Staff and Governors
Plymouth College

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Last updated: 28.11.23

Staff and Governors

We are fortunate to have a dedicated team of staff here at Plymouth College, both those that teach as well as the large number of staff we have to support everything we are able to achieve in the classroom and beyond.  Click on the link below to view the current staff list. 

Plymouth College Staff List 2023

 

Governing Body 

To contact the Chair of Governors please email [email protected]

Governors are responsible for overseeing the management side of a school: strategy, policy, budgeting and staffing. They enable the school to run as effectively as possible, working alongside the senior leadership team and supporting teachers to provide excellent education to our pupils. Plymouth College governors bring a wide range of skills and expertise from their professional lives to the governing board and we benefit greatly from working with them.

 

Adrian Palmer

Chair of the Board

Chair of Education Committee

Adrian has recently retired after a forty-two-year career, working in independent boarding schools. As a Prep School teacher, Adrian taught general subjects, predominately Maths, History and Sport, and A-level History for two years.

During the last twenty-seven years, Adrian was a Headmaster in three different IAPS Prep Schools, each with a senior school. His first headship was an internal appointment from Deputy Head; during his second headship, with the support of his wife who was a teacher and SENCo, they started a Prep School from scratch, and his third headship was at a larger 13+ Prep School. These headship years confirmed his teaching belief and philosophy that to have the best chance of achieving their potential academically, emotionally, and socially, children must be happy at school.

Adrian worked with the Independent Schools’ Inspectorate (ISI) as a Reporting Inspector for over ten years, leading inspections in Independent Schools across the country - many of which had boarders. Some years ago, he also inspected Primary Schools for Ofsted.

In Adrian's spare time, he enjoys all ball sports, playing golf, walking in the countryside with his wife and dog; gardening and taking a keen interest in their two teaching offspring.

Chris Morton

Finance and General Purposes Committee

A former boarding OPM who has been Chairman of the London Section, Chris qualified as a Chartered Surveyor and has worked in commercial property and, latterly, the charity sector at home and abroad with a focus on viewing property as asset and liability from the occupier's perspective. Chris is a Plymouth Argyle fan and he also supports the Leicester Tigers where he was a Touch Judge for the 1stXV under Roly Jones! With close family connections in the Tamar Valley and a bolt hole on the Rame Peninsula, Chris is a frequent visitor to Plymouth.

Richard Chubb

Finance and General Purposes Committee

Richard Chubb is a parent of two boys, both of whom currently attend Plymouth College. He is currently Chief Finance Officer at The Sure Chill Company, a small business developing sustainable cooling technology.

Richard is a Chartered Accountant, qualifying in 2001 with PwC London. Richard subsequently took on commercial roles in the power sector, initially in London, but then in Egypt and Tanzania. In 2010, Richard took on his first CFO position with International SOS, a leading global medical services company. This took him initially to Jakarta and then to Dubai. After 13 years overseas, the Chubb family returned to the UK, moving to Plymouth in 2017.

Richard holds a BA in Arabic from the University of Durham and an MBA from Warwick Business School. In addition to his role at Sure Chill, Richard is currently mentoring the CEO of a social enterprise providing career skills to Kenyan schoolchildren.

Alison Morton

Vice Chair

Finance and General Purposes Committee, Education Committee, Governance and Nominations Committee. Safeguarding Governor, Boarding Governor

Alison qualified as a chartered physiotherapist in 1984 from Leeds University. In her professional career she has worked for both the NHS and the MOD and for the last 27 years has been lead physiotherapist in private practice. Her medical specialty is musculoskeletal Physiotherapy and Sports Medicine working in elite sports including Professional rugby and elite swimming. She is an external tutor at Plymouth medical school and has recently applied to become an honorary fellow and has provided physiotherapy services to Plymouth College for over 20 years.

Alison has been involved in the charity sector in the past with King George Fund for Sailors (now Seafarers UK) and for six years was a trustee and then Chair of Trustees at Margaret McMillan Nursery where she gained experience in understanding both the educational and charity sector.

Bill Duncan

Chair of Governance and Nominations Committee

Bill left Sevenoaks School in 1972 and then spent eight months teaching at a small village school in Kenya.  He read law at Bristol University and on graduating from university Bill worked at Stephenson Harwood and then Nabarro Nathanson in London. 

Bill moved to Plymouth in 1982, working at Bond Pearce until 1987 when he became the litigation partner at Rundle McDonald and Rendle before moving to Wolferstans as senior litigation partner.  In 2012 Bill moved to Michelmores Solicitors in Exeter until his retirement in June 2020.

Nikki and Bill married in 1978 and their three children attended Plymouth College Prep before moving onto the Senior School (1989 to 2008).

Bill’s legal experience was in conducting a wide range of disputes for commercial and private clients, including contract claims, building disputes, professional negligence, and property issues.  

Bill has been both treasurer and a churchwarden at St Andrew’s Church in Plymouth and he has been nominated to the Board of Plymouth College by the Rector of St Andrews.

Dr Andrew Williams

Education Committee, Boarding Governor

Andrew was a Reader / Senior Lecturer and Department Manager at the University of Plymouth and has over 40 years’ experience in higher education. 

He served on various university committees associated with teaching and learning; acted both as an external examiner at graduate and undergraduate level and as an external advisor in regard to curriculum and student experience.  Andrew is a consultant in water management and a Research Fellow at the University of Georgia, USA. Andrew served as a governor, vice-Chair and Chairman at a large comprehensive for 20 years.

He is a licensed Lay Minister in the Diocese of Exeter and was nominated by the Bishop of Exeter as governor at Plymouth College.

Stephen Plant

Education Committee, Governance and Nominations Committee

Stephen has over 20 years of experience in Higher Education administration, providing leadership in planning, organising and managing student administration at a variety of institutions in both the public and private sectors.

Stephen is currently the University Secretary & Registrar at Plymouth Marjon University and was previously employed as Academic Registrar at Hult International Business School, in London, where he had responsibility for delivering high quality, customer-focused services that were positioned to meet changing student expectations. Prior to this Stephen served in professional governance, policy and student record keeping roles for the University of London, the British Museum, the London School of Economics and the University of Cambridge. 

Stephen is a nominee of the Plymouth Marjon University for the board.

Phil Nunnerley

Chair of Finance and General Purposes Committee

Phil joined Lloyds Bank in 1969 after leaving the University of Kent with a degree in Economics.  He retired from the bank in 2006, concluding a career which took him around much of the UK.  When Lloyds Bank merged with TSB he had responsibility for the combined branch network and retired as Deputy Managing Director for all the distribution channels.

In retirement, he has sought to give back to the community and has been chairman of a local hospice, vice chairman of another; chair of the Diocesan Board of Finance and, from 2005 until 2016, a governor of Wellington School, having been chair from 2010 until 2016.  Currently, Phil is chair of Endurance GB, an equestrian sport governing body and a Business Mentor for the Prince's Trust.  His involvement in banking continues as he sits on 2 Deutsche Bank boards.  Phil comes to us with extensive experience of governance as well as expertise in finance and a commitment to the education and development of young people.

James Grier

Education Committee

James attended Plymouth College from 1978 -1992. Following university he trained for ordination in the Church of England. He returned to Devon in 2007, but never made it all the way back to Plymouth.

With his wife and a team, he started a new church to work particularly with teenagers with little or no interest in faith or church. For over 20 years, he has either worked with teenagers or advised in this area. He is now the Mission Enabler for the Diocese of Exeter.

This current role is to help and encourage churches across Devon to live out their faith in their communities and serve the people of Devon with joy. He is chaplain to Exeter District Scouts. He is also a prebendary of Exeter Cathedral – an ancient honorary position which affords him a loaf of bread and a seat in the cathedral which isn’t safe to sit on.

Jim Pendleton

Finance and General Purposes Committee, Health and Safety Governor

I qualified as a Chartered Quantity Surveyor in 1969 whilst employed  by Somerset County Council.  In 1975 I became a partner in HBS Architecture in Burnham-on-Sea becoming a Senior Partner some 20 years later.

In 1998 I was invited to become the Estates Bursar at Millfield School,  I retired from this role in 2009 and went to live in South West France where we retained a house up to August 2021.  

In 2014 I took up the role of Estates Manager at Wellington School and retired (for the second time!) from this position in December 2020. Having sold our house in France we moved back to the UK in September 2021.