Education, Teaching and Learning in Practice Foundation degree

Semester 1

Week beginning 22 September 2025

• Tuesday
  • 1pm to 3pm
  • 4pm to 6pm
  • 6:30pm to 8:30pm

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 arriving, please read Bartlett, S. and Burton, D. (2020) Introduction to Education Studies and watch the following clip of Sir Ken Robinson asking if ‘Schols kill creativity?’

• Tuesday 16 September 2025
• 3:30pm – 6pm
• Room HI103

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

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 Ben Johnson

Dr Ben Johnson 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. His research interests include, critical pedagogy, developing equality, inclusivity and diversity provision in schools, social justice and issues of teacher agency and empowerment.

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.

Mark Cronin

Prior to entering Higher Education, I worked as a Children and Families Social Worker in both the statutory sector in a Local Authority Care Management Team in Birmingham and in the voluntary sector for the Sir John Middlemore Charitable Trust in a community-based Family Centre in South Birmingham. I have also worked for a number of other voluntary organisations involved in supporting families and direct work with children and young people including Barnardo’s and St Basil’s. Before commencing my career as a social worker, I studied Psychology with Health Studies at the University of Luton and then completed my diploma in Social Work and MA in Social Work at the University of Birmingham. I am currently registered on the MPhil/PhD programme at the Institute of Education at University College London. My research interests are around Looked After Children/Care Leavers, safeguarding children, Early Years social policy, men in early childhood, constructs of childhood, resilience, emotional literacy and working with children and families.

Kate Dudley

Kate is employed at Newman University as a senior lecturer and course co-ordinator on the foundation degree in Early Years and BA (Honours) Early Childhood, Education and Care. Currently the placement co-ordinator for the early year’s undergraduate programs, Kate is passionate about developing students’ knowledge, skills and passion for early years practice. She teaches across a range of modules including Professional Development and Practice, an introduction to Play, Constructions of Childhood and a range of inclusion-based modules. Kate has a passion for inclusive practice and enjoys her role as module leader to support students through their own professional journey.

Dr Jane Beniston

Jane has worked in primary education for over 10 years, first as a reception class teacher, then moving on to Foundation Stage coordinator, opening a new 60 place nursery and finally acting Head Teacher, in a variety of different schools. Her roles within these schools included RE coordinator and math’s leader within KS1 and KS2. Jane has worked at Newman for 20 years teaching across undergraduate, foundation degree and master’s provision within the school of Education. Her main teaching lies within the Early Childhood Studies and Foundation Degree programme. Jane also previously led the Early Years Initial Teacher Training programme (EYITT) leading to Early Years Teacher status (EYT).

In Year 1 semester 1 you will take:

• EDF401: The Interdependent Learner.
• EDF402: Children and Young people’s development.
• EDF407: Philosophies of Education.

These modules will help orient you towards life at Newman, exploring the key theoretical underpinnings of studying education as an academic discipline as well as developing your study skills in preparation for Level 4.

In Year 2, semester 1 you will be taking:

• EDF501: Social justice and human rights
• EDF502: Safeguarding Children, Young People and Families.
• EDF507: Growing up Global

Welcome back and for this semester you will be deepening your knowledge of the education system looking at the wider sociological and global contexts of education.