Trust
Plymouth School of Creative Arts is a single academy trust, which is sponsored by Plymouth College of Art, Below are details regarding our Trust and Trustees.
Governors
Governors are responsible, with the school’s Strategic Leadership Team, for setting the direction and development of the school. They hold dearly the vision of what the school can be. The following documents provide further information on the structure and responsibilities of the governing body.
Register of Pecuniary Interests
Andrew Brewerton
Andrew Brewerton (Trust Director and Chair of Governors) is Principal of Plymouth College of Art, Chair of Plymouth Arts Centre, and Honorary Professor of Fine Art at Shanghai University. An English graduate of Cambridge University, he was made an Honorary Master of Education at the University of St. Mark & St. John Plymouth in 2013. Andrew has held various public appointments: e.g. as Chair of the South West Regional Council and national board member of Arts Council England, and as Vice-Chair of the Prime Minister’s Advisory Group on Higher Education (PMI2). A poet and author of more than fifty book, journal and catalogue publications on contemporary visual art, his critical writing has been translated into Chinese, Danish, French, German, Italian, Malay and Spanish.
Dave Strudwick
It’s an immense privilege to lead such an amazing team and work in such an inspiring community. I have a love of learning, music, sport and architecture. It’s amazing what we are making together each day and I am certainly looking forward to the next part of the journey.
I have lead schools previously, written a book about behaviour and been involved in many interesting projects including the Blackawton Bees which resulted in the world’s youngest published scientists. However, the making of Plymouth School of Creative Arts is head and shoulders above the rest. This is a project that will become increasingly recognised internationally.
Jeff Stratton
Graham Steen
Graham studied at Manchester University where he gained a BA in architecture. He became a registered and chartered architect in 1969. Graham was an associate of the BBW Partnership from 1972 and opened and ran their Plymouth office from 1972 to 1981. In 1982 Graham established is own own practice and until retirement in 2003, he was the Senior Partner and Managing Director of Steen Mitchell Architects. Our work included, factories, universities, colleges and schools, housing, MOD establishments and other marine associated industries. Graham has acted as an expert witness for over 30 years. He was the President of the Faculty of Building for two years from 2004 to 2006.
Graham was a governor of Devonport High School for Girls, Plymouth for 6 years where he set up their master-plan and procurement policies. He has been a governor of Plymouth College of Art for 10 years. Graham helped to establish a Capital Build Committee, with particular interest in the development of the master-plan for the site and construction of three major schemes to provide new workshops and studios. Graham has agreed to remain an independent committee member of the Capital Build Committee of the College of Art until all projects have been completed. Graham is a founder member of Plymouth School of Creative Arts, and the governor holding the property portfolio. He is also a member of the Rotary Club of Plymouth and a Paul Harris Fellow.
Tim Bolton
Tim Bolton is currently Vice Principal at Plymouth College of Art. He originally studied ceramics and glass at the Royal College of Art, practicing in architectural ceramics and glass. His teaching career has covered most types of institution and most levels: running workshops for children, adult and community learning, Foundation courses and programme leadership of BAs and Masters courses. During 2005-2006 Tim undertook a teaching fellowship at the University of Plymouth, part of their CETL, investigating the emerging theories around “Threshold Concepts” and “Troublesome Knowledge” specifically in an Art, Design and creative education context. Tim has been an external examiner for the University of the Arts London at Central St Martins and Arts University Bournemouth, Leeds Met, UCA Canterbury, Ravensbourne and the University of Bournemouth.
In 2009 Tim co-organised the first Making Futures conference alongside Malcolm Ferris, a biannual international event looking at the crafts and sustainability. Making Futures 5 took place in September 2017 and saw over 150 delegates from 37 different countries attend the 2 day event. Although now less directly involved in the conference curation his current research remains in the area of endangered craft skills. These include traditional crafts in the UK as well as across the globe i.e. ceramics, glass, weaving etc. The disappearance of historic craft manufacture has created a hiatus in human social behaviour and distances us from physical contact with the materiality of our environment. His research is involved in looking at the social and economic conditions affecting the ability of craft and making to be sustained and to sustain communities. Tim is currently involved in running a British Council project looking at sustainable business models for women’s textile groups in isolated communities in Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan and a separate British Council project helping to develop the curriculum, including creative teaching/teaching creativity and entrepreneurship skills in 23 weaving schools across Myanmar.
Tim is on the board of GLAD, the Group for Learning in Art and Design, the UKs preeminent Learning and teaching for art design and media group, co-organising the last 5 annual conferences. Tim continues to be a peer reviewer for ELLIA, CUMULUS, the journal of Research Practices and the Journal of Craft Research.
As part of the Senior Management Team at Plymouth College of Art Tim was involved from the inception, in the application to government to open the first Creative Free School in the UK. His main input has been shaping the curriculum offer and in developing the pedagogic ethos of the school.
Tim holds the Continuum portfolio.
Benjamin Dunks
Originally from Australia, Ben studied Biology and Chemistry at the University of Queensland, before decided to become a professional Dancer and training at Queensland University of Technology and at the Australian Ballet School. On leaving ballet school I worked with numerous Australian Dance Companies, touring Australia and Europe several times. Ben moved to the UK in 1999 and worked with a number of leading dance companies and choreographers, in the process getting to perform in amazing theatres, remote village halls and French Citadels. Ben became more focused and interested in education and the arts at this time and subsequently became Artistic Director of Attik Dance in 2011, an ACE NPO company with a focus on education and community. Ben is deeply passionate about dance, movement and how the arts and creative thinking can inspire and support us to experience extraordinary lives.
Rachid Rkaina
This was followed by a spell as an independent Educational Consultant setting up an IT programme in schools in France, Germany and the UK to design and make artifacts collaboratively and at the same time enhancing the teaching of languages. I worked for two of the national examinations boards prior to joining Lord Sainsbury’s Trust as the Director of the Technology Enhancement Programme (TEP).
This was followed by the post of Director of the Science Enhancement Programme (SEP) based first at Warwick University and then at King’s College London. The work involved the production of innovative teaching materials and enhance existing Initial Teaching Training courses (ITT) in close collaboration with Cambridge University, Birmingham School of Education, King’s College, Southampton University, London Institute, York University and the Teacher Training Agency (TTA).
In addition I was involved in several programmes with the Wisemann Institute in Israel, Dusseldorf University and the Centre International d’ Etudes Pedagogiques at Sevres (CIEP), the Institute of Physics , the Royal Society of Chemistry and Nuffield among others.
Jo Anning
Alistair Mullen
Darren Fisher
From my first contact, with PSCA, I instinctively knew 3 things:-
– This was the school for my children,
– I wanted to be actively involved with the school,
– I truly wish I’d had the chance to go to this school with these teachers.
Professionally, I work in the Satellite Navigation industry, building business links across Asia and the Middle East. I was brought up in the area, but have lived in France, the Netherlands and the South East as well as travelling extensively across Asia. I am not from an Art background, but I strongly believe that a creative, enquiring mind has been key to my career in business.
I am hope to represent parents on the Governor panel to both support the remarkable staff at PSCA as well as being a strong advocate for their views on how the school develops as PSCA grows beyond its current early days into a creative hub that our children will be proud to say “I went to that school!”
Hannah Sloggett – Community portfolio
I live in Stonehouse, both my children go to the school and my husband runs a local business on Union Street. I have been Chair of Stonehouse Action a local community group focused on Union Street for many years, creating the Union Street Party and Union Corner a community space and garden.
My professional experience is in planning, regeneration and communities. Most recently as Neighbourhood Planning Manager at Plymouth City Council where I led on developing the long term planning for the city and supporting communities through complex planning decisions in their local area. Before this I worked in audience development and learning at Plymouth City Museum, the Ragged School Museum in Tower Hamlets and the National Science Museum, London.
I am now Director at Nudge Community Builders, a community benefit society that owns, creates and runs activity in disused or unusual urban spaces to lead to lasting positive change and community led regeneration.