OUR GOVERNORS

Bill became a Co-opted Governor in March 2015. He is the chair of the Full Governing Body and the Community, Communications and Marketing Committee. Bill is a director of two local companies, is actively involved in three local charities and, until November 2016, represented the Applethwaite Ward on Windermere Town Council. Bill is a recognised expert in the provision of bespoke business support focused on identifying opportunities to revitalise retail activity in towns and villages across the UK.

EX OFFICIO

Catherine joined the governing body in December 2017. She is a Primary school teacher working at a local Windermere school and a former pupil herself at the Lakes School. Catherine’s two children attend the Lakes School and she is eager to support the journey children take from the primary setting right through to KS4 and beyond.

Catherine lives in Bowness and has previously run her own business; she continues to enjoy all aspects of being part of a thriving community which has The Lakes School at its heart. She is very proud of the outstanding teaching and learning that takes place at the school and the care each individual child receives.

Catherine sits on the Staffing, Teaching and Learning committee.

Alison is a co-opted Governor and joined the Governing body in September 2023. She is a Results-Focused Business Consultant, Coach, and Trainer with a passion for helping individuals and organisations seeking growth, innovation and outstanding results under the umbrella of AJ Lakes Consultancy and AJ Lakes Training Academy Ltd. Alison is driven to help future talent development and committed to shaping the future of the Lakes School to ensure every student receives the best educational experience possible setting them on a great career path. Alison has over thirty years of experience in the Hospitality Industry and a proven track record of delivering tangible results and driving positive change.

Liz trained as a nurse and has worked on and off for over 30 years for the NHS. She has experience of teaching and leading NVQ’s in Wales and NHS Modernisation Programmes with project management and senior leadership working in Australia and Oxford.

After relocating to Lancaster in 2008 and having three small children to bring up she became involved and interested in schools and education. She was a governor for a Sure Start Centre and Chair of a PTA, and also trained for and worked as a Learning Support Mentor at Lancaster Royal Grammar School.

She moved again to Bowness and her youngest child now attends The Lakes School. She recently went back to the NHS during COVID, currently runs a small business and works as a volunteer for the elderly in the local community.

She believes passionately that children and young people should be able to access the best quality education and experience within an inclusive culture in their local community.

She has an interest in Safeguarding, Send as well as quality of teaching and the curriculum. She enjoys investing time and energy working with the team to ensure we have a happy, successful school for all its pupils and staff.

Gareth became a co-opted Governor in 2021. He holds several volunteer roles which include as NED for Carlisle Cathedral Enterprises and as a Mentor for Tech Manchester, helping tech start-ups. Originally from Ambleside and a former student at The Lakes School, Gareth currently runs a digital marketing agency “We Are Digital” in the area and is a director of several other ecommerce businesses which include Zleepy and The Lake District Hub a platform set up to help local tourism businesses during the Covid pandemic. Gareth is recognised as one of the leading digital marketing experts within the North West region and is passionate about all things digital and giving young people the opportunities to build careers.

My family and I relocated to Windermere in June 2021 from Hampshire and both my children attend the Lakes School.  I have previous experience as both a parent and foundation governor at my children’s former primary school in Wiltshire. During my time as governor, I acted as the chair of Finance and Resourcing Committees in addition to being the Vice Chair of the full governing body.   I completed nearly 20 years service as an Officer in the Royal Navy and on retiring from the Service, I moved to the Ministry of Defence as a Senior Project Manager/Business Change Manager and more recently have moved to a role in the NHS as a major projects manager.   I hope to bring a wide range of varying skills and experiences from my previous careers to the Governing Body and hope to be an active and productive member. 

Having joined the governing body in Jan 23, I look forward to supporting the school and investing my time in any way that I can to ensure that it continues to be a thriving and successful school for my children, pupils, staff, and the community as a whole.

Jane became a co-opted governor in September 2024. She is now retired following a career in education. She was a classroom teacher for many years and held several senior leadership positions. She was headteacher of two high schools. She was also on the school board of her children’s primary school for several years. After retiring, she and her husband (a former pupil of the Lakes School) travelled extensively and Jane set up a travel blog, which she now runs as a hobby.
Jane believes that education is key to enabling young people to reach their full potential and to become successful members of society.