Professor Chris James, who died on 17 January 2025, was a long-standing and well-respected member of staff in the Department of Education who, over his long career, made an enormous contribution to the field of education.

First joining the University of Bath in 1993 from a teaching post in Witney, Chris focused initially on the support and development, through the PGCE programme, of trainee science teachers. Chris went on to develop particular expertise in educational leadership and management, producing, in conjunction with the Industrial Society, distance learning materials (UBIS) for the part-time MA Education programme. Through the growing MA Education, Doctor of Education (EdD) and PhD programmes, Chris went on to teach and supervise large numbers of teachers and school leaders from around the world as they developed their understanding of leadership and management theory and its relation to the improvement of practice.

After a period at the University of Glamorgan, in 2006 Chris returned to a senior lectureship role at Bath before promotion to professor in 2008. As Professor of Educational Leadership and Management, Chris played a central role in the development and leadership of the Department of Education, generating impactful research, producing numerous impressive and high-quality publications, and making a major contribution to the success of the department’s postgraduate programmes. He formally retired on 31 January 2020, when he was given the title of Emeritus Professor.

Externally, Chris’s commitment to the importance of research informing practice was exemplified by his role as governor of a number of schools (including, locally, as Chair of Trustees in the early days of the Palladian Academy Trust), his commitment to the work of the British Educational Leadership, Management and Administration Society (BELMAS) – recognised through his receipt of the BELMAS Distinguished Service Award, and his work with government departments, including presenting evidence from his school governance research to the House of Commons Education Select Committee. Throughout his career, Chris worked with a range of public, private and not-for-profit organisations, including numerous schools and local authorities.

Chris will be sadly missed, both at the University of Bath and in the many other professional contexts in which he interacted, not only for his impressive contribution to the field of leadership and management in education, but also for the good humour, kindness and generosity shown in his relationships with those with whom he worked. That so many of his publications were co-authored with colleagues, and in some cases with students, is testament to the importance he attached to mentoring, supporting and encouraging others.

Professor Mary Hayden, a former Head of Department who knew Chris since his early days at the university, said: “Chris will be remembered fondly not only by colleagues at Bath but also by teachers, school leaders and academic staff around the world for his hard work, high-quality research and prolific writing, as well as for his kindness, encouragement and support. As a significant figure in his field, his professional legacy will be the major contribution he has made to the understanding and improvement of school management, leadership and governance.”

Chris’s funeral will take place at 10am on Friday 14 February, in the Hilltop Chapel (just inside the gates) of Haycombe Cemetery and Crematorium, Whiteway Road, BA2 2RQ, to be followed by a wake at a Bath location (to be confirmed). The family have asked that, to help with planning, anyone who intends to join them should contact Chris’s daughter, Sophie on sophiejmjames@gmail.com.