The current opportunity is available for current Manchester Met students, to apply you must be based in the UK for the duration of the role.
The main purpose of this role is to provide research support to Kate Pahl for the Voices of the Future project by supporting a new small-scale evaluation project in St Helen's where we are testing and replicating the work.
This role will support the development of the impact case study in the field of children's engagement with treescapes.
Dates: 20 April - 17 July 2026
Hours: Up to 7 hours per week, flexible
Location: Manchester Met/St Helen's
Key Tasks
Research Activities
We are working with schools to track engagement of students with woodlands in schools in the St Helen's area, in partnership with The Mersey Forest. This is an impact project, and is designed to capture the impact of the Voices of the Future project which was a large-scale research project exploring children and young people's engagement with treescapes.
We require you to have a DBS and some experience of working with children and young people.
You will:
Plan, prioritise and organise own work or resources, with a focus on delivering workshops in schools.
Be aware of the literature on children's participation in woodlands.
Help with ethical application and understand ethical procedures and practices particularly in working with children and young people.
Contribute to the analysis of data and production of research reports and publications.
Use initiative and judgement to develop appropriate techniques in order to facilitate research work and resolve problems affecting the achievement of objectives and deadlines.
Liaison and Networking
- Present research to the team and in appropriate articles for publication, such as academic/professional journals or conferences.
- Participate in internal and external partnerships and networks in order to aid the dissemination of research findings, to share best practice, and to enhance the reputation of the University.
Service Provision
- Support an evaluation which can lead to an enhanced impact case study.
- Collaborate with academic colleagues on research development and future direction.
Team Working
- Actively participate as a member of the research team, working with The Mersey Forest and external organisations including The Harmony Project.
- Attend meetings with stakeholders as appropriate to proactively contribute to decision making.
- Make sure you are familiar with the protocols of working in schools including having a DBS, not using a mobile phone and safe-guarding.
- Support the project team through setting up the schools days, organising recording equipment and data collection and management.
Other
- Have an awareness of the field of education and English. Be familiar with participatory and creative methodologies.
- Have experience of working in schools.
Miscellaneous
You have a legal duty, so far as is reasonably practicable, to ensure that you do not endanger yourself or anyone else by your acts or omissions. In addition, you must cooperate with the University on health and safety matters and must not interfere or misuse anything provided for health, safety and welfare purposes.
You are responsible for applying the University’s Equal Opportunities Policy in your own area of responsibility and in your general conduct.
You have a responsibility to promote high levels of customer care within your own areas of work.
Such other relevant duties commensurate with the grade of the post as may be assigned by the Manager in agreement with you. Such agreement should not be unreasonably withheld.
You have the responsibility to engage with the University’s commitment to Environmental Sustainability in order to reduce its waste, energy consumption and carbon footprint.
You have the responsibility to engage with the University’s commitment to delivering value for money services that optimise the use of resources and therefore should consider this when undertaking all duties and aspects of your role.