Sonia Tomlinson

Sonia Tomlinson is a Senior Lecturer in Primary Education at Canterbury Christ Church University, based in the School of Social Work, Education, and Teacher Education. She joined the university in 2012 as an Academic Sessional while continuing primary school teaching, transitioning to a permanent Senior Lecturer role in 2016. Her responsibilities include teaching Primary Mathematics across undergraduate and postgraduate programs and serving as Placement Lead for the PGCE Full-Time Primary Education course.

Her academic foundation includes a degree in Mathematical Sciences followed by the Graduate Teacher Programme for Primary School Teaching qualification. During fifteen years as a classroom teacher at a primary school in Ash, she led school-wide mathematics instruction and served as Deputy Head.

Research and teaching interests center on practical applications in primary mathematics education and teacher development:

• Mathematics Education: Specializing in primary-level pedagogy, she developed and delivered an online Subject Knowledge Enhancement Course for Primary Mathematics.
• Teacher Education: Integrating fifteen years of classroom leadership with university instruction through the PGCE program and Graduate Teacher Programme experience.
• Curriculum Design: Creating structured pathways for enhancing mathematical subject knowledge among trainee teachers.

As Placement Lead for the PGCE program, she coordinates school-based training placements to bridge academic theory with classroom practice. Her work developing the online mathematics course demonstrates applied educational research despite no explicitly mentioned grants. She actively contributes to the university's Primary Mathematics team, leveraging extensive frontline teaching experience to inform academic practice.