Sally Heaney obituary
In her research project at Keele University in the 1960s, Sally Heaney investigated the value of child-centred teaching methods
In her research project at Keele University in the 1960s, Sally Heaney investigated the value of child-centred teaching methods
PeterHeaney
Thu 11 Mar 2021 10.27 EST
Last modified on Sun 14 Mar 2021 06.14 EDT
My wife, Sally Heaney, who has died aged 79, championed the movement towards child-centred education in the 1960s and 70s. A respected academic and exceptional teacher, she developed a research project in conjunction with Keele University that investigated the value of child-centred teaching methods.
In 1975, while working in the education department of Chester College (now University of Chester), she established a playgroup there for disadvantaged children from the area. In order to enable children who could not get to the playgroup, she helped to transform an old double-decker bus into a playbus – so that the playgroup could travel to the children and be a mobile source of fun and pre-school learning. To help raise money for this project, Sally mobilised knitters from local neighbourhoods to create a giant Liverpool scarf. When it was finished it reached around Anfield – the knitters gathered at the stadium and held the scarf up; the event was covered by BBC News North West, as was the playbus.