Governors and Trustees
Academy Trustees
The Board of Trustees was elected on 1st September 2008, and new members have joined since that date. The constitution allows for twelve Trustees, some of whom also serve on the Board of Governors. The Trustees are responsible for the running of the charity, and the Governors are responsible for the day to day running of the school, college and BSL departments. Trustees also serve on the Finance and Resources Committee.
Profiles
Peter Burroughs
(Interim Chair of Trustees & Treasurer)
Finance & Resources (Chair)
Peter is a qualified accountant with 45 years experience in the National Health Service having served 25 years at senior executive/Board level as finance director and capital investment and strategic development director. He was Project Director, responsible for the completion and commissioning of the new £450M University College Hospital, one of the largest and most complex teaching hospitals to be built under the Government’s Private Finance Initiative. He was Financial Advisor to the University College London Hospitals Charity for 14 years, managing assets of £100M. On retirement from the NHS Foundation Trust board he was appointed to the part-time post of Secretary/Treasurer to the University College London Hospitals charity.
Peter has served as a Trustee of the Academy since January 2007. He is also Treasurer of the Charitable Company, advising on the financial management of the Academy and directing the redevelopment project.
Marge Clarke (Chair of Governors)
Marge works full time as Education Adviser at Exeter University, a job she started on 1st September 2008. Previously she was Assistant Principal at Exeter College for seven years; Head of Department for Business and Computing for eight years; and for eight years prior to that she worked in teacher education. She has longstanding links with the Academy through teaching and partnership working. She is also a Governor for Devon NHS Partnership Trust (adult mental health and learning disability.)
Marge has served as a Trustee of the Academy since October 2008 and is also Chair of Governors.
Rhodri Davey
Rhodri is a partner in Kitson Hutchings Solicitors, a regional law firm with offices in Exeter, Newton Abbot, Torquay and Plymouth. He heads the Employment Law Team and has specialised in employment law for the past ten years. Prior to working as a solicitor, Rhodri worked for a number of organisations with children and young people with physical and learning disabilities. He has always had a particular interest in working with children who used BSL or Makaton.
In 1995/6 Rhodri undertook a course in BSL stage one and then in 1997/98 studied for the BSL stage 2 but did not sit the exam as he had no need for the formal qualification.
Rhodri also sits as a Trust governor for Widewell Primary School in Plymouth (the first primary to convert to a trust school in the country). He has been an active member of the Dartmoor Search and Rescue Team for 12 years and has held the office of Treasurer and Secretary in the past.
He recognises the importance of local businesses supporting the communities in which they work and sees the opportunity of working with the Academy as a chance to use his skills and experience to bring together a number of areas of long-held interest for him.
Rhodri became a Trustee in July 2009.
Philip Kerr
Member of Finance & Resources Committee
Philip is a chartered surveyor in private practice in the South West, having trained in London and worked in commercial property for over 25 years throughout Southern England. With five children he has a strong interest in education and has experienced the full spectrum from primary through to college. He is interested in food and cooking, and paints in watercolour, oils and pastels. He is a keen walker and plays tennis nearly every week.
Philip has served as a Trustee of the Academy since November 2005.
Ian Noon
Ian has been employed by the National Deaf Children's Society (NDCS) as Campaigns Officer since 2008, focussing on education issues. Previously Ian was a Policy Advisor at HM Treasury for four years.
Ian also volunteers regularly at NDCS event for deaf children and young people. He was appointed as a Trustee in July 2010.
Caroline Payne
Caroline works at the Royal Devon and Exeter Hospital as an audiologist, mainly seeing children with known or suspected hearing loss. She is married with three teenage children. She has previously been a governor at a local junior school.
Caroline has been a Trustee since March 2009 and is also a Governor.
Richard Pike
Richard is a discrentionary fund manager for a national firm, managing the Exeter office. Richard specialises in investing on behalf of charities and he has been dealing with a wide range of charities for many years. Previously Richard spent five years as an officer in the Royal Navy. He is married with two young children and in his spare time is a keen runner and an enthusisatic fly fisherman.
Richard was appointed as a Trustee in July 2010.
Sara Rhys-Jones
Sara is a Specialist Clinical Psychologist with Cardiff Community Support Team working with adults with learning disabilities. Sara has been profoundly deaf since birth and believes that her experiences growing up as a deaf child, young person and adult enables her to further understand how deafness can affect the emotional and psychological well-being in deaf children and young people.
Sara was appointed as a Trustee in August 2010.
Rosie Thomasson
Rosie is training to be an Educational Psychologist and is employed by a local authority in London. Rosie is profoundly deaf and believes that all deaf children deserve an enriched education delivered in the means that works best for them and their circumstances. Rosie has volunteered extensively for the NDCS in a variety of positions including as a group leader at holiday camps and on steering committees for the charity.
The following are not Trustees, but serve on the Board of Governors:
Jonathan Farnhill
Jonathan is Chief Executive of the Exeter Royal Academy for Deaf Education. As well as developing the educational core of the charity, a day and residential school and FE College for deaf students, his job is also to broaden the Academy’s activities to support more deaf people throughout the south west of England. He was awarded an MA in Applied Theology by the University of Exeter in 2002. He is a regular speaker at national charity conferences, an acclaimed trainer and a visiting lecturer at University College Plymouth. His first book – “The Porcupine Principle (and other fundraising secrets)” - was published by the Directory of Social Change in September 2007.
Rory McCallum
Rory is Director of Early Years and Families with Devon County Council.
He is the Local Authority representative and was appointed by Devon County Council in November 2008.
Christine Beckhurst
Chris has previously worked in mainstream and special education with both children and adults. Subjects taught have included science, PE and environmental and outdoor education. She has been at the academy for 23 years, and in that time has worked across the age range as a teacher and now as Deputy Head of College. She is also Educational Audiologist for the Academy.
Chris is the Staff Representative and was elected in December 2008 to serve for a two-year term. This is her second term as Staff Representative.
Gareth Kear
Gareth was brought up in South Wales and moved to Exeter 22 years ago with his wife. They have two children: a 12 year old daughter and a 10 year old son who is profoundly deaf and attends the Academy. Currently Gareth works as a Rehabilitation Officer for Hearing Impaired working for Devon Sensory Team, and he is also the co-ordinator for Sound Base Resource Centre. Previously he has worked for an insurance company; taught in a local further education college; and worked with learning disabled adults for 15 years in a day centre. He has always been keen to do voluntary work, and has been a scout leader; in the territorial army; worked with Devon Army Cadets; and is currently a voluntary worker for the RSPB.
Gareth took up the role of Parent Representative on the Board of Governors in January 2009 to serve for a two year term.
Chris Petheram
Chris has worked in the Further Education sector for the past 14 years during which time he has held a number of posts, ranging from NVQ Assessor to his current role as Head of Faculty for Foundation Studies at Exeter College. Chris has a Masters of Education in Special Educational Needs.
Chris was appointed as a Governor in July 2010.
Paul Valentine
Paul is employed at the Academy as Community Development Officer and as a BSL tutor. He previously worked at Living Options Devon as a Deaf Project Co-ordinator which involved working as an advocate trying to improve Deaf people's quality of life. Paul helped to set up the organisation now known as Plymouth Deaf Children's Society and was a positive role model for young Deaf people, encouraging them with activities.
Paul previously served as a Staff Representative on the Board of Governors in 2005 and was re-appointed as a Staff Representative in July 2010.
For a Trustee application form click here