and other stakeholders to the Board of Trustees in Summer 2025.