Laura Hacker

Hi, my name is Laura.  I worked at Shakespeare Primary school for over 7 years, I originally began my time here in Early Years working as a teaching assistant before moving onto become the Parent Support Advisor.  I live within the local community and both my children attend the school. 

Linda Ludlow

I joined the Shakespeare team in the spring of 2022 with the hope of bringing new energy to the Governing team and to support the leadership team pending the imminent Ofsted inspection. I retired from full time service in the Royal Navy after 22 years as an Aviation & Maritime Forecaster (or weather forecaster!) in 2020 to now be a Reservist and focus on being a Mummy whilst volunteering as a governor at Knowle Primary and be an active committee member on my children’s school PTFA. I have 2 children Abigail (9) and Marcus (6) and love event management, raising money for our schools and being part of the fun events that schools offer. I’m sporty and love getting involved with encouraging the children on the field with Athletics, Netball and Cross Country, as well as being a Royal Navy STEM Ambassador. I’m hoping to bring my leadership, team skills and motivation to support Shakespeare’s staff and students and look forward to giving children the best school experiences and learning that we can offer. My Champion subjects include Pupil Premium and EYFS.

Lisa Lynch

Hi, my name is Lisa and I am a HR Manager for a local HR consultancy business.  I have spent the last 5 years working in a HR generalist role, prior to that I acquired 13 years’ experience and knowledge in learning and development, specialising in Traineeships and Apprenticeships. This involved working to delivering learning and assessment programs to a high standard in line with ofsted requirements.  It is important to me to support Shakespeare in this local governor role as I can bring a complete external perspective having not been involved or linked to the school. Having worked in learning and development I believe that all individuals learn differently, and it is important to support the learning of individuals so that they have equal opportunities in their education to be the best they can be from a young age.

I am very interested in the safeguarding of children and vulnerable people, and I hope that my external perspective can support the school in different ways as a local governor.  

Karen Powell

I am delighted to be an associate governor at Shakespeare Primary School. As an education advisor I am passionate about giving all children the best start in their education and I enjoy working with the staff at school to see how this is being delivered. My children are now grown up but having a good education has allowed them to be successful in their own fields. Your children deserve this best start too.

Tim Smith

I became a  governor at Shakespeare in early 2022.  I am a lawyer and worked in the Court Service for 40 years until I retired in 2018.  Leaving work allowed me time to explore other interests, in particular involvement in the community as a school governor - albeit that, with two children well into their 20s, my knowledge of primary education was rather dated.  My introduction to the role came at Knowle in 2019 and during my time there I have worked closely with Mr Lancaster and seen much positive progress.  It was a great privilege to then be invited to join the governor team at Shakespeare.  From my first visit, I was impressed by the super facilities, and felt the infectious enthusiasm of all the staff.  It was lovely to hear the excited buzz of children clearly enjoying everything that the school has to offer.  In turbulent times, it's a pleasure to be connected with such a vibrant and positive place and, with our strong team of governors, I look forward to playing a part in the school's progress in the years ahead.

Sarah Ridgwell

I have been a part of the team at Shakespeare ever since the school opened in 2009.  I am currently a teacher in Year 6 and subject lead for English.  I am excited to be part of the Governing Body and to have the opportunity to help shape and continue to strengthen our school and community.

I have two grown-up children: Megan (21) and Molly (18).  Outside of school, I like to experience live music and my house is full of instruments.