Our team

Grace de Berker, Co-ordinator

I graduated from Bristol in 2010 with a Drawing and Applied Arts degree. I specialised in textiles and love being creative whether through fabric, sewing, drawing, cooking or gardening.

During my time in Bristol, I worked as a Kindergarten Assistant at The Rowan Tree and as a director at a Co-operative After School Club for 4-13 year olds. In both jobs, I engaged with a wide range of children and loved the variety and enthusiasm they brought to each day. In 2012 I set up a weekly Creative Textiles Class for adults as part of the Community Workshop in Nailsworth which, I have been teaching ever since. I also teach children’s textiles workshops over the holidays dyeing, felting, printing and sewing our own clothes, bags, bunnies and more! I have three daughters who provide me with lots of inspiration and are perfect for trialing any new workshops I might run on!

Ali Judd - English and Maths

After doing my degree in Drama, English and Music, and my MA in Shakespeare Studies, I began working first with adults and then with children with special needs in two Steiner based residential homes and for MENCAP. After a few years I decided to train as a teacher and did a post grad year in Early Years. I taught at Haresfield village school, a much larger school in Yorkshire, and then spent ten years working at Sheepscombe village school. After 16 years, in 2012 I became involved in 1-1 tutoring, with both school children needing a little support, and with home educated children (tutoring and working at a PTG), and for just over a year also worked part time as a supply teacher and teaching assistant at Horsley school.

Kate Colwell - Gardening

Debs Milverton - Music

I started teaching piano at the tender age of 14 when my own teacher decided it was a good way for me to cement my own learning! Since then I have studied for degrees in English, History and Learning Technology, squeezed in time to get a PGCFHE, and spent many years working in learning development at the University of Gloucestershire before circling back to my first love of teaching music. My pupils range from those wanting to progress through formal music exams, to others wanting to learn some jazz chords for the sheer fun of it. Either way, it's all music to my ears!

Sarah Michael - Textiles

Beth Stapleton - English and Maths

My first experience of teaching was whilst living in Thailand and working in a local village school. I loved it and after helping the children with their English on my gap year, I returned home and decided to train as a Primary Teacher.

During my PGCE I had the opportunity to specialise in Spanish and once qualified, moved to Barcelona to work at the International school. I also spent some time in London where I moved from Key Stage
1 to Early Years and completed some training in child counselling through the arts.

My passion for travel & languages then led me to South America for a while before eventually settling in Stroud and beginning my own family. I now have two young girls & a plant based cake business!

Sarah Gardner - English, maths and project

I studied Theatre Arts at university where I specialised in costume and set design. After a stint working with a touring theatre company who performed in schools across the South West, I decided that working with children was a lot of fun. I then spent some time working with special needs children in a Steiner residential home and also offered support for special needs children in primary schools. Following this I trained as a primary school teacher. My teaching career began in South East London where I taught for six years and learnt so much from the children I taught. I then moved to Hertfordshire where I continued teaching, set up and ran a toddler group and had my three lovely children. After eight years and a spell of homeschooling, it was time for a total change and a return to the wonderful West Country. Here we have space for free- ranging children, chickens and creativity.   

Hannah Michaels - Fine Art & Art History

I was home educated for most of my learning years, interspersed with a few alternative schools including the North London Rudolf Steiner School, the Bath Small School and Wynstones as my parents moved around a lot. I’ve always loved working with children and my passions have remained more or less unchanged for as long as I can remember : drawing, telling stories and doing handstands. I have a first class honours degree in Illustration and am also a trained fitness instructor. I taught for three years at Wynstones school alongside Jacob Douglass in the game’s department as well as teaching art history in the upper school. I have three daughters whom I adore and who help me out tremendously when it comes to being a teacher. I have a strong belief that children work best when they are encouraged to find their own way, whilst being shown all the tools and techniques used by those who’ve come before them.

Kevin Howlett - Creative music

My educational career started at Maidenhill school in a teaching and technical roll, where one of my first jobs was to create a music technology suit.

Currently working at Tewkesbury school as a peripatetic music teacher, supporting year 10 and year 11 students on their compositions with Digital audio workstations.

I have run the Bandit Music Project for over 23 years, with a great team of teachers and professional musicians. We have been awarded a CIVIC award for an outstanding contribution to the community.

Being a song writer, guitarist, and autodidact, and writing songs since I was 10 years old, I am now working as a recording artist under the name Blooming Cellar. My music has been played on the radio and I have toured Europe. One of my songs reached the semi-finals of the international song writing competition.

Jacob Douglass - Project Lesson & Sports

My name is Jacob Douglass and I have been a Waldorf teacher for the past 15 years. I was a Class Teacher for the first seven and for the last eight years, I was the head Sports and Movement teacher at Wynstones. I have also taught at the Bristol and South Devon Steiner Schools.

I grew up in America, first in Cleveland, Ohio and then in Los Angeles, California. The transition, at age 15, from the flat farmland and prairie of Northeastern Ohio to the sun drenched basketball courts and sandy beaches of Southern California was glorious. At 28, I moved to Stroud to study Waldorf education and apart from a three-year hiatus in Devon, have been here ever since.

Though I have taught most subjects and ages, movement is by far my favourite subject to teach. I love to play, watch and coach most sports, basketball being my favourite, but really any sport will do. Although during lockdown gardening has become a new passion, it’s still hiking in the mountains, swimming in a warm sea or bouncing a basketball that I love best.

Thea Pilikian - English, maths and project.

I began teaching in London in 2005 and worked as a primary class teacher in two inner city London schools. After having my first child I began a long journey of supply teaching. Many people find this a huge challenge, but I really enjoyed the experience and gained a vast amount of skills, having to adapt very quickly to situations and teach a wide variety of children with varying abilities . Since my children reached school age I began to home educate them, which has been an interesting journey and has completely challenged my training and ideas about mainstream education. I absolutely love teaching at Flexi Hub, the children are interesting and very creative, and I can use my mainstream experience alongside my creative passion to teach in a more child-led way.

Suki Hutcheson - Drama

I studied a Combined Arts degree at Durham and a postgraduate Acting course at DSL in London. I was eager to create and write my own work and to give children the same experiences I had had as a child. I worked for 5 years for Perform, a drama school for kids in London, and managed six schools. In 2008 I moved back west and set up my own company CAMEO Kids for 4-8 year olds and in 2011 I brought this to Stroud, where I now live. I also works at Beaudesert Park School teaching private LAMDA lessons and at ‘Dramarama’ and ‘Flies on the Wall youth theatre’ with older children devising shows and creating unique pieces of theatre. I continue to be amazed by the imagination of children and the incredible resource of the performing arts to assist in all areas of life.

Carrie Roet - Outdoor Learning

After training as a Forest School Leader in 2014 I soon after set up All Seasons Forest School, delivering forest school and outdoor learning sessions for primary schools, youth groups and holiday Wild Play.  In 2019 I co-founded Into-Nature CIC to provide greater opportunities for children, families and individuals living in Gloucestershire to benefit from accessing community, nature play, wellbeing and skills opportunities.

I trained in Contemporary Textile Practice, where I developed a love of exploring materials and open-ended process.  During this time I ran an arts project in a local primary school, which kindled a love of working with children. After graduating, I continued to work with children and young people and later young adults therapeutic gardening. 

 As a Therapeutic Forest approved practitioner I passionately believe that the Forest School model provides the opportunity for all children to grow in confidence, competence, autonomy and meaningful connection to the world around them. 

Laura Carrick - Science