Barry Carpenter was appointed in 2017 to the UK’s first Professorship in Mental Health in Education, at Oxford Brookes University.

He is Honorary Professor at universities in Ireland, Germany and Australia. He has been a Fellow of the University of Oxford. He has been awarded an OBE and CBE for services to children with Special Needs and Disabilities. In a career spanning more than 40 years, Barry has held the leadership positions of Headteacher, Principal, Academic Director, Chief Executive, 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 National Director for the Children with Complex Learning Difficulties and Disabilities Research Project.

He is the co-founder of the National Forum for Neuroscience in Special Education. For the Mental Health Foundation, he Chaired the National Inquiry into the Mental Health of Young People with Learning Disabilities
He has been the Founding Chair of the Montreux Healthcare Advisory Board since its inception in 2013. He is also Chair of the Clinical Governance Group.