Remembering Jane
08 October, 2024
On Friday we received the tragic news that our wonderful friend and colleague Jane Chipperton had died.
Jane was someone who lived their life for people- friends, colleagues, family. She cared, she nurtured, she listened, and she loved. I got to know Jane when she and I both worked for the Diocese of St Albans, she wanted someone who had secondary school expertise to work alongside her. I think I learnt far more about the primary context than what I taught her about secondary. She was for many years my ‘go to’ colleague for primary expertise, and for all things ‘Church of England’ related. She also put my name forward to become a representative on the RE Council for the Hockerill Educational Foundation before I worked for Culham St Gabriel’s. Little did she know at the time I would end up on the Board. She always saw the best in people, and empowered them. One of my most cherished memories with Jane was going to Rome with her and a group of church school headteachers in 2016. It was a wonderful time of spiritual refreshment, balanced beautifully with sight-seeing, conversation and glasses of limoncello. Jane knew I would benefit from going but had to persuade me. How right she was. It had a profound impact on me.
Below are some reflections from Fiona Moss, Olivia Seymour and Gillian Georgiou. Many colleagues may not realise that Jane was integral in developing ways of knowing/disciplinary language in RE. We should not underestimate the legacy for RE that she has contributed to so passionately as well as being an amazing friend.
Fiona says…
First and foremost Jane was a friend. The sort of friend that noticed when things were getting a bit tough, the sort of friend who called and offered acts of kindness from a place to stay to sending a card at the right time.
That is the same Jane that I knew professionally as an RE adviser. She had teachers and pupils at the absolute heart of everything she did. She was creative and knew what teachers needed. When she got St Albans diocese to work in partnership with RE Today to create best practice films I’m sure she would have no idea the affect those films still have over 10 years later, some still used to show what remains good practice, particularly in Primary.
When she got involved in Understanding Christianity and the training roll out she asked the hard questions about what would work and what wouldn’t. Once it started she went all in being the first diocese to begin training. And that describes Jane all in. All in with passion and commitment. All in for the teachers. She was not afraid to ask the hard questions, ‘but how will that work for a non-specialist primary teacher?’ All in for teacher and colleague well-being. She didn’t need to go with the flow she went with what she thought was right.
We will miss her and, despite her being retired, her wise words on our subject. But I, as I’m sure lots of you too, will miss my friend who swam in the sea with me and had an amazing laugh, a cheeky smile, twinkly eyes and an amazing open heart.
Oliva says…
Jane truly believed in empowering others and the immense value of professional voice and reflection. Jane cared about people and was a true advocate for teachers and RE. She wanted the very best for the subject but above all she wanted the very best for the people she encountered. She cared deeply. As an adviser she invested in me with her time and wisdom drawing me in to wider professional conversations and encouraging me to contribute to the wider RE conversation. She drew me in to the Balanced RE conversations with Kathryn Wright and Gillian Georgiou ( I think on the promise of a G&T!). This shared friendship centred on deep conversation, questioning , critique, challenge, and most of all many moments of laughter and tears has shaped who I am today. Jane always went out of her way to help people. She once took a big detour to rescue me from an RE conference in High Leigh when the heatwave melted the train tracks and I was stuck with no way home to East Yorkshire. I will be forever grateful for Jane, for the many times we shared over a plate of food putting the world to rights. Most of all I will miss that mischievous look and her wonderful laugh.
Gillian says…
I write a lot for my job, but this is one of the hardest things I have ever had to start writing…
My friend Jane died last week.
She had been unwell for a while, and we knew what the direction of travel was likely to be, but the end was sudden, unexpected and swift.
Jane was one of the first people to reach out in support when I started my new role as an RE Adviser in the Diocese of Lincoln. She was an old hand in both diocesan and RE circles, and her advice and guidance were invaluable to me throughout our professional and personal relationships. It was Jane who was an integral part of our Balanced RE gang, bringing wisdom, experience and patience to our excitable plans for the future of RE. I remember hours discussing our Balanced RE self-audit tools and guidance, Jane always making us see things from the perspective of the non-RE specialist teacher who teaches RE. She was always on the end of a phone or an email as I learned to navigate the professional politics of both the faith and education sectors, and she was by my side in the happy and more challenging moments of my home life. She had a wicked sense of humour and did not suffer fools gladly, but her generosity was boundless and, my goodness, she was an excellent teacher.
Before starting to write this, I took a look back at our correspondence over the past decade:
“You are in the diary as Gin Fest Gill!”
“It flagged up to me that teachers need to be more involved in the curriculum than non-teachers!”
“So, will attend Kathryn’s meeting & be there until tea the following day. We can eat and drink together!”
“Any thoughts about eating & drinking before and/or after?”
This is how I will remember my friend Jane: passionately committed to teachers, passionately committed to pupils, passionately committed to RE. And always up for a meal with friends.
Thankyou Jane, for your inspiration, wisdom, care and love for us all.
Kathryn, Fiona, Olivia and Gillian
October 2024
Some articles on RE:ONLINE written with or referencing Jane’s work and support for colleagues:
Revision: Rethinking RE – a conversation about religious and theological literacy