Trust Support Team

• Guy Chappell

  CEO

  gchappell@specialpartnership.org 07807 495402

• Ruth Zimmerman

  SEN Director

  rzimmerman@specialpartnership.org 07944 354413

• Emma Gilbert

  CFO

  egilbert@specialpartnership.org 01872 613115 | Ext. 1002

• Dean Wheable

  Asset and Estates Manager

  dwheable@specialpartnership.org 01872 613115 | Ext: 1008

• Diane Jones

  Project Administrator

  djones@specialpartnership.org 01872 613115 | Ext: 1012

• Jade Howie

  Business Management Assistant

  jhowie@specialpartnership.org 01872 613115 | Ext: 1031

• Lianne Jory

  Leadership and Governance Manager

  ljory@specialpartnership.org 01872 613115 | Ext: 1009

• Kora Olson

  Business Administration Apprentice

  kolson@specialpartnership.org 01872 613 115 | Ext: 1022

• Louise Timms

  Finance Manager

  ltimms@specialpartnership.org 01872 613115 | Ext: 1004

• Jasmine Coole

  Assistant Finance and Payroll Manager

  jcoole@specialpartnership.org 01872 613115 | Ext: 1020

• Onyinyechi Eze

  Finance and Payroll Assistant

  oeze@specialpartnership.org

• William Sells

  Finance Apprentice

  wsells@specialpartnership.org 01872 613115 | Ext: 1031

• Lucy Hamilton-Reeve

  HR Lead

  lhamilton-reeve@specialpartnership.org 01872 613115 | Ext: 1026

• Kristy Jose

  HR Co-ordinator

  kjose@specialpartnership.org 01872 613115 | Ext: 1075

• Helen Green

  Specialist Intervention Team (SIT) Manager

  hgreen@specialpartnership.org 01872 613115 | Ext: 1016

• Rebecca Reed

  Specialist Outreach & CPD Development Manager

  rreed@specialpartnership.org 01872 613115 | Ext: 1011

• Caroline Jewell

  SEND Advisor

  cjewell@specialpartnership.org 07494 350168

• Amanda Burrows

  SEND Advisor

  aburrows@specialpartnership.org 07534 653707

• Jennie Francis

  Learning Community & Communications Support Administrator

  jfrancis@specialpartnership.org 01872 613115 | Ext: 1029

Trustees

• Janet Hudson

  Janet qualified as a social worker in 1972, with a degree and diploma from Keele University.

• John Rail

  Trustee (H&S)

  John was born near Pencalenick School and has lived his whole life in Truro.

• Pauline Robins

  Trustee, (Retired HMI-Ofsted)

  Pauline worked as one of Her Majesty’s Inspectors of schools from 2004 until September 2013.

• Marie Cooke

  Trustee (Secondary/MAT)

  Marie Cooke was CEO of Kemeneth Multi Academy Trust after 21 years as Headteacher at Penryn College, a secondary school with an Area Resource Base for young people with learning needs.

• Alison Cook

  Chair of Trustees

  Alison worked as a Registered General Nurse from 1984 until she retired in 2020 as a Service Director of Children’s Services at Cornwall Council.

• Wendy Hannon

  Trustee

  Wendy has recently retired from a career which has been colourful and varied. The last 20 years she has worked in Public Health specialising in Sexual Health which included HIV and then Teenage Pregnancy covering the County of Devon.

• Joy Constable

  Trustee

  My name is Joy Constable, I joined the Trust as a parent Trustee a year ago after being a governor, vice chair and finally chair of governors at Curnow School.

• James Taylor

  Trustee

  James Taylor is the Inclusion Lead for Crofty Education Trust, working at trust level to strengthen provision, systems, and practice for children with SEND and those who are disadvantaged. James has extensive experience across the primary sector, having worked as a class teacher, SENCo, Assistant Headteacher for Inclusion, and Headteacher in a range of contexts, including small rural schools, one-form-entry schools, and large urban settings. He has also undertaken extended work within specialist provision. This breadth of experience informs his trust-level work, enabling him to balance strategic oversight with a clear understanding of classroom practice. He holds a Master’s degree in Education Leadership and is currently completing a Doctorate (EdD), focusing on how the Early Career Framework develops new teachers’ practice in teaching children with SEND in mainstream classrooms. His research has recently informed national discussions with the Department for Education relating to SEND in teacher education. James plays an active role in national and regional SEND leadership development. He is the Lead Facilitator for the first cohort on the NPQSENDCo and is an NPQ Marker for Newcastle University. In addition, he sits on the National SEND and Alternative Provision Sector Council for the National Association of Head Teachers contributing to policy consultation, professional dialogue, and sector advocacy. Alongside his trust and sector roles, James contributes to professional learning beyond Crofty. He delivers trust-wide and regional training, supports SEND leadership development, and is a guest lecturer at the University of Gloucestershire. James has also led and contributed to school-based research projects exploring inclusive access to learning, working with national and international partners including Microsoft, the Education Endowment Foundation, and Achievement for All. He is a strong advocate for cross-trust and system-wide collaboration for the benefit of all children and families.

• Simon Elliot

  Trustee

  From 1991 to 2022 Simon was a teacher, initially in Science and Maths (KS3/4) and then, after two years working for a newly formed Unitary Authority, moving into IT and Computing (EYFS to KS5), culminating in being a Specialist Leader in Education for Primary and Secondary Computer Science and leading on the use of digital learning. Simon has also been an Apple Distinguished Educator since 2006, and continues to participate in the global community. Simon still does some revision tuition for students struggling with their GCSEs. Simon has also delivered teacher training and spoken at conferences, particularly in his last role within one of the first schools in the UK to offer an iPad 1:1 scheme, which resulted in us becoming an Apple Distinguished School. In 2014 Simon completed an MEd focusing on the role of technology in improving outcomes for children with SEND, focusing on Autism. As well as teaching, from 2017 to 2021, Simon was a Cornwall Councillor and Vice Chair of the Children and Families Overview and Scrutiny Committee, Vice Chair of Cornwall Adult Education Board of Governors and a member of the Corporate Parenting Board. In 2024 Simon completed an MSc in CyberSecurity, with a focus on Information Governance, as it relates to LAs. Simon has recently delivered a paper at a conference on this topic and writes many ISAs and DPIA in his current job. Simon now manages the reporting and education data teams in Together for Families at Cornwall Council and leads the data work on the SEND area in particular. Simon is passionate about achieving the best outcomes for children with SEND and becoming a trustee for SPT would allow him to support the great work going on and offer insights from his experience that he hopes would be valuable.

• Antony Power

  Trustee

Trust Executive Leadership Team

• Guy Chappell

  Director

• Ruth Zimmerman

  SEN Director

• Emma Gilbert

  CFO

• Ruth Carpenter

  Headteacher

  Nancealverne

• Heidi Hoskin

  Headteacher

  Doubletrees

• Nicola Jones

  Headteacher

  Orchard Manor School

• Joe McGovern

  HeadTeacher

  Pencalenick

• Rob Armstrong

  Headteacher

  Curnow

• Vikki Alden

  Headteacher

  Brunel

• Sarah Pickering

  Headteacher

  Mill Water School

• Josh Tyers

  Headteacher

  Bosvena School

• Bridget Williams

  Head of Provision

  Castlebridge School - Tavistock Hub

• Jennie Harvey

  Headteacher

  Lampard School

Members

• Tim Hooper

  Member

  Tim has been a Trustee for the Special Partnership Trust since September 2019. During this time, he has been appointed as Chair of both the Finance Committee and Audit Committee. In September 2022 Tim stepped down as Trustee to become a Member.

• David Barton

  Member

  Following 35 years teaching in secondary schools across England, twenty five of them as a senior leader and manager, David first moved to Cornwall in 1996 to take up the post of Deputy Head at Wadebridge School.

• Andrew Fielder

  Member

  After many years as a teacher and Head Teacher, saw the opportunities on offer and committed wholeheartedly to the academy programme in 2010. As an outstanding school Sandy Hill Primary was qualified to be an early converter. From that point he built an extremely effective team becoming quickly the CEO of one of the largest and most successful Trusts in the south west.

• Judy Brinson

  Member

• Neil McKay

  Member