I was born and raised in the Midlands, venturing to the South-West to start to study for my B.Ed (Hons) Primary Teaching degree at the College of St Mark and St John nearly 30 years ago.

Throughout my career I have taken on many roles and responsibilities including PE and IT coordinator, SENDco, EYFS lead, Safeguarding lead and Deputy Head.  I have taught all ages across the primary age range, including nursery.

Having taught at both inner city and rural schools, I have witnessed the real difference encouraging a ‘thirst for learning’ makes to a child’s life, which is why I am so passionate about teaching.  Education is constantly evolving, amongst it all, we must not lose sight of a child’s happiness and wellbeing, so each individual receives the relevant support to develop into an independent, resilient and successful learner.

Music, sport and reading are passions of mine. For many years I was a semi-professional basketball player. I have played musical instruments since childhood – flute and saxophone. While I am always reading to expand my professional knowledge, I do enjoy a good fictional murder mystery or detective novel!

My evenings and weekends are spent enjoying quality family time with my husband and son.  We enjoy exploring the moors, bird watching and spending time with friends.

I have been involved in education for some 30 years. Initially I began my career as a secondary school PE, History and Special Needs teacher with a particular interest in learning difficulties such as dyslexia, which remains a special interest today. I took time out to have my children but during this time I travelled and lived in many different countries with my husband and also gained a psychology degree, a master in education and an advanced diploma in child development.   From 1997 to 2016 I taught A Level Psychology in a sixth form centre in Staffordshire. I quickly became Head of Department, had responsibility for training associate teachers and NQT’s and was appointed a member of the Senior Management Team in 2008 with specific responsibility for developing teaching and learning across the sixth form with specific responsibility for the health and well-being of our students and staff alike.

I was until recently Chair for the Association of Teachers of Psychology and at present I sit on two BPS boards; SCoPTE (Standing committee on Pre-Tertiary Education) and the Education & Training Board.

I took early retirement in June 2016, quickly followed by a move to Cornwall, moving to Cargreen in February 2018. Now we are settled, I am keen to take an active part in the community and being a governor seems a perfect fit.

I am a parent at Landulph School where three of my children go to school, as a parent I feel a sense of belonging to Landulph school and I want to see it continue to thrive into the future. For three years I was Chair of a committee of volunteers at Landulph Under Fives, a community led pre-school. This provided me with experience in managing pre-school staff as well as a committee of volunteer parents.

My background is in Environmental Regulation. This role means I am very familiar with regulations, guidance and ensuring compliance. In my current role at the Environment Agency I have to influence managers on how to roll out new ways of working in order to adapt to ever increasing government funding cuts.

I do this through helping the managers set strategic direction as well as reminding them of our duty to deliver outcomes for the Environment whist still safeguarding staff wellbeing.

Originally from Hampshire, I graduated from Bournemouth University in 1979 and enjoyed many years working initially in commerce and then running a signwriting company in partnership with my husband. However my true passion has always been with the younger generation and I wanted to make a greater contribution towards improving children’s education and the local community.  I qualified as a primary school teacher in 2001.

I am very committed to raising standards and promoting equal opportunities for all pupils.  I have taught across both key stages and became a team leader before taking early retirement in 2017.

It is a great privilege to join this fantastic school, where the staff and pupils are so caring and hard working.  I believe that the positive relationships our children make at Primary School are key to the building and maintaining of a cohesive and harmonious sense of community in the future.  As governor, my aim is to support the school in order to ensure that every child reaches his or her potential in an environment that is well-managed and nurturing.  I bring my professional experience within education, the business world and as a parent to serve this purpose.

When I’m not working, I can usually be found outdoors either walking, gardening or sailing.

During my 2nd year of university, I was lucky enough to be placed at Landulph Primary School and instantly connected with the strong sense of community felt within the school.  I always knew that Landulph is an incredibly special place and was thrilled to secure my first ever teaching position here.  Since then, I have had experience teaching in both Class 2 and 3, mixing between 2 and 3 year group classes.  I have always loved the challenge this has given me professionally and, even after 7 years, continue to find that no day is ever boring at Landulph. 

Alongside my role as the Class 3 teacher, I lead Maths, History, Geography, RE, PSHE and RSE across the school and find the team approach to teaching and learning inspiring for both the children and staff alike.  I am currently undergoing my National Professional Qualification for Leading Teaching and have relished having the opportunity to work alongside other schools both within and outside of our MAT to share quality first teaching.  I am passionate about inclusion for all and work closely with our Landulph team to ensure this is at the heart of everything we do.