What we do
Crossfields Institute is a registered charity that was founded in 2007 with the aim of enabling education providers with a holistic and integrative approach to improve the quality of what they do and offer certification to students. Crossfields Institute now includes three distinct areas of activity that are collectively known as the Crossfields Institute Group: Firstly we are an Ofqual (The Office of Qualifications and Examinations Regulation) regulated awarding organisation offering a range of certification services to education providers in the UK and abroad. Secondly we develop and deliver educational programmes mostly at post-graduate level. Thirdly, our affiliated partner in Copenhagen, Crossfields Europa, offers consultancy and coaching services to organisations and individuals globally. These three activities take place through our Awarding, Learning and the Consulting branches respectively.

Vision and Philosophy
Crossfields Institute is a vision-based organisation, meaning that through our activities our aim is to contribute positively to making the world a better place, while also providing high-quality services to our clients. Our belief is that education has the power and potential to be a force of positive change in the world, if used in the right way, and as an organisation we are on an action research journey to discover what this means in practice. We invite those with whom we collaborate to join us in this inquiry.
While education today can often be driven by the bottom line and by measurable and quantifiable outcomes, we prefer to see education as a transformative journey that is as much about the path as it is about the destination. It is about cultivating openness and unknowing as well as acquiring knowledge and skills. It is also about finding and nurturing passion, interest and a sense of purpose, and about developing capacities to participate meaningfully in the world. Over the years we have identified some core education related principles that guide us in our approach. These include:
Holistic learning. We work with a broader notion of knowing than simply the cognitive and the rational. The knowing that comes with emotion and feeling and the knowing associated with embodied action are equally important. We work actively and in different ways with this expanded notion of knowing in our three domains of activity.
Deep Learning. Deep learning is achieved through experiential and problem-based approaches to learning. It is enabled through engaging with complexity and real-world practice. Deep learning also invites the participation of the whole human being and multiple ways of knowing.
Transformative learning. In our view, education is not just about acquiring new knowledge and skills, it also has the possibility to bring about profound transformation at the personal, political and social levels. Central to our approach is the recognition that taking risks and not-knowing are fundamental if education is to have the potential to be transformative as well as integrative.
Transdisciplinary learning. When separate disciplines meet and mix then new insights can arise that are not necessarily found in any one single discipline. Hence the name ‘Crossfields’. This is particularly the case for the arts, sciences and humanities.
Lifebased and lifelong learning. With the shifting and fluid nature of life today, traditional boundaries between life, work and leisure are blurring. Our approach is to see life in all its aspects as the context for ‘learning’ in the deepest sense, and of course this extends over the whole of life, not just the first three decades. Technology has also greatly expanded the possibilities of what can count as a ‘classroom’ and how and where formal and informal learning can take place.
Diversity and inclusion. Deep learning is enabled through a rich mix of perspectives and experiences. In all our activities we aim to be as inclusive as possible, meaning that no one is excluded from participation on the basis of gender, race, sexual orientation, age or disability.
Care for nature and the environment. We aim to nurture love and care for the environment, whether urban or natural, and we seek to promote environmental responsibility wherever possible.
The Team
- Board of trustees
- Charlene Collison
- Judy Foster
- Lesley Moore
- Paul Hinchcliffe
- Core Leadership Team
Kirsty Allen – Operations Manager - Marisa Godfrey – Learning Manager
- Sam Milton – Awarding Manager
- Crossfields Awarding
- Jules Ellison – Head of Education Development
- Sam Milton – Responsible Officer/Awarding Manager
- Julie Smith – Lead EQA & Deputy Responsible Officer
- Nick Adams – Academic Administrator
- Crossfields Learning
Marisa Godfrey – Head of Centre & Learning Manager - Beki Aldam – Learning Coordinator
- Crossfields Consulting
- Lou Doliczny – Educational Consultant
Elsebeth Bolvig – Operations Manager - Charlotte von Bülow – Senior Consultant/Founder
- Dr Fergus Anderson – Senior Lecturer, Programme Lead
Jonathan Code – Senior Lecturer
Andrea Brandão – PPIE Coordinator
Staff biographies (in alphabetical order)

Nick Adams BA (Hons), Delta
Academic Administrator
Nick is Academic Administrator at Crossfields Institute and is part of the Awarding team. He has worked in varied roles within private and public sectors of Education, both in the UK and in Spain, where he most recently worked as the Head of Studies at a language school in the Basque Country and conducted oral examinations for Cambridge University. He is invested in a model of education which recognises and values the inherent diversity of its learners and takes a creative, experiential approach to learning. He sees education as a lifelong process which is constantly in motion.

Beki Aldam
Learning Coordinator
Beki joined Crossfields in 2022 as the Learning Coordinator. She is an English and History teacher, with experience of working in both mainstream and Steiner-inspired schools. Before completing her PGCE, she worked in various jobs, such as with the Queen Mary University Neurology and Neuroscience team; teaching English to businesses in Germany; and creating online copy for organisations such as Save the Children. Beki is also a District Councillor and a part-time secondary school teacher.

Kirsty Allen
Operations Manager
Kirsty joined the Institute in 2019 as our accountant, and is now the Operations Manager for CFI and part of the Core Leadership Team.
She has worked in the financial sector for over ten years and is currently working in practice. Over the years she has gained expert knowledge and experience of working within the voluntary sector. She is passionate about assisting organisations to grow.

Charlene Collison
Trustee
Charlene works in sustainability and systems change. She is Director, Collaborations with global non-profit BSR, leading and shaping collaborative initiatives. Previously she was Associate Director with Forum for the Future’s where she led Forum’s Challenge Lab on Sustainable Value Chains. She has various led multi-stakeholder collaborative initiatives, including directing the Cotton 2040 initiative. Charlene was also a facilitator on Forum’s School for Systems Change, and has over 20 years experience using futures tools to diagnose and support stakeholders to act on emerging systemic challenges for sustainability.
Charlene has an MSc in Sustainability and Responsibility from Ashridge Management College, a BA in International Relations from the University of Puget Sound and a Diploma in Organisational Change and Development from Henley Management College. She is a visiting Fellow at the Bristol Change and Leadership Centre (BLCC) and was a trustee of Emerson College from 2012 to 2019.

Fergus Anderson PhD, MEd., BSc. (Hons)
Core Faculty & Programme Lead
Fergus is part of Crossfields Learning core faculty. He is currently programme leader for the Philosophy and Practice of Integrative Education post-graduate certificate. He also teaches and mentors on other CI programmes and short courses. He recently completed his PhD which was on the experience of thinking, drawing on recent debates in philosophy of mind. This ties in with his long-term interest in consciousness studies, first-person research and meditation. Fergus also plays an active part in organising the Crossfields Institute research activities and he has organised a number of research conferences in collaboration with partner organisations over number of years.

Elsebeth Bolvig MA (MPO) , BSc (EBA)
Project Manager & Operations Manager
Elsebeth is a Project Manager and Operations Manager contributing to the organisational development and quality assurance of the Danish Association of Psychotherapists and its membership. Elsebeth holds a Masters in Organisational Psychology and a BA in Economics. She is a certified Change Management Consultant and has a Diploma in Psychotherapy, specialising in trauma therapy. Furthermore Elsebeth is the Office Manager of Crossfields Europa where her operational responsibilities include finance management, client care and communication. Elsebeth worked as an Associate Marketing Manager for IBM before she changed direction and became a Psychotherapist. She worked within two larger prisons in Denmark between 2010 and 2019 after which she joined the team at Crossfields Europa.

Andrea Brandão BA, MA
Programme Lead
Andrea Brandão is Programme Lead on the Philosophy and Practice of Integrative Education post-graduate program. She joined Crossfields in 2019. Andrea has over 20 years of teaching experience, in primary, secondary and adult education, mainly in Finland.
Andrea’s areas of expertise are EFL, assessment, holistic and integrative education.
Andrea holds an MA in Portuguese and English Languages and Literature (UFPR- Brazil), MA in English Philosophy (University of Helsinki – Finland) with minor studies in Pedagogy and Adult Education and Postgraduate Studies in Integrative Education ( Alanus and CFI).
She is currently partaking in Doctor of Education studies at the University of Bath.

Charlotte von Bülow, PhD, M.Ed., CMgr MCMI
Founder & Senior Consultant
Charlotte is the founder of the Crossfields Institute Group and of the Danish branch, Crossfields Europa, where she is Senior Consultant. In 2018, After 10 years as a CEO, Charlotte decided to pass on her operational responsibilities and remains a strategic advisor to the current leadership and teams. Through Crossfields Europa, Charlotte continues to offer leadership education, executive coaching, organisational development and change management to international corporate and third sector clients. Charlotte is a Senior Lecturer at the Bristol Business School, Faculty of Business and Law at University of the West of England where she teaches on the Executive MBA programmes, MSc in Business Administration, BA in Business and Management and works on externally funded projects as consultant and coach for the Business School. Charlotte’s research and publications focus on personal and professional transformation, leadership development, working with uncertainty and Negative Capability as well as the development of an attentional ethics. Charlotte works and lives in the UK and Denmark.

Jonathan Code BA, M.Ed
Senior Lecturer
Jonathan is a lecturer on Crossfields Learning’s HE programmes and a workshop leader on a range of CII short courses. Jonathan is currently co-lead and a module Programme Leader for the Researching Holistic Agroecology pathway of the MA in Philosophy of Social Innovation (an Alanus University programme). Jonathan has a deep interest in consciousness studies, the western esoteric tradition, holistic and natural sciences, gardening, and education. These interests informed both his Bachelor’s degree (Integral Studies, CIIS, California), and his M. Ed (Social and Environmental Education, RSUC Oslo). Jonathan is currently enrolled as a doctoral student with the University of Bath, focusing on educational research. Jonathan’s book Muck and Mind; Encountering Biodynamic Agriculture is distributed by Lindisfarne/Floris books.

Lou Doliczny BSc (Hons), QTS, MSc
Educational Consultant
Lou joined Crossfields in September 2014 as Qualification Development Coordinator and became Chief Executive Officer in November 2019. Since leaving this role in February 2023, she has worked as an Educational Consultant for the charity.
She has a rich employment history, working in both public and private sectors, and brings this experience with her as she works alongside our centres, learners and partner organisations. Louise has a BSc in Economics, a Post Graduate Diploma in Management and holds Qualified Teacher Status. She recently completed an MSc in Education at Bristol University where her focus was on Critical Pedagogy and democratic approaches to education. In working with Crossfields she is embracing the opportunity to deepen her understanding of holistic and integrative approaches at all levels and build on her educational philosophy.

Jules Ellison MBA
Head of Education Development
Jules Ellison is the Head of Education Development, an experienced educator and adviser she is known for her conceptual and ideation skills and is passionate about finding effective solutions to the systemic challenges that affect our social and ecological wellbeing.
For over a decade Jules worked in Bristol’s inner city delivering a diverse portfolio of enterprise support services on all aspects of social enterprise development from ideation to creation, implementation and impact. Jules has in-depth experience of designing and delivering Enterprise Education initiatives for a number of universities. As Third Sector Entrepreneur in Residence at the University of Bristol she provided support for students and coordinated cross-sector strategic partnerships to develop a strong ecosystem of support for social entrepreneurs. Jules has expertise in curriculum development, entrepreneurial education, social Innovation, organisational development and regenerative practice.

Judy Foster
Trustee
Judy has a background in project management and entrepreneurship and she worked for many years in the corporate sector. Preferring to align her work with her values, in October 2010 she moved into the third sector, and joined Crossfields Institute initially as Quality Assurance Coordinator and Systems Manager. As the organisation grew she went on to hold a variety of roles including Quality Manager, Responsible Officer, Head of Operations and Chief Executive. She co-founded the Crossfields Institute awarding organisation, taking on the project lead with Ofqual (the English regulator of qualifications).
Since 2019 she has worked as education consultant and advisor on a variety of projects. She is currently Head of Operations and International Outreach for the environmental NGO Stop Ecocide International, and a member of the Board of the Biodynamic Association. In July 2022 she became a trustee of Crossfields Institute.

Marisa Godfrey
Head of Centre (Crossfields Learning) & Learning Manager
Marisa joined Crossfields Learning in November 2020 as the Learning Co-ordinator, working primarily with the Integrative Education Qualifications, and is now Head of Centre and Learning Manager, and part of the CFI Core Leadership team. She has worked in the education and voluntary sector for over 20 years. She has experience and knowledge of running education programmes for young people, students in higher education and within community and social enterprise settings. She is passionate about education being a force for change and integrative education’s role in achieving that.

Sam Milton
Responsible Officer & Awarding Manager
Sam is the Responsible Officer and Awarding Manager for CFI, and is part of the Core Leadership team. He also oversees the Quality Assurance aspects of the Awarding Organisation supporting EQAs and Centres. Sam has been instrumental in developing and improving our online platform Mercury for EQA visits, Compliance, learner Registration and Certification.
Before Crossfields, Sam had a Career in Retail Banking from Cashier to Leadership positions before moving into the Training Sector in recent years as a Customer Service and Sales Specialist. Sam joined us in April 2022 and is committed to a person-centred approach and passionate about open communication and integrity. Sam was drawn to the vision and philosophy of Crossfields for its continued great work in promoting integrative and transformative education.

Lesley Moore RN, Dip. in Nursing (Wales), Cert. Ed. (FE), MA in Social Ethics, D.Phil.
Trustee
Lesley has recently retired as an Associate Professor in Work-based Learning from the University of the West of England, Bristol. As a nurse Lesley worked in both the NHS and military sectors and became a nurse teacher in 1986. During her time as a nurse academic Lesley was committed to the vision of lifelong learning and the development of professional and collaborative practice, and inter-professional learning. The latter was developed further through leading cross-university projects on work-based learning, and a Florence Nightingale Scholarship (2000) where she explored ethical reasoning workshops in a Dutch hospital.
The award of a National Teaching Fellowship and a Churchill Fellowship in 2005 enabled Lesley to explore ways of enabling professional health care staff to communicate with people with learning disabilities (University of Kentucky), and an innovative inter-professional, healthcare undergraduate programme (Northeastern University, Boston USA).
As Director of Work-based Learning Lesley worked closely with HE colleagues in all faculties and the FE sector to validate specific programmes from Certificate to Masters levels. Lesley is skilled at developing action focused distance learning materials, working with blended learning and facilitating adult learning approaches. Currently Lesley is an external examiner for work-based learning at the University of Chester. Previous examining roles have been on professional courses at Westminster University and Napier University (Edinburgh).
Since retirement Lesley is engaged with voluntary work such as the Trustee role for Crossfields, and a community governor role for an Academy and 6th form, case worker for Soldier, Sailors, Airmen and Families Association (SSAFA), and a mentor for new Churchill Fellows.

Paul Hinchcliffe
Trustee
A senior lecturer at the University of West of England, Paul has a background in economics and finance teaching from Foundation to Masters level.
He also works with charities involving international twinning and disabilities and is a trustee of the Gloucestershire Rural Communities Council.
Within the corporate sector he advises emerging companies on corporate structure and appropriate finance specifically within the medical sector and the application of artificial intelligence to support information systems. Over the years Paul has worked in over 30 countries from the USA to Mongolia and Hong Kong to Bermuda and maintains contacts at international level on a regular basis

Julie Smith
Lead EQA & Deputy Responsible Officer
Julie is the Lead EQA at Crossfields Institute. She is a qualified teacher, EQA, IQA and Assessor with over 25 years post-16 educational experience. She is the co-founder of a small training company providing assessor, quality assurance and teaching qualifications and remains a practitioner across these areas in order to maintain occupational competence. Julie likes to get involved in new initiatives to develop her knowledge and thinking further in the ever-changing landscape of teaching, learning and assessment.
She has many years’ experience of working with small independent and large national awarding organisations, training providers and employers developing in-house training teams and supporting them through training and consultancy. She has authored post-16 educational resources published by Pearson Education, and has been instrumental in writing regulated qualifications.
Work with Us
Crossfields Institute is a growing organisation, always looking out for talented individuals to join the team. If you have an interest in integrative education, regenerative social practice or transformative learning, and the skills to make a difference, why not get in touch with us? Email info@crossfieldsinstitute.com or or see the jobs board below for current openings:
External Quality Assurers (EQA)
We are seeking experienced subject specialists with understanding and experience of awarding organisation quality assurance processes in the following curriculum areas:
Health and social care – nutrition and lifestyle coaching, herbalism, trauma-informed approaches to health, care and education, equine facilitated psychotherapy, integrative healthcare, osteopathy, anthroposophic skincare
Teaching and learning – higher level teaching qualifications and therapeutic education
Agriculture, horticulture and forestry – biodynamic agriculture, agroforestry, community orcharding
Child development and well-being –Steiner Waldorf, Pikler and Montessori approaches
Foundations for learning and life – integrated qualifications for school age learners at levels 2 & 3
Application by CV and covering letter or email should be returned to lead.eqa@crossfieldsinstitute.com or for more information email info@crossfieldsinstitute.com.
Submission deadline: Ongoing
Contact Us
Contact Crossfields Institute by phone, email or write to us:
Crossfields Institute
Stroud House
Russell Street
Stroud
Gloucestershire GL5 3AN
United Kingdom
Office: +44 (0) 1453 808 118
Office hours: Monday to Thursday, 9am – 4:30pm
General Enquiries: dialogue@crossfieldsinstitute.com
Awarding Enquiries: info@crossfieldsinstitute.com
Crossfields Europa
Refshalevej 163A, 1th
1432 Copenhagen K.
Denmark
Email: elsebeth.bovig@crossfieldsinstitute.com
Registered company: CVR no: 38547232