The role of staff

The role of staff members within the Sudbury model is very different to that of a traditional educational setting.  We do not look specifically for teachers, though staff may be called upon to teach, their primary purpose is quite different.  Staff act as role models to students, as examples of what it means to be a grown-up, to be self-directed, to set a goal and work towards it and as models of responsible behaviour. 

Our staff are also responsible for the work that it takes to keep our setting open and running smoothly. Whilst students are free to take on management and administration roles they are not obliged to do so, staff have a duty to take on the remainder of the work.  And of course, staff also support students in their learning; this role can sometimes take the form of a teacher, but more often it will be that of a friend, facilitator or mentor.  As a result, we seek to provide variety within our staff team – variety of interest, of background and of personality.

If you’d like to know more about the role of staff within a setting like EKS, we recommend the following posts:

Current Vacancies

We do not have any current vacancies.

Internships

We invite expressions of interest from anyone seeking to work in our setting as a volunteer intern.  Anyone interested in applying to work with us as an Intern should get in touch for more information.  There is no deadline, applications will be considered as and when we receive them and according to our needs at that point in time.

Specialist skills

We often invite in external facilitators to assist our students with their interests. Our students are currently particularly interested to work with anyone with specialist knowledge in:

  • IT /programming – especially game design and programming
  • Fashion and textiles
  • Foreign languages
  • Art and design

If you’re interested in working with our students in pursuing their passions either on a regular basis or as a one-off workshop or talk, get in touch we’d love to talk to you.

Current staff

Kate Coleman

Mother of three boys.  Kate had been looking into alternative education after mainstream schooling damaged her son’s mental health. She has always been very politically active and believes in democracy wholeheartedly. After reading Peter Gray’s ‘Free to Learn’ Kate immediately knew that a Sudbury model school was what she wanted for her own children and what she wanted to help bring to the UK. After successfully co-founding EKS, Kate is even more passionate about children’s rights and the long-term success of East Kent Sudbury. View all blog posts by Kate

Antoinette Reid

Originally an EKS parent, Antoinette joined the staff team in 2020 and has been delighting young and old with her sense of play ever since. As an unschooling parent, self-direction, equality and consent have always been important to Antoinette as well as social justice issues. Often found dancing her way through the school, talking in song or role-playing with the younger ones, Antoinette easily puts a smile on the faces of our whole community.

Sushmita Chatterjee

As a veteran home educator and previously trained alternative educator, Sushmita has a wealth of experience in empowering children to follow their interests and passions. With a background in journalism and photography, Sushmita has been a part of documenting our EKS journey from the very beginning. She finally joined our staff team earlier this year and we have been enjoying her homemade authentic vegan cooking and infectious smile ever since!

Richard Bundy

Guyanese born and raised in Northern Saskatchewan, Canada, Richard has spent the past 25 years and continues to work as an international session musician, musical director and producer. Unsurprisingly, Richard can often be found in the EKS music room jamming with students. He loves a bit of armchair philosophy and finds solace in creating wood art. Richard has also worked as a facilitator for Family Systems Constellations and is continuing therapeutic studies in Child Psychology and Crisis and Trauma Management.

Cormac Martin

Our forest school leading, master sculptor, woodworking extraordinaire. Cormac has a natural connection to the earth and a wonderful way with children and teens. His big smile and high-fives are favoured by all. Cormac has been working with EKS as an external facilitator for the past year, facilitating forest school and helping students to design and build from reclaimed wood or from a mound of natural clay. We are so excited to now have Cormac on our team and can’t wait to build, make and create together in our new nature-filled space.

Kirsty Southam

New to this role, Kirsty is the office lead and is, as you might guess, mainly found in the office. In order for the complex system of EKS to incorporate freedom, fun and learning in the most awesome setting, an enormous amount of planning and organising for the community must be orchestrated behind the scenes. Thrown in the deep end and already showing us that only calm and organised conductors can guide such a composition and Kirsty is just that! Welcome aboard the ship!

Louise Heddle

An EKS founder and director. Louise brings a calm and kindness that feels like magic and although she is more often seen at the EKS gates than in the building, don’t be fooled… without her there would be no EKS. Through watching the curiosity and will that drove her eldest two daughters to develop, combined with her own experience of education, Louise began to wonder why generally children are not given the opportunity to self-direct their own learning. Her passions include nutrition, health and well-being and she lives on a farm with her husband, four children and assorted animals.

Our staff are also supported by the members of our founding group that helped bring East Kent Sudbury to fruition and by many friends, family and supporters.  If you’d like to get more involved whether in the setting or as a supporter, please get in touch we always like to hear from those that share our vision for education that truly gives a voice to children.