Holding several different specialist teaching qualifications for the last twelve years has enabled me to fulfil my passion for supporting children with SEND and also contributed to me achieving a Masters in SEN and Inclusion. This enthusiasm developed initially alongside a desire to support my own children in their learning and having been a nursery nurse from the outset of my career I then found a drive to become a qualified teacher in 2009. I thrive on being challenged both academically and professionally, shaping these skills since 2004 when I achieved a First Class Honours Degree. I am now working towards a professional doctorate with the Open University.
Having left school at 16 with no formal qualifications, a CSE grade 2 being the highest of those I did achieve, I am under no illusion that my degree has been a life changer for me. I believe that we come to education when the time is right, my own academic career and my work with the Open University confirms this.
I am researching within SEND and more specifically Vision Impairment. My doctorate: ‘When education is not enough: the importance of self-advocacy for children with Vision Impairment’ explores the lived experiences of transition between primary and secondary school for this cohort of children. I am researching the children’s use of self-advocacy in education as a means of gaining equitable access to the curriculum. Currently in my third year, I hope to complete my doctorate within the next academic year.
As an AL, I teach on E209 ‘Developing Subject Knowledge for the Primary Years’. I have also taught on E103 ‘Learning and Teaching in the Primary Years’. I hold a FHEA.
In my teaching career I have taught from Early Years up to and including Year 8 pupils. I have taught across the core subjects and Religious Studies. I have been a SENCo, a specialist assessor/ teacher and a Qualified Teacher for Vision Impairment. In this final role, I work with children and young people from 0 – 21 in a range of educational settings.
I have consulted on E309 ‘Comparative and International Studies in Primary Education’, working on Block 4: Professionalism, professional development, and professional conversations.