Posted on by Aidan Thompson
Professor Lynn Revell
When asked by a kitchen designer what style she was thinking of for her new kitchen, Lynn replied in that deadpan way of hers, ‘I’d like it to look nothing like a kitchen’. Walking into Lynn’s kitchen, like the rest of her beautiful home, was like walking into an art gallery, a library, an inviting reading room. The tapestries she made cover the chairs, her beloved Dickens collections fill the bookcases. Lynn loved going to the opera, watching Arthouse films and a night at the ballet. A volunteer with refugees, concerns for political justice ran deep; she was an activist all her days.
Lynn’s distinguished professional life as Professor of Religion and Education and Faculty Director of Research began as a schoolteacher of RE. She joined Canterbury Christ Church University in 1998 as a Senior Lecturer in RE and was promoted to Reader in 2013, her research and writing encompassing Islam in education, being a teacher of faith, radicalisation and extremism in education, fundamental British Values and the teaching of RE. Lynn worked closely with schools and colleges locally and nationally on ambitious research projects; she was driven to understand and disseminate what was happening with young people – and with teachers – in schools in relation to education policy, religion, values and beliefs.
A member of the Executive Board of the Society for Educational Studies, Lynn had recently assumed the role of Honorary Deputy Treasurer. She was a member of the Editorial Board of the British Journal of Educational Studies, the Journal of Beliefs and Values and Practice: Contemporary Issues in Practitioner Education. Lynn was a valued Trustee for the London and SE Education Group. She convened the World Education Research Association (WERA) Research Network ‘Education and Extremism’ and she established the Special Interest Group on Religion and Values for the British Education Research Association.
As a researcher, Lynn was involved in many different research projects. One that had significant impact was the NICER research on how church secondary subject schoolteachers interpreted their role as specialists in different subject areas in a religious foundation school. Lynn collected much of the raw data and played a significant role in its interpretation. She was solely responsible for researching and writing the chapter on attitudes in higher education to preparing teachers for working in church schools in the resulting book. This work was subsequently entered by the Faculty as REF Impact Case Study.
Lynn had an entrepreneurial approach to research which was a huge asset to the University. She had a flair for spotting worthwhile initiatives that contributed significantly to knowledge growth, that were pertinent to public policy and that had an impact out of proportion to the resources deployed. An early example was her initiative in winning a grant from the Jerusalem Trust in 2007 on a cold-call approach and then her success in having the resulting report highlighted on Nicky Campbell’s documentary TV programme on the treatment of Christianity in Britain.
This early project focused on the challenges faced by Christian teachers wishing to relate their faith to their work. What Lynn showed was that these teachers lacked confidence compared to teachers who self-identified as non-religious. This concern for teachers’ personal development later remerged in her initiative in establishing the professional doctorate at the University. This was a triumph and in its first year, in addition to the ‘generic’ cohort, established a focused cohort of ten students who wanted to explore the relationship between faith, belief and the professional role of the teacher as an element in the University’s Jubilee celebrations. She continued to lead these courses until her untimely death. One of her former students said this: “I’m so sorry to hear of Lynn’s passing. She was not only an excellent supervisor but also had a huge impact on my doctoral studies. I will always appreciate her encouragement, and guidance.” Lynn’s colleagues were in awe of her skills as a course leader and supervisor; she was devoted to her students.
Professor Trevor Cooling who led NICER for several years and worked closely with Lynn had this to say about her, “Lynn was an unashamed atheist as I was an unashamed Christian. It was such a joy to work with her as she was an incredibly supportive colleague who cared deeply about supporting teachers of faith in the development of their professional persona. I always wished that Christian teachers would emulate her example. She was a model of professional dialogue from a person of commitment.”
Her wisdom and intellect, her warmth and generosity of spirit, her infectious smile and devastating wit will be mourned deeply.
Professor Lynn Revell was born in London in 1965. She died suddenly and unexpectedly of sepsis in April 2025, one week after celebrating her 60th birthday. She is survived by her three beloved children, Hal, 29, Ran, 24, and Levi, 21.
Professor Hazel Bryan, Society for Educational Studies
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