Studies in Primary Education (BA)

Semester 1

Week beginning: 22 September 2025

• Monday: 3pm to 6pm
• Tuesday: 9am to 12pm
• Thursday: 12pm to 3pm

Full details of your individual academic timetable, including Semester 2 timetable which may differ, will be available via your University email calendar after you have completed online enrolment and set up your student login.

Before joining us, please complete the following tasks:

1. Look at News stories related to Education and Special Educational Needs and Disabilities. Identify one that you find interesting and email the link to Miranda (m.barker@staff.newman.ac.uk) with a short introduction about yourself and why you have chosen this course. I look forward to hearing from you!
2. Reflecting on our own experiences of education allows us to think about some very important issues, consider your response to the following questions. We will discuss these in our sessions:
   • What is education?
   • What is education for?
   • What does education “do”?
   • Is education fair? If not, why not?
   • What would you change about education?
3. Please watch the below short video by Sir Ken Robinson. Do you agree with what he is claiming? Why?

Do schools kill creativity? (Video link)

• Tuesday 16 September 2025
• 10:30am to 1pm
• Room DA118

IMPORTANT: Please bring your photo ID with you to complete the ID verification check for Student Finance confirmation.

We are a warm, welcoming team who have a range of professional expertise that you will draw upon during your studies with us.

The Education Studies includes: Dr. Steve Dixon, Dr. Ben Johnson, Andrew Edgar, Dr. Linda Enow, Dr Jo Trowsdale and Miranda Barker.

Dr Steve Dixon

Steve is a Senior Lecturer in Education, Childhood and Professional Studies, and teaches on a range of programmes, including the BA (Hons) in Studies in Primary Education, the Foundation Degree in Education, Teaching and Learning in Practice, the MA (Education) and the Professional Doctorate in Education (EdD), for which he also supervises doctoral students.

Previously a Senior Lecturer in ICT, Steve specialises in E-learning, and the use of multimedia in learning and teaching, with particular focus on web-based materials and web design, as well as film making (he is an Apple Certified Pro). He also acts as external consultant and external examiner for other universities.

He is a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy, and a member of the Executive Committee of BESA (the British Education Studies Association), for which he acts as Secretary. He is on the Board of Reviewers for the journals: Pastoral Care in Education, Educational Futures and Transformations, and is currently co-editor of Educational Futures.

Dr Ben Johnson

Dr Ben Johnson – Ben is a Senior Lecturer in Education at Newman University. He has over eight years’ experience of teaching and leadership in Primary schools setting across the UK. He completed his PhD in 2020 conducting a narrative inquiry into teachers’ perceptions on creating communities of practice that disrupt heteronormativity in primary schools.

Andrew Edgar

Andrew is a Senior Lecturer in Education, Childhood and professional Studies. Andrew teaches a range of courses relating to the primary curriculum and SEND. Andrew has a special interest in neurodiversity and the experiences of neurodivergent children within the primary school system. He was a primary school teacher prior to working at Birmingham Newman University.

Dr Linda Enow

Linda is a Senior Lecturer in the department of Education, Childhood and Professional Studies within the Faculty of Education. She teaches on the undergraduate and postgraduate programmes.

On the undergraduate programmes, Linda’s teaching focuses on alternative education, reflective practice and research methods. Her postgraduate contribution centres on learning, teaching and educational assessment. Linda is also the MA Education (Online) programme leader.

Dr Jo Trowsdale

Jo Trowsdale is Senior Lecturer in Education, Childhood and Professional Studies.

She leads the MA in Education (on-campus), teaching Sociology of Education and Research Methods. She also teaches Creativity for BA Education Studies.

Jo has extensive experience in teacher education in both primary and secondary phases. As a regional director of the national Creative Partnerships programme (2002-11) she enabled school improvement, curricula and pedagogic developments between professional artists, businesses and teachers.

Her research is concerned with the importance of ‘art making’ practices as a context for more personally meaningful, inter- and transdisciplinary learning that stimulates pupils’ affective as well as cognitive dimensions. This includes the role of the arts in STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics) education.

Jo is a co-convenor for the new STEAM Education Research network of the British Education Research Association (BERA) and continues to work directly with schools, teachers, pupils and artists. She is a Senior Fellow of the HEA.

Miranda Barker

Miranda is a Senior Lecturer in Education and Special Educational Needs and Inclusion. She works within the Education, Childhood and Professional Studies courses teaching on the BA in Studies in Primary Education, Education and SEND as well as Master’s and Foundation Level courses.

Miranda has been a primary teacher, Special Educational Needs Coordinator, Multi-Academy Trust Lead for SEND and Inclusion and a Specialist Teacher for Warwickshire Local Authority.

You will be studying a range of modules, the Philosophy of Education, an Academic Skills module, Child development.

Modules are taught by our team of friendly and supportive lecturers.

You will be engaged in a range of learning and teaching opportunities including lectures, seminars, workshops and independent study.