Meet the team

Roberta has worked as an Early Years practitioner for the last 8 years, and for the past 6 years, she has been Deputy Manager and Designated Safeguarding Lead at Grasshoppers in the Park, a long-standing parent-led nursery in North London. Roberta holds the NVQ Level 3 Diploma for children and young people's workforce, as well as a host of more specific qualifications, including Good Autism Practice, Making Sense of Autism, Speech and Language Development, Creative Learning and Drama in Early Years, and Working with Children developing English as a Second Language. Roberta also has a background in theatre and holds a BA Hons in Performing Arts from London Metropolitan University. At Grasshoppers in the Park, Roberta helped build an ethos where ‘parents and practitioners work together, creating contexts in which children can explore and represent their ideas and thinking through their ‘hundred languages’: play, creativity, role-play, drama, music, literacy and the outdoor environment’. She has witnessed the powerful impact of this approach on children’s development and is keen to nurture a similar ethos at The Hive, in the context of Forest School. Roberta undertook her Forest School Leader training at The Hive, which is how we met and connected over a shared passion for facilitating and nurturing children’s engagement with nature. She completed her practical training earlier this year and is now finalising her portfolio of evidence.

Salina is a qualified teacher with 5 years of teaching experience in Early Years, most recently at Kingsbury Green Primary School in North London. She completed her PGCE at Brunel University and holds a BSc in Psychology from Goldsmiths University. Salina has a particular interest in child-led learning and puts a lot of emphasis in her practice on experiential learning, nurturing creativity and building confidence through innovative engagement strategies, which is what led her to Forest School. Salina is now a qualified Forest School Leader, having trained at The Hive in 2023. She describes her training as a transformative experience, which has given her the skills she needed to offer children a truly enabling environment, that feeds their curiosity and supports each and every one of them as truly unique little people.

 

Caroline set up The Hive in 2014 when she couldn’t find outdoor activities for her son that were truly modern and imaginative. As an experienced education professional, primary school Governor and Fellow of the RSA, she recognised that the growing disconnect between “nature skills” and “21st century skills” wasn't serving children well. Ten years on, The Hive's innovative curriculum still focuses on curiosity, creativity, collaboration and problem-solving, building on the Forest School ethos to stretch the realm of “outdoor education”. It has also become one of London's most established accredited provider of Forest School Training. Caroline now focuses on The Hive's Forest School Nursery, working with the nursery team and the Forest School team to make sure the curriculum and nursery experience we offer is the best it can be. 

Sarah has been a Forest School leader since 2008 and trained with Bridgwater College. She is also a qualified Early Years practitioner and 14+ tutor. Since 2006, Sarah has worked at Kent County Council's flagship Country Park delivering Forest School and environmental education sessions to over 3,000 children annually and training teachers and school support staff in Level 1 and 3 Forest School. Sarah has experienced first hand the benefits that Forest School can have on children and young people, and as such is passionate that as many individuals as possible should get to have the Forest School experience. Sarah has a keen interest in Forest School in urban settings and has worked with schools in deprived areas to get their Forest Schools established.

Marlon is a qualified teacher and highly experienced Level 3 Forest School Leader. He also holds an EYTS qualification and has an MA in Education. Marlon trained in Denmark where he was highly influenced by both Steiner Waldorf and the Udeskole movement. These cemented his love for outdoor learning and providing the inspirational approaches that now form the basis of his teaching. He has a wide range of teaching experience in settings both in the UK and abroad and in recent years has been establishing and managing outdoor nurseries. He has a particular interest in how the forest school ethos can be incorporated into more urbanised landscapes through innovative thinking and sustainable models.

JODIE-MAE GAYWOOD - LOGISTICS COORDINATOR

Jodie joined The Hive in 2022, following her passion for nature and the outdoors. As the Logistics Coordinator, Jodie is responsible for making sure all the learning resources and equipment we use for our holiday camps, Forest School training and nursery are the best they can be. From tracking down owl pellets for a science experiment to sourcing just the right birch for creating insect hotels to foraging for the freshest elderflowers to make cordial, Jodie is always on the lookout! Jodie loves the outdoors and hiking, recently completing the three peaks challenge in Wales, Scotland, and the Lake District.