Governors

I have been a Governor at Newton Poppleford Primary School since September 2020. I am a Parent Governor with two children with the school. I became a Governor to use my education knowledge to support the school in its strategic development and assist in developing and maintaining the amazing learning culture that exists.
In my career I am the Head of History at Sidmouth College. One area I am significantly passionate about is School Improvement; with focuses on the curriculum, assessment and the use and evaluation of teaching and learning methods in the classroom. Within curriculum and assessment I have lead a number of subjects in the reflection of their curriculum and assessment and recently have implemented a review of the History curriculum, producing a clear and coherent curriculum which is supported by a rigorous assessment system. I have led and assisted on whole school teaching and learning initiatives within my school which includes; projects which have increased the use of pedagogy in the classroom and action research projects. I am also a Specialist Leader in Education for Secondary History and run a Professional Community for the South West Institute for Teaching. In this role I am able to share my passion for collaborating with others and sharing good practice.
Outside of my school responsibilities, I enjoy spending time with my family, with visits to the beach, walks and holidays.

I am a parent of one child attending the school. Outside of parenthood, I am a Consultant Ecologist, working for a global multi-disciplinary Engineering and Environment company. I've been in consultancy for 22 years, and before that, I was a local authority Countryside Warden in the North-East of England.
I moved to Devon in 2005 and to Newton Poppleford in 2010 and love the village and school.
I became a governor in 2016 so that I could help the school with strategic direction and support the amazing staff to the best of my abilities.

I moved to the village in 2012, and my son Samuel attends the school. Samuel's love of the school has inspired me to get involved. I have over 20 years of experience in business, starting my career in London in advertising. In 2006, I packed up my life and moved to Devon and started work as head hunter recruiting IT specialists. For the last 10 years I have worked for an IT training consultancy within their business development and strategic account management team. In my spare time, you can find me restoring my 400-year-old thatch cottage which I share with Samuel and my crazy cockapoo, or in the gym learning to powerlift!

I have been a parent governor since November 2020, I have two children in the school and a toddler at home with me. My career has primarily been in the finance industry, but I have a BSc in zoology, and I currently work part time in the hospitality sector. I have been involved with the PTFA since my eldest started reception class and enjoy supporting the school in both my PTFA and governor roles.

I am a governor with two children at the school and a third who will hopefully follow in her sisters’ footsteps when her time comes.

Professionally, I have been an Environmental Consultant since 2006 specialising in Air Quality and more recently Health Impact Assessments. I work at a global engineering and environmental consultancy in their Exeter office. In my spare time I enjoy walks and trips to the beach with my family and friends. I am part of a local book club and enjoy attending the local Zumba class in the village hall.

With three children right at the beginning of their school life I have a vested interest in the future of the school. I hope that by being a Governor I will help to ensure that the high standards of the school are maintained and to support the school’s strategic development and it’s place within our community.

I was inspired to become a Parent Governor in order to gain insight into how the School operates and to contribute to its strategic development. I was appointed in May 2020, more or less on the day of the first national Covid-19 lockdown and so my introduction to being a Governor was certainly full on! Things are much closer to normal now, but there is still much to do, be it reviewing school policies or else appointing a new Head Teacher! Being a Governor has been a rewarding experience for me. It really has been a unique opportunity to witness, at the first hand, the professionalism and dedication of every member of staff and the positive impact that they have on our children, including my own three. Professionally, I have worked as a solicitor in a national law firm dealing with commercial insurance disputes for over 20 years. I also now sit regularly as a Judge in the family and civil Courts across Devon and also in the Employment Tribunal. In my spare time, my wife and I enjoy rambling across Devon with our children and our red fox Labrador. The dog always comes back when called, the children not so much !

I have been teaching in Yr 1 and 2 at Newton Poppleford Primary since 2005 and took over the Reception Class in 2020 which gave me a new lease of life.
I love the fact that every day is different and I enjoy seeing the children have fun and learn at the same time.
In my spare time I like to walk with Buddy, my working cocker spaniel and have just completed Land’s End to John O’Groats and the South West Coast path virtually!
Now my own three children are in their late teens I felt I had the time to give something back and so decided to become a teacher governor. I hope I can represent the fantastic team that work at Newton Pop and help shape the future of the school in some way.

As a newly appointed governor I am keen to engage with and fully support the whole of the Newton Poppleford school community as it continues to educate and nurture the young children of our lovely village.
Both of my own children, now aged 21 and 14, completed their primary education at NPPS and left feeling fully prepared, both emotionally and academically, to move on to the next stage of their education.
Professionally, I am a secondary school teacher of English currently working in a large comprehensive school in Exeter; this provides me with a secure understanding of the education system and the day-to-day
challenges that schools can face.
Outside of school I can be found tending my allotment, a hobby that provides not only an abundance of fresh fruit and vegetables but an opportunity to relax and recharge!

My family and I moved to Newton Poppleford in 2013 and the school has been a big part of our lives since then. My three daughters have all attended the school – the youngest still attends and her older sisters are now in secondary school. I love our school and want to give something back by being a governor.
Back in 2019, I set up a playgroup in the village. I wanted there to be an opportunity for the village children to get to know each other before starting school. I handed this over once my youngest daughter started school and it still continues. In the past, I have also volunteered at Sidmouth Library, singing nursery rhymes with young children once a week.
Professionally, I am a physicist. I have a PhD in astrophysics and work as a Senior Scientist at the Met Office. My current work involves machine learning models. I volunteer as a STEM ambassador, both taking part in the Science Camp that is run by the Met Office and doing STEM and history activities at the school.

I put myself forward to become a parent Governor, starting in September 2024, mainly because having seen my two daughters flourish in the pre-school and early years I really wanted to have the opportunity to give something back in bringing some of my experience and skills to try and help the school become even better. I feel fortunate to have moved into the wonderful village of Newton Poppleford in 2021, being drawn to the village due to the great location to the countryside and coastline and of course the fantastic local school!

I work as the Head of Safeguarding for NHS England South West, meaning I work across all the South West counties with key health organisations and their partner organisations to ensure they are meeting their statutory safeguarding responsibilities (adults and children) whilst developing professional networks and driving improvements. I thoroughly enjoy supporting others to grow and reach their own goals and potential, by utilising my coaching and mentoring qualification enables me to do this alongside the day job.
Away from work I enjoy keeping physically and mentally healthy by being outdoors and active as much as possible whether that’s running, the gym, paddle boarding on the open water, playing golf with friends or family days out exploring out beautiful county.
I am really looking forward to the opportunity of being on the Governing Body which I have no doubt will be challenging and rewarding but something I can add some value in supporting our children reach their full potential.