Our Academy Councillors
Knowle DGE Academy Council
Darren Ewings Head Teacher, Knowle DGE Academy
Julie Atherton Interim Chair of Knowle DGE Academy Council
Michael King Parent Representative/Academy Councillor
Michelle Day Vice Chair of Knowle DGE Academy Council
Aga Kowalska Academy Councillor
Jenny Martyn Teaching staff representative
Dayna Yates Support staff representative
Lucia Thompson Academy Councillor
Peter Evans CEO, Learn@ MAT
Sophie Smith Parent Representative
To contact the Clerk to the Governing Body, please telephone 0117 456 6513 x 2224 or email using louise.shepherd@learnmat.uk
The Chair of the Academy Council, Julie Atherton can be contacted using
MEET THE ACADEMY COUNCIL
Darren Ewings, Headteacher
Darren has been a Head Teacher for the past 6 years. From 2015 to 2017 he supported the CEO and Board of Trustees in setting up Learn@MAT which officially started in September 2017. In 2016 he supported the CEO and Board of Trustees in achieving a successful Free School Bid which is due to open in September 2020.
Julie Atherton,
Interim Chair of KnowleDGE Academy Council
Academy Councillor with responsibility for Health and Safety
Founder and Managing Director of Small Wonder a marketing consultancy specialising in the education sector. After over 20 years’ working at a Board level in commercial businesses and agencies, Julie has a breadth of strategic experience delivering leadership, business transformation, integrated marketing, and brand development. A digital and social media expert, Julie currently works with many organisations, schools and universities, in content marketing, brand development, recruitment, fundraising, CRM, digital and data, and social media. An industry leader and trainer, Julie creates and delivers digital and direct marketing training for the IDM and universities, regularly judges awards, and chairs the DMA Social Media Council. .Julie is a co-opted member of the University of Gloucestershire Council sitting on Finance and General Purposes committee and a Trustee of Learn@ MAT.
Michael King, KnowleDGE Academy Councillor
(Parent/Carer Representative)
Academy Councillor with responsibility for Safeguarding
BIO AWAITED
Agnieszka (Aga) Kowalska,
KnowleDGE Academy Councillor
Academy Councillor with responsibility for SEN
Aga is a passionate educationalist who wants to make a difference, SEN/ Autism theorist and specialist, a supporter of inclusive and restorative approaches in bridging the gaps in legislation, theory and practice in educational field(s).
Currently working at University of the west of England as Associate Lecturer in Psychology, Sociology and Criminology. Research interests and completions in the fields of: restorative approaches, homelessness, Autism and SEN, sexual harassment and exploration, Inclusion versus Integration in the Education (UK), domestic violence and behavioural strategies/ interventions: challenging behaviour. Aga is also a PhD student at UWE exploring the challenges and the realties behind the implementation of restorative approaches in educational settings (UK) in relation to embeddedness of ‘behaviour for learning policies’ in secondary schools.
She is also a Director responsible for training and education at Autism Independence Organisation supporting the individuals from ethnic minorities in accessing the information, knowledge exchange and services for those who are diagnosed with Autism.
Aga was invited to contribute to the MSc Program at University of Bristol; School of Education where I am supporting the final year dissertation project students as their research supervisor.
Aga has an extensive knowledge of Special Educational Needs, and within this terrain, Autism and other hidden disorders, and have maintained my expertise through a platform of ongoing engagement with the field. Her own son has been undergoing a diagnosis of Autism, which has opened up opportunities for her to further her understanding of the complexities of Autism’s management across educational and medical settings.
Michelle Day,
KnowleDGE Academy Councillor
Academy Councillor with responsibility for Finance and Pupil Premium
After qualifying as a Management Accountant whilst working in manufacturing and service sectors, Michelle moved from working as an accountant to teaching others how to become accountants as part of a professional training company. Michelle teaches management, management accounting and strategy subjects to students of a number of accounting bodies and has also marked exams for some these organisations.
When not teaching accounting, Michelle runs physical training sessions for individuals and groups in weekly fitness classes. She is also a director/shareholder of the franchise brand under which she offers PT and fitness classes. Michelle has recently taken on the role of chair for the local planning group commenting on planning applications in the BS3 area.
Dayna Yates,
KnowleDGE Academy Councillor
(Support Staff Representative)
Dayna has worked at KnowleDGE Academy since 2013, first as a Learning Facilitator in keystage 3 and 4, where she worked closely with pupils within their classroom to support their daily learning and social needs. For the past three years Dayna has worked as an HLLF intervention Tutor which has given her the opportunity to work across the Learning academy supporting pupil’s literacy and numeracy interventions. Previous to working at Knowle-DGE Dayna worked in several mainstream schools in early years and primary settings where her position was mainly within the inclusion team working with Pupils with SEND needs this included liaising with outside agencies.
Dayna is also a full-time student currently working towards a Foundation Degree in Supporting Education.
Jenny Martyn,
KnowleDGE Academy Councillor
(Teaching Staff Representative)
Having trained at York St John University, Jenny moved to Bristol where she was head of PE. Having taught there for a few years, she then moved to Qatar where she was Head of Year 3. Jenny returned to the UK to train as a children’s counsellor before working at Knowle DGE. When Jenny is not teaching, she enjoys playing hockey and golf as well as travelling
Lucia Thompson,
KnowleDGE Academy Councillor
Academy Councillor with responsibility for Safeguarding and Residential
Lucia has been working with young people with social, emotional and mental health (SEMH) support needs for 6 years in a variety of settings. She has been an Emotions Coach at Bristol Gateway SEMH school, a programme leader for NCS' The Challenge, a Pastoral Support Worker at KnowleDGE and is currently a Team Home Manager at Ruskin Mill College for young people and adults with special needs and behaviour that challenges. Her focus is on emotional well-being and her approach to this is holistic, person-centred and trauma informed. Through building positive relationships and being a trusted adult, she supports children and young people to ask for help when they need it and to learn to self-regulate.
PHOTOGRAPH AWAITED
Sophie Smith
KnowleDGE Academy Councillor
Parent/Carer Representative
BIO AWAITED