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Laura Purser

Laura Purser
  • Academic Programme Director BA Primary Education (QTS), Lecturer in Primary Education
  • Academic Programme Director for the BA Primary Education (QTS) 
  • Governance for academic side of the programme
  • Lecturer of Primary Education - lecturing across programmes, Initial Teacher Education (ITE), NASENCO, Education Studies: Child Development, Mental Health, Trauma Informed Practices, Neuropsychology, SEND and Inclusion.
  • Professional Studies Part 2 and 3 Module Convenor

  • ATP Dissertation Supervisor for BA Primary Education 
  • School Supervising Tutor

Areas of interest

Psychology of Education, Mental Health and Teacher Training, Interpersonal Neurobiology, Polyvagal Theory, Trauma Informed Educational Practices, Positive Behavioural Practices, Therapeutic Restorative Justice, Inclusion and Neurodiversity 

  • Considering the impact on child mental health and well-being through teacher development of emotional regulation strategies, sense of self concept and trauma attachment sensitive approaches that promote positive behaviour practices and policies in schools. 
  • Exploring the ways we can embed psychological and physiological safety through awareness of the nervous system (ANS) and the embodied brain to consider how we can use the research evidence base to inform our ITE curriculum for mental health to inform provision at differing educational levels: HE, school and within the wider community to facilitate a systems thinking approach to mental health. 
 

Postgraduate supervision

  • Psychology of Education
  • Mental Health and Well-Being
  • Inclusion, SEND, Neurodiversity
  • Executive Functioning, Working Memory and Cognition
  • Trauma Informed Practice

Research centres and groups

  • ITE and Professional Practice Research Centre Working Party

Research projects

  • Currently undertaking a Practitioner Doctorate of Education by Professional Record (EdD), considering questions around ‘What do we need to teach new teachers about child mental health?’, exploring the potential of utilising interpersonal neurobiology and psychological approaches to inform initial teacher education.
  • Designing an integrative training programme aiming to become effectively sequenced and embedded in an ITE curriculum to support teachers to inform their critically reflective practice, supporting child mental health and co-currently their own.
 

Academic qualifications

  • B.A Hons Psychology, PGCE QTS, Counselling Cert, NASENCO, CPsychol
  • B.A Hons Psychology 2:1 (The University of Manchester) 2006
  • Introduction to Counselling Certificate (Open University) 2007
  • Primary PGCE QTS (Newman University College) 2008
  • National Award for Special Needs Co-ordination (NASENCO) 2014
  • Chartered Psychologist – CPsychol (British Psychological Society\ a (BPS)) Psychology  of Education Section and Division of Academics, Researchers and Teachers in Psychology 2022
 

Publications

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