Barry Carpenter

Professor Barry Carpenter is Honorary Professor at the Universities of Worcester (UK), Limerick (Ireland) , Hamburg (Germany), and Flinders, (Australia). In a career spanning more than 30 years, Barry has held the leadership positions of Academic Director, Chief Executive, Principal, Headteacher, Inspector of Schools and Director of the Centre for Special Education at Westminster College, Oxford. In 2009, he was appointed by the Secretary of State for Education as Director of the Children with Complex Learning Difficulties and Disabilities Research Project. Since completing that research, Barry has overseen the development of a national project developing on-line training materials for teachers of children with severe, profound and complex learning disabilities.

The author of over 100 articles on a variety of topics in special educational needs, he has won the prestigious Times award for his co-edited book ‘Enabling Access’. With Jo Egerton and Carolyn Blackburn, he prepared the first British and European text on the education of children with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder.

Barry lectures nationally and internationally. Most recently he has given lectures  in Russia, Australia, Germany , Ireland , Turkey ,and Norway. He is currently acting as Lead Consultant  to the South Australian Department of Education and Childrens’ Services.

He has been awarded Fellowships of the Royal Societies of Arts and Medicine, and was created O.B.E. by the Queen for services to children with special needs.

Barry has 3 children – one a teacher, one an occupational therapist, and a daughter who has Down’s syndrome and now has a home of her own.

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