News| 05 August 2021
Cardiff Metropolitan University Senior Lecturer, Chantelle Haughton, has been recognised with one of Higher Education’s most prestigious awards.
Advance HE’s National Teaching Fellowship is awarded to sector professionals each year, recognising and celebrating outstanding impact on student outcomes and the teaching profession in higher education.
This year, 55 new National Teaching Fellowships have been awarded, in a highly competitive process where nominees are required to show evidence of individual excellence, raising the profile of excellence, and developing excellence in teaching and learning.
Chantelle impressed the panel having entered Higher Education after a career in media and marketing and time living in Canada and Jamaica starting a family, returning to Wales with a blended toolbox of lived experiences to draw from.
Taking inspiration from the natural world and wider community, Chantelle is a driving force behind Cardiff Met’s Forest University programmes and co-creator of the Outdoor Learning Centre, linking theory and practice to bring learning and teaching to life in partnership with students. You can usually find her in the university’s ancient woodland, bringing education to life with degree students from across the university and young people from across the city.
Chair of Black History Wales 365 Management Committee, Vice Chair BAME Ed Network Wales, Vice Chair for the Early Years Network Wales, Deputy Chair for the Advance HE Race Equality Working Group at Cardiff Met, Chantelle works closely with the Welsh Government (WG), advising on reviews into curriculum and early learning play in Wales. Chantelle was a member of The Working group for ‘Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic Communities Contributions and Cynefin in the New Curriculum Report’ and most recently worked as Principal Investigator with Dr Susan Davis to co-lead a research team to further spotlight experiences and the lack of diversity in the recruitment and retention of teachers from minority ethnic backgrounds in Wales.
On receiving the award, Chantelle said: “I’m honoured, delighted and so surprised by the news! Throughout my career at Cardiff Met, I’ve enjoyed phenomenal support, steer and space to innovate and to grow in the discomfort of changing for improvement with constant encouragement from senior colleagues. Working with our students is the most inspiring and joyful part of my work. To extend and sustain approaches into the community increases our impact and footprint city-wide with our Community-Campus ethos helping to inspire across generations.
“For me, this award recognises the contributions of our students as partners, true partnerships with schools and other organisations which enable me and all at Cardiff Met achieve together.”
Dean of the Cardiff School of Education and Social Policy, Julia Longville, said: I am delighted that Chantelle has been awarded a National Teaching Fellowship for the impact she has had on students across our School, University and the wider community.
“Chantelle is an inspiration to us all. Her positivity, enthusiasm and tremendous drive to achieve excellence for all in our diverse community is unquestionable. The work she does in outdoor learning and in addressing critical issues for Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic communities and curriculum in education Wales is remarkable. Chantelle just goes out there and gets the job done. Nothing stops her and that drive helps her find ways to make special things happen.”
This year sees the National Teaching Fellowship Scheme (NTFS) surpass 1,000 awardees in its 21-year history. The scheme celebrates and recognises individuals who have made an outstanding impact on student outcomes and the teaching profession in higher education. Chantelle will receive her Award from Advance HE at an event later this summer and will join the National Teaching Fellow community in its 21st Anniversary year.
