Froebel Trust welcomes three new trustees

We are delighted to welcome three new trustees to the Froebel Trust Council. Dr Sharon Colilles, Catriona Gill and Abha Hurri join our nine other trustees who volunteer their time and expertise to steer and support the work of the Trust.

Dr Sharon Colilles

Sharon is Senior Lecturer in early childhood education at the University of the West of England in Bristol and an associate trainer and researcher for the Centre for Research in Early Childhood Education (CREC) and British Association for Early Childhood Education (BAECE). She has a diverse career background, working initially in the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) as a policy manager, owning a private day nursery, assessor for the award of EYPs, participating in the review of the Teacher Standards, and more recently working as project assistant for the development of Birth to Five Matters Guidance.

Sharon’s PhD research and interest are particularly concerned with play based participatory pedagogies and their part in developing children’s mixed ethnic identity and cultural learning and development – especially learning and development informed by child-led perspectives. Sharon also has a deep interest and engages in work that develops anti-oppressive practice. She is an active member of Early Childhood Education Research Association (EECERA), CREC learning circle and Early Education.

Catriona Gill

Catriona began her professional career in theatre, working in several directorial positions with companies in England and Scotland. In April 2021, she joined the Early Years team at Education Scotland, following more than 20 years in teaching roles after gaining a degree in Psychology and a Post-graduate Certificate in Education. Her last teaching position was as Head Teacher of Greengables Nursery School and Family Centre in Edinburgh. Having gained the Froebel and Childhood Practice Certificate from the University of Edinburgh in 2008, she now shares her expertise with current students as a part-time tutor on the University of Edinburgh Froebel in Childhood Practice courses.

As well as being a respected Froebelian author and presenter, Catriona is a member of the Edinburgh Froebel Network. In 2020, she volunteered to join the Froebel Trust’s Communications Committee of which she remains a member and in 2020 she participated in the recent Young Voices on Covid-19 research project.

Abha Hurri

Abha is a barrister who works part-time at Crown Office Row chambers in Brighton. In her work, Abha specialises in the area of trusts and probate disputes and she has worked with numerous charities over the years.

As parent to a young child, Abha’s interest in early childhood education and care (ECEC) was sparked by her own search for nursery provision. Her quest to research and find play-based, child-centred approaches to ECEC led her to read the work of educationalists, such as Sir Ken Robinson. Abha’s values and views about education align closely with approaches commonly found in Finland – her husband’s home country – and the Froebel Trust’s principles.

She is excited that becoming a trustee will allow her to bring together her legal knowledge with a subject that is personal and very close to her heart.