Dr Jane Chambers appointed Head of the School of Education

Dr Jane Chambers has been appointed as Head of the School of Education, within the Faculty of Education, Theology and the Arts, at St Mary’s University, Twickenham (SMU).

Having previously served as Interim Director of the Institute of Education at St Mary’s, Jane brings a wealth of experience to this newly created role. In addition to leadership of the SMU’s academic programmes relating to education, she chairs the University’s Athena SWAN Self-Assessment Team, and is a member of SMU’s Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Board.

Welcoming the appointment, Dean of the Faculty of Education, Theology and the Arts, Professor Jacob Phillips, commented,

“Jane’s leadership of St Mary’s academic programmes has resulted in a compelling, effective and relevant portfolio of opportunities for students here.

“Due to Jane’s unwavering focus on student outcomes, our graduates leave this University equipped to excel in their careers in education, and with the ability to make a real difference in their communities.

“We congratulate Jane on this new role, and look forward to seeing how she, and her highly able team, continue to influence the education of educators in the future.”

The University offers several programmes from undergraduate Primary Education courses with QTS, Primary and Secondary PGCE programmes and Masters in Education through to a Doctorate in Education. SMU teaching programmes have been judged by Ofsted, the government department that regulates teacher training, to be ‘outstanding’ - the highest grade attainable in an Ofsted inspection.

Dr Jane Chambers added,

“I’m delighted to take on this new role. I hope I can continue to support my excellent colleagues in providing exceptional opportunities for our students and trainee teachers.

“This University has a strong culture of support, respect and generosity. In addition to supporting that approach, I look forward to raising the profile of the innovative research activity that the School of Education is involved in and continuing to serve students with the excellent standard of teaching that we are known for.

“We have been teaching teachers on this site for over 170 years, and I am proud to take on the responsibility of taking this tradition forward.”

Jane was a joint winner of the St Henry Walpole Prize for Teaching and Learning, awarded by St Mary’s, in 2022 for her contribution to work on inclusion within the secondary initial teacher education curriculum, and previously in December 2009 for an innovative approach to cross-curricular learning with PGCE students.

Jane teaches on the Professional Doctorate in Education programme and is a Doctoral research supervisor. She is an experienced examiner and is currently a Chief University External Examiner for Post Graduate Taught programmes in education. Jane is a member of the British Educational Research Association and the Chartered College of Teaching.

After completing her MA in Health Promotion and Health Education from the Institute of Education, University of London, Jane completed her MA in Education (Leading Innovation and Change) in 2008 at the University of Surrey. Jane completed her Doctorate in Education in 2016; her research focused on how the experience of parenting influenced teacher identity. Jane began her career in education as a secondary teacher of chemistry and biology, and worked for s as a Public Health Advisor within the health service and at what is now the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence.