MEET
The Team
Turning work into play and making learning fun. Without them, Dania wouldn’t be such a blissful and thriving community of creative explorers and lifelong learners.
Katie
Head Teacher
Katie is the Headteacher at Dania. She has a background in both Healthcare and Education. Prior to training to become a teacher through the University of Nottingham, she worked as a Physiotherapist and Clinic Manager for several years within various settings, both in London and overseas. She has a varied experience in Primary School education across independent and international school settings, as well as state-run academies. She has a special interest in English and Literacy as well as History and, following the Scandinavian ethos at Dania, exposing children to a broad-based curriculum through exploratory, project-based and child-initiated learning.
Karina
PreSchool Coordinator
Karina is our Preschool Coordinator from Denmark. She has been associated with Dania School since 2014 but started her career at The Royal Academy of Arts after studying Art History at Goldsmiths University. She then moved into education, training as an Early Years Practitioner. She has worked in both private international schools, as well as state-run schools. In the UK, she has worked in Preschools and Nurseries, as well as Reception classes. Whilst working at Garfield Primary School in London, she was introduced to ‘In the moment planning’ which is child-centred learning through play. She has continued this approach at Dania Preschool combined with a Scandinavian ethos.
Beata
Key Stage 1 Teacher
Beata is the Key Stage 1 Teacher at Dania. She is an experienced social educator, with over 16 years of invaluable experience in both the childcare sector and in the media film industry. She has worked in both Nursery and International Secondary School settings, specialising as an Art and Design teacher in the latter. She has a special interest in social education, counselling and special educational needs and at present she is studying her Master’s Degree in Transpersonal Arts in Therapy to become Transpersonal Art Counsellor.
Ayse
Reception Teacher
Ayse is our Reception Teacher and has been working at Dania since 2019. Ayse started her career as a Teacher in Denmark, before settling in London, where she initially gained experience in Secondary Education working with SEN children before joining Dania.
As our newly-appointed Scandinavian Pedagogical Lead, Ayse is known for her creativity and aesthetic learning, and use of open-ended activities which enable children to see their own potential and foster children’s unique and natural curiosity. She is specialised in Maths, Design & Technology and Physical Education, as well as behavioural management, wellbeing, and diversity and inclusion.
Ludo
Primary Teacher
Ludovic is a Primary Teacher and has been at Dania since 2019. He is a French native with an engineering and research background and, with a PHD in Measurement and Information in Medicine, he is still an active researcher in the field of Neonatal Intensive Care. As a Teacher, Ludo enjoys breaking down more complex problems into simplified forms, making it more accessible and fun to learners. He believes in learning-by-doing and in the value of a cross-curricular approach to teaching topics from maths and science to languages, aligned with the project-based learning and Scandinavian approach at Dania.
Hani
Preschool Teacher
Hani joined us in 2022 as a Preschool Teacher. She undertook her teacher training in Norway to qualify in Social Education and has a Masters degree in Special Educational Needs.
Esther
Preschool Assistant
Esther is our Preschool Assistant at Dania. Having been educated in the Swedish system she brings a wealth of understanding and knowledge of Scandinavian learning which she brings into her daily practice and, of course, her Swedish language skills!
Tanja Murphy
Office Manager
Tanja is our Office Manager and is English and Danish, having lived around half her life in each of her countries. She has a scientific background and spent some time working for a Biotech company in London before starting a family in Islington. “Once I had children I realised how integral the Scandinavian way of treating children like equals was to me, and it is a pleasure to work in a place where children have the space to grow in their own time”.
Peter Melbye
Chair of Governors
Peter is a technology leader with a career history of working in Education. As Vice President of Technology Architecture at Pearson, Peter worked with ministries of education across the world to design, develop and implement digital learning solutions in schools and higher education institutes. Peter is the present Chair of Governors and has been a Trustee of Dania Scandinavian School since 2016.