The John Of Gaunt School

Ben Rhodes

Headteacher

I have been a member of the senior leadership team and proudly supported the community of Trowbridge for 8 years. As Headteacher, I have the honour of working with a personable and loyal student body and a driven and dedicated group of staff. Before becoming Headteacher I have been responsible for developing and refining the quality of our curriculum, timetabling, the effectiveness of our distributed leadership and providing equity for our disadvantaged learners so that they may thrive within our school. The progress we have made together over recent years is pleasing, but we are always striving for greater things! We want 'excellence every day' and it is my role to provide the platform for this. I have the experience of working for six other schools with responsibilities for pastoral, pedagogical and curriculum areas. I have had senior leadership roles in four of these schools and have been a governor in three of them. Currently, I am a governor of Southwick Primary CofE school. I am husband to a wonderful wife and two amazing sons; my second family is my U16 Bath Junior rugby team whom I coach. I always look forward to fixtures against Trowbridge!

Linda Baines

Assistant Headteacher / DL - Post 16 Studies

I have worked at The John of Gaunt School for over two decades and am proud to be part of this school and a long serving member of its community. As well as being an English teacher, I am an Assistant Headteacher with responsibility for leading the Sixth Form. I lead a dedicated team of staff, and together we are all united in offering students a wide range of opportunities to equip our learners for their future pathways. It is an absolute privilege to see our young people flourish, gain independence and become responsible and purposeful citizens of the next generation. In this role I work in liaison with local universities and alongside local employers through our school's careers programme. Outside of school my time is filled being a mum to my primary school aged child. At weekends, you'll mostly find me on a muddy boot walk or in Dorset where I grew up and my family still live.

Helen Kerr

Deputy Headteacher

I am a Deputy Headteacher at this School where I have worked for 2 decades and I currently teach PSHE & RE. I have recently become an Ofsted Inspector. My responsibilities centre around student care & wellbeing, behaviour for learning & alongside this I have strategic responsibility for the pastoral teams within the school. I look after all school admissions and in particular oversee transition from primary school to ensure students successfully settle into The John of Gaunt School. I work with outside agencies to support personalised learning provision for those who need this outside of school. A key element of my role is as the school’s designated safeguarding lead, supporting a range of student needs. I am passionate about supporting young people’s mental health and am a national instructor for Mental Health First Aid courses. I am married and have a teenage daughter and a rather daft golden retriever. I have a real enjoyment of cycling and most weekends you will find me exploring local countryside on my bike.

Amy Eyers

Assistant Headteacher

It is my pleasure in my current capacity as Assistant Headteacher, to have responsibility for ensuring high quality teaching and learning and the continuous professional development of staff. Prior to this role, I worked here for 7 years, firstly as director of the key stage 3 curriculum in English and whole school literacy and then as Director of Learning for the English and media studies faculty. I have experience working in and alongside a range of primary and secondary schools in Trowbridge and across Wiltshire, as a Specialist Leader of Education focusing on improving literacy across all ages; for several years I also facilitated the Collaborative Schools Literacy Forum. Outside of teaching, I am an English literature examiner for AQA and, as a lifelong learner, have completed courses in floral design, botany and scientific illustration.

Abbie Clark

Deputy Headteacher

I have always had a passion for education and believe that everyone has the ability to achieve and excel in whatever they put their minds to. My love for teaching started when I volunteered as an environmental education officer working with students from Hackney. This opened my eyes to the positive impact adults can have on young people's lives. I left this to complete my teacher training and started my first teaching job at the St John’s Academy, Marlborough, in 2008. I joined John of Gaunt in 2014 as the Director of Learning for Science, progressing to Assistant Headteacher in Sept 2020, and since May I have become one of two Deputy Headteachers within the school. My responsibilities include raising standards, data & assessment. It’s a real pleasure to work in such a student-centred, progressive community-based school. I have completed both the Teacher Leaders course and my NPQSL, and these have allowed me to become a more reflective leader. I am a very enthusiastic and passionate teacher. I truly believe that for students to progress they must be fully involved in the lessons, as the Chinese proverb says ‘Tell me, I forget. Show me, I remember. Involve me, I understand.’

Vicky Marshall

Assistant Headteacher SENCO

Nigel Reeves

Business & Finance Manager

I joined this School in April 2018 and in 2021 will have worked in Education (specialising in Finance) for 30 years. During that time I have seen many changes in the education world and been involved in lots of projects including the construction and opening of a new secondary school. With these skills I hope to play a continuing part in the ongoing success of the school and the constant challenge of matching the Education requirements with the funding available. Outside of School as well as being a family man, I am a keen sports fan and can still be found playing cricket on a Saturday afternoon.

Sandra Nichols

Headteacher's PA

I am immensely proud of being part of this wonderful school for over 20 years! During that time I have seen countless Year 7 students arrive nervously on their first day and leave at the end of their education full of confidence and excitement for what lies ahead. I believe every child is entitled to an excellent education, and they will certainly receive that at John of Gaunt. In my spare time I enjoy reading, cooking, walking and watching Formula 1.

Laura Rossiter

Assistant Headteacher

I am a firm believer that schools should be a place where students come to flourish. They should feel welcome, be guided and be given every opportunity to be the very best version of themselves. From a lifelong love of drama and theatre I qualified as a drama teacher in 2010 and have spent my teaching careers crafting engaging and exciting drama curriculums that were focused on broadening students horizons and opening up opportunities for them to shine. This led me to work with Pupil Premium students in my last senior role and now into attendance and character curriculum here at John of Gaunt. I am very excited to have taken on this Assistant Headteacher role, and I am looking forward to getting to know the staff and students well. I am looking forward to forging relationships of trust and high expectation as well as develop the vision and values to which I so strongly attest to.

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Staff

Our Senior Leadership Team