Governors

Sue joined the Governing Body at Morton Academy in 2015, having retired as Head of Fir Ends Primary School, Smithfield to run a B&B in Lanercost with her husband. She has 3 grown-up children and three grand-daughters. She has a degree in Business Management with French from Loughborough University and after working as an Analyst Programmer, she re-trained as a teacher, gaining a PGCE from Brighton University.

Having taught at a Primary School in Brighton for 3 years, she moved to Cumbria and took up a Headship in a failing school. Having increased the number on roll from 29 to 65 and being judged “Good” by Ofsted, she left education to run the family pub. She was later employed by the Local Authority, specialising in Change Management in schools and training as an Ofsted inspector, before returning to headship at Fir Ends Primary School. She is also a Maths Recovery trainer for Cumbria, working with teachers and teaching assistants to deliver the international intervention programme which was developed in response to the problem of children's failure in early numeracy and primary mathematics.

Mike has served as a school governor since 1992 in a number of primary and secondary schools in London including a number of years as vice chair of governors at the United Learning sponsored Lambeth Academy. He also set up and chaired the Lambeth Governors’ Forum and served on the borough’s education committee, schools finance forum, school organisation committee and admissions forums.

Professionally Mike had a successful 25 year career in marketing, working for organisations such as the Quaker Oats company, the English Tourist Board, Center Parcs and the Central Office of Information. More recently he worked for a DfE roster consultancy in education planning and organisation, and before that headed a pan-London education-business links charity.

Now semi-retired in Cumbria, where he has family roots, he is also a trustee of the Northern Fells Group community charity.

Ben Crystal is a Solicitor at Bell Park Kerridge and a former student of Morton School. Ben joined Morton in 2008 as a year seven pupil, leaving after obtaining his GSCE’s in 2013. Whilst at Morton, Ben was a member of the first Joint School’s Council in the city and played Cricket on behalf of the school.

Ben moved to Newcastle to study in 2010 and graduated from the Northumbria University Business and Law School in 2014. During his time at Northumbria he competed in an international Legal competition with over 92 universities in New Delhi and also represented their student law office at Buckingham Palace; where they won an award from the Queen. He moved back to the area to work and joined the Board of Governors this year.

Born  and bred in Carlisle, Mike taught at Morton School/Academy for 38 years teaching PE, Humanities and being heavily involved in the pastoral side of the school. Mike greatly enjoyed his teaching at Morton helping and nurturing a large number of youngsters reaching their full potential.

On retiring from teaching Mike worked part-time for Inspira where he worked mainly with disadvantaged teenagers, trying to get them into employment or further education.

He is married with three grown up children and three grandchildren. Mike’s interests are sport, gardening and spending time with his family. He has a very active interest in sport, organising Carlisle Schools' Sports Association activities for junior and secondary schools.   Mike is also Chairman of Cumbria Schools' Football Association as well as a County Team Manager.

David was Principal of Cumbria Institute of the Arts (CIA) from September 1991 until retirement in August 2007, when the University of Cumbria was formed. He previously held teaching and senior management roles in the creative arts at universities in Lancaster, Liverpool, Brighton and Sheffield and at the CNAA as Associate Registrar. He also undertook reviews with the Quality Assurance Agency (QAA).

David was the first Chair of the Management Board of Higher Education Academy – Art Design Media Subject Centre from 1999 to 2007. He established GLAD (the Group for Learning in Art and Design) as a UK wide HE learning and teaching forum in 1989, being Chair from 1990 to 2007. He chaired the Higher Education Art and Design Trust from 1996 to 2005, now leading the HEAD Trust Project to support greater advocacy of the Art, Design, Media schools to HE subject sector as Trustee.

He was a Director of UCAS from 2000 and Vice Chair of the Board of Directors from 2004 to 2009 - a member of the Audit Committee and Chair of the UCAS Pensions Trustees. Vice Chair of GuildHE from 2003 to 2007, Chair of the National Arts Learning Network - a member of the Higher Education Funding Council (HEFCE) Quality Assurance Learning and Teaching Committee, the Quality Assurance Framework Review Group and a member of the committee which established and funded Centres for Excellence in Teaching and Learning (CETLs). Until October 2010 (when its work was completed) he was Vice Chair of the Delivery Partnership, set up by government/GuildHE/UUK to make changes to the UCAS applications processes.

David was a member of the Crafts Council and Chair of the Education Committee from 1990 to 1997, a Director of Northern Arts Board from 1993 being Vice Chair from 1998 to 2000 and a member of its successor body Arts Council England, North West Regional Council from 2002 to 2004.

David chaired the Grizedale Arts Trust from 2007 to 2010, seeing through a multi-million pound lottery funded building development programme.

He has also been Chair of Governors of Shankhill C of E School since 2005.