Sarah Shaw
Senior Lecturer
Biography
Sarah joined the University of Chester in May 2023 as a Senior Lecturer in Special Educational Needs and Disabilities within the School of Education / Department for Childhood, Education and Professional Development. She is an experienced educational practitioner and has worked in mainstream secondary education for the past 17 years in a range of roles including SENCo and Senior Leadership. It was her passion for working with and supporting students with additional needs which led her to complete the National Award for Special Educational Needs Coordination (NASENCO) alongside her MA Education. Sarah has also completed further study in Dyslexia Research and Practice.
Teaching and Supervision
Sarah teaches on a range of modules at both undergraduate and postgraduate level. She teaches creative and inclusive approaches to teaching and learning, re-imagining pedagogy and practice, supporting learners with complex needs as well as adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and trauma-informed practice. Sarah also works with SENCOs on developing their professional knowledge and understanding of key statutory and regulatory contexts for SEND. Partnership work includes supporting educational settings to reflect on their inclusive approaches through practitioner enquiry as well as their responses to emotionally-based school avoidance. Sarah is currently enrolled on the Post Graduate Certificate in Teaching and Learning in Higher Education to further support her professional development in teaching and learning within HE and following her successful achievement of Associate Fellow (AFHEA) status she is now working towards achievement of Fellowship.
Research and Knowledge Exchange
Sarah is an advocate for inclusive practices within education and has a personal commitment to her own continuing professional development in the field of special educational needs and disabilities. Sarah's research interests which inform her university teaching include: neurodiversity, inclusive and trauma-informed practices, person-centred planning and the importance of obtaining the voices of children and young people. Sarah is also a member of the university's Neurodiversity Special Interest Group.