Chair of Governors

Matthew has lived in South Walsham since 1979.  He is a business coach, and before that he was a solicitor and a partner in Mills & Reeve. 

He is married with two daughters and one grandson.

Vice Chair of Governors and Parent Governor

Tracy has lived in Norfolk for 13 years with her husband, James, and their daughter.

She has a degree in applied chemistry and has worked in a variety of sectors, including pharmaceuticals, HM Prison Service, construction, the NHS and, most recently, a local homeless charity.

Tracy is involved in a local church and likes to sing, listen to music, crochet and read. She also loves to whizz along the promenade by the sea in her wheelchair.

Tracy is thrilled to have been elected as a governor and is looking forward to seeing students and the school continue to thrive.

                                  Staff Governor

Jane joined Acle Academy as Attendance Manager six years ago after a short period of self-employment. Prior to that, she worked for the Broads Authority for 22 years, latterly in HR. She has lived in Acle for over 30 years and has two children who both thrived at Acle Academy. One is at BCU studying Sports Science and the other has just started at Isaac Newton Sixth Form studying A Levels in Maths, Further Maths, Physics and Chemistry.

Jane had a long and very active involvement with Acle Primary School both on the PTA and also as Chair of Governors. She is delighted to be able to bring her experiences to the Academy and can be relied upon to support and challenge the leadership team.

Andy has lived in Acle for 6 years and outside of work his time is predominantly spent on a never-ending house renovation and chasing after his 2 (soon to be 3) young children.

Andy heads up the service delivery and logistics divisions of an online retail business and hopes his experience with engaging and inspiring people will add value. He is immensely proud to be a governor and support the school going forward to benefit the futures of his children and the community as a whole.

Chris is an experienced non-executive director, consultant and entrepreneur with a career spanning science, technology, education and business leadership. Over the past 25 years, he has held director-level roles across universities, the health sector, social enterprises and venture-backed companies, combining governance expertise with hands-on delivery of innovation and growth.

He began his career in research and intellectual property management, completing a PhD in genetics and a PGCE in science education before moving into commercialisation in the university sector. He also holds an MBA with a focus on start-up ventures. Chris has founded or led several technology businesses, including spin-outs and start-ups in the electronics, pharmaceutical, materials, and food sectors.

Chris is currently working on consultancy projects in AI, 5G and IoT, including UK Government-funded programmes to help organisations adopt and benefit from these innovations. Around nine years ago, he also established a retail business, emerging from a hobby interest, which now operates from a high street location in Norfolk and employs a team of five.

Chris has previously served as a governor of Brundall Primary School and Chair of Snowy’s Preschool and Nursery, a Scout Group Treasurer and a District Councillor. His daughter attended Acle Academy and is just completing a Level 3 BTEC qualification at a Norwich college.

Outside work, Chris is a keen rock guitarist and snow sports enthusiast.

Mark is an education specialist with a background of teaching and senior management in the Further and Higher Education sector. Currently the Skills Policy Manager (Norfolk County Council) and Strategic Hub Lead of the Careers Hub (Norfolk/Suffolk), key deliverables include shaping an inclusive and fit-for-purpose regional skills system and ensuring our young people are well prepared to maximise their full potential. A Consistent trend across all roles has been employer engagement.

An experienced college governor, other career highlights include retail & marketing management and a lead author role across the Hodder Education Functional Skills Platform.

Originally from the Midlands (but now adopted Norfolk), family includes a first grandchild and beach loving labrador. Key life aspirations centre on giving something back to the local community and making a difference to the next generation.