Governance

Jeremy has lived on Scilly for eight years and was previously chair of governors.
He has supported work in schools for over forty years mainly in performing arts and media.

Elizabeth is Chaplain to the Islands and as a Foundation Member is also our boarding school member.

Paula is Chair of the Local Academy Committee. She is a retired headteacher and CEO of an academy trust. Paula lives on the mainland but is a regular visitor to Scilly. She has a wealth of knowledge and experience that both supports and challenges the leadership and outcomes of Five Islands Academy.

Rob is an academic at the University of Nottingham. He has published a number of books, articles and book chapters on a wide variety of diverse topics, raging from the past and present relationships between nature and people to ecotourism/wildlife tourism. He has a keen interest in sport, sustainability, outdoor education and student career pathways. Indeed, in 2012 Rob co-founded A Focus on Nature (AFON), a national youth conservation network in the UK. In 2019 he was appointed as Independent Person to the Council of the Isles of Scilly.

Rachel sits on the Local Academy Committee in her role as Headteacher of Five Islands Academy.

Emily is the Clerk to the Local Monitoring Committee. She is also Governance Officer at Truro and Penwith Academy Trust.

Harriet is a Parent Member and represents the parent body at Five Islands Academy. She is a parent of two children at the school, one in Secondary and one in Primary. She moved to the islands with her children to be with her partner in 2024 but has been a regular visitor to the islands with her family since 1978! Harriet has worked as a director in her family’s landscaping supplies company since 2011 and before that worked in Higher Education in Australia as Head of Customer Service. If any parent would like to reach out to Harriet to raise concerns/share relevant information with the Governors, please get in touch with her directly

Lydia Bassett is a Diocesan Member on behalf of the church on the islands. She moved to St Mary’s with her husband Bruce in January 2025 to run the new Museum and Cultural Centre. Their two children live on the mainland – one working in Derbyshire and one at Durham University. Lydia is a keen singer and musician with a passion for cultural education and is determined to ensure strong links between the school and new centre. She had extensive lived experience of SEND provision.

Helen is an experienced educational professional, having taught across the nursery,  primary and secondary sectors.  She has a wealth of experience working in schools and local authority systems, bringing expertise around SEND and inclusive education for all,.