Prior to starting the course:

1. Watch these two videos

2. Introduce yourself

Write and introduce yourself to myself, Miranda Barker – m.barker@staff.newman.ac.uk. In your email, let me know:

– Why you have chosen this course
– Which video you enjoyed most and what you have learned about education from this video.
– Anything else that you think it would be helpful for me to know about you
– And any questions.

3. Reading list

You may wish to familiarise yourself with aspects of the course by reading:

• Aubrey, K and Riley, A (2026) Understanding and Using Educational Theories Fourth Edition. London, Sage.
• Bartlett, S and Burton, D (2024) Introduction to Education Studies 6th Edition London, Sage
• Crossley, Nicola and Hewitt, Des (2025) Inclusion: A Principled Guide for Early Career Teachers Taylor and Francis

In our induction session, you will learn about the team, get to meet each others, find out more about the course and Birmingham Newman University:

Wednesday 16 September

• 10:00-12:30 (Room HI104) and
• 12:30 – 13:30 (Room HI001)

IMPORTANT: Please bring your photo ID with you on this date to complete enrolment.

Semester 1 starts week beginning 21 September

• Mondays 12.00-15.00
• Tuesdays 12.00-15.00
• Wednesdays 9.00-12.00

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 the pre-arrival task online and set up your student login.

For your first semester, Lectures will be on Mondays (12-3pm), Tuesdays (12pm-3pm) and Wednesdays (9-12noon). You will be exploring the Purpose and Philosophy of Education, Child development and Curriculum Approaches.

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

Your programme lead is Miranda Barker (m.barker@staff.newman.ac.uk). Miranda is passionate about supporting children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities and has previously held positions as a SENCo, Specialist Advisor for SEND and a Multi-Academy Trust Inclusion Lead.

We are a warm, welcoming team who have a range of professional expertise that you will learn more about during your studies with us. The Education Studies Team includes: Dr Steve Dixon, Andrew Edgar, Dr. Linda Enow, Dr. Liz Titley and Dr. Jo. Trowdale, Our Head of Subject is Sinead Joyce and our wonderful administrator is Sandra Scott.