Email: claire.fernandes@stmarys.ac.uk
Biography
Claire joined St Mary’s in 2002 and has lectured on a variety of undergraduate and postgraduate Religious Education (RE) programmes, most recently on theological literacy for BA Hons in Primary Education with QTS. Her specialisms are Catholic RE and the use of sensory resources. She is also a link tutor supporting students on placement in St Mary’s partnership schools.
Previously, Claire taught in Catholic primary education in the London Borough of Hounslow and coordinated RE and Collective Worship (CW) for many years. She was involved in revising the Agreed Syllabus for RE in Hounslow and trained as a Section 23 Inspector for the Archdiocese of Westminster. She also completed her MA in Education and Religion at St Mary’s.
She is a member of the Centre for Catholic Education, Research and Religious Literacy at the University. She has presented at conferences: BREATHE (2019), ATCRE (2020), and Southwark Archdiocese Primary RE Leaders (2022). Claire is a trustee for the Catholic CW provider Mark 10 Mission and has worked as a foundation governor for a Catholic Primary school in the Diocese of Arundel and Brighton. She has authored articles for the Pastoral Review, and several educational resources for Catholic charities. She has recently joined the advisory board of the National Institute for Christian Education Research at Canterbury Christchurch University.
Claire also sits on the Committee for Marriage and Family Life for the Bishops of England and Wales and writes resources to support family catechesis within the Catholic Church.