Mrs Catherine Carden

Professional biography

I am a Staff Tutor (Education) based in England.  I work to support the Open University's BA in Education Studies (Primary) and focus my work within one of the three modules on this programme (E209) where I am a Cluster Manager to two clusters and a Lead Cluster Manager for the module. 

In addition to my work for The Open University, I am an Independent Education Consultant specialising in educational leadership and in particular people centred leadership, culture and wellbeing and a executive and leadership, life and health and wellbeing coach.

My previous roles have included Director of Learning and Teaching in the Faculty of Arts, Humanities and Education, Director of Primary Initial Teacher Education and a teacher educator at a large HEI where I was based for 14 years and prior to that I held teaching and leadership roles within secondary and further education.

My professional and scholarly interests are in teacher education and development, educational leadership, organisatonal culture, coaching and mentoring, and wellbeing and self-care.

My publications include editing Primary Teaching: Learning and Teaching in Primary Schools Today 1st and 2nd Editions: Primary Teaching | SAGE Publications Ltd and Character Education in ITE

Research interests

​I have research interestes in the following areas:

• Educational Leadership
• Teacher Wellbeing and Workload
• Women in Leadership
• People-Centred Leadership

I have recently been part of a scholarship and research projects exploring Academic Promotions and Gender (Athena Swan) and Changes in Study Intensity in Education Studies (Primary) degree at the OU.

Teaching interests

In Higher Education I have taught a range of topics, subject areas and courses including:

• PGCE 14-19, 7-14 & Primary 
• BA Hons Primary Education
• Educational Leadership & People-Centred Leadership
• Behaviour for Learning
• Teacher Professionalism
• Pedagogy, Learning & Teaching
• Assessment
• Teacher Wellbeing & Self-Care

I have also worked as a link tutor, supporting student teacher within their practice settings and developing school-based mentors and written a FutureLearn Expert Tracks course - Special Educational Needs in Practice.

In 2015, I was awarded a University Teaching Fellowship at Canterbury Christ Church University for excellence and innovation in teaching and learning.

External collaborations

In addition to my Staff Tutor role, I am currently involved in the following external work and voluntary activity:

• Consultancy with a large FE Colleges Group in the SouthEast of England focusing on leadership development, change management and acting as a leadership coach.
• ECT coaching for an FE Colleges Group in London
• External governance review for a cross-phase Multi-Academy Trust of 9 schools.
• External review for an HEI BA Education Studies programme
• ECT Induction Tutor at Newingate School as well as writing the school's bespoke ECT Induction Programme.
• Freelane executive, leadership, life, health and wellbeing coaching with individual clients.

I also contributed to the wellbeing and mentoring expert panel roundtables for the DfE ITE Core Content Framework development.

I am a Senior Fellow - Advance HE (SFHEA).

Previous roles have included:

• Primary School Governor and Chair of Governors (13 years)
• Leadership Mentor for FutureLearn/OU Level 7 Microcredential Educational Leadership in Practice.
• Journal Reviewer for Perspectives: Policy and Practice in Higher Education (Taylor and Francis)
• Leadership Mentor for the National Professional Qualification in Leading Teacher Development (NPQLTD)
• Study Advisor for FutureLearn/OU Microcredential in Coaching and Mentoring in Professional Practice
• External Examiner at Newman University - BA Primary Education (QTS) programme
• Podcast host for Bowden Education Podcasts

International links

In 2023, I co-designed and led a programme of teacher development as part of a governmental programme led by Instituto Pedagogico Arubano on behalf of the Dutch Government. I lead teacher development focused on pedagogy in primary and secondary schools on the islands of St Eustatius and Saba in the Caribbean.