Maria holds a BSc in Education Studies and a MSc in Education, Policy, and International Development from the University of Bristol. She is the proud winner of the 2023 BERA Undergraduate Award for her thesis ‘Stepping Outside of the System: The Experiences of Electively Home Educating Parents in Southwest England’. Maria has spent many years working in early years and primary education, specialising in special educational needs provision and inclusion. Her interests also include climate change and sustainability education, critical education research, and decolonisation.