Dr Lynette Shotton

Associate Professor

School: Communities and Education

As an Associate Professor, Lynette is an experienced academic with a track record of successful senior leadership in departmental (Head of Subject; Deputy Head of Department), faculty (Director of Access and Participation) and university wide (Interim Dean of Apprentices) roles. Her expertise is underlined by the award of Principal Fellow of the Higher Education Academy in 2023.

As Interim Dean of Apprentices between November 2023 and January 2025, Lynette joined the university senior executive leadership team with responsibility for the apprenticeship portfolio of 31 programmes spanning all four faculties. The portfolio is complex and subject to rigorous internal and external governance, including by the DfE and Education and Skills Funding Agency. During her tenure, the portfolio underwent a full Ofsted inspection with the outcome of Good, and Lynette was pivotal in developing and implementing the Post-Inspection Action Plan which brought about improvements to regulatory compliance and enhancements to the student journey.

Lynette has sustained sector wide global and national strategic leadership impact as an appointed member of the Advance HE Strategic Advisory Group for Teaching and Learning, where she works with 11 other senior leaders to shape the activity and direction of Advance HE. She is also a member of the Council of Deans Strategic Policy Group for Equality, Diversity and Inclusion where she consults and advises the Council on important issues influencing the education of healthcare students across the United Kingdom.

Lynette’s work on breastfeeding education and workforce development has had both sustained and widespread impact and is both nationally and internationally recognised. A key indicator of esteem is the inclusion of her work in UNICEF Baby Friendly Initiative Training, which is the most high-profile breastfeeding education package globally and is recommended in key NHS policy e.g. The NHS Plan. Through externally funded research and high-quality journal publications she has demonstrated how her work has shaped policy and practice widely across the breastfeeding workforce and is increasingly invited to present this work nationally and internationally at conferences and as an invited speaker.

Another key strand of Lynette’s work focuses on understanding and addressing educational inequality, particularly in relation to care experienced students. Here, leading funded research by the Welland Trust, she currently works with regional stakeholders (The Regional Care Leaver Steering Group) and with Become (The National Charity for Care Leavers) to advance knowledge and practice in this area.

Lynette’s work in education is both underpinned by and aligned to her professional background in nursing and health visiting and she retains current registration with the Nursing and Midwifery Council.

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Key Publications

Please visit the Pure Research Information Portal for further information
The impact of the Little Orange Book on how parents/carers manage symptoms of illness in children: A mixed methods study, Johnson, A., Carruthers, K., Breckons, M., Harland Shotton, L. 22 Jan 2025, In: PLoS One
A mixed methods evaluation of the breastfeeding memory aide CHINS, Shotton, L., Collins, T., Cordier, R., Chikwava, F., Steen, M. 1 Oct 2024, In: Maternal & Child Nutrition
A new memory aide to remember principles of attachment for effective breastfeeding, Shotton, L., Elliot, C., Nunn, R., Lane, K. 8 Apr 2024, RCN Education Forum National Conference & Exhibition 2024, Birmingham, Royal College of Nursing
Breastfeeding mothers' awareness and experience of using the breastfeeding memory aide CHINS: An exploratory descriptive qualitative study, Shotton, L., Collins, T. 1 Sep 2024, In: Reproductive, Female and Child Health
Care leavers’ journeys into university: A narrative study examined through a Bourdieusian lens, Shotton, L. 29 Jul 2024, In: Widening Participation and Lifelong Learning
Cost of living impacts on student engagement, continuation and Well-being - Staff Perspective, Shotton, L. 8 Apr 2024, Alliance of Working Class Academics
LATCHES – a memory aide for the principles of attachment for effective breastfeeding: findings of a regional pilot in the Northeast of England and North Cumbria, Shotton, L., Elliot, C. 15 Aug 2024, In: International Breastfeeding Journal
Perspective Chapter: Emotional Labour – Understanding and Responding to the Emotional Challenges of Nursing, Hareland Shotton, L. 3 Jul 2024, Nursing Studies - A Path to Success, London, IntechOpen
Sexual Violence and Abuse, Shotton, L. 13 May 2024, Supporting Survivors of Sexual Violence and Abuse, London, Routledge
Staff reflections on supporting students experiencing financial hardship, Graham, P., Hayman, R., Shotton, L., Goodall, A. 5 Jun 2024, NU EDI Conference 2024

Professional Activity

Please visit the Pure Research Information Portal for further information
Invited talk: CHINS and LATCHES, International Research, Education and Practice 2026
Invited talk: CHINS and LATCHES: International research, education and practice 2026
Publication Peer-review: Health Psychology and Behavioral Medicine (Journal) 2025
Invited talk: CHINS and LATCHES: Two memory aides for breastfeeding 2025
Organising a conference, workshop, ...: Supporting care experienced students journeys into HE. 1 day training event delivered by Become The National Charity for Care Leavers 2025
Invited talk: CHINS and LATCHES two memory aides for breastfeeding education and practice 2025
Oral presentation: Annual Commercialising Social Science Innovations for Impact 2024
Invited talk: An evaluation of the Little Orange Book 2024
Other: A qualititative evaluation of Become The National Charity for Care Leavers Uni Rewady Programme 2024
Oral presentation: “Trying to juggle study and work”: University staff reflections on supporting students experiencing financial hardship 2024

PGR Supervision

Marie Millican Using creative methods to improve engagement to public health services with looked after children and young people (LACYP) in the North East. Start Date: 29/11/2023
Julie Alderson Being the non-traditional student in higher education: how does this impact on engagement with biosciences in undergraduate adult nursing programmes Start Date: 01/10/2023
Sarah Greenshields A retrospective, phenomenological study examining how care experience influences diet and eating practices. Start Date: 22/05/2019 End Date: 04/03/2025