The Governing Board

Helen grew up in the west of Ireland and is one of six siblings. Having worked in London for 12 years as a teacher and deputy headteacher, she moved to Cornwall in 2001. Prior to taking up the headship of Archbishop Benson Primary School in 2014, Helen had the privilege of being the headteacher of two other schools in Cornwall. After more than fifteen years of headship, she still remains enthused and excited about how schools can make a real difference to the life opportunities of children. She loves Truro and the special place that Archbishop Benson holds within the local community.

When away from work, Helen enjoys the chance to relax and spend time with her husband and daughter. A perfect day would involve some sight-seeing, a nice walk, a beach BBQ (weather permitting!) and the chance to read a good book.

Amanda is a parent governor with two children at the school. Whilst new to the governing board, she has been a class representative for FABB for the past 5 years.
When she isn’t at work she is an assistant Headteacher at a large primary school in Cornwall, Amanda likes to relax by baking, reading and spending time with her family (preferably on a beach!).

Mel was born in Truro and attended ABB (both infants and juniors). She is an Appointed Governor who joined the panel in Autumn 2017 and also has 2 daughters with the school. Mel is also a Class Representative and member of FABB.
Mel’s qualified as a solicitor in London and worked in the City until 2005 when she returned to Cornwall and is now a Partner at Coodes Solicitors. Any free time is spent with her husband and daughters.

Will was born in Penzance and spent his childhood in Devon and Cornwall. He attended Archbishop Benson as a child and is delighted to now have two children at the school.
Having studied Biology at university Will taught for 14 years in a range of schools, ending up as a Head of Science at a large secondary comprehensive in Surrey and writing A Level Biology papers for OCR.
Having been an active Christian since university Will trained for Anglican Ministry in Oxford in 2016-2019, where he gained a BA in Theology and an MSt in Philology. He is now curate at St Kea Church where he leads the Truro congregation who currently meet at Penair School.
Will is married to Naomi and enjoys exercising and Cornish beaches, though he has yet to master surfing!

Born in New York City, Mel considers herself a citizen of the world having lived in South Africa, Portugal, and The United Arab Emirates before settling in the UK in 1995 to train to be a PE teacher. Graduating in 1999 Mel worked in 3 Luton schools as a PE teacher, head of PE and head of maths eventually moving to take up an Assistant Principal post at CSIA in 2011. In 2014 Mel was delighted to accept a Deputy Headteacher post with responsibility for teaching & learning and student outcomes at Penair School.
Mel remains as passionate about securing the very best for the generations to come as she was when she first entered the profession.
When not at work, Mel, her wife (also a maths teacher), and their dogs can often be found walking the coast path or exploring the hills and mountains the British isles have to offer from the comfort of their campervan.

Jonathon was born in Truro and lived here his whole life. Jonathon’s daughter has just started her journey at Archbishop Benson School. He Qualified as Financial Adviser in 2007 working for an international bank and has run his own Wealth Management business for the past 9yrs, of which the last 4 years became an Independent Financial Adviser. Jonathon enjoys time out on his boat, co-managing a family small holding with livestock and spending time with his Family.

Matt grew up in Truro before moving away to study Mathematics at the University of Bath. He returned to Cornwall following his degree where he undertook teacher training. He now has over 14 years combined experience teaching Mathematics, first at Penair School and currently at Richard Lander School. Matt has two sons, the eldest of which has just started his journey at Archbishop Benson. In his spare time he is an avid fan of Formula One and rugby union, as well as having a history of performing with a local male voice choir.

Mandy was born and has lived in Truro all her life. She went to St.Paul's School (Archbishop Benson's predecessor) and the County Girls Grammar School in Truro (now Sainburys).

Mandy is a local business person. She currently owns and runs with her sons the popular Zafiros -Bar/Restaurant - and the Office Nightclub.

All of Mandy's close family have been to the school, her grandson is at the school at the moment.

Mandy is a Members appointed Governor, she is currently the Governing Board’s Special Educational Needs and Disability Governor. She sits on the Governing Board's Personnel, Pay & Pastoral Committee and on the Governing Board's Focus Group for School Improvement Data.

Mandy is a trustee of LARF Cornwall a charity set up in memory of her daughter to help support teenagers and adults undergoing cancer and leukaemia treatment. The charity has raised over £140,000 to date for more details go to www.larfcornwall.co.uk

In what spare time she has Mandy likes to escape to the sunshine in Spain, despite her love of Cornwall.

Born in Cornwall, Jenny has two daughters at Archbishop Benson School. She qualified as an occupational therapist in 2001 and specialises in working with people, both as an occupational therapist and case manager, who have sustained catastrophic injuries. Jenny enjoys spending time with her family and friends.

Georgina grew up in Essex and moved to Cornwall in 2010. She has worked with children for much of her life in various professional and voluntary roles, most recently as an HLTA and as a Foundation Governor in Cornish Schools. Georgina has 4 children and a Grandson, her 2 youngest children attend ABB. She enjoys being a member of FABB and a Class Representative. In her spare time Georgina enjoys family time, especially on the water.

Matt grew up in Truro and despite spending several years away chose Cornwall as the place to raise his family. He has a child who has just started their journey at Archbishop Benson and another who can’t wait to start. Matt has worked in a variety of educational settings over the past 10 years, teaching in the Middle East, working with children in care, secondary and post 16 before deciding that primary was the age group for him. He is now an Assistant Headteacher in a large school in Newquay overseeing Data and Assessment. Matt enjoys spending time with his family and playing sports

Melissa was born and raised in rural British Columbia, Canada. She studied economics before moving to the UK to attend the London School of Economics in 2010 to complete her Masters. Since graduating, she has worked on several aerospace development projects in Cornwall, and has been part of the Spaceport Cornwall team since its inception in 2014. Spaceport Cornwall will be the first place ever in the UK to launch to space, and Melissa is passionate about communicating this exciting project to a wider audience, including local schools. Melissa’s daughter, Robin, is currently in Reception at Archbishop and they love spending time outdoors as well as travelling back to Canada as often as they can!

David worked in horticulture managing garden centres for many years before moving to Cornwall and changing career to become a primary school teacher for 18 years, the last 11 of which he was Assistant Headteacher here at Archbishop Benson up until December 2021. In January 2022, David left education to support his partner with their busy hospitality business and to focus on developing his own new ventures as a commercial bee farmer and professional masseur.
When he is not face-down in a hive full of 60,000 bees, David enjoys time with his rescue dogs and supporting the charity they came from by fostering those whose behavioural needs make finding a long-term forever home tricky. He is passionate about his garden, adventurous travel and high-altitude trekking in the mountains. Finally, but by no means least, he also has a very sweet tooth and has been known to bake the odd cake or two!