SLT & Governors
Meet Our Team
Our Leadership Team
Fiona Miles
Head
Having spent my early life in Nottingham, I am delighted to have returned to the East Midlands to become Head of Loughborough High School. After studying English Literature at the University of Cambridge, I taught for several years before retraining at King’s College, London, to pursue a career in medicine. Subsequently, I returned to teaching and had a series of different roles at Haberdashers’ Aske’s School for Girls, including Head of English, Assistant Head and Deputy Head (Academic). I have also been a governor of a maintained primary school, a role which I found extremely rewarding. I am an enthusiastic amateur organist and pianist, and I play netball whenever I have the opportunity.
Sean Reid
Deputy Head Academic
I was delighted to join Loughborough High School in September 2019. I grew up in London, before moving on to study History at undergraduate level at Durham and then at postgraduate level at Bristol. I undertook my doctoral research on the history of cricket in Ireland in the nineteenth century at the University of Huddersfield. I am a published author in this academic field and have presented my work at five national and international historical conferences to date.
I worked in four schools in a range of academic and pastoral roles before joining Loughborough High, and look forward to further shaping the academic provision at the School. I am particularly passionate about promoting inspirational teaching and learning. I have been a PGCE Tutor for eight years now and also sat on the management board of a schools’ training partnership for the last four years.
I look forward to working with all the pupils, staff and parents of the Loughborough Schools Foundation, in what I feel is an extremely unique and special educational community.
Rebecca Connick
Deputy Head (Pastoral)
I took on the role of Deputy Head (Pastoral and Wellbeing) at Loughborough High School in 2023 after spending 3 years as Assistant Head (Curriculum). My previous school was Nottingham Girl’s High School where I spent seven years as Head of Biology and then Head of Science. My 25 years’ experience in education has been spread across 5 schools and each school has added to my belief that the hallmark of an excellent pastoral system is that any student who walks into a school feels a sense of belonging. I graduated from the University of Leeds with a degree in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology and completed my post graduate studies at the University of Cambridge. Home is in Nottingham, where I live with my husband, two children and two dogs and in my spare time I enjoy running, reading and knitting.
Lynsey Simpkin
Assistant Head (Staffing and Professional Development)
I joined Loughborough High School in 2019 from a local state secondary school where I had worked for 16 years. Throughout that time I was Head of MFL, Head of Year, Head of Inclusion and SENCo. I was fortunate to be appointed as Head of Learning Support at LHS, and in 2021 I joined the Senior Leadership team as Assistant Head for staffing and professional development.
I live locally and enjoy supporting my village. I was Chair of Governors at the local primary school for four years, which I found extremely rewarding and every summer I coach youth cricket at the cricket club, after playing regional cricket in my teenage years.
I am married with two children who attend the High School and the Grammar School and we love being part of the LSF family.
I live locally and enjoy supporting my village. I was Chair of Governors at the local primary school for four years, which I found extremely rewarding and every summer I coach youth cricket at the cricket club, after playing regional cricket in my teenage years.
I am married with two children who attend Fairfield and the Grammar School and we love being part of the LSF family.
Donna Tolley
Assistant Head (Co-curricular)
I was delighted to join LHS as Assistant Head in Easter 2022, moving from Senior Leadership at a large state school, having previously held pastoral leadership roles; House Manager and Deputy Director of Sixth Form. I am a passionate Chemistry teacher and was previously Secondary Science Lead for Leicestershire and North Northamptonshire Science Learning Partnership and a Specialist Leader of Education. I hold a first class degree in Chemistry, a Masters in Education and the National Professional Qualification for Senior Leadership (NPQSL).
I attended LHS as a student myself and thoroughly enjoyed my time here, so I have relished being able to return and play a key part in the experiences of the current generation of LHS students. My two daughters attend Fairfield and LHS and we love being part of the LSF community. I enjoy reading, running, cooking and musical theatre.
Victoria Standring
Assistant Head (Pastoral)
After completing my degree and masters at Chester University, I moved nearer to home to do a PGCE in Sheffield. I started my teaching career as Head of Girls’ Games at Ranby House Preparatory School and moved to Loughborough High School after four happy years there. I spent a number of years in the P.E. Department at LHS and enjoyed getting hockey teams to the National finals. My passion for Pastoral care led me to pursue roles as Head of Year, Head of Key Stage and now my current role as Assistant Head Pastoral. I enjoy leading on wellbeing initiatives within the school, as well as leading the PSHCE programme. I feel lucky to be part of such a happy and vibrant school and enjoy working with both students and staff to develop the pastoral side of school life.
James Travis
Director of Sixth Form
I have been a member of staff at LHS since September 2017, and during my time here I have been the Head of Junior Science, Head of Physics, Sixth Form Academic Coordinator and am delighted to now take up the role of Director of Sixth Form. In a previous school, I had Sixth Form roles both pastoral and academic and see supporting, guiding and advising students at this critical time in their schooling as a real privilege.
I grew up in Nottinghamshire before moving North to study Physics at Leeds University. After completing my degree I came back to the East Midlands and began my teacher training with the University of Nottingham. I now live in West Bridgford with my wife, two children and labradoodle, Mabel. My main interests outside of teaching are music and sport. I play the guitar, collect vinyl records and have suffered for 16 long years as a Nottingham Forest season ticket holder.’
The stimulating learning environment, the support from teachers to learn and go beyond the syllabus and the culture of intellectual curiosity at LHS have all contributed to my growth as a person.
Year 12 Student
Governors
The Governing Body makes decisions for all three of the Schools which, together, form the Loughborough Schools Foundation (Fairfield Prep School, Loughborough Grammar School and Loughborough High School). Regular meetings are held of both the whole Governing Body and of the sub committees and the High School, like the three other Schools in the Foundation, is represented by the Head of the School.
The High School Board is comprised of the following Governors:
Prof. James Esson
BA, MSc, PhD
James is Reader in Human Geography at Loughborough University, having studied at Newcastle University, University of Oxford and University College London. He currently holds a range of leadership and governance roles at Loughborough University, which enable him to contribute to the development, approval and monitoring of institutional strategies and policies. James’ research on children’s rights and safeguarding has been supported by UNICEF, and his expertise in learning and teaching has been recognised nationally and internationally, including by the Royal Geographical Society.
James is married with four children. His eldest child attends Loughborough Grammar School, his second child is at Fairfield Prep, and his youngest two are still in nappies. When he gets a moment to himself, he currently turns to the work of Eiichiro Oda, Ben Okri or Ama Ata Aidoo for entertainment. James is also a big fan of highlife music and his dancing is notorious for providing comic relief at family gatherings. He lives in Loughborough.
Yvonne Carlisle
PHD
A very recently retired academic, Yvonne was Head of Department, Human Resource Management, and had a School wide role as Head of International Affairs at Nottingham Business School, Nottingham Trent University. Prior to joining Nottingham Business School Yvonne completed her PhD at Loughborough University. She has worked extensively in the field of transnational education through course design, international projects, student and faculty mobility, managing international portfolios, and business school accreditation processes. Yvonne is a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy, and until retirement, was an Academic Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development, and a Fellow of the Chartered Management Institute. Yvonne has worked as a Visiting Professor at a number of overseas institutions, including the University of Valencia, KEDGE Business School and the University of Victoria, Vancouver Island, Canada. She has extensive Board level experience in the field of higher education in both the UK and Internationally.
Yvonne’s two sons attended Fairfield and Loughborough Grammar School. In her spare time, she is a keen sports fan – both watching and participating – and is an avid reader. She loves to travel and explore and also spends a good deal of time in London with her sons, their wives and two grandsons.
John Wood
LLM
John was educated at an independent school in Staffordshire before completing his undergraduate degree and masters in Law at the University of East Anglia.
Having completed his training in private practice, John qualified as a solicitor in 2009 and worked for over 9 years in-house at a local authority, specialising in employment law and education law. He returned to the private sector in 2018 and, since 2022, has been a Partner at Knights, a national legal and professional services business.
John is married with two children, with his eldest currently attending Loughborough Grammar School. He is a keen hockey player, playing club hockey in Leicester with his children and spending his spare time helping to coach the junior section.
