Catriona is a passionate educator, committed to creativity, innovation and learning through the world around us. She started her career as an educator in the UK, where she received her Bachelor of Arts in Education from the University of Plymouth and her PGCE from Goldsmiths, University of London. Since then, Catriona has held a number of leadership positions in school start-ups in both London and Hong Kong, acting as an integral part of these founding teams.
Catriona is a Level 1 qualified Forest-Beach school practitioner and has studied and trained teachers in the Reggio Emilia philosophy. Before joining Bloom, she most recently served as the Assistant Principal at Malvern College Pre-School, starting up the school from scratch in 2019 and supporting teachers and parents in understanding the importance of connecting children with the natural world around them. At Bloom, Catriona serves as the Director of Community and Partnerships, where she focuses on building the Bloom community of students, parents, teachers, supporters, and external partners.
Catriona's interest in innovation and change in education has allowed her to become a part of a global network of changemakers, who meet regularly to discuss best practice in a range of educational fields. She is an Ambassador for HundrEd, a global education non profit whose mission is to improve education through impactful innovations. She has been invited to speak and run workshops for practitioners at a range of conferences around the world on topics such as wellness in education, empathy based leadership, nature based learning and the links between creativity and education.
Catriona is a creative at heart and has researched the link between creativity and education at length. She is a practicing ceramicist and film photographer and has a home studio on Lamma Island, where she runs a number of workshops to teach creativity using the natural world.