01245 830321
Meet the Team
I'm Jason Buckley, founder of P4HE, The Philosophy Man and Outspark.
I do most of our Philosophy, Debate, Philosophy Explorers, Writers' Room and Book Club sessions. Many moons ago, I briefly home-educated myself for my A-levels before studying philosophy at Corpus Christi College, Cambridge. I now live in Cambridge again, on a narrowboat, so if I'm at home when I zoom, you might see the odd swan flying past, or hear me voicing the boat's shrieks of pain as an incompetent rower scrapes the paintwork.
Before going into teaching, I ran various businesses including a firework shop. I taught English at secondary schools for a few years but prefer being my own boss, so I run P4HE, Gift Courses (long history of residentials for bright, curious youngsters, hoping to get back to that soon), Outspark (DofE and such for schools) and The Philosophy Man, where I write and train teachers to do philosophy in schools.
I'm currently in the "Oh my goodness what have I bitten off" stage of writing a series of young adult novels involving time-travel, climate change and the occasional riot. My hobbies mostly revolve around slow inconvenient ways of moving from one place to another for no good reason - narrowboating, sailing, kayaking, cycling and caving. Also musical improv and writing riddles.
Ruth Stanway Woodings, Course Coordinator and Pastoral Lead for P4HE and GIFT Courses, Parent of Curious Children
Hello, I mutter incantations to get our websites and booking systems to work. I have a particular interest in supporting students with additional needs.
I have two children - both have been partially home educated.
One now has an EOTAS package (Education Other Than At School) funded by PB (Personal Budget) via their EHCP (Education, Health and Care Plan), and the other is at university.
I didn't have a great time at school - I was always in trouble for asking questions or staring out of the window. The headmaster wrote in my leaver's report that I had "a cavalier attitude." Fortunately I was able to bumble through until university, when someone (a properly bearded professor) sat me down and explained that some people have brains that work a bit differently - sometimes faster, often taking a different route to a conclusion, able to link ideas that other people might not expect.
I've worked in theatre, corporate strategy, business intelligence, with dementia patients, on international conferences, for a famous newspaper, in the energy sector, as a lobbyist in a Whitehall office, for a giant PR firm, for a tiny charity....and I still don't know what I want to be when I grow up!
I am Carl!
I build fires, create art and craft stories.
I have been working in education on and off for the last decade as teaching is my passion. I started my journey as a Forest Activity Ranger where I gained my love of working in the great outdoors. I studied Fine Art at the University of Derby and gained degrees at both Bachelors and Masters level. My main focuses were performance art and film making. I went on to gain my QTS as an art teacher for secondary school working with both mainstream and SEND pupils. I have since become a level 3 Forest School Leader and specialise in teaching survival skills and outdoor crafts.
I have a deep love for fantasy and science fiction. My favourite books are by Douglas Adams and Terry Pratchett. I am a Whovian to my core and I love playing DnD both as Dungeon Master and as a player.
Hi everyone I’m Megan
I’m your all singing all dancing Musical Theatre, Drama and Music teacher! I’ve been teaching for over 10 years working with all kinds of students interested in the performing arts. My teaching experience began when I was 16 working for KMPAC, and this is where I caught the ‘teaching bug.’ In 2019 I graduated from The University of Winchester with a Musical Theatre (BA Hons). A highlight of mine was writing my dissertation; Is there a place for the disabled actor/actress within Musical Theatre, and do youth groups have a positive or negative effect? After my graduation I went on to become a full time teacher with KMPAC specialising in Musical Theatre, Drama and Vocals, and shortly after started my business Megan Coupar Music which has been running successfully since 2021. A fun fact about me is that I can roar like a lion and do a very convincing F1 car impression. I love the colours green and orange, live theatre, and my two cats Lilith and Leeroy.
Hi, I’m Lou!
I’ve always been a curious soul—the kind of child who couldn’t sit still and constantly asked a million questions. That curiosity eventually led me to study philosophy at Trinity College Dublin, where I fell in love with the subject.
After graduating, I spent time in India working with a youth organization that used play to inspire creative thinking. Before long, I joined Amnesty International as a Youth and Human Rights Education Coordinator, weaving philosophy into everything I did. These days, I’m developing an activism wellbeing book and a toolkit for playful thinking for children, in partnership with Amnesty International.
I received a higher diploma in Global Youth Education, and also trained with the Philosophy Foundation on delivering P4C. Now based in Amsterdam, I run lively philosophy sessions for adults on topics like the philosophy of food, friendship, and love. I also facilitate regular sessions for children and teens, both in-person and online, creating spaces for them to explore big ideas with curiosity and playfulness.
When I’m not immersed in philosophy, you’ll likely find me crocheting, birdwatching, doodling, or traveling, or simply eating tasty food with friends.