Miranda Barker

Biography

Miranda is a Senior Lecturer in Education and Special Educational Needs and Inclusion who started at Newman University in early 2023 and currently works with the Education and Multi-Professional Practice Team, teaching on the BA in Educational Studies, Education and SEND and Master’s in Education courses.

Prior to this, Miranda was a Senior Lecturer in Primary Education with responsibility for Special Educational Needs and Inclusion at Birmingham City University working across the BA and PGCE as well as on the Early Career Framework courses.

Miranda qualified as a primary school teacher from the University of Warwick in 1998 and her previous experience includes 11 years working as a class teacher in primary schools, including being a special educational needs coordinator and senior leadership positions.

From 2009 until 2019, Miranda worked as a specialist teacher with Warwickshire Local Authority advising on how best to support pupils with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities, working with a diverse range of schools, young people and their families in partnership with other multi agency professionals. She has also held the role of Strategic Lead for SEND with a multi-academy trust.

Miranda is passionate about improving the aspirations, outcomes and experiences of all children with special educational needs and disabilities through high quality training for new and existing teachers. She is committed to improving experiences for all students with disabilities within higher education so that they feel valued, a strong sense of belonging and achieve their full potential. Miranda has worked collaboratively with disability and well-being services to develop training opportunities and have engaged in faculty practitioner research into Belonging and Mattering working as part of a staff and student research community.

The subject of Miranda’s doctoral study is the daily transition between home and school for girls with autism but she is also an active member of the Attachment Research Community and National Network for Specialist Providers. She is interested in all areas of special educational needs and disabilities and has formed partnerships with local mainstream and specialist providers.

Profile

Teaching

Miranda teaches across modules on the BA (Hons) Studies in Primary Education, Education and SEND and the Master’s in Education courses. She will also guest lecture on other courses within the University, particularly in Initial Teacher Education with a focus on SEND and Inclusion.

 

Administrative Responsibilities

Miranda is responsible for Special Educational Needs and Disabilities across the Faculty of Education. She provides supervision for students on the Master’s programmes and will be an Academic Personal Tutor for those within the EMPP courses.

 

Membership of Professional Organisations

Miranda is an active member of the National Association of Special Educational Needs and the Attachment Research Community.