Meet Our Educators
Nimrod Evron
Lead Teacher & Group Leader of the 12+ yrs Group
Nimrod graduated with a Bachelor of Education and teaching qualifications in 2010 from a program specializing in Critical Pedagogy. He obtained an MA in Psychosocial Studies from Birkbeck University of London in 2015. Born in Israel, Nimrod has been involved in peace and social justice activism from a young age. Nimrod lived and volunteered on an ecological farm before deciding to pursue a career in education.
Nimrod taught for seven years at a democratic school in Israel. During this time, he trained in Project-Based Learning at the Institute for Democratic Education. He taught classes from primary to sixth form and, together with his students, built and created his own classes such as Detectives in History, Myth-Breaking, and Kids’ Philosophy.
Before leaving for London, he was Head of Middle School and the Mentoring Program. In London, he taught in a primary school and continued to focus on theme-based learning and project-based learning.
In addition to being a teacher, he has volunteered for ten years at a hotline for distressed youths, helped run a collective infoshop and community center, been a part of a creative writing group, and has gotten involved in various campaigns for social justice. He has initiated and facilitated youth groups that encourage critical thought, helped organize an annual summer camp for youth activism for eight years, and has been a guest speaker at universities on topics such as education, media, gender, and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Gemma graduated from Bretton Hall with a Bachelor of Arts in Theatre Studies in 2003. She went on to work in Theatre for several years. Always having a desire to teach, she worked as a Teaching Assistant and Special Needs Support Assistant. Additionally, she taught Art before gaining a place on the Graduate Teacher Programme. In 2011, she graduated with a Postgraduate Certificate in Education from Manchester Metropolitan University. She gained employment at the same school where she was trained. She taught KS2 before leaving to become a mum. Instead of returning to teaching, she chose to home-educate her children, which revealed a passion for self-directed learning. Over the last few years, Gemma has been researching autonomous, democratic education.
Gemma Phelan
Lead Teacher, SENCO and Group Leader for the 10-12 yrs groups.
Emma Dennis
Teacher and Group Leader for the 8-10yrs group.
Emma graduated in 2005 with a BA Hons Degree in Acting and Performance from Salford University. She moved swiftly into teaching Performing Arts and qualified as a teacher in 2007. Emma spent the next 12 years within secondary education in both Leeds and Doncaster before leaving teaching to home educate her daughter. More recently she worked as a part time primary teacher in a Montessori Elementary School before joining us here!
Emma is passionate about life long learning and is committed to exploring and learning about different approaches to education. She is committed to facilitating personal and inspiring learning experiences for her daughter and the children she works with.
Emma recently completed a child and family yoga course with Rainbow Yoga and in October she started training to become a Play Therapist with PTUK
Liva is a teacher of Maths and Science with a PGCE in Secondary Science. She completed her teaching degree in 2007 at Canterbury Christ Church University. Originally from Denmark, Liva moved to the UK from the United States 13 years ago for an MSc in Primate Conservation. Before teaching, she worked as a monkey veterinary technician in the US, conducted her Masters research on crop-raiding macaques in Indonesia, and helped to run a volunteer expedition conducting wildlife surveys in the Ecuadorian Amazon. After a couple of years of teaching in secondary school as a Science and Spanish teacher, she heard the call of the wild again and travelled for a year through Mexico and Central America and volunteered in a secondary school in Mexico. She has worked for an independent school in the Rochdale area for over 5 years now and teaches Maths and Science, among other subjects, to a wide range of ages and abilities.
Liva has practiced ashtanga yoga for over 16 years, and originally began her meditation practice through yoga and hypnobirthing. She is now particularly interested in the use of mindfulness and meditation in education and how it can foster confidence and positive thinking as well as aid learning. She has two daughters and a dog named Patch.
Liva Hansen
Science and Maths Teacher
Anisha Mistry
Art Teacher
After completing a PGCE in Secondary Art & Design from Manchester Metropolitan University in 2012, Anisha has been teaching Art & Design in secondary schools in Folkestone and Bradford. Anisha’s skills and knowledge in Art & Design practice range from drawing, painting, printmaking, textiles, and ceramics. She has taught all year groups including A-Level. Anisha draws influence and experience from a wide range of sources to aid her teaching practice, and in particular, likes to visit galleries and museums. Her favorite place to visit is the Yorkshire Sculpture Park. Anisha studied a BA Hons in Ceramics at Cardiff School of Art & Design where she became a natural at slipcasting tableware and decorative ceramic surface design. Before beginning the PGCE, Anisha took a few months out to volunteer for the Kamla Foundation, a charity that helps disadvantaged women and children in Tamil Nadu, India. During her time in India, Anisha worked on programs to empower women of all ages as well as teaching creative English lessons in schools to young children.
Anisha’s main creative role models as a child were her grandfathers, one a carpenter the other a tailor. She firmly believes these early influences shaped her ability to learn a diverse set of skills that continue to aid her teaching practice to this day. In her spare time Anisha enjoys sewing and cooking, she is a huge fan Lego and loves to go to the theatre and cinema.
As a forest school practitioner and qualified primary school teacher and support worker for over 15 years, Laura has a wealth of experience working in many learning environments, with young people throughout the key stages and across a wide variety of alternative educational and outdoor settings. She has facilitated and supported both groups and individuals to access and experience nature through forest school and a person-centred approach of exploration through ideas.
Laura has also facilitated community projects and gardening workshops as a means to build confidence and self-esteem in those who take part.
Laura has a deep-rooted passion for plants, nature and the preservation of wildlife and our natural countryside. She spends much time foraging and preserving herbs and wild foods for use in herbal teas, ointments and tinctures.
Laura feels passionately that people need to be in contact with the natural world in order to feel connected, in tune with the seasons and to value the earth’s abundance. Through this belief, she works to share her love of nature and celebrate the land with those who surround her.
Laura Skyner
Teacher & Group Leader of the 5-7yrs group
Megan earned her Bachelor of Arts in Anthropology from Vanderbilt University in 2012. Originally from the US, she moved to the UK six years ago to continue her education. In 2015, she obtained a PgDip in Outdoor Education from the University of Edinburgh. Since then, she has worked at various outdoor and environmental education centres throughout England and Wales.
Aside from her main work over the past few years, Megan has also assisted on an archaeological project in Peru, helped lead a team of international volunteers undertaking practical conservation work in Iceland, and had her nature and travel writing featured in several online and print publications. In addition to experiential learning, she is passionate about supporting and empowering others as they learn and grow.
Megan Ramirez
Teaching Assistant
Originally from Liverpool, Jan graduated with a first-class honours degree in Geography from the University of North London in followed by a Masters’ degree in Pollution and Environmental Control from UMIST. She worked in environmental consultancy until the birth of her son. After a career break, she decided to enter the teaching profession, and worked as a teaching assistant before gaining Qualified Teacher Status through the Graduate Teaching Programme in 2008.
A primary school teacher throughout Key Stage 2 for many years, Jan has since taught functional skills in FE, provided catch up tutoring in schools under the National Tutoring Programme, worked for a company producing teaching resources and has taught as a cover supervisor in a local secondary school.
Besides teaching and a concern for the natural environment, Jan is also passionate about nutrition, health and fitness. She works part-time in an organic wholefoods shop spreading the message about healthy eating, is keen on hiking, running, wild swimming and paddleboarding and loves all things outdoors. A great believer in lifelong education, Jan is about to begin training to become a health coach with a view to helping others lead healthier lives.
Jan Fitzpatrick
Teaching Assistant
Chrissie Atkinson
Teaching Assistant
After completing her Classroom Assistant qualification and Foundation Stage Education course in 2001 Chrissie worked as a Teaching Assistant supporting small groups of children within a primary school.
Whilst taking time out to raise her own family she took the opportunity to volunteer for Home-Start, supporting families in their homes with young children in and around Calderdale.
Returning to work and becoming a HLTA gave her the experience of teaching across different age ranges and subjects. Adapting teaching styles for each child’s ability and individuality became her main focus, leading her to further research different methods of teaching to benefit and support each child.
Chrissie’s passion is creating an inclusive, exciting and nurturing learning environment where all children are able to explore, grow and develop at their own pace and are truly celebrated for their personal achievements; her favourite quote to sum this up is ‘You cannot judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree!’.
After many years of working within mainstream school Chrissie is excited to be a part of a community that shares her beliefs of putting our children’s choices and wellbeing at the forefront of their learning experience to inspire a love of learning for life.
Meet Our Founder and Director
Anil Sarna
Learning Community Founder
Anil Sarna founded our learning community in 2016 He’s a Spanish and Italian teacher, who has taught up to A level and the IB diploma. He is also a yoga and meditation instructor and shiatsu therapist. He has been involved in international educational projects for more than 20 years. He lived in Spain for 16 years and Italy for 3 years where he experimented with integrating yoga and meditation into the classroom to create optimal conditions for learning.
In 2005 he set up a language school in the UK for international students called Playing to Learn ,where children learnt English through sports and play. In 2012 he started up a school from scratch in a deprived part of India near Rishikesh, in association with the Doon School and Oakham School raising £50,000. Also, at Oakham he led a school project to support a school in Morocco, where students would raise funds then trek across the desert for 3-4 days to volunteer at a Nomad school.
He founded Hebden Bridge Learning Community in September 2016 with considerable help from friends.
In 2017 he organised the Alternative Education Festival in Hebden Bridge, which was the first conference for democratic schools and educators based in the UK. From this came the Freedom to Learn Festival which is now held on an annual basis.
In 2020 he co-founded The Learning Circle, an online sister school to Hebden Bridge, with Zoe Holden.
He speaks five languages, has three children and loves walking, cooking and reading. If he could have his life all over again he would do exactly the same as well as playing football for Coventry City.
Place of Birth: Coventry, Warwickshire.