About Us

A school teaches in three ways: by what it teaches, by how it teaches and by the kind of place it is

Lawrence Downey

In this area of the website you can find information about school governors, support staff and some specialist teaching staff too. For information on children's class teachers and teaching assistants please see the Classes.

Headteacher

Catriona Stewart

BA (Hons) Design for Communication Media, PGCE Primary, NPQH, PGCert Understanding Dyslexia, PQSI

Ms Stewart is subject leader for Art and Music and is a qualified leader for safeguarding.

Catriona studied Design for Communication Media at Manchester Polytechnic. Prior to teaching, she has worked as a graphic designer / illustrator for museums in Cheshire, a fresco restorer in Italy, an illustrator at The British Museum, architectural technician, bar person, shop assistant and cleaner.

Kingsmead is the fourth school Catriona has worked at. Her first teaching job was at Victoria Road, Northwich after which she went be deputy head of a small school in Wilmslow with provision for children with BESD where she took on the role as acting headteacher for over two years. Following a stint as deputy head at a large, diverse school in inner-city Manchester she returned to Northwich in 2004 to take up the headship at Kingsmead, her dream job, where she been since the school's opening in 2004 and where she qualified as a specialist dyslexia teacher.

Catriona has worked for CW&C as a Local Leader in Education and from 2017 as an Associate School Improvement Advisor. She trained to inspect schools for Ofsted and did some additional work in school inspection. She represented humanists on the CWAC standing advisory committee for the teaching of RE (SACRE) until 2021. In March 2019 Catriona joined the board of trustees for the Sir John Brunner Foundation. She chairs the local Northwich Education Partnership, NEP. She has one daughter, an Art teacher in London, and lives in Northwich.

Deputy Headteacher

Lisa Rutter-Brown

BA (Hons) Primary Education with Maths and Technology, National SENDCo Award, NPQH

Mrs Rutter-Brown, our Inclusion leader is also our designated lead for safeguarding.

Lisa has been with us since 2004 when she joined us as out first Reception teacher. She has worked for the Local Authority as a leading subject leader for Mathematics, where she supported Mathematics leaders across Cheshire. As deputy head, as well as leading and supporting staff at Kingsmead, Mrs Rutter-Brown was seconded to a school facing additional challenges.

In 2016 Lisa's work on behalf of adopted pupils and their families was recognised by Adoption UK and MP Stephen Timpson who wrote to commend our work as an adoption friendly school. In 2020 we were recognised by CW&C as an Attachment Friendly school.