NCTJ Diploma in Journalism

Kenneth Toft, BA, MA, FHEA, JP is a Criminal Court Magistrate with more than twenty years of judicial experience, having presided over a wide range of criminal proceedings and contributed significantly to the administration of justice. His legal career is marked by extensive expertise in criminal law, criminal procedure, and courtroom practice, with a strong emphasis on fairness, due process, and judicial ethics. In addition to this, he has served within the Family courts and the Central Criminal Court as part of the appeals against sentence and convict ion.

Adding to his work on the bench, Mr. Toft is an academic with a specialist focus on journalism and media law, examining the relationship between the justice system, the press, and the public. His academic interests include court reporting, legal accuracy, domestic violence and the responsible coverage of judicial proceedings.

He also possesses advanced expertise in shorthand, supporting precise legal transcription and the accurate recording of court proceedings, and brings this practical skill into both his teaching and scholarly work.

Beowulf “Wulfie” Mayfield has been a lecturer in Journalism specialising in technical skills since 2019. He studied English at the University of Ulster at Coleraine (now Ulster University) in Northern Ireland before becoming a newspaper journalist. He worked as a reporter, feature writer, reviewer and sub-editor at newspapers in Banbury, Stratford-upon-Avon and greater London. He has also worked as a press officer for the Dogs Trust and an independent record label called Babel.

From 2016 – 2020 he produced and presented the Billy Jenkins Listening Club podcast.

He has a particular interest in experimental photography, documentary photography and making the enjoyment of photography available to people with disability though inclusive collaboration. Some of his video work has been shown at film festivals in Southeast London.

He designed The Hillingdon Herald newspaper, lays out many of its pages while teaching students how to produce their own pages for the publication.

Steve is an award-winning former regional newspaper editor who has been lecturing at Brunel since 2013. His speciality is media law, and he is also Head of News at the acclaimed Hillingdon Herald newspaper, which is produced by students for the borough.

He first entered newspapers in 1982, working for a succession of titles home and abroad, before being appointed Group Editor of the Bucks Free Press in 1994, a position he held until 2013.

Steve joined Brunel in 2013 as an hourly paid lecturer while also running a successful public relations company. He was employed full time at the university in 2016, and is also now joint co-ordinator of Brunel's National Council for the Training of Journalists (NCTJ) Diploma scheme.

In 2019, Steve was awarded prize of Lecturer of the Year for his college, CBASS, after a student vote. Previously, he was editor in 1997 when the Bucks Free Press was voted Weekly Newspaper of the Year in the country. His most notable triumph as a PR practitioner was leading a successful publicity and fundraising campaign to create an iconic sculpture of legendary singer David Bowie in the centre of Aylesbury.

Rachel Sharp is a Senior Lecturer in Journalism at Brunel University London. She is an experienced newspaper editor and an award-winning multimedia journalist. Her principal research and professional interests include social justice and political reporting.

She began her career as a trainee reporter at a local newspaper. Following the completion of her senior professional qualifications, she progressed to the role of Chief Reporter in a large London newsroom and was subsequently promoted to Editor of three regional newspapers in West London. Prior to joining Brunel University London, she served as Group Editor for seven Newsquest newspaper titles across West and North London.

Rachel Sharp has extensive professional networks within the journalism industry and has received multiple awards, including recognition for video journalism, Newspaper of the Year, Campaign of the Year, and newspaper design. She is also a board member for Public Affairs (Political Reporting) at the National Council for the Training of Journalists (NCTJ).