Our Team
Andy Moughtin – Director of Services
Andy has a huge heart for young people, working for 30 years within a variety of settings, both charities and state funded mainstream, special schools, pupil referral units and alternative provision. Andy led a TLG Education Centre before taking up an educational leadership role within the team running TLG’s alternative provision programme. He founded Acorn Alternative Provision with Gill Viner in 2023 and as Director of Services, now leads, facilitates and coaches the staff team at Acorn AP, as well as being the safeguarding lead for the organisation.
Gill Viner – Director of Operations
Gill is an experienced educationalist with a passion for supporting young people who do not fit the mould. As a teacher, she worked successfully with challenging pupils whose complex needs had led to them struggling in a mainstream setting. At TLG, she led for 14 years on areas including curriculum, qualifications, compliance and the Ofsted inspection framework. As co-founder of Acorn Alternative Provision, Gill’s role of Director of Operations draws on her unique blend of creative and systematic skills and her experience in education and leadership.
Kay Thompson – Head of Exeter Centre
Kay has always felt a deep calling to teach, motivated by her faith as a committed Christian. She holds an English degree from the University of Cambridge and spent a number of very successful years teaching English in mainstream school, becoming Head of English and taking on a Senior Leadership Team role, before moving into alternative provision in order to support the most vulnerable and challenging children. Kay’s experience in AP includes being English Learning Lead in a Pupil Referral Unit as well as 1-1 work with students with special educational needs, SEMH needs, behavioural difficulties and those excluded from mainstream education. Kay became Head of Centre for Acorn Exeter when it opened in September 2024.
Ben Pratt – Head of Tendring Centre
Ben became a Christian as a teenager and soon felt called to work with young people, from all walks of life, to help them reach their full potential. Over twenty years, he has worked with hundreds of young people in paid roles and as a volunteer, and in Christian and non-Christian contexts. In 2017 Ben was the driving force behind opening TLG Tendring. For the last 7 years Ben has led the Centre and has worked tirelessly to build relationships with local schools, families and young people, to help secure the best possible outcomes for pupils that are on the margins of education. When the opportunity arose to continue the work with Acorn Alternative Provision, Ben and the local church were fully on board, and continue to be incredibly well respected by the schools and young people they work with.
Sharon Chapman – Head of Torbay Centre
Sharon is a former primary school headteacher who left school herself at 15 years old with no qualifications and struggled for a number of years. Against the odds, and with the support of key Christians in her life, she went on to complete GCSEs, an access course and a degree. Her 20 year career in mainstream schools included experience of secondary education as well as the headship of two primaries. Sensing God leading her into alternative provision, she helped to open an education centre in Torbay with Upton Vale Baptist Church and TLG. Since then, and in her current role as Head of Centre at Acorn Torbay, Sharon has inspired many of the young people she has worked with not to be defined by their circumstances or their past, and that they are capable of great things.
Gavin Budby – Head of Normanton Centre
Gavin has worked with young people in Normanton for twenty three years, leading both church based youth ministry and teams of detached youth workers out in the community. Gavin was head of the TLG Wakefield centre from its opening in 2011 in partnership with All Saints Normanton and he has been Head of Centre for Acorn Normanton since it opened in April 2023. Gavin and his team have been instrumental in the lives of so many young people and their families in Normanton, many of whom are still in touch with the Centre and church partner today.
