Strategic Board

CEO, The Cam Academy Trust

Stephen Munday is the Chief Executive of The Cam Academy Trust and was Executive Principal of Comberton Village College from 2001 until 2019. During that time, the school grew to include the first Cabin as well as a Sixth Form and was designated as one of the first ‘Teaching Schools’ in the country.  He was, until August 2020, a member of the ASCL Council and served on the Teaching Schools Council.  He was previously a member of the Headteacher Board for the Eastern Region, served on the Department for Education's Headteacher Reference Group and chaired the Cambridgeshire Secondary Heads' group.  In October 2018, he was appointed President of the Chartered College of Teaching.

Director of Cabin Provision, The Cam Academy Trust

Peter was teaching maths at Comberton Village College when he was asked by the then head, Stephen Munday, to 'have a look' at Cabin provision, which had just started at the college. With previous experience in a Cambridge Special School, he had some experience of SEND education and autism but had no idea where it would lead.

He has now been working with the Cabin provision for almost 20 years and is responsible for 150 ASD students and 130 staff across the four sites.

Shelley Desborough, Executive Headteacher, West Village Partnership

Shelley Desborough is currently the Executive Headteacher of the West Village Partnership, a partnership of three village schools within The Cam Academy Trust – Everton Heath Primary School, Gamlingay Village Primary and Offord Primary School. Before this she was the Headteacher of Gamlingay Village Primary for seven years and led the school as it transitioned from a First School to a full Primary School.

Shelley also worked alongside the Cabin Director, Peter Allcock, to establish the first primary Cabin within The Cam Academy Trust at Gamlingay Village Primary. 

She is also a Governor of the primary school her children attend, and sits on their Curriculum and Standards committee.

Children's Occupational Therapy Clinical Lead, Cambridgeshire Community Services

Nicola has worked as a children’s occupational therapist for more than 20 years. She is passionate about providing an accessible and equitable service for children who need support. She has strong links within the wider health, social care and local authority system which supports working together to provide the best service we can. 

Head of Cabin, Comberton Village College & Comberton Sixth Form

Jane joined the Cabin as a Teaching Assistant in 2006 when the first autistic students were sent to Comberton by the local authority - even before a building was in place.

She later became a Communication Support Assistant and after 17 years, a degree in Education Studies and a Masters in Autism (Children) later, she is now Head of Cabin for main school at Comberton Village College and Comberton Sixth Form.

Deputy CEO, Eastern Learning Alliance (ELA)

Ryan was born in the USA but has spent most of his life in Cambridge. He returned to the city after university and ran a fruit, veg and flower business before training as a teacher in 2005. He has worked at both Impington Village College and St Bede's Inter-Church School, including five years as Principal of Impington. He became Deputy CEO of ELA in 2020 and has been responsible for the opening of The Cavendish School, that Trust's autistic provision on the site of Impington Village College. He leads across the ELA on Alternative Provision, Safeguarding and SEND and is committed to their promise of delivering outstanding education for students with autism in Cambridge.

Headteacher, Churchill School, Haverhill

Chris is the headteacher of Churchill Special Free School in Haverhill which is part of the Unity Schools Partnership Trust. Chris has more than 25 years of teaching experience and held a number of posts in both mainstream and special school settings, mainly in East London, before going to Suffolk to become a headteacher in 2023. He is very passionate about SEND and strongly believes that, regardless of the pupil's special needs, given the right environment and the right resources, all pupils can reach their full potential. 

Director of Finance and Operations, The Cam Academy Trust

Mark is a qualified accountant who oversees finances for all the academies in the Trust, looking at ways to maximise efficiency, minimise waste and use the power of a Trust to utilise economies of scale. He is also responsible for integrating new schools when they join, as well as managing the Trust’s operations team, which includes HR, IT, facilities, procurement and publicity.

Senior Lecturer Practitioner, Anglia Ruskin University

Sarah is a former primary school teacher and Special Educational Needs coordinator who, as a SENDCo developed an interest in children and young people with social, emotional and mental health (SEMH) difficulties. She worked as a Specialist Teacher for SEBD and autistic spectrum conditions.

More recently she has lectured at the University of Northampton in Special Educational Needs and Inclusion and the University of Birmingham on their Distance Learning SEBD and Autism (Children) courses. Sarah’s research interests centre around SEN, disability and inclusion.

Regional Director, David Ross Educational Trust

Rod currently works for the David Ross Educational Trust as Regional Director for Primaries. He has been a Local Leader in Education and an Associate for the National College of School Leadership, and undertakes school inspections for Ofsted. He is also on the board of The Cam Academy Trust and has oversight of SEND