Jane Chipperton
Our thoughts and remembrances – Zoë Keens, CEO.
We were so sad to hear of Jane’s passing. She was a valued member of the CEM Board of Trustees from July 2012 to February 2024. When I joined the charity as CEO in 2013 I was on a steep learning curve; I can remember talking to Jane who said she was delighted to be on the Board but not quite sure why she was there, or what she could bring to the charity.
It was not long before I understood why; she was working for the Diocese of St Albans as RE Adviser and provided the most incredible support for all her schools, and had great knowledge and insight for the local SACREs. She was a pioneer and thought leader and challenged norms to find the best ways forward, not always easy. As an advocate and ambassador for the charity and our Adviser team, she brought personal experience of our teams, work, and responsibilities and advised the Board about her view of the education landscape which enabled the Board, and leadership to develop a strategy and make it relevant for all we serve.
During 2014 we were approached by the Church of England to work on the ‘Christianity Project’, which launched in 2016 as ‘Understanding Christianity’ (UC). It is now award-winning and recognised as being a pivotal change in the teaching of Christianity in thousands of Schools and continues to do so.
On the Understanding Christianity Expert Advisory Group, chaired by Trevor Cooling and a small team of experts Jane’s input and work was invaluable. Advising Stephen Pett and the team to help research, craft, and design the pedagogy and approach that would work. As we got close to the launch date Jane led on the communication and integration into the Church of England, through the Education office, the DDEs, and Advisers, supporting CofE schools as well as helping to champion the rollout and training to Community Schools.
Jane took great interest in the care of the team and always brought to the Board meetings careful reflection and considered support for each member of the team. She was passionate about the breadth of all the Charity’s work, not just with RE Today and NATRE, but with BJRE and the work of IBRA.
It was always a joy to catch up with her, as a friend but as a Trustee of our charity. We will honour her legacy, as we do all who have gone before her.
We hold Chris, and Jane’s family, friends and loved ones in our thoughts and prayers at this time.
Derek Holloway, CEM Board of Trustees also shared his thoughts:
'Having known Jane since the days when we were both Diocesan Advisers together and then through to my time at the Church of England Education Office, I valued Jane as not only a great advocate of RE but also a great advocate of RE Advisers. She did so much to raise the profile of Diocesan RE with the wider RE community, especially through her work with AREIAC. In the very best sense, she was the 'shop steward' of diocesan RE advisers, never afraid to speak up and defend others, to say what needed to be said to whoever it needed to be said to. She was always great fun but also the first to ask how you were feeling and how things were going. She was a wonderful colleague and will be greatly missed.'