Jackie Taylor

Principal

Jackie has been working in education for 24 years and has led day and residential schools in the maintained and independent sectors. Her degree is in English and she spent many years leading English and PE in SEMH schools. Her teacher training was completed with Goldsmiths College and she has a Master’s in Education in Mental Health. She has supported other schools within her role as an NLE to develop inclusive practices Outside of work Jackie enjoys running, riding, developing her small holding and spending time with her family.

Sam Gilronan

Vice Principal / SENCo

Sam has been teaching for 26 years and has a wealth of experience in mainstream and alternative provisions having undertaken the role of SENCO over 18 years in settings across Kent and Devon. Throughout her career, she has been passionate about making a positive difference to the lives of young people with SEND. She holds a Masters Degree in Speech and Language Difficulties and has utilised this to support children, families and schools over 4 years working across East Devon as an Advisory Teacher for the Communication and Interaction Team. Recently she was seconded by NASEN  to work as the Deputy Regional Lead for SEND in the South West and carried out this exciting role for 2 years alongside working as an Assistant Headteacher and SENCo at a specialist provision in North Devon. While not at work Sam enjoys spending time with her family and dog making the most of the beautiful coastline and scenery of Devon.

Rory Glendinning

Therapy Dog

Rory is a highly valued member of our therapy team and will support our pupils in a variety of ways. Newton Abbot Rotary Club have very kindly supported our therapy dog and we will be fund raising to continue to pay for Rory’s training and upkeep. Rory is a Portuguese Water Dog, which is quite an unusual breed. He will complete 2 years of therapy dog training before he is fully qualified with Newton Abbot based Bales Buddies. Portugese Water Dogs (PWD) are very intelligent and very friendly. Rory’s training will mean that he will be able to pick up cues both verbal and non-verbal from people and will know the kind of support that is required of him. As the name suggests PWDs love water, his fur is waterproof and hypoallergenic which means that people are not likely to suffer allergies when they are near him. In September 2020 Rory will be 9 months so he will learn and grow with our pupils. When Rory is not training or working he enjoys living with a local family, he lives with young children and other animals. He loves long walks in the countryside and particularly enjoys a dip in very muddy, smelly puddles.

Juliet Hall

Chair of Governors

Juliet started her professional life as a Nurse in the Queen Alexandra Royal Naval Nursing Service, leaving after eight years to pursue a career in health care management working for the British Forces Germany Health Service, Dorset and Somerset Strategic Health Authority, the NHS National Diabetes Support Team and the States of Jersey Department of Health and Social Services, leading Healthcare Improvement Initiatives. During this time Juliet completed a MSc in Training and Human Resource Management and a Masters of Business Administration at the University of Exeter Business School where she met her husband, Phil. Juliet lives in East Devon with Phil, their two sons and four cats. In the final stages of a MSc in Nutrition and Behaviour, Juliet has just been accepted as a post graduate researcher at the University of Plymouth to investigate how the caregivers experience mealtimes and eating behaviours of children with Autism Spectrum Disorder. Juliet has been Chair of Governors at a local village Primary Academy for over six years, before joining Glendinning House academy. Juliet enjoys travel with her family, skiing, cooking, running and is learning to scuba dive.

Dr. Sal Stapley

Governor

When I first read about the ethos of Glendinning House, I knew that I wanted to be a part of this new venture. It is an exciting opportunity to be involved with the development of a new school which aims to enable pupils to find balance in their lives and help them unlock their potential rather than feel imprisoned by their limitations. I believe schools have a vital role to play in helping children increase their confidence and self-esteem and to allow them to develop the necessary skills for increased wellbeing. I know, for me, being in touch with nature is essential for my own wellbeing and I see first-hand, through my volunteer work with equine assisted learning, the sense of calm that children experience. I am a Research Fellow and Academic Tutor at the University of Exeter and a mentor and study skills tutor at the University of Plymouth for students with autism. I endeavour to offer strategies and processes to meet their needs and to enable them to become more resilient. I have recently started my own training and consultancy business focusing on raising awareness of Asperger’s and offering support to individuals, families and organisations. I am committed to using the experiences and knowledge of my own Asperger’s diagnosis to help others better understand the diversity of the condition and to develop strategies for people to live better lives.

Simon Payne

Governor

I am proud to be part of the Glendinning House Governing body. The ethos of this new school resonates with my beliefs and values through the innovative approach that is being adopted. The school system for many children with a diagnosis of autism can be a failing system. Not all children are the same, and many need a bespoke offering. Schools need to find opportunities to build on strengths and skills, tackling true barriers to learning for life, whilst having a major role to play in developing social and emotional development. From this comes academic achievement and resilient learners. Since completing a Fine Art degree, my working career has focused on special needs. Spending almost 10 years in a residential school for children and adolescents with autism and severe learning difficulties, I followed a care route prior to being given the opportunity to train to become a teacher within the school. Following this another 10 years spent working and developing my knowledge and practice in another residential school for the National Autistic Society, before commencing in my current school in Plymouth where I am the Deputy Headteacher. Within this role I am a Thrive Childhood and Adolescent practitioner, a Thrive Family course leader and one of the school behavior management leads. I am dedicated to support the school community to develop best practice for those with autism.

Annabel Stone

Governor

My name is Annabel Stone and I’m delighted to be one of a team of enthusiastic and dedicated governors at Glendinning House. As a parent of a child with ASC, I bring both lived and professional experience to the role. I grew up in Devon and completed my BSc in Psychology at Plymouth University. I then spent over 10 years working in clinical roles in London, primarily within the NHS, before returning to Devon when my son was one. For the last seven years I have worked for The Children’s Society, currently within the advocacy team. Promoting and ensuring equity for all children is something that I am passionate about and knowing that the team here at Glendinning House share that passion, is exactly why I wanted to become a governor. The vision and ethos of the school is incredibly exciting and I’m thrilled that I have the opportunity to ensure that all children who attend the school have all the opportunities they need to be happy and to achieve their potential.

Amy Kirkwood

Amy is thrilled to be joining the team at Glendinning House and to be able to contribute to the exciting vision and ethos of the school. She has taught in Primary schools for the last 19 years working within KS2. Amy passionately believes that every child can achieve given the right learning environment and positive experience. She believes children must be happy in order to learn and by accessing the curriculum through the outdoors Amy looks forward to many cheerful and practical adventures ahead.  Amy’s degree in Psychology and Sports Science at Birmingham University combined with her PGCE course at Exeter has allowed her to have a holistic approach when working with children and young adults. She has a love for swimming and is currently the Welfare Officer at Paignton Swimming Club where her two children swim. Amy enjoys time in the outdoors and in the years before starting a family, she travelled extensively and greatly values the insights gained from those experiences. She enjoys gardening and growing her own crops and loves to spend any spare time with her family walking the dog on Dartmoor or along our local beaches.

James Houghton

James has worked within the education system for the past 11 years. He completed his Forest School Practitioner qualification three years ago and love spending time outdoors. James is thoroughly looking forward to beginning this exciting journey as an employee of Glendinning House. He shares a similar ethos to that of the school and has always been passionate about outdoor learning. James is looking forward to working with all the pupils and hopes that he can offer some really exciting and unique learning opportunities. James grew up on a small holding on the outskirts of Newton Abbot. Nature, animals and walking have always been a large part of his life and he spends his weekends either on Dartmoor or the South West Coast Path. James is a member of the Ashburton Dartmoor Search and Rescue Team putting his hobby into a useful resource to help others. He is really looking forward to September when Glendinning House starts on this great adventure.

Kirsty Bowman

Kirsty has been teaching for nearly 5 years and specialises in the Early Years. After doing a Diploma in Childhood Studies at South Devon College, she completed her BEd Honours degree at Plymouth University. During her teaching career she has taught in both Nursery and Reception classes in a large primary school in Kingsteignton, Newton Abbot. As part of her role there, she managed the year 5 and 6 football team as well as various other extra-curricular activities for the children. She has been the subject lead for Computing, PE and English over the past few years and has worked in partnership with the schools within the federation to ensure inclusive practice within the Foundation Stage. Outside of school Kirsty enjoys running, being with her family and friends and exploring the local country side on long walks with her Springer Spaniel Casper.

Laura Jonker

Laura is incredibly excited to be joining the Glendinning House teaching staff from September 2020. The ethos and values of the school are ones which she has tried to embed in previous teaching posts but found this challenging as they were in mainstream schools. The thematic approach to teaching is a model which Laura is excited to develop. By using this approach, Laura is hoping to link many concepts through lots of innovative and exciting activities both inside and outside the classroom. Laura has been teaching full time for 7 years until recently where she chose to go part time to look after her 2-year-old son. Life with a toddler can be extremely busy, her son enjoys the outdoors so they try and go out as a family on as many walks and bike rides as they can. Laura enjoys watching musicals at the theatre (Lion King being her favourite) and seeing her favourite singers or bands in concert.

Stacey Proudlove

Stacey completed her teacher training at Bath Spa in 2004 and later a PGCE in Dyslexia and Literacy difficulties with Dyslexia Action. She was a class teacher and subject coordinator for English and MFL in a school for complex needs in Bath for 12 years and after relocating to Devon. Stacey worked in a SEMH school. She is very excited to now be a part of Glendinning Academy. When not at work, Stacey can usually be found walking with her dog, digging in the garden, reading, cooking or eating! 

Victoria Ibbeson

Stacey completed her teacher training at Bath Spa in 2004 and later a PGCE in Dyslexia and Literacy difficulties with Dyslexia Action. She was a class teacher and subject coordinator for English and MFL in a school for complex needs in Bath for 12 years and after relocating to Devon. Stacey worked in a SEMH school. She is very excited to now be a part of Glendinning Academy. When not at work, Stacey can usually be found walking with her dog, digging in the garden, reading, cooking or eating!