Academy Advisory Group

Castle Mead School is part of The Mead Academy Trust. The responsibility for the strategic management of the school is shared between the Head of School, the Board of Directors and the Academy Advisors. The Academy Advisors support the school and has a general responsibility for the strategic management of the school. They are not expected to take detailed decisions about the day to day running of the school – that is the function of the Head of School.

Jayne Bullock

Chair of Academy Advisory Group
Lead for Disadvantaged Learners
Director appointed Governor

Harriet Phillips

Ex-Officio Advisor

Alison Bennett

Academy Advisor

I have been an Academy Advisor at Castle Mead School since the school opened and have had a long and happy association with The Mead Academy Trust both as a parent, when my two daughters (now adults) attended The Mead School, and as the Team Leader of Kingfisher church which has met in The Mead for over 10 years. I run my own long-established consultancy business specialising in coaching, mentoring and conflict resolution and have a professional background in Human Resources, mostly in the private sectorI have a passion for the local community and especially seeing children and young people succeed in all they do.

Christine Folker

Academy Advisor
I have been a freelance education consultant since January 2010, after 22 years as a Headteacher of a rural primary school, including designation as a National Leader of Education, followed by 3 years as an acting headteacher providing interim leadership in a Special Measures Junior school. I remain passionate about working with schools, to support them in their relentless drive to raise standards, amidst the plethora of challenges they currently face.

Simon Palmer

Academy Advisor
I am a Civil Servant working in Army Data Services for the last 7 years. My role in my working life is to gather, analyse and share information and statistics in order to make informed decisions that can be justified, whilst also providing tangible benefit(s) to the business. My aim is to bring some of these skills to my role as an Advisory Board Member. In my personal life I enjoy attempting to play guitar and golf and spending as much quality time with my wife and two children as possible.