Julia Fiehn, an educationist and author who championed citizenship education and active learning, has died aged 77. She lived in Twickenham, south-west London, and was a member of the Strawberry Hill Residents’ Association and the Pope’s Grotto Preservation Trust.
Early life and education
Born in Shillingstone, Dorset, to Christine (nee Bartlett) and Denis Pope, a dairy manager, Julia attended Blandford grammar school and studied sociology at Reading University. After working as a researcher at the London School of Economics, she trained as a teacher at Goldsmiths College, London.
Teaching career
Julia taught sociology at Starcross school (now Elizabeth Garrett Anderson) in Islington from 1973 to 1984. During a two-year secondment to the University of Oxford, she wrote a dissertation on political education, which helped her secure the post of advisory teacher for political education at the Inner London Education Authority (Ilea) in 1986.
At Ilea, she created innovative learning materials used throughout the capital. She later moved to the School Curriculum Industry Partnership in 1988, where she served as regional director for the south, co-authoring many learning packs sponsored by companies. She also delivered active learning courses in Sweden for teachers and careers counsellors.
Citizenship education
In 2001, Julia was seconded from the University of Warwick to be project manager for the Post-16 Citizenship Development Programme, part of the Learning & Skills Development Agency. She worked with Sir Bernard Crick and led on delivering his and the government’s vision for citizenship education in England. She co-authored a series of citizenship textbooks published by John Murray.
Julia had a sharp, analytical mind with a capacity for argument and debate. Her passion was engaging students in democratic participation.
Personal life
Julia married Terry Fiehn in 1970, with whom she had two sons, Jack and Robert. They divorced in 2003 but remained good friends. She married her second husband, the author of this obituary, the following year.
Julia enjoyed cooking, walking, birding, reading, theatre, and travel. Between 2004 and 2014 she loved entertaining friends at the couple's villa in Provence. In 2005 she and her husband settled in Twickenham, where she volunteered for local community groups including Talking Newspapers, the Pope’s Grotto Preservation Trust, and the Strawberry Hill Residents’ Association.
She is survived by her husband, her sons Jack and Robert, and seven grandchildren.
