Tim Smith - Chair
I became a community governor at Knowle in early 2019.  My Champion subjects include English/Literacy and more recently, following my appointment as Chair in September, Safeguarding. I am a lawyer and worked in the Court Service for 40 years until I retired in 2018. I was pleased then to have time to take on some voluntary work in the area and jumped at the chance to become a governor at Knowle.  My son and daughter are in their 20s now, so it was a while since I had been into any school buildings, but one visit was enough to be impressed by the super facilities, to see and feel the infectious enthusiasm of all the staff and to experience the excited buzz of children clearly enjoying everything that the school has to offer. It's a pleasure to be connected with such a vibrant and positive place and a great privilege to chair the governors at this important and challenging time.

Linda Ludlow – Vice Chair

I joined the Knowle team in the summer of 2019. My Champion subjects include Pupil Premium and EYFS. I retired from the Royal Navy after 22 years as an Aviation & Maritime Forecaster (or weather forecaster!) and am focussing on being a Mummy whilst volunteering at Knowle and Shakespeare, being a Reservist, invigilating and busy as the Chair of my children’s school PTFA. I have 2 children Abigail (12) and Marcus (9) and love event management and raising money for our schools. I am the Vice Chair and look forward to embracing what is required to prepare for our next OFSTED. I’m sporty and love getting involved with encouraging the children on the field with Athletics and Cross Country. I’m hoping to bring my leadership, team skills and motivation to support Knowle’s staff and students and look forward to attending school events.

Father David Bailey
I have been Parish Priest at St Francis Church Honicknowle since February 2008 and for most of the time I have also been a governor at Knowle Primary School. I regard my role as a governor as
an essential part of my ministry as a priest; it gives me many opportunities to support and serve the local community. One of the Church’s priorities is to “serve the people of Devon with joy” and
being a governor enables me to do this personally and also to encourage and enable the local church community to do so.

My particular interests are religious education (naturally!), literacy, history, the health, safety and
well being of children, families and staff, social justice and community development. I worked as a priest in South Africa for 20 years before coming to Plymouth, where I was involved in a number of schools and for a time chaired a committee responsible for school safety in situations of violence and a place of safety for orphaned, abandoned and abused children. I hope that my experiences there have been of help in my work as a governor at Knowle.

Scott Simpson-Horne
Scott Simpson-Horne is Headteacher of All Saints Academy Plymouth. He is committed to our shared communities and believes that Plymouth, more than any other city in England, deserves an outstanding educational offer. He previously worked across the South West and in the Midlands before settling down in Torbay.

Melanie Cavanagh 
I have been a member of staff at Knowle Primary School for 10 years, firstly as a Teaching Assistant before taking over the role of Pastoral Lead where I provided both behaviour support and guidance to children and staff across the school, I am on hand to offer nurture and a calm space for children who need it, or just find things a struggle at times. I am a qualified Trauma and Mental Health Informed Practitioner, a qualification I gained with the support of Knowle Primary School, 

I live locally, my son Jimmy, now 16, attended Knowle Primary so I have a strong bond with the school and wider community. Being a member of staff, it is both interesting and informative to have an insight into how the school is run' behind the scenes' as well as knowing what is happening on the ground with regards to staff and pupils.

I am passionate about Knowle and strive to move forward in helping Knowle's children to achieve their full potential, I love to bring new ideas and approaches to the nurturing and wellbeing of our children.

Chris List 

I became a governor because I feel passionately about supporting Knowle Primary School as two of my three children currently go to the school and want to ensure that children get the best educational foundation to help them learn and achieve their full potential. I am constantly active with the school with being a governor and the current Treasurer of Knowle Primary School’s very own PTFA.  

I am married to Frances List, the Chair of Knowle Primary School PTFA and we can be found at fund raisers and events at the school. My ethos as a governor is to help provide our pupils with not only an excellent education, but ensure the pupils are supported in an ever-changing culture.  As a parent, member of the PTFA and a Governor I feel I have a good all-round understanding of our school and have a good relationship with staff, parents and students.

Mrs Joanne Bolton 

Hi, I’m Jo Bolton; proud to be appointed a Governor at Knowle Primary. I’m passionate about helping students have the best possible school experience and supporting the school’s leadership in creating a positive, welcoming environment. 

Working as a Programme Manager for the Civil Service, with a background in strategic management of high-profile funded programmes, I will be looking at ways to improve the school experience for both students and staff. 

Alongside my fellow Governors, I will ensure our decisions foster growth, improve teaching, support student well-being, and make the school inclusive and valued. 

I’m excited to be part of the Knowle Primary community and committed to helping all our students succeed and enjoy their time here.