Mary Nkune

Mary Nkune serves as Head of Teachers Education Partnerships in the School of Education at St Mary's University, where she leads the ITT (Initial Teacher Training) Partnerships within the Institute of Education. She develops strong connections between St Mary's IOE and partnership schools to ensure trainee teachers access expert mentors throughout their training.

Mary brings nearly a decade of classroom experience teaching Science with specialization in Chemistry in West London schools, where she achieved outstanding outcomes while leading GCSE science instruction. She has held multiple whole-school leadership roles including responsibility for teaching and learning, teacher development, Pupil Premium progress, and anti-racism and diversity initiatives.

Her professional focus centers on how high-quality teacher preparation impacts educational outcomes, particularly for disadvantaged students. She is passionate about creating robust school-university partnerships that provide authentic training experiences for future educators.

Prior to her education career, Mary completed a degree in Biomedical Sciences and worked for four years as an HCPC registered Biomedical Scientist in the NHS, specializing in Cellular Pathology. She maintains her professional connection to this field as a licentiate member of the Institute of Biomedical Science.

Mary's work bridges academic theory with practical classroom experience, emphasizing educational equity and the transformative power of excellent teaching. Her unique career trajectory from biomedical science to classroom teaching to teacher education leadership provides her with a distinctive perspective on educational development.