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Lisa Panford

Course Lead - PGCE Secondary Modern Languages
Associate Professor

Lisa Panford

About Research

Email: lisa.panford@stmarys.ac.uk

Biography

Lisa Panford (SFHEA) is an Associate Professor and Course Lead for Secondary PGCE Languages at St Mary’s University, where she also serves as Theme Co‑Lead for Inclusion, Wellbeing and Social Justice within the Thea Bowman Research Centre. She is a member of the Doctoral College at St Mary’s University.

In 2025, Lisa was appointed Associate Fellow of the Institute of Languages, Cultures and Societies (ILCS) at the School of Advanced Study, University of London. She contributes to national conversations on language education through several leadership roles: she serves on the Editorial Group of The Language Gateway, sits on the Advisory Committee for Languages at the British Academy, and is a Council Member of the Association for Language Learning (ALL). She is also an Executive Committee Member for the National Association of Language Advisers (NALA) and she is a Member of the Chartered Institute of Teaching. In 2021, Lisa founded and continues to co‑chair the ALL Special Interest Group on Decolonising the Secondary MFL Curriculum.

Before entering higher education, Lisa worked for over 14 years as a languages teacher in London secondary schools, progressing to the role of Lead Practitioner. She has also served as a senior examiner for a national awarding body and as a resource reviewer for Oxford University Press.

Lisa is currently the practice‑based co‑supervisor for a collaborative doctoral award titled Empowering Critical Thinking and Language Acquisition through Artivism and Media Arts. Her research interests focus on the intersections of race and languages within secondary education and teacher education, with particular attention to anti‑racism, race equity, and decolonial approaches to curriculum and pedagogy.

Research

Research profile

Publications

  • Panford, L (in press) Going back to fetch pictorial counternarratives: Sankofic praxis with Black African international trainee teachers of languages in England. In S.A Smythe (ed). Transnationalising Black Studies. Liverpool University Press
  • Panford, L (ed.) (2025) This is Not a Handbook: A collection of think pieces and practice notes aiming to strengthen decolonising and anti-racist approaches in the secondary languages classroom. Association for Language Learning.
  • Panford, L (2025) An outline of key policy areas requiring urgent intervention in secondary Languages in England. In (ed). Panford, L This is Not a Handbook Association for Language Learning.
  • Panford, L (2025) The Recruitment and Retention of Languages Teachers of Colour from the Global South in England. Languages, Society and Policy Journal The Recruitment and Retention of Languages Teachers of Colour from the Global South in England
  • Broom, K., Claro, J., Lamb, A., Panford, L., Roberts, S., Waret, M. in Gordon, A & Molway, L. (2025) (eds.): ‘Supporting a trainee who is struggling to meet the standards’ Mentoring Matters, Routledge.
  • Panford, L (2025) ‘The EdD and holding up my end of the bargain’ BERA Blog Special Issue The EdD and holding up my end of the bargain | BERA
  • Panford, L (2025) Policy Recommendations for an Anti-racist Languages Education. Insights for policy from practice. Centre for Research into the Education of Marginalised Children and Young Adults.
  • Panford, L. (2024). On ‘Finding pockets of possibility for anti-racism’, in Czerniawski, G. and James, M. (eds.) Curriculum in a Changing World. British Educational Research Association (BERA) / Troubador Publishing,
  • Glowach, T, Mitchell, R, Bennett, T, Donaldson, L, Jefferson, J, Panford, L, Saleh, A, Smee, K, Wells- Dion, B, Hemmings, E (2022). Making spaces for collaborative action and learning: Reflections on teacher-led decolonising initiatives from a professional learning network in England. The Curriculum Journal BERA https://doi.org/10.1002/curj.186
  • Panford, L (2022). A Year in the Life of the ALL Decolonise Secondary MFL Curriculum Special Interest Group. Languages Today. Issue 41. Association for Language Learning.
  • Panford, L (2021) Race and Racism in Secondary Modern Foreign Languages ReflectED: St Mary’s Journal of Education ISSN 2046-6986 Volume 8, Number 1, May 2021, p. 1-12.
  • Panford, L (2021). Tackling Racial Bias in Secondary MFL. Languages Today. Issue 37. Association for Language Learning

Selected conference papers and media

  • Bevan, K, Panford, L, Waret, M & West, S (March, 2026) Speaking truths: cross-sector collaboration to advance racial equity in secondary languages education. Association for Language Learning Languages World Conference 
  • Pinheiro, D, Panford, L and Wells, N (October, 2025) Languages, University and Society. GEELLE – University of São Paulo 
  • Panford, L (July 2025) How do we interrogate our subject disciplinary and institutional policies and practices…as well as ourselves, through a social justice lens? School of Education Knowledge Exchange Event, St Mary’s University. 
  • Panford, L (June 2025) Keynote Lecture: Liberating MFL from [INSERT racial] insularity. Keynote: National Association for Language Advisers (NALA) AGM
  • Panford, L (April 2025) Sankofa and holding up my end of the bargain. School of Education Research Seminar Series, St Mary’s University
  • Panford, L, Henry-Grant, R, Ford, J (Dec 2024) What does it mean to have a diverse curriculum: Schools and Higher Education in Collaboration in English Studies and Modern Foreign Languages? Practice notes from the Decolonising Secondary Languages Special Interest Group The Institute of English Studies, School of Advanced Studies, University of London
  • Panford, L (March 2024) Speaking race and racism into the Secondary MFL curriculum. School of Education, Languages and Linguistics. University of Portsmouth.
  • Panford, L (2024) Introduction to the Evolving Work of the Decolonising Secondary MFL Curriculum Special Interest Group. National Consortium for Languages Education, University College London
  • Panford, L (2024) Working Towards a Decolonised Secondary Languages Education | Institute of Languages, Cultures & Societies (sas.ac.uk), University of London.
  • Panford, L (2023) What actions for teacher retention can proceed from the perspectives of languages trainees? Languages Gateway Launch in England. British Academy
  • Panford, L (2022) Innovation and creative practices in Languages Education in England. Developing language learning across the four nations: sharing innovative and creative approaches. BERA Developing language learning across the four nations: sharing innovative and creative approaches | BERA
  • Panford, L (2022) EDI & Epistemic Insight. Ed. Campbell, R. Crossing Silos: Promoting Critical Thinking with Epistemic Insight. St Mary’s University. Episode 3. https://open.spotify.com/episode/5auWTyxiqrlP2ox32XpbrT?si=jlM4szXXSJedoN0HGxp3fw
  • Panford, L (2022) ‘Diversifying’ the MFL Curriculum. DiverseEd Virtual IX October 2022. Diverse Educators Our Events Archive | Diverse Educators
  • Panford, L (2022) Wrestling, Embracing and Unpacking the Language of Race. Festival of Teaching & Learning, St Mary’s University.
  • Panford, L (2022) Working Collaboratively to Decolonise Secondary MFL. AMLUK Symposium, Institute of Modern Languages Research, University of London. Modern Languages and Inclusivity: Sharing Ideas and Practices | The Institute of Modern Languages Research (sas.ac.uk)
  • Panford, L & Wright, R (2022) Exploring Race and Racism in Secondary MFL, Teach West London Subject Leaders’ Conference.
  • Panford, L (2021) How do we create belonging for Early Career Teachers? NASBTT Annual Conference 2021 – From Emergency to Emergence
  • Panford, L & Irvine, M (2021) What does a decolonised, anti-racist MFL curriculum look like? ALL Languages World Conference 2021 & Transnationalising the Word Symposium AMLUK 2021, Institute of Modern Languages Research, University of London.

Teaching resource series:

All resources available for download here: Permission to Speak: Amplifying Marginalised Voices

  • Panford, L (2023) Sport and global sustainable development. Pearson
  • Panford, L (2023) The languages that textiles speak. Pearson
  • Panford, L (2023) Creole languages. Pearson
  • Panford, L (2023) Endangered Languages – Ladino. Pearson
  • Panford, L (2022) Language Learning For Environmental Justice. Pearson
  • Panford, L (2022) Exploring the Islamic Influence on Spanish Culture and Language. Pearson
  • Panford, L (2022) Talking About Race. Pearson
  • Panford, L (2021) Black History Month in the French, Spanish and German-Speaking World. Pearson

Media enquiries

For media enquiries, please contact our Press Office Team by emailing press.office@stmarys.ac.uk.