Jade Wrathall is a Teaching Fellow at the University of Waikato. She has held a range of teaching and leadership roles across early childhood and primary sectors, working closely with schools in communities experiencing high levels of deprivation, as well as within the disability sector. Through this work, she has used the arts to support wellbeing and engagement in education. These experiences, alongside a strong commitment to social justice, led her to pursue doctoral study.

Jade completed her PhD at the University of Waikato, where her research examined children’s access to music education in primary and intermediate schools. Her work explored the role of social class, school structures, and policy enactment, drawing on the perspectives of children, parents, teachers, and principals to identify ways to improve equitable access to education. This research was recognised for its originality and rigour, receiving the Briar Sutton-Smith Award from the New Zealand Association for Research in Education (NZARE). She has since published in peer-reviewed journals and edited collections, contributing to scholarship on curriculum, assessment, and education policy.

Alongside her research, Jade teaches across undergraduate and postgraduate programmes in initial teacher education and education and society. Her teaching explores issues of equity and how policy shapes practice, and has been recognised through institutional awards for Early Career Academic Excellence and Teaching Excellence. Jade has also contributed to national policy initiatives through invited roles with the Ministry of Education and the New Zealand Council for Educational Research (NZCER).