Staff

Sarah Belshaw – BEng (Hons) Chemical Engineering, University of Exeter
Head of Nexus and Cornwall School of Maths and Science

Sarah Belshaw is a Vice Principal at Camborne Science and International Academy and the Head of Nexus and Cornwall School of Maths and Science. She has previously held roles as Assistant Principal and Head of VI Form.

Mrs Belshaw studied Chemical Engineering at the University of Exeter and worked for 13 years in the oil industry, employed by 2 major oil companies before joining a consultancy firm. Sarah has worked on projects across the globe from Russia to Australia, as well as living in France and Germany. When she joined Exxon Mobil she was the first female engineer to be employed on their refinery in France. She was often the only woman engineer working on projects, responsible for large operating teams. She is now an enthusiastic supporter of females in STEM careers and is delighted to see so many of our female students consider a career in engineering.

Sarah grew up in Cornwall and feels privileged to return to the area where she went to school and her parents were also teachers.

Naomi Godolphin – BA, French with International Studies, University of Warwick
Assistant Principal and Director of Nexus

Naomi Godolphin is an Assistant Principal and is the Director of Nexus. As the Director of Nexus, Mrs Godolphin leads the pastoral system, the co-curricular programme and the primary outreach programme. She supports students with their organisation and ensures Nexus runs smoothly. Prior to becoming Director of Nexus, Mrs Godolphin worked at Camborne Science and International Academy’s main site for over 12 years in pastoral roles culminating in being Director of Years 9, 10 and 11 for a number of years.

Mrs Godolphin studied French with International Studies at the University of Warwick. Her degree encompassed a range of topics including French speaking, French literature and international and French politics. After spending a year teaching in France, Mrs Godolphin decided to complete the PGCE programme at the University of Exeter.

She is incredibly proud to work alongside the talented young people within the Nexus Gifted Programme. She aims to support them in fulfilling their life ambitions and with becoming the best people that they can be. Mrs Godolphin is passionate to ensure that all gifted students, no matter their background, are given an even playing field in the realm of academia and are given the right tools to be able to stand their ground at the highest academic levels.

Dan Chapman – MA (Cantab.), Natural Sciences, University of Cambridge
Deputy Head of Cornwall School of Maths and Science

Deputy Head of Cornwall School of Maths and Science. He has previously held roles as a Lead Practitioner in Science, Deputy Curriculum Leader of Science and Gifted and Talented Coordinator.

Mr Chapman studied Natural Sciences at the University of Cambridge and specialised in Geophysics; his dissertation was on outer-rise earthquakes which occur as a result of stresses within tectonic plates due to subduction. He also spent 6 weeks carrying out detailed geological mapping of an area of Los Tres Picos national park in northern Spain.

Mr Chapman’s love of all things Physics is obvious to all and he has facilitated numerous school trips to CERN, the home of the Large Hadron Collider in Geneva. Mr Chapman has led the CSMS Academic Exchange visit to National Junior College Singapore and the Year 7 and 8 Nexus visit to the Euro Space Centre in Belgium.

In addition to teaching Physics, Mr Chapman is a qualified Moorland Leader and takes an active role in the Duke of Edinburgh award scheme.

Dr Cate McGovern – BA English, Film and Media, University of Stirling. PhD, University of Reading
Lead Practitioner, Nexus Liberal Arts (NLA)

Dr McGovern is a Lead Practitioner and experienced English Literature teacher. She has previously held roles as Head of English, Key Stage 5 Co-ordinator and Co-ordinator for the Most Able.

Dr McGovern studied English, Film and Media at the University of Stirling and went onto to complete her PhD at the University of Reading. Her areas of interest include Victorian literature, women’s writing and postcolonial critical theory. It was during her time studying for her PhD that Dr McGovern discovered a love of teaching. Having taught on undergraduate and postgraduate programmes, she went on to teach at a Sixth Form college. She has also taught in two schools in the South West before taking up her appointment at Camborne.

With a keen passion for reading, Dr McGovern can often to found with her head in a book. She also enjoys cooking and going to the cinema.

Mr Ellis Attwell – BSc (Hons), Information Management Systems, University of Plymouth
Lead Practitioner, Computer Science

Mr Attwell is a Lead Practitioner in Computer Science as well as supporting the quality of Learning and Teaching at Nexus. After completing his degree, Mr Attwell joined American Consulting firm Computer Sciences Corporation on a graduate scheme. This involved working on projects globally, including the first ever website for Sainsbury’s before transferring to the Australian office and being part of the team creating a new Healthcare system for NSW Health. This was followed by a telecommunications project for Optus, a Sydney based company. Mr Attwell returned to the UK and worked for Rolls-Royce, specialising in jet engine predictive maintenance software.

With a desire to teach, Mr Attwell qualified as a teacher in 2003 and, since then, has enjoyed living in Cornwall. Previous roles include Head of Computer Science and Leader of the Business and Technicians Academies which have been praised by OFSTED. A particular highlight was being nominated for the UK Teacher of the Year.

Outside of teaching, Mr Attwell enjoys family walks with the dog in the winter and is a keen surfer in the summer. Mr Attwell enjoys chess but is yet to win a game of chess against members of the Year 7 chess club!

Mrs Lucy Gourley – BSc, Molecular and Cellular Biology, University of Bath
Nexus Primary Liaison and Biology Teacher

Mrs Gourley has been a teacher of Science for over ten years, and is currently Primary Outreach Lead at Nexus.

Prior to the completion of her PGCE, she carried out research on neuronal cell survival at the Peninsula Medical School, and investigated the regulation of genes involved in the immune response at a pharmaceutical company in Cambridge.

She graduated from the University of Bath with a First-Class honours degree in Molecular and Cellular Biology.

Mrs Sally Richards – BA (Hons) with QTS
Nexus Pastoral Lead

Mrs Richards joined the pastoral team at Nexus in September 2019 and provides pastoral support for all the students from Year 7 right up to Year 13 at CSMS.

Before that, she was a primary school teacher, working with children from ages 4 to 11. Mrs Richards trained to be a teacher at St Martin’s College in Ambleside, she prides herself on being able to help children of all ages.

In her spare time, Mrs Richards likes to read, go running, play netball, surf, and spend time walking on the coast and moors. She has two children and a very lovely springer-collie cross named Daisy, who comes to work every day as the Pastoral Support Dog.