Sarah Foster is a first-year PhD researcher at the University of Cambridge Faculty of Education, supervised by Professor Jenny Gibson. Her research explores how everyday teaching practices support the speech, language and communication development of autistic children across early educational transitions. Working with a large multi-academy trust, her project examines how classroom practices interact with autistic pupils’ individual language profiles, with the aim of informing more inclusive learning opportunities in mainstream education. Her PhD is co-funded by the Harding Distinguished Postgraduate Scholars Programme and the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC).
Prior to her doctoral studies, Sarah worked as a teacher, therapist and clinical supervisor. Her research interests are informed by her professional experience and her lived and family experience of neurodivergence. She holds a BSc in Psychology from the Open University, postgraduate qualifications in psychological therapies and clinical supervision from UCL and the Anna Freud Centre, and a PGCE (Early Years) and MPhil in Psychology and Education from the University of Cambridge. Her MPhil, which explored autistic educators’ experiences and perceptions of teaching autistic children, was awarded a Distinction with Note. Sarah has volunteered with several charities and community interest companies, supporting the evaluation of wellbeing interventions for young children. She also helped develop and deliver the government-funded Partnerships for Inclusion of Neurodiversity in Schools (PINS) programme across three local authorities, working with school staff to strengthen their understanding of neurodivergence and develop more inclusive educational practices.