Anne Drury

About

I began my career as a teacher in Mainstream schools and taught pupils in both Early Years and Primary levels of education. My interest in the teaching and learning of pupils with special educational needs led to a move to the special school sector, where I remained for twenty years. It was an honour to be part of the education of pupils who had communication and social needs, vision and hearing impairment, and autism. My roles included Class Teacher, Communication and Language specialist, Deputy Head and eventually Head of the Research and Development Centre. It was at this time I gained my Masters Degree, specialising in working with pupils with communication and language difficulties.

I was fortunate to be part of a variety of international projects through the British Council and have worked with education professionals in South Africa, Germany, Romania, Portugal and Ghana. My work as a Specialist Leader in Education included providing advice for failing special schools and Pupil Referral Units nationally.

This led me to work in initial teacher training partnerships with Middlesex University, East London University, the University of Hertfordshire and Greenwich University. My interests in helping education professionals to further their careers also covered providing support to students on PGCEs, Masters and PhD courses.

I began teaching on the Special Educational Needs and Inclusive Practice Foundation Degree for Kingston University in 2013, teaching through a partner college; I am now directly employed through Kingston University. My current interests include how we can improve the progress of adult students on university courses by better understanding and advising on strategies to support their needs such as sight and hearing issues, dyslexia, autism and emotional issues.