Catharina (Tiny) Arora 1944–2024

Tiny was a good friend, intelligent and generous with her time and her friendship. She was always calm and composed, facing any difficulty whether for a child, for research, or her own health as a problem to be solved. She was able to break down any challenge into manageable steps to an appropriate solution. She readily shared her knowledge seeing it as a tool for further development for children. 

Tiny began her career in applied psychology with two degrees in psychology from her home University of Amsterdam, before moving to London for teacher training. This is where she met her husband to be Om, and they both moved to Durham following completion of training. In short order, they were both identified as potential educational psychologists by the local service and seconded onto training courses. 

Tiny was an ideal professional colleague. At times she could be understated but when she did speak people really listened and that made a noticeable difference in any setting. She was a great listener and offered her undivided attention to anyone speaking. Within a team she was often responsible for what got accomplished. Tiny's forte was in managing people and time, making links and relationships that endured. 

Colleagues recall her warm, humble and unassuming manner. She was described as unflappable, reassuring, gentle and a calming influence in groups… always working at a good reflective and unhurried pace. She was reliable, resolute, capable, curious and consistent. Within a group she was a loyal and trusted colleague working steadfast under pressure and a great organiser. She was often the first to step forward and volunteer to undertake a task. Tiny never complained and was described as supportive, reassuring, tolerant and softly spoken. 

Tiny possessed a great thirst for knowledge and she left behind an impressive legacy in many spheres of professional activity. While practicing as an educational psychologist in Durham, Kirklees and North Yorkshire (Scarborough) and as an associate tutor on the professional masters and doctoral educational psychology courses at Sheffield University, Tiny was always 'there' for others. She was highly regarded both for her own research skills in areas such as anti-bullying eventually resulting in the 'Life in Schools' questionnaire, widely used in the UK and abroad, Paired Maths to help parents support early number skill development and in Children Educated at Home and her greatly appreciated record in supporting and supervising her own postgraduate students. 

Her experience in her Local Authority work helped her to assist in keeping the Sheffield course curriculum in line with the realities of Educational Psychology service delivery. From early in her career, she had developed a quiet creativity and a far-seeing awareness of developing trends in the practice of educational psychology, using established theory to develop approaches to educational problems for children, for schools and Local Authorities. 

Both now and in the future, she will be missed for what she contributed.