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Mrs Louise Barltrop

Profile summary

  • Research Student
  • Research Student
  • Faculty of Wellbeing, Education & Language Studies
  • louise.barltrop

Professional biography

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.

Research interests

My research field is 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 both personal agency and self-advocacy in education as a means of gaining equitable access to the curriculum.  Currently in my fourth year, I hope to complete my doctorate within the next academic year.

Teaching interests

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.

Impact and engagement

I have consulted on E309 ‘Comparative and International Studies in Primary Education’, working on Block 4: Professionalism, professional development, and professional conversations.