Marjon welcomes award winning Educationalist

Released: 10.10.17

Plymouth Marjon University is delighted to welcome Professor Tanya Ovenden-Hope, an educationalist with 27 years’ experience in teaching, teacher education and educational leadership. 

Tanya's work on developing new ways of thinking about, learning and teaching was recognised when she was awarded Principal Fellow of the Higher Education Academy in 2014 and the National Enterprise Educator Award in 2014.

Tanya began her career as a Sociology lecturer in Further Education (FE) and while working as Head of Sociology and Head of Year 12, Tanya co-authored her first book, Sociology in Perspective. Realising a drvie to develop teaching to improve learning, Tanya moved to roles focused on developing and leading teacher education including Head of Education and Higher Education Truro College and Head of School/Associate Dean/Associate Professor at Plymouth University. She also worked as an Additional Inspector ITE Ofsted, QAA Reviewer and Director of Education at The Cornwall College Group.

Tanya will lead research into educational improvement at Plymouth Marjon University, focusing on educational isolation and related areas, such as teacher retention and student disadvantage. She will also develop our research partnerships in education, support research active staff and students and lead our educational developments in Cornwall

Tanya has won significant external funding for research relating to the development of teachers. She is now embarking on research into Education Isolation with national and international partners. In this research the findings of a seven year qualitative longitudinal research on coastal schools and two comparative studies of coastal schools across England have been developed into a project exploring educational isolation (more complex than geography, to include considerations of coastal, rural, small and underperforming schools) and the impact on school performance, including teacher recruitment and retention and student experience. Plymouth Marjon University are leading this new research with partners Plymouth University, University of Gloucester, TAMIU (US), Ambition Schools Leadership. Tanya's other recent projects include the RETAIN teacher retention programme and five Education and Training Foundation (ETF) contracts for developing learning, teaching and assessment in the South West.

An active member of the educational community in a range of roles, Tanya is a school governor and director in two multi academy trusts; invited Executive Committee Member of the Universities Council for the Education of Teachers (UCET), member of the All Party Parliamentary Group for Professional Teaching and Special Interest Group (SIG) and Convenor for the British Educational Research Association (BERA) on Educational Effectiveness and Improvement. She is also an Associate Analyst for the Department for Education. Tanya is author of over 75 papers, reports, articles and books written for learners, teachers, leaders, academics and policy makers.  Her latest book Understanding Applied Learning, co-authored with Professor Sonia Blandford, was published by Routledge/Taylor Francis in August 2017.

Tanya told us: “My career is a privilege, enabling me to play a part in transforming lives through education. Recognising this drives me to champion excellence in teaching and learning through research and school or college based interventions. It has also led me to Plymouth Marjon University and I am excited to be part of an organisation that has the ambition to 'improve lives for all'.”