Dr John Parry

Post:	Honorary Senior Lecturer (School of Education and Social Work)
Location:	ESSEX HOUSE
Email:	J.Parry@sussex.ac.uk

What is this?

Biography

John’s concern for the environment stems from his childhood in mid-Wales.  His early career included touring an environmental lecture titled Our Spaceship Earth to 120 schools in the UK.  At the age of 21, while working in Atlanta's Coca-Cola USA advertising department, which had just launched their 'It's the Real Thing' campaign, he suggested to the President of the Company, Fred Dickson, the making of world wide 'real thing' environmental films by young people for young people from all the countries in which Coca-Cola was sold and likes to think this might have influenced I’d like to teach the World to Sing! 

On return to the UK and having gained a B.Ed (Hons) from Reading University,  he trained and worked in Teaching English as a Foreign Language at International House, London, and toured an environmental English teaching workshop throughout Europe.

John was founder editor of both the Young Persons National Trust magazine and the 'Resources' teachers’ magazine for 5 years and wrote the first book for children about the National Trust (runner up in the 1984 TES Information Book Awards) which led to him writing and presenting six programmes for Children’s ITV titled Passport to Treasure.

As Director of Studies at a leading special school, John led environmental film making expeditions for teenagers, before being invited to submit an education research bid on environmental education under the Economic and Social Research Council’s Global Environmental Change programme.  This study was based in 4 national wildlife sites including the Railway Land Local Nature Reserve in which John has played a major role since 1988 when he co-founded with others the Railway Land Wildlife Trust and helped steer the Trust through the building of the Linklater Pavilion, designed by Roger Beasley, and opened in 2010.

John gained a doctorate by the University of Sussex in 2001 and, as an associate of the Panel for Education for Sustainable Development, played a key role in establishing education for sustainable development in the National Curriculum of 2000.

He has led environmental projects at Moulsecoomb, Whitehawk, Bevendean and Coldean primary schools in Brighton and worked with Barcombe, St Pancras, Rodmell and Wallands Primary Schools in a Pupils as Scientists project supported by the National Endowment for Science, Technology and the Arts. 

John has been awarded two Earthwatch fellowships to Hungary and Costa Rica, advised the Dubai government  on setting up out-of-school environmental clubs and is a visiting fellow of the Environmental Change Institute at Oxford University.

As a founder member of the Lewes Railway Land Wildlife Trust in 1988, he established the first Junior Management Board for a Local Nature Reserve in England in 1996 and led on several environmental education campaigns and initiatives culminating in the building of the Linklater Pavilion in Lewes as a local community hub for the study of environmental change – recognised with an MBE in the New Year’s Honours List of 2017.

Role

Part-time Senior Teaching Fellow at the University of Sussex and currently Convenor of the Role Model elective in collaboration with the Sussex Students Union.  Along with Natasha Mansley, winner of the University Better World Teaching Award, 2019.

Main research interest in education for sustainable development following a community-based action research project within the Economic and Social Research Council's Global Environmental Change programme 1994 – 1997 and a Doctorate in 2001. 

Member of the Panel on Education for Sustainable Development in the Schools Sector which reported to the DfEE and the QCA in 1998.

Consultant to the Dubai administration on the setting up of out of school environmental clubs for young people. 

Other research interests have included  ‘student voice' in the City of Portsmouth; paired mentoring and peer learning in initial teacher education; bonding, bridging and linking social capital associated with green spaces and adults with learning disabilities.

Co-author, with Gerard Macdonald, of ‘Pupils as Scientists' research project sponsored by Nesta involving Knowledge Forum software developed by Toronto University. 

Managed a 5 year Interreg project involving adults with learning disabilities in conservation and recording environmental change in Sussex and Normandie which was both a regional and national finalist in the Health and Social Care Awards of 2006 and 2007.

Founder member of the Lewes Railway Land Wildlife Trust in 1988.   Established the first Junior Management Board for a Local Nature Reserve in England in 1996 and led on many linked campaigns and initiatives culminating in the building of the Lewes Linklater Pavilion, designed by Roger Beasley, as a local community hub for the study of environmental change – recognised with an MBE in the New Year’s Honours List of 2017.