Dr Graeme Dobson

Dr Graeme Dobson

School of Education
Associate Professor
Head of Quality Assurance and Enhancement

Contact details

Telephone
+44 (0)121 414 3805
Email
g.j.dobson@bham.ac.uk
View my research portal
Address
School of Education
University of Birmingham
Edgbaston, Birmingham
B15 2TT, United Kingdom

Graeme is a Lecturer on the Dyslexia and Learning Difficulties (SLD) programme and on the Special Educational Needs Coordination (SENCO) programme in the Department of Disability, Inclusion and Special Needs.

He has extensive experience of working in a wide range of schools across the West Midlands. As well as holding various senior leadership roles within primary schools, he has also worked in an advisory capacity for two local authorities helping schools to support children with cognition and learning difficulties. Graeme continues to provide consultancy and training to a range of schools including those who have found themselves in challenging circumstances. He also provides SpLD assessment and support services for a variety of organisations, including schools, higher education establishments and workplace clients such as the National Health Service. 

Graeme is an accredited Nurture Group Practitioner and a licensed trainer for I Can, the children’s communication charity. He is also an Associate Member of The British Dyslexia Association (AMBDA) and holds full membership of The Professional Association of Students with Specific Learning Difficulties (PATOSS). Graeme is a registered assessor listed with the SpLD Assessment Standards Committee (SASC).

Qualifications

Academic Qualifications

  • PhD, University of Birmingham
  • MSc Psychology, Coventry University
  • MA (Ed) Equality and Diversity, Open University
  • BA (hons) Applied Social Sciences, Lancaster University
  • Post Graduate Certificate – National SENCo Award, University of Birmingham
  • Postgraduate Certificate in Higher Education, University of Birmingham
  • PGCE, Lancaster University 

Professional Accreditations

  • Senior Fellow of Higher Education Academy (SFHEA)
  • Associate Member of the British Dyslexia Association (AMBDA)
  • National Professional Qualification for Headship (NPQH)
  • Assessment Practising Certificate (APC BDA)
  • Chartered Psychologist (CPsychol)

Teaching

Graeme teaches on the following programmes:

Graeme also teaches sessions within other modules in the School of Education.

Publications

Recent publications

Article

Dobson, G 2023, 'The 2022 SEND Green Paper and the SENCo: more evidence on demographics, qualifications, and leadership status', British Journal of Special Education. https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-8578.12454

Morris, R & Dobson, G 2021, 'Spending the Pupil Premium: what influences leaders’ decision-making?', Educational Management Administration & Leadership, vol. 49, no. 2, pp. 284-302. https://doi.org/10.1177/1741143220905062

Stephenson, M & Dobson, G 2020, 'Deciphering the Development of Smart and Sustainable Tourism Cities in Southeast Asia: A Call for Research', Austrian Journal of South-East Asian Studies, vol. 13, no. 1, pp. 143-153. https://doi.org/10.14764/10.ASEAS-0033

Dobson, G & Douglas, G 2020, 'Factors influencing the career interest of SENCos in English schools', British Educational Research Journal, vol. 46, no. 6, pp. 1256-1278. https://doi.org/10.1002/berj.3631

Jørgensen, C, Perry, T & Dobson, G 2020, 'Migrant Children with Special Educational Needs: Emerging findings from a recent review and their implications for educational practice', The Education Exchange. <https://theeducation.exchange/>

Dobson, G, Jørgensen, C & Perry, T 2020, 'Migrant children with SEN', NASEN Connect, no. 23, pp. 28-30. <https://nasen.org.uk/resource/nasen-connect-september20-final-pdf.html>

Jørgensen, C, Dobson, G & Perry, T 2020, 'Migrant children with Special Educational Needs in European schools – a review of current issues and approaches', European Journal of Special Needs Education. https://doi.org/10.1080/08856257.2020.1762988

Dobson, G & Douglas, G 2020, 'Who would do that role? Understanding why teachers become SENCos through an ecological systems theory', Educational Review, vol. 72, no. 3, pp. 298-318. https://doi.org/10.1080/00131911.2018.1556206

Dobson, G 2019, 'Understanding the SENCo workforce: re-examination of selected studies through the lens of an accurate national dataset', British Journal of Special Education, vol. 46, no. 4, pp. 445-464. https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-8578.12285

Chapter

Jørgensen, C & Dobson, G 2023, Migrant Children with Special Educational Needs: Dynamic and Complex Ecologies and their Implications for Educational Practice. in G Niolaki, K Carr-Fanning & A Terzopoulos (eds), Psychology and Educational Inclusion: Identifying and Supporting Learners SEND Learners. 1st edn, McGraw-Hill/Open University Press.

Dobson, G 2022, The SENCO’s role in overcoming school adversity for children with special educational needs. in A Holliman & K Sheehy (eds), Overcoming Adversity in Education. 1st edn, Routledge.

Dobson, G 2020, ‘Begin at the beginning’ – Identifying ideas for a PhD. in K Townsend, M Saunders, R Loudon & E Morrison (eds), How to keep your doctorate on track: Insights from students’ and supervisors’ experiences. Edward Elgar, Cheltenham, pp. 22-30. https://doi.org/10.4337/9781788975636.00009

Commissioned report

Dobson, G, Curran, H, Perepa, P & Reraki, M 2022, Understanding school workforce experiences regarding access to, and the impact of, special educational needs and/or disability (SEND) continuing professional development (CPD) and expertise.

Other report

Jørgensen, C, Dobson, G & Perry, T 2021, Supporting migrant children with special educational needs: What information do schools need and how can it be collected? University of Birmingham. <https://www.birmingham.ac.uk/documents/college-social-sciences/education/publications/migrant-children.pdf>

Web publication/site

Dobson, G, Introduction to Dyslexia, 2020, Web publication/site. <https://youtu.be/nG_iGTdm1_0>

View all publications in research portal