Meet our staff

Welcome to our staff page!  Here you can find out more about Team SBA! 

  • Mr Josh McDonald

    Head of School/DSL

    head@stburyanacademy.org

    I started teaching at St Buryan Academy in 2011 and have loved every minute of it - now I am lucky enough to be Head of School and it is a position that I am extremely honoured to have! I started teaching in Year 1 and since then have taught in every year group whether it be as class teacher or covering PPA, although most of my teaching has been in Year 6.
    I am really proud of our precious village school. It is the heart of our community and we are privileged to have a great team of staff, children and parents at St Buryan.
    I am really passionate about providing the children of St Buryan with unique, wholly beneficial learning experiences that are real, relatable and enjoyable - these experiences will inspire them and allow them to achieve highly in all areas of learning.
    The development of the whole-child is at the core of our ethos and it is something that we hold in high regard at St Buryan Academy.

    My favourite subjects to teach are PE and English. I also really enjoy PSHE lessons and love going on school residentials.

    Away from school I love spending time with my family whether it be going on walks, bike rides or playing a game. I also love football and am an avid Wrexham fan (not many of us in Cornwall - or anywhere!), I also play football for my local team: Wendron. I am a keen skier and enjoy playing tennis too. Sport aside, I enjoy reading and one day would love to write my own book!

  • Mrs Joanna Kwiatkowska

    DDSL/SENDCO/Penberth Class teacher

    joannak@stburyanacademy.org

    I wanted to be a teacher since I was a little girl. I have many memories of lining up my dolls and teddies and teaching them. When I finally reached the point of realising my childhood aspirations, I came to St Buryan Academy to complete part of my teacher training course. I instantly felt such strong sense of being part of a very special, nurturing community.

    My specialism is in Early Childhood Education and although I have vast experience of teaching across all the year groups in primary education, I feel that my talents and passion are best utilised at the start of children's journey in education. My teaching practice is deeply embedded in appreciating the unique potential and amazing talents in every single child and nurturing children to have the resilience and confidence to conquer the world! I feel that this is best achieved by allowing young children to form strong relationships with their peers and adults in friendly, respectful classroom full of play based educational opportunities.
    My favourite subjects to teach are maths and phonics as well as creative arts and design activities.

    In my free time I love to cook and bake, grow flowers, fruit and vegetables on my allotment and I have recently discovered the pleasures of pottery.

  • Mrs Lisa Rendle

    English Lead/Porthcurno Class teacher

    lrendle@stburyanacademy.org

    Hello,
    I am Lisa and I grew up in St.Buryan, attending St.Buryan Primary School (as it was then). I have been teaching since 2004 and have been lucky enough to teach at some amazing schools in London, St. Ives, and Paignton but I am really enjoying continuing my teaching career back in St.Buryan. I consider it a real privilege to be able to give back to the community that provided me with a love of learning.
    I now live in Newlyn with my family and enjoy spending time in our beautiful Cornish countryside. I enjoy walking and I took up wild swimming during the first lockdown. I am the school's qualified Forest School Leader and like nothing more than spending time with the children in our new garden area.

  • Mrs Helen Ayotte

    Class teacher

    hayotte@stburyanacademy.org

    I have been a teacher since 2008 and have experience working mainly across KS1 and KS2. I love working with children and inspiring young minds. I feel very fortunate to be working at St Buryan in Porthcurno class. The community feel and school ethos at St Buryan makes it a very special place to be part of.

    My passion is PE and sport and I strongly believe that a healthy mind and body assists learning. You will often find me at various sport clubs in and around Penzance taking part or supporting my children on the sideline.

    I have lived in Cornwall for most of my life and absolutely love what it has to offer. In my spare time, I like to go on adventures with my family near and far. We also enjoy taking our family dog on walks and admiring the scenery Cornwall has to offer.

  • Mrs Tina Care

    Business and Administration Lead

    secretary@stburyanacademy.org

    When I started here at St Buryan I only intended to stay whilst my own children were here! Some 35 years later and I still enjoy being part of this wonderful school. I have not only worked in the administration side of the school but took the girls’ sport for years, accompanied many a school trip and also put many plasters on knees! I have seen two generations of children go through the school and seen the school go through different phases, the main one being when we came away from the Local Authority to be the first Grant Maintained School in Cornwall followed by the first Academy. I feel so lucky to have worked with so many dedicated members of staff but even luckier to have seen so many children flourish as they have gone up through the school. To see them now as young adults and parents themselves is truly rewarding. Outside of school I enjoy shopping, walking and spending time with my grandchildren.

  • Miss Georgia Good

    Nursery Lead

  • Mrs Lucinda Hocking

    Nursery Practitioner and TA

  • Mrs Elise Wilson

    Forest School Lead

    ewilson@stburyanacademy.org

    Hi I'm Mrs Wilson and I've worked at St Buryan Academy for just over 10 years now. I love the community feel about St Buryan and I also love how all the teachers know all of the children in the school which means we can be there for them at every step of their journey. I love the outdoors and I love opportunities to take the children outside of the classroom and find ways to give them real purpose to their learning.

  • Mrs Emma Forrest

    Higher Level Teaching Assistant

    I moved to Cornwall from West Yorkshire with my family nearly 4 years ago. We actually chose St Buryan Academy for our youngest daughter before we found somewhere to live! We fell in love with the school straight away and haven’t looked back since. I started working here as a TA just before Lockdown 1 in 2020. So, I’ve spent time supporting most of the children in one way or another. I’m now really enjoying helping out with Key Stage 1. The children will hopefully tell you that I love singing and dancing with them, and that my favourite stories are the rhyming ones! Outside of school, I love going for long walks with my family and our dog. I am also heavily involved in Girlguiding and am the Leader of a Rainbows and a Guide unit.

  • Mrs Tamsin Butterfield

    Teaching Assistant

  • Mrs Julie Ginty

    Teaching Assistant

  • Mrs Vicky Tesdale

    teaching assistant, wrap-around care and lunchtime supervisor

  • Mrs Jo Eustice

    School Cook