Governors

Professor Liz Holey, Chair of Governors

Sara McCallum, Vice-Chair and Parent Governor

Heather Ashton, Group Director at Fabrick Housing Group

Judy Burton, Principal at Prior Pursglove College

Pat White, Deputy Director of Marketing and Student Recruitment, Teesside University

Asma Shaffi, Prior Pursglove College

John Anthony, Chief Education Officer at Redcar & Cleveland Borough Council

John Baker,  SSI

Gordon Cameron, Teacher at Freebrough Academy

Alison Holmes, Non-teaching staff at Freebrough Academy

Paula Gunner, Parent Governor

Kendra Pink, Teesside University

George Dunning

 

Professor Liz Holey

Professor Liz Holey is Pro Vice-Chancellor (Quality) and University Secretary at Teesside University.

Professor Holey has worked in a number of higher education institutions as Deputy Dean (Health and Social Care), Assistant Dean (Enterprise), Physiotherapy Subject Lead, Principal and Senior Lecturer, undertaking teaching, research and curriculum development. She has been seconded to strategic health authorities in the NHS three times, as strategic lead for Allied Health Professions and to support design of an education commissioning framework.

Professor Holey has experience as a clinical physiotherapist in the NHS, industry and independent practice and is currently a consultant to the International Committee of the Red Cross at its headquarters in Geneva.

Professor Holey is a company director of Teesside University Trusts for Academies and of Teesside Education Services for Nurses and Allied Professionals.

 

Heather Ashton

Currently employed as Director of Finance at TeessideUniversity, Heather is a CIMA qualified Accountant and she also holds a Diploma in Company Direction from the Institute of Directors.

She is a Parent Governor at Prior Pursglove Sixth Form College, a Director on the North Eastern Universities Procurement Consortium and is an Independent Director on the Shadow Group Board for two Social Housing Providers in the North East (Housing Hartlepool and Tristar).

Heather is married with two sons and lives in Guisborough, where she and her family are involved in the local Swimming and Rugby clubs. Her favourite pastime has to be walking the dogs along the beach at Marske as she believes the North East coast is the best in the Country.

 

Judy Burton

 Judy is the Principal of Prior Pursglove sixth form College in Guisborough which boasts 1550 students aged between 16-18 and over two thousand part-time adult students. Judy has made a significant contribution to attaining the academic quality and achievements of Prior Pursglove’s students.

Judy has a wealth of experience in sixth form studies particularly working in partnership with the voluntary, private and public sectors to deliver various types of teaching and learning. Judy is also a Director and Governor of the Redcar Trust, a collaboration of schools and colleges which service the Redcar area. The purpose of the Trust is to work together in partnership to pursue excellence in all areas of educational endeavour and to better meet the learning needs of the community.

 

Pat White

 Pat presently is presently the Deputy Director of Marketing & Student Recruitment at Teesside University and has served at the University, or Polytechnic as it was then, for thirty years.

Pat was given the responsibility of developing a Schools & Colleges Liaison team in 1992 and today this team is an integral part of the Marketing and Student Recruitment Department.

Over the past fifteen years Pat has been directly involved in overseeing the delivery of widening participation projects within the region which has involved many agencies and institutions across the North East such as Aimhigher and partner Universities.  These collaborations have enjoyed a great deal of success, having raised aspirations and driven up demand in areas such as Science, Engineering, Technology and Mathematics.

Pats hobbies include gardening, reading and dog walking. Pat spends most of her spare time with her family who live in East Cleveland.

 

Alison Holmes

Alison has worked in a school environment for many years and in many different capacities but is now employed by Freebrough Academy as the Lead Pastoral Leader.

As a Governor she is able to her expertise in behaviour, attendance, safeguarding and inclusion to help further the success of the Academy.

 

 

 

 

Sara McCallum

 Sara has worked in education for 13 years.  Starting as a parent helper and progressing through the ranks of teaching assistant, classroom teacher and senior leader she is now the Head Teacher at Whitecliffe Primary School.

Prior to beginning her teaching career Sara worked in the business sector managing a range of departments including finance, human resources and engineering.  She also worked as a quality consultant improving systems and procedures.

Sara brings a variety of skills to her role as Governor particularly in the areas of behaviour, inclusion and the performance management of staff.  She takes a keen interest in the Academy due to the majority of children from the primary school she leads going on to attend Freebrough.  She is passionate about the Academy working cohesively with primary schools to ensure a smooth transition when the students move from primary school to Freebrough.

 

Kendra Pink

 Kendra is currently employed by our lead sponsor Teesside University as their Chief Accountant.  She is responsible for an office of 13 staff and oversees management accounts, financial accounts, treasury management, VAT, research and enterprise.

Kendra has worked in the financial sector since leaving college.  As well as spending 24 years working for the university she has also worked for the NHS.  Kendra is able to draw on her vast wealth of knowledge to support the Academy by being part of the Resources, Employment and Finance Committee – a role which she finds most interesting.

 

John Baker

 My career has spanned 49 years in the steel industry, starting with Dorman Long in 1964, and remaining with the company under its changing ownership to British Steel Corporation, British Steel PLC, Corus and then Tata Steel. I held a number of management positions in the HR function, before taking up the appointment in 1990 as Personnel Manager, Teesside Works. In 1993 I was appointed as Manager, Employee Relations for the General Steels Division, being responsible for leading the management /TU negotiations at national level. I returned to Teesside as HR Director in 2006 remaining in that role until the mothballing of the Teesside Cast Products iron and steel making facility. I joined SSI UK as a Director in June 2011.

I joined the Board of Governors at Freebrough Academy in May 2012.

I am also a trustee of the Middlesbrough Football Club Foundation, a major charity operating in the Teesside area.

 

Asma Shaffi

Asma is the Assistant Principal (Curriculum and Skills) at Prior Pursglove College. She has worked in public sector voluntary sector for the past 18 years in the areas of post 16 and post 19 education management comprising funding and quality, widening participation, regeneration and research projects and language services. She has expertise in managing A levels, BTECs, Apprenticeships, Traineeships and curriculum for adults.  Asma chair’s the Redcar and Cleveland Independent Advisory Group that scrutinises the policies and community relations between the Police and local communities.

Asma is keen long distance runner and enjoys listening to music from different countries.