Geraldine passed away in May this year. She was a valued member of the Reading Reform Foundation, as well as a dear colleague and friend to many of us.
Geraldine was a passionate advocate of systematic synthetic phonics and knowledge-based learning. Her work focused on encouraging children to read widely, developing their imagination, knowledge, creativity and critical thinking. Geraldine was also the publisher of Piper Books, providing high-quality decodable readers for emergent and struggling readers.
The following quotes are from friends and colleagues who came to know Geraldine over the past 30 years or so:
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Geraldine was a lovely lady and did a lot of extremely good work.
Sara Wernham (RRF, literacy programme author)
Her contribution to the teaching of reading cannot be overestimated.
Colette Currie (former member of the RRF, teacher)
Geraldine has left behind quite a legacy with her championing of effective reading instruction.
Gillian Evans (former member of the RRF, Science of Reading advocate)
A great loss for early reading advocacy and the world.
Jon Hutchinson (Regional Director, Reach Foundation)
Geraldine was such a lovely person and was always there to help. She was one of the first RRF members to welcome me into the group.
Carl Pattison (RRF, English hub leader, literacy advisor)
It’s difficult to think of the RRF without ‘hearing’ Geraldine’s wise and positive contributions through the years – such a kind and caring human being. She will be very much missed.
Derrie Clark (RRF, Educational Psychologist)
Geraldine was such a stalwart RRFer and a very kind friend. She and I had some excellent chats about our shared passion for children’s literacy.
Maggie Downie (former member of the RRF, literacy intervention tutor in a secondary school )
Very sorry to hear of Geraldine’s passing. She and I interacted here and via email over many years. My condolences to her family and friends. She was a great champion of effective reading instruction.
Pamela Snow (Professor of Cognitive Psychology, Science of Language and Reading)
Geraldine was a wonderful person and a stalwart for reading reform. James and I felt privileged to have known her. RIP Geraldine.
Diane Murphy (programme author for teaching iteracy in secondary schools)
A wonderful woman. She sent me a copy of her reading books when my first daughter was born.
Carl Hendrick (Professor of Applied Sciences)
God bless her. She was a lovely soul, and a lovely woman. I remember her very fondly indeed, and the last time I saw her was, inevitably, at a researchED, where I held her arm as we walked along together.
Tom Bennet (Founder, ResearchEd; behaviour adviser for the DfE)
Geraldine was the OG in the RBG3 Yahoo group! She was a kind and generous soul. I adored and admired her.
Faith Borkowsky (High Five Literacy)
Geraldine was a great advocate for phonics provision. I remember her punchy one-page newsletters vividly – with the red-band heading – that she sent to relevant politicians. She was also responsible for the RRF providing conferences – in other words, a true and influential campaigner – we even managed to engage Nick Gibb’s interests in the conferences. Geraldine was a great host – I have fond memories of a couple of RRF events held at her home – she cooked a mean salmon – absolutely delicious. These informal events brought all sorts of phonics-type people together – important and heartfelt networking indeed.
Debbie Hepplewhite (former chair of the RRF, MBE, literacy programme author, consultant)
I remember Geraldine and her lovely smile with affection. She radiated warmth and was good company. She often challenged us in the RRF and we were the wiser for it. I remember at RRF conferences in London we often clambered into transport together as we both had some problems with mobility. Dear Geraldine, we miss you and wish you peace. Your legacy is a unique contribution to your mission – that of teaching all children to read. Thank you, Geraldine.
Marlynne Grant (RRF, Educational Psychologist, literacy programme author)
Geraldine was a wonderful campaigner with goodwill to all. She was one of the reasons why the synthetic phonics campaigning was successful.
Chris Jolly (literacy programme publisher)
Geraldine was so lovely and genuine – and a great support to me. She would often email me and encourage me during my time in the RRF and always supported my work publicly on Twitter too. She was so generous and sent me multiple free resources and books too. She did so much good in the world of reading and literacy – and leaves a true legacy behind. I continue to recommend Piper Books to schools here.
Anne Glennie (former member of the RRF, The Learning Zoo, advocate for literacy in Scotland)
Geraldine was passionate about literacy, especially for those who had additional barriers to learning. Generous with her time and knowledge, she championed inclusive literacy education long before it was widely understood, leaving a legacy of compassion, advocacy, and opportunity.
Ann Sullivan (RRF, Phonics for Pupils with Special Needs)
My first vivid memories of Geraldine are from 2006, when she was an enthusiastic member of our little team of volunteers beginning a project to help teachers in Carriacou teach reading. More recently, I loved visiting her in Oxford, when we spent happy hours together discussing the latest messages about teaching, as well as anything else from politics to friends and families.
Elizabeth Nonweiler (RRF Chair, co-author of the Reading Framework)
We were in a small island in the Caribbean and sent out a cry for help to the RRF for people who might be interested in supporting our Literacy Project. We needed those with experience and a desire to pass on their expertise. Geraldine was one of those wonderful people who was prepared to give up her time and travel halfway around the world to come to our aid. Thank you Geraldine, we salute your memory.
Eileen Measey (Literacy in Carriacou, Grenada)
May her soul Rest in Peace. She will be remembered for her services to us on Carriacou. Our deepest condolences to her family and all who believed in her mission. Love from all of us.
Gertrude Niles (former Education Officer for Carriacou and Petit Martinique)
I only related briefly with Geraldine by email around 2016, when I asked if we could have permission to use BRI books as Read Along stories as part of our ‘Lifeplayer Project’ in Zamfara State in Northern Nigeria as well as Akwa Ibom State in the south of the country. The idea was to supplement normal synthetic phonics teaching with BRI/Piper books, supported by wind up, solar powered MP3 players. We were researching the benefits of children engaging in Read Alouds as a supplement to independent reading. The results from the Early Grade reading fluency test showed that the experimental pupils performed almost 6 times better than the control pupils. Children were then able to read the books alone, enhancing their decoding skills. I am not sure if she ever learnt of these fantastic results – and so its a pleasure to share this news now, showing the far reaching impact of Geraldine’s work.
Naomi Foxcroft (RRF, Universal Learning Solutions)
Geraldine was my neighbour in Oxford and my friend. Whilst poor health prevented her from being involved as she would have wished to be in the work of our local environment group, she never failed to acknowledge and appreciate it. For more than a decade, as part of a traffic-calming scheme in our neighbourhood, we have tended small tree-pit gardens, one of which she could see from her window. She was one of a very small number of people who commented on and admired the gardens and she was the only one, year in and year out, to reward our efforts with delicious boxes of chocolates. For that and for many other reasons she will be very sadly missed.
Maggie Lloyd (friend and neighbour)
Geraldine was a friend that I met when she moved to Oxford, through a mutual friend from my schooldays. By sheer chance she came to live in the house opposite to ours, so we got to know each other, and we shared a lot of memories from our earlier lives. I wish I had met her sooner. She was a lovely friend whom I will miss, and her dedication to her work was very impressive and so worthwhile.
Mary Flower (friend and neighbour)
When I think of Geraldine, I think of the “I See Sam’ books into which Geraldine poured her heart and soul and I wish more people would recognise their brilliance. I see her sitting at her table twittering away at her laptop, always keen to talk about her latest research and her (dis)agreements with people online. She listened with interest and empathy to the ups and downs of my life – always supportive, always caring. I will miss her.
Dieuwke van Es Dieuwke van Es (neighbour who supported Geraldine’s literacy work)
Geraldine and I have been friends for many years through our association with the Reading Reform Foundation (RRF). We both understood the importance of teaching children how to read and write with Systematic Synthetic Phonics, as well as developing reading comprehension. We met many times at RRF meetings and conferences, even travelling together to speak at a conference in Spain. We had a special bond and love of shared interests. Geraldine was always kind, caring and contributed a huge amount to the aims of the RRF. She will be hugely missed by us all. Rest in peace dear, Geraldine. We loved you very much.
Sue Lloyd (literacy programme author, MBE for Services to Education)
Right from our very first meeting about 25 years ago, Geraldine stood out. You couldn’t miss her sharp mind, her fierce defence of state education, her advocacy for social justice and her passion for books and reading. Years later I became the executive headteacher of a Community Special school and we re-connected through Piper Books. The books were an immediate hit with my struggling readers—and my teachers loved them, too. Geraldine enjoyed debate, welcomed a challenge, and above all she was a good listener. I would see her over a biscuit and a cup of tea and I loved prodding her memory, tapping into her vast knowledge, and learning from the incredible insights she had gleaned from a lifetime of extensive reading and her enormous network of contacts. Whilst being a deep font of knowledge, she was incredibly modest about her own achievements. She was always encouraging about the work of others and generous with her time. She leaves behind a legacy written in the lives of the children who learned to read because of her, and the educators who were inspired by her. I will miss her hugely.
Stephen Passey (headteacher, SEND)
Geraldine was a dear friend for 25 years. Its hard for me to sum her up in a few short words: kind, generous and wise. “Will it matter in a year’s time?” was one of her favourite questions, when a frustration was getting the better of me. She was sharply intelligent, but it was her sense of humour and her tolerance of humankind that I remember. For a number of years we were close neighbours and shared a great deal. She was a founder member and trustee of the little Trust we set up, Our Right to Read and together we worked in our different ways at promoting the work of Diane McGuinness…and the teaching of reading-a shared passion. I was always safe with G. I always felt understood. I hope she did too. She was so REAL. Samuel Taylor Coleridge once summed up friendship with these words, “Friendship is a sheltering tree…” and I found this by William Blake, “The bird, a nest; the spider, a web; man, friendship…” I miss her. We were lucky to have her with us. God bless Geraldine.
Fiona Nevola (former member of the RRF, literacy programme author)
Many of us will remember Geraldine as kind, generous, wise, funny, and always ready with insight, encouragement or challenge. Before she became too ill, she was a prolific and much loved voice on Twitter, and through Piper Books she helped many children learn to read. She campaigned tirelessly for effective teaching – from punchy one page newsletters to conferences and blogs – always questioning and seeking to understand how to change lives through igniting a passion for reading. In her later years she loved nothing more than attending researchED events. Her contribution over decades was remarkable, and it’s hard to imagine the RRF without her. She will be very much missed.
From the Reading Reform Foundation
Geraldine was always a lady, kind, helpful and courteous. She was a giant among giants and her BRI books which she pioneered were a huge benefit to so many struggling readers. I’d like to say goodbye to Geraldine with this little prayer or Irish farewell.
May the road rise to meet you.
May the wind be
Always at your back
May the sun shine
Warm upon your face
May the rain
Fall soft upon your fields
And until we meet again
May God hold you In the palm of his hand.
Jim Curran (former member of the RRF, campaigned for fairer education in Northern Ireland)