The Governing Body of John Spence
Dr A Langman – Chair of Academy Committee
Adam has served as a Governor since 2005 and was Deputy Chair before being elected Chair in 2016. His two sons both studied successfully at John Spence. With the eldest being gifted and talented and the youngest having special educational needs Adam has experienced the full range of curriculum and pastoral support that the school offers. He initially relocated to the North East in 1984 to study for his PhD in Mining Engineering at Newcastle University. Adam then entered the world of finance with KPMG and is a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England & Wales. He has worked in the property, leisure and care sectors and is currently Finance Director at The Exchange 1856 a venue offering theatre, bar & restaurant and office space in the heart of North Shields.
Mr J Coltman
Jim has lived and worked in North Tyneside all of his life. He is married with four children. Jim became a governor at Christ Church Primary School, whilst his children attended and also went on to become a governor at John Spence Community High School. As a qualified teacher, Jim has been involved in work based learning for 35 years. He was instrumental in setting up a Motor Project in 1993, which then evolved into Northumbria Youth Action (NYA). NYA provides work based training in various subjects for 14 to 19 year old’s. Jim became director of operations for this charity in 2001 and was pivotal in the creation of the Youth Village, which houses; NYA, Barnardos and PALS. He firmly believes in education for all and ensuring young people are prepared for life and the work place.
Mrs A Coxon
Alison is an office manager in a local school in North Tyneside and has worked within the school sector for the last 12 years. Both of her children are previous students of John Spence and this is what inspired her to become a parent governor which she did for 5 years and she has recently in October transferred into the category of co-opted governor. Alison has experience of clerking for a governing body and working within special needs education, this prompted her to become the SEN governor at John Spence. She also within her current job has responsibility for GDPR, H&S and Safeguarding across the school, so as a result is also the Safeguarding Governor at John Spence. She enjoys meeting termly with the School Business Manager and the Safeguarding & SEN leads within school and has recently joined the new Student Welfare committee.
Mrs I Whitworth
Ingrid is a Parent Governor. She works in Digital for the DWP, collaborating Legacy and Prisoner data for Fraud and Error analysis. Ingrid became a parent Governor as she wants to support the School and Parents in being the best it can be and supporting our children to achieve their potential to excel both academically and creatively. Ingrid is also Parent Governor at a local Primary school, where she has been active for the last 2 years. She is married with two children, one of whom is a pupil at John Spence and the other is at local primary school.
Mrs P Blyth
Pat has worked within the public and private education sector for over 30 years. Until June 2018 she was Head of Apprenticeships and Employer Engagement at Tyne Metropolitan College. From July 2018 she worked at Sage Gateshead where she was responsible for Creative Apprentices at Cultural venues from Berwick to Teesside. She also assisted with recruitment and progress of all Apprentices at Sage Gateshead which included Finance, Catering, IT and Creative. These Apprenticeships ranged from Level 2 (GCSE equivalent) to Degree Level. Pat recently retired during the lockdown. Pat has been a governor at John Spence Community High School since 2016 and is particularly interested in Curriculum, Employer Engagement and progress into sustainable employment and training for students.
Ms J Clifford Swan – Vice Chair of Academy Committee
Joanne has been involved in education in the North East for her entire career, qualifying as a primary teacher in 1985. After a number of senior leadership and Local Authority advisory roles, Joanne joined the Initial Teacher Education (ITE) team at Northumbria University in 2011, going on to lead teacher training at Northumbria for a number of years. As part of Ofsted’s external advisory group, she contributed to the design of the current inspection framework for ITE. In partnership with the National Literacy Trust, Joanne also led a project to support reading for pleasure in schools in challenging socio-economic areas. Having left Northumbria in 2022, Joanne now works in a quality assurance capacity with teacher training providers across the country. Joanne is currently Chair of Trustees at Prosper Learning Trust, a small specialist multi academy trust, based in the North East, having previously been a governor of Newcastle Bridges School, the founding school of the trust. Joanne is also a member of the NEP SCITT management committee, based at John Spence.
Mrs L Eyres
Laura joined the board of governors for John Spence in February 2024. She lives in North Shields and is a mother of two young boys.
Laura has over 15 years of experience in graphic design and photography services. She has worked in many different industries such as retail, events, education, catering, care, and creative services. During her time as a playground design manager, Laura developed a passion for inclusive user experience design. Now, Laura is a Senior UX/UI Designer for retail systems. She concentrates on creating sympathetic digital experiences that are easy to use and which support business solutions. She is excited to help the children, parents and teachers at John Spence in nurturing a better, stronger and happier community for future generations.