Our Team

Senior Leadership Team

John Steward Headteacher

Louise Gunning Deputy Headteacher

Rebecca Fletcher Assistant Headteacher

Sarah Hamlin Assistant Headteacher

Carla Maley Senior School Business Manager

Carolyn Ellis Lead Practitioner - Speech & Language Therapist

Sam Dickson Lead Occupational Therapist

Stephanie Tucker Lead Practitioner - Physiotherapist

Governors

John Steward Headteacher

Jeffrey Lough Chair of Governors

Paul Cook Co-opted

Julie Dick Co-opted

Mike Jackson Co-opted

Ros Holden Parent

Oliver Teasdale Parent

Terry West Staff Teaching

Carla Maley Staff Non-Teaching

Vacancy Authority

Find out more about our Governors

John Steward

Headteacher

I’m the Headteacher of the school and have been substantively since September 2021; it’s great to be here. I’ve worked in lots of different kinds of special schools around the country and been a Headteacher and similar a few times too.

It’s a real pleasure to be Head of Percy Hedley School and work with parents & carers for the children of all ages we have here. The school is unique in its therapy provision, which was one of the things that attracted me. Mixed teams of professionals all working together is what our children need, and we work hard to provide that here. I hope you find what you’re looking for in a school and if we can help in any way, we will.

All the best, John S

Paul Cook

Safeguarding including Attendance

I have been a co-opted governor at Percy Hedley school for almost 2 years and have a special responsibility for safeguarding.

I have experience in the safeguarding field as I was a child-care social work practitioner and manager in local

government through much of my working life. I have not worked full time since 2014 although since this time I’ve continued with my interest in fostering and adoption matters through chairing a panel. I’ve used my social work experience to do some social care complaints and a few specialist reports for tribunals and family court.

Being a governor has been a useful way to make a contribution to a local school, as I live nearby and Is a good way to re-cycle my knowledge/experience of safeguarding. I’m involved too with a local charity that works with young people and assists them into employment through providing training in motor mechanics I occasionally get out on a bike to ride a few miles although nowadays I’m probably mostly a fair weather cyclist and more interested in the coffee stops.

I’ve enjoyed my time at Percy Hedley; getting to have a deeper knowledge of the school and the staff. It’s an interesting set up and I like its commitment t to the children and their parents.

Julie Dick

Co-Opted Governor

I qualified as a CIPFA accountant in my 20’s but decided to leave a role in NHS finance to pursue a career in teaching. I have worked in the Further and Higher Education sectors for over 25 years, firstly at North Tyneside College and now at Northumbria University where I am a Senior Lecturer in the department of Accounting and Financial Management.

In my personal life, I enjoy running, cooking and travel, but not necessarily in that order.

Being a governor at Percy Hedley gives me the opportunity use my experience in a different educational context. I see my role as to support the Senior Leadership Team to maintain the high standards of education for its young people. Percy Hedley is such a happy place to be. This makes being a governor here so rewarding.

Ros Holden

Parent Governor / Therapy and Physical Development

I have been a parent governor at Percy Hedley School since early 2022. My daughter as a rare genetic condition, known as Xia-Gibbs syndrome, and has been on the Engagement Pathway at Percy Hedley School since joining the school in 2019. She loves coming to school and has a great bond with all the staff who work with her. I volunteered to be a governor so that I could use my skills in a way that would be beneficial to the school and give something back. I don’t come from an educational background but I am a chartered accountant and have experience of governance processes and accessing risks.

My link governor roles are Therapy and Physical Development, so I regularly visit the school and engage with the therapy staff.

Observing the transdisciplinary approach across lessons and how therapy is woven into all tasks has been really insightful.

I am also an active member of the Friends of Percy Hedley School (FoPHS) and have been Treasurer for a number of years.

Oliver (Ollie) Teasdale

Parent Governor

Ollie is Archie Teasdale’s father. Archie is a pupil in the lower school on the ELTBA Pathway. He also has a daughter Ellie, who attends a mainstream middle school.

Ollie is currently working for Ordnance Survey, the national mapping agency. A surveyor by trade, Ollie is now involved with providing consultancy on how other countries can improve the quality of their mapping as well as supporting UK based users of Ordnance Survey products and services. Prior to taking up this role, Ollie was in the British Army for 23 years, employed as a surveyor. This role saw him work all over the world on various projects and military operations. His final role before leaving the Army was as the lead instructor of the Royal School of Military Survey. In this role he was responsible for managing the instructor cohort, developing the curriculum and managing accreditation of the school’s courses with various academic institutions.

Outside of work and when he gets some spare time, Ollie is a keen (mainly retired) sportsman and avid reader of history. He is a qualified Rugby Union coach. Ollie is also Chair of the Friends of Percy Hedley School.

Carla Maley

Non-Teaching School Staff/ School Business Manager

I am the School Business Manager at Percy Hedley School.

I have worked at Percy Hedley School since 2012 and have been on the governing board as the non-teaching representative since February 2022.

My background prior to Percy Hedley was working within the private business section, which I feel gives a broad spectrum of skills and knowledge to effectively manage the strategic and operational functions of the school.

Outside of work, I am a mum to three boys, and a keen runner – I like to be busy! I love to travel and particularly love visiting the Lake District and South of France.

One of my reasons for becoming a staff governor is to have a voice and to represent the perspectives of the staff members in the decision-making process. I take great pride in working at Percy Hedley School and by being an active part in the governance process as well as with my first-hand experience and insights into the day-to-day operations of the school, I feel I can help shape policies and initiatives, which will ultimately enhance the learning environment and overall effectiveness of the school.

If you are interested in becoming a Governor, the Headteacher John Steward will be pleased to provide further details, you can contact him at John.steward@percyhedley.org.uk. You can contact Jeff Lough, Chair of Governors at jeffrey.lough@percyhedley.org.uk

The Code of Conduct for Governors can be found here: PHS Code of Conduct Autumn 2021

Governors are aware of and work within, the PHS Governing Handbook and the DfE Governance Handbook

Governor Meeting Attendance >