Streams Learning Hub
Meet the Hub Team
Our team bring a diverse range of skills and extraordinary breadth of experience across many different disciplines.
We have a core team consisting of Caroline, Fabienne, Jo & Matt.
Alongside this some amazing learning guides and wider collaborators who add to the rich tapestry of our team.
There are so many amazing people in our city who have a heart come alongside young people and see them flourish. Our team of collaborators is growing. If you or someone you know has a skill or passion you would like to share
with our young people then reach out and say hello.
Caroline Clark
Technology & Fundraising
(Entrepreneurship & Innovation Facilitator)
Caroline is an experienced leader, social entrepreneur, and advocate for people and culture. With a background in engineering and a PhD in Ultrasonic Signal Processing, she co-founded KETS Quantum Security, a University of Bristol spin-out. Caroline's expertise extends to science and engineering, team building, business operations, and strategic planning.
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Passionate about empowering young people through design and innovation, Caroline also runs Zebera - an organisation dedicated to empowering young people through design and innovation. This is achieved through design thinking workshops, design sprints and challenge based learning. The ultimate goal for Zebera is to create an open innovation and idea sharing platform to enable organisations and young people to come together to tackle real world problems.
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Actively involved in the Bristol startup community as mentor and advisor, Caroline also serves as a board member for Bristol Autism Support (BAS) and Science Creates Outreach.
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Caroline is a parent of two teens, one is studying Politics at Sheffield University and one is home educated.
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Fabienne Vailes
Research & Wellbeing
(Culture & Languages Facilitator)
Fabienne is first of all a mother of two teenage boys aged 16 and 14, one who after three years home educating has chosen to go to sixth form college, whilst the other continues to chose to attend his local secondary school.
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She is author of 'The Flourishing Student' (in its second edition) aimed at teachers and tutors and co-author of 'How to Grow a Grown Up' written for parents. Podcaster and Founder of Flourishing Education. As part of her PhD at the University of Bristol she is currently exploring how individuals, communities and the planet flourish together.
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Fabienne is an educator with 27 years experience teaching and facilitating language learning (French, Spanish and English as a Foreign Language) across all levels. She has taught in nurseries, primary and secondary state schools, an independent school as well as in FE colleges, two universities and in adult education settings. This has given her great insights and understanding of what it means to be a lifelong, lifewide, lifedeep learner and what the key barriers are.
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Jo Sweetland
Partnerships & Programmes
(Hub Manager, Creative Facilitator)
The vision for the Hub was a seed that was planted in 2018. Partnering with Caroline and Fabienne has enabled this seed to grow, establish roots, and be planted in the city.
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Jo was an occupational therapist for twenty years, specialising in helping people with neurological conditions regain their independence. During this time, she completed her PhD developing an innovative vocational rehabilitation service which was then embedded into clinical practice at UCLH.
It was while serving as a Governor at her children's school, Jo started questioning whether the education system allowed children and teachers to flourish. In 2017 deregistering from school Jo stepped into the well established Bristol home ed community. It was in her home that she started a co-learning 'Dojo' with Matt.
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In 2021, with Matt, Juliet and Sian, Streams Education was founded, a growing online community of home educators. Throughout her home ed journey Jo has explored opportunities to bring a progressive school to Bristol; where opening an actual school has been impossible, the learning has been rich, Jo has connected with innovators, thought leaders, and edupreneurs around the world learning from their wisdom and exploring what education could look like when done 'differently'. Collaborations, partnerships, and the network have grown - all this learning interweaving into the vision for the Hub.
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Jo is married to Jez, they have three teenagers. They are passionate about community and collaboration, and this passion is at the heart of the Hub.
Matt Harris
Learning Guide
(Social Media Lead)
Matt is a home-educating dad to his two teenage daughters. His wife, Nic, is Chaplain for Housing working at Bristol Cathedral and in partnership with the Housing Festival in Bristol and the Diocese of Bristol.
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Graduating from university with a degree in Sports Studies, Matt enjoyed numerous different roles including working at an outdoor pursuit centre and facilitating corporate team building events. He completed his PGDip in Youth Work and Community Development and has worked in different youth work roles within various settings including schools and churches.
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Since moving to Bristol in 2018, Matt has worked alongside Jo facilitating learning in the home education "Dojo" that ran, as well as growing Streams Education (an online community of home educators). Matt’s passion is to see young people live to their full potential and “be all they can be”. His strengths are his adaptability, empathy, positivity, love of learning and ability to help people develop.
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When Matt isn’t home educating, you’ll find him trying to keep fit, cooking, listening to a podcast, or working out how to get Wilson and Robin, the family dogs, to behave.
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Bex Marriott
Learning Guide - Creative workshops
Bex's passion for creativity and diverse cultures has profoundly shaped her professional journey and life adventures. Following her BA in Book Design & Publishing, she moved to a township in Trujillo, Peru to work with Food for the Hungry Inc. She reignited her passion for book engineering travelling home through the USA, earning a degree in Calligraphy & Bookbinding, and then was a self-employed bookbinder for 16 years.
Driven by her love for people and education, Bex earned a PGCE in Design Technology and taught in Oxford before relocating to South Africa. Establishing a Design department in a secondary school, she delved deep into global educational practices, emphasizing project-based learning as essential in empowering exploration of individual interests and collaboration.
Discovering her dyslexia as an adult, Bex champions learner autonomy, providing opportunities to problem-solve, take risks, collaborate, innovate, and take initiative. She utilizes diverse methods to enable the learners’ journeys.
Bex enjoys hiking, singing, and dance, while nurturing interests in etymology and language acquisition. Fluent in Spanish, she also speaks French and Italian, with a basic grasp of Setswana, an official language of South Africa.
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Sarah Apsey
Learning Guide - STEM workshops
Hello, I’m Sarah. Following a BSc in Biochemistry, I completed a PGCE and became a Secondary Science teacher. My own science education journey helps me to ‘make sense’ of my environment and my own biology, such that I navigate life with greater appreciation, wonder and joy.
Communicating science with the creativity and fresh perspectives of young minds, deepens this effect further for myself and students. I believe that there is no ‘right’ way to connect with scientific theory; individuals can bring their creativity, mathematical lens, appreciation of language, etymology, history, philosophy, design, storytelling….!
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I currently work at the University of Bristol careers service, supporting Life Sciences students to explore and navigate their next chapter. I enjoy hiking, scrambling and swimming in Britain’s varied countryside. When at home, I love listening to podcasts while cooking and sharing food with friends and family. ​​​​
Heidi King
Learning Guide - Language Cafe, French
Hi! I’m Heidi and I study French and Spanish (and a little bit of Portuguese) at the University of Bristol. Outside of languages, I play cello in the university orchestra and musical theatre society, and I enjoy reading.
Grace Golby
Learning Guide - Language Cafe, Spanish
Hello I’m Grace. I am a student at the University of Bristol and I study Spanish, German and Russian. Alongside learning languages, I love to play the flute and guitar in my spare time.
Matthew Shoults
Learning Guide - Language Cafe, German
Hi I'm Matthew and I study Chemistry and German at the University of Bristol. In my free time I enjoy hiking and playing the harmonica.
Jack Angell
Learning Guide - Maths
Hi! I'm Jack and I am currently studying for a Master's in Mathematics at the University of Bristol. In my free time, I love listening to music and playing rugby for a local team.
Aven Hall
Learning Guide - English
Hello I'm Aven. I’m currently studying English Literature at the University of Bristol, so naturally, I have a passion for reading! Outside of academics, I love learning new songs on my guitar and am an avid member of my local gym.
Krissy Tapp
Drama Workshop facilitator
Krissy is a freelance practitioner with a focus on the interactions between creative arts, community, and mental health. Her experience spans over 10 years of supporting children and young people through creative education, mentoring, applied theatre, and therapeutic work.
After completing her Drama and English degree in 2012, she co-directed a theatre company offering young people the opportunity to engage with social justice issues through drama. Since then, Krissy has facilitated performing arts workshops for children and young people in various contexts including Unique Voice CIC, a Bristol-based creative educational provider.
In 2022, Krissy qualified as a Play Therapist, combining her passion for the creative arts with her interest in children’s mental health and holistic wellbeing. Krissy’s therapeutic skills and understanding have influenced her approach to all areas of her work. She now balances her time between creative writing, workshop facilitation and therapeutic practice.
Charlie Proctor
Science Creates Outreach lead
After completing her degree in Early Years Education, Charlie began her career as a Primary School Teacher in Bristol before moving into Educational Consultancy, working with schools across the city.
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In 2016 she was part of the founding team of Science Creates and it was during this time that she realised how little hands-on inspiration there is for young people within the field of science and entrepreneurship. In response to this, she founded Science Creates Outreach, a charity offering workshops in the specifically designed Learning Lab, Q&As with real scientists and tours of working labs for students of all ages.
Charlie designs and facilitates these workshops along with some of the amazing members at Science Creates, helping learns to see the practical application of science in cutting edge technology here in the heart of Bristol.
Gaz Lawrence
Workshop Facilitator
In Bristol, Gaz embarked on a unique journey, choosing science and music at a London university over traditional art school. Discovering parallels between music and science, he later became a science teacher in London and Bristol, realizing his passion for blending diverse subjects.
Despite having a limited art background in school, Gaz began painting as a hobby in 2017, gaining recognition for his work. By 2022, his art has been displayed in galleries in London and Bristol, reflecting his varied interests: science, music, poetry, and personal stories about his family and the LGBTQ+ community.
In 2023, Gaz transitioned to full-time artistry, spearheading "The MoSAIC," a project using art to teach science to youth. Art sales contribute to supporting The MoSAIC. Gaz, adept with oil, acrylic, and ink, crafts paintings that simplify scientific concepts for children while fostering creativity. His art, laced with humour, is not just for serious contemplation—he encourages a lighthearted approach to his work.
Gaz has run one off workshops for the Streams Learning Hub - stay connected via our newsletter for when the next one is.
