The Principal and Leadership Team
Matt Norris, Principal
The opening of Weldon Village Academy in September 2023 was a hugely exciting prospect and has provided Corby and the surrounding areas with much needed school places as the population continues to grow. Matt is proud to be the Principal of Weldon Village Academy where every child is included, known, valued, and supported to achieve above and beyond their potential.
Academic excellence is important, but the values that go with the achievement of the students are critical in ensuring that our students are well prepared for the challenges which await them beyond the school gates. At WVA, students explore their identity and strengths, and find the expertise that helps them to transform individual talents into accomplishments – accomplishments which will make them valued and respected in an increasingly complex world.
WVA is proud to be part of Meridian Trust, a successful trust with over a decade of experience across four local authorities and secondary, primary and special education. As WVA continues to grow the support of the trust has been invaluable in shaping all that we do to ensure that students have access to the very best educational opportunities at every step of their journey.
Having graduated from The University of Hull in 2002, Matt worked as a Teaching Assistant and then trained to become a teacher. Weldon Village Academy is his fifth secondary school and first headship, following five years as Deputy Head at Hampton College in Peterborough.
With a strong track record of driving improvement throughout his career, both in schools and teacher training, he has demonstrated impact in roles including Head of English, Assistant Headteacher and SCITT (School Centred Initial Teacher Training) Director.
Esther Gray, Vice Principal
Esther was appointed as Vice Principal at Weldon Village Academy, transferring from another one of the Meridian Trust secondary schools in the local area. She is an experienced senior leader who is passionate about evidence-informed teaching and learning. She has worked at both The Ferrers School and Sharnbrook Academy, bringing with her a wealth of knowledge of Meridian people and processes.
This is Esther’s fifth deputy headship, but she has worked as an independent education consultant, a professional coach and as an expert advisor to the Teacher Development Trust. Esther is passionate about Climate Change Education and part of a team leading Meridian’s Trust-wide Climate Action Strategy, supporting the organisation to reach carbon net zero by 2030.
In September 2025, following Esther’s appointment, Weldon Village Academy became the Trust’s flagship school for Climate Change Education.
Hallam Cutmore, Assistant Principal
Hallam Cutmore was appointed as Assistant Principal when WVA opened. Hallam graduated from The University of Sheffield in 2011 before starting his teacher training with The Cambridge Partnership, and has worked for Meridian Trust since Sawtry Village Academy joined the trust in 2015. He has held various positions within Sawtry’s maths department, and has been integral in driving the improvement of the Academy’s GCSE results.
In 2020 he worked with the Core Trust maths team, as a Curriculum Area Lead and Acting Director of Maths; in this time he was able to support the improvement of maths departments in other Meridian Schools.
Hallam was excited to join the Leadership Team at Weldon Village Academy. Using his knowledge and experience from previous roles he was able to ensure the continued development of a strong curriculum.
