Bev Coombridge is an educator and researcher at Bethlehem Tertiary Institute, New Zealand, with over two decades of experience spanning early years, primary, and secondary education across New Zealand, Bahrain, and England. Her leadership journey includes roles as a Headteacher in England, successfully leading school improvement initiatives, and as a Deputy Headteacher in Bahrain, mentoring teachers and implementing curriculum reforms.
A doctoral candidate at the University of Buckingham with submission imminent, Bev's research explores how assessment design can nurture student agency among five-to-seven-year-olds in Aotearoa New Zealand classrooms. Using culturally responsive collaborative action research, her study reconceptualises student agency for young students by positioning resilience in a foundational capacity. As a Pākehā researcher, she acknowledges the wisdom within Māori concepts such as whakapapa, whānau, and manaakitanga, which offer valuable perspectives that broaden dominant models of student agency, reframing it as a collective intergenerational strength rather than merely an individual trait.
As a teacher educator, she focuses on the Teaching as Inquiry cycle, supporting future primary, secondary and early years teachers in developing impactful reflective practice. Beyond teaching, Bev serves on BTI’s Research and Ethics committee. She is currently part of a research team of initial teacher educators exploring the impact of using video to support authentic student-teacher reflection during school placement experiences.
A registered teacher in New Zealand, Bev holds a Master of Education with distinction from the University of Buckingham and a Post Graduate Diploma in Educational Leadership with distinction from the University of Waikato.