Governance

Appointed September 2015

Dr Jennifer Blunden is the Chief Executive Officer for the Trust, taking up post in September 2015. Previously Director of Cornwall Teaching School, Jennifer has experience of leading successful partnerships with schools across educational phase from early years to higher education. For her services to Education, Jennifer was awarded an OBE in June 2019.

Appointed January 2016

Anita has spent her career in the teaching profession both as a senior school classroom practitioner and as a senior management team member in boarding schools in the independent sector.

A graduate of Warwick University, she started her career at a school in Surrey teaching Mathematics and Physical Education and quickly became head of department. She then moved to Hurstpierpoint College in West Sussex to expand her experience and responsibility by helping to oversee the introduction of girls to a previously all male boarding school and as a Housemistress overseeing the pastoral welfare of the students.

In 2004, Anita was appointed as Deputy Head at Truro School and as a member of the senior management team had responsibility for child protection and pastoral care matters. Having left Truro School in 2013 she has recently undergone training to join the ISI (Independent Schools Inspectorate).

Appointed April 2019

Jeremy is a qualified Chartered Engineer and full member of the Association of Project Managers. He commenced his professional career with Arup and moved into project management. In 1997 he moved to Cornwall to project manage the lottery funded National Maritime Museum in Falmouth. He subsequently joined the South West Regional Development Agency in 2002, where he led the Agency’s professional services team. This was further reinforced by a move to the Cornwall Development Company in 2009 to head up their professional team prior to joining Ward Williams Associates in early 2012. Jeremy’s strengths lie in Project Management and the delivery of complex regeneration projects from conception through to completion and subsequent occupation. Allied to this he has extensive experience in grant funding, commercial negotiations, achieving planning permissions, design team & contractor management, setting up & operating regional frameworks, sustainability, risk & change management and procurement.

Appointed June 2022

Alan is married with three children and a recent grand daughter. Over many years his family have fostered children with many challenges. In Alans former role as a police officer with Devon and Cornwall Police, he has attended many Schools across the whole of Cornwall. He was a also a governor at a junior School in Truro.

Alan is the Chief Executive Officer for White Gold Cornwall which provide 1:1 mentoring for the most at risk/ vulnerable children and young people. He is also a Director for Safer Stronger Cornwall. RFU Council representative member for Cornwall. Chair of Wooden Spoon Cornwall, part of the national charity, providing fixed assets for vulnerable children in Cornwall. Patron of Truro RFC and received an MBE in 2009 for services to the community.

Appointed April 2019

James joined Newlyn Art Gallery as Director in July 2006 and oversaw its capital expansion and the opening of The Exchange, a new public contemporary art gallery in Penzance, in July 2007. A current priority for the gallery is to explore ways in which public galleries can support the creative education of young people within and outside of formal educational settings, at a time when many commentators regard this as being gravely under threat. James is a member of the Steering Group of Plus Tate, a UK wide network of 35 leading art gallery, all committed to expanding participation in the visual arts. He also sits on the advisory groups for the FEAST and Cultivator funding programmes and is a Trustee of the Borlase Smart John Wells Trust, responsible for artists’ studio prevision in West Cornwall. A current priority for the gallery is to explore ways in which public galleries can support the creative education of young people within and outside of formal educational settings, at a time when many commentators regard this as being gravely under threat.

Appointed November 2020

Daniel started his career in finance working for a large investment company in Bristol after graduating with a masters degree in Chemistry from the University of Bristol. He then moved back to Cornwall and worked for a large regional accounting firm for 7 years where he qualified as a chartered accountant and a chartered tax advisor. This included nearly 5 years in audit where he undertook the audit and accounts work of many academy and multi academy trust’s in Devon and Cornwall and gathered a strong appreciation of the financial aspects of academies. More recently Daniel works as a self employed tax advisor and is also vice chair of his local parish council.

Appointed September 2021

Adele was Communication and Performance Manager for a large utilities business before moving to Cornwall 15 years ago, since then the Adele has held various roles in further education and is now the Curriculum Development Director for Truro and Penwith College. Previous roles have involved a focus on graduate employability and supporting local people to access higher education. Adele also spent several years leading apprenticeship provision supporting young people to succeed in their first career step and supporting adult learners to change direction and achieve promotion. Adele led a business focused training team providing leadership and management training to support local business and economic development.

Appointed May 2021

Suzanne is currently CEO at The Redstart Learning Partnership, a Multi Academy Trust of 10 primary schools in Somerset and Devon, 7 of which have been sponsored by the Trust due to previous inadequate OFSTED judgements. The Trust was founded in 2015 following a request from the DfE to sponsor 2 inadequate schools in the near vicinity of The Redstart Primary School where Suzanne was the substantive Principal. Since taking up her first headship in 2000 Suzanne has led 2 primary schools, successfully gaining OFSTED outstanding judgements for both. She works across Somerset, BANES, Dorset and Devon as a National Leader of Education and is currently an elected member of the South West Advisory Board (previously Head Teacher Board). She established The Redstart Teaching Alliance and has worked collaboratively on many school improvement projects with other teaching schools across the area including supporting a Women in Leadership Programme for many years. She has held several governance positions in Trusts within Somerset.

Appointed April 2023

Martin has spent his career in education teaching in State and Independent Schools and Tertiary Colleges. He has been a Lecturer, Head of Department and a member of Truro and Penwith College’s Senior Management Team where he had the responsibility for the Penwith campus in Penzance, capital projects for the College and the development of the apprenticeship offer and business engagement.
He is currently the Principal of Truro and Penwith College.
Martin was educated at Humphry Davy Grammar School, Penzance and is married with two grown up daughters and has three grandchildren.
He is also the Chair of the Penzance Town Board and the England Colleges Rugby Football Union.

Appointed September 2023

Anna is a qualified solicitor and local businesswoman who moved back to Cornwall in 2011 with her four children. She trained with London City Law firm Denton Hall but gave up practising to raise her children. She is now a company director and owner of a local business and has for the past 10 years been closely involved in school governance both within TPAT and another local trust. Anna has been Chair of Governors at a TPAT primary school for 9 years and is also Chair of Governors at a Penzance secondary school.

Appointed December 2023

Dr Callum Waldie is a Medical Doctor working at Royal Cornwall Hospital and a Clinical Skills Tutor with the University of Exeter. He grew up in Penwith and attended schools in Penzance and Truro before moving to London to study Medicine at King's College London. After graduating he spent three years in the Highlands of Scotland before feeling the draw of tin and pasties calling him home.
His other roles include being the lead for the Year two practical exams for the University of Exeter Medical School as well as being on the writing team of the Royal Cornwall Hospital annual pantomime.

Abi is a 25 year old, multi-heritage female. She attended college in Cornwall then headed off to University of the Arts London. She came back to Cornwall with a Fashion Pattern Cutting Degree in 2020. Abi is now a Co-Founder of Black Voices Cornwall, an Anti-Racist Charity striving for racial equity across the Duchy. She is a member of the Senior Leadership Team and Head of the Arts, Culture & Events department.
Abi is one of the main Training Practitioners for BVC and has trained 100s of people across a wide section of organisations on 'Developing Racial Literacy, A Road to becoming Actively Anti-Racist.' She also sits as an advisor on the scrutiny panels for Devon and Cornwall Police and Crown Prosecution Service.
She recognises and has lived experiences of the nuances of intersectionality and how the layers of discrimination can play out throughout society. She is passionate about ensuring all people from diverse backgrounds have equal opportunities, feel valued, seen, heard and celebrated.

Appointed February 2024

Anne-Marie is the lead for the recently formed South-West Social Mobility Commission, housed in the University of Exeter. Anne-Marie has been working on South-West social mobility projects since 2021. She co-authored the influential report Social Mobility in the South West, which was shortlisted for a 2023 THE Award (Outstanding Contribution to the Local Community) and 2023 UK Social Mobility Award (Leadership of the Year). Since then, she has worked on taking forward the recommendations from the report, including setting up the Commission.

Before this, she completed a PhD in social anthropology at the University of Oxford, investigating children’s talk about the future through 18 months’ immersive fieldwork with children in and out of school environments. Anne-Marie has also worked as a strategy consultant for the Boston Consulting Group, and has a first-class undergraduate degree in Economics & Management from the University of Oxford. Outside of work, she likes to travel and play tag rugby.