Our Trustees
Lancaster Independent School for Alternative Learning is a charitable company limited by guarantee. It is governed by the Board of Trustees who work closely with the Educational Co-ordinator and the School Manager to enable delivery of a high quality education to the pupils of our school.
You can contact the Board of Trustees in the following ways:
Chair of Trustees: calum@lisal.school
Tel: 01524 381876
By post: Chair of the Board of Trustees, Lancaster Independent School for Alternative Learning, Lune Road, Lancaster LA1 5QU
Calum MacLure
Chair of Trustees
Calum has a daughter who loves everything about LISAL and he became a trustee to support the community of staff, trustees and families that make the school such a special place. Calum works in government and has experience of leading teams working on policy development and programme delivery.
Professor Hugh Tuffen
Human Resources
Hugh is a geoscientist by training and has 15 years of experience in University teaching leadership. He currently directs all postgraduate teaching at the Lancaster Environment Centre. His professional responsibilities, which include managing a teaching delivery team and quality assurance, are relevant to the smaller LISAL setting. His daughter is thriving at LISAL, and Hugh much enjoys visiting the school to lead a science demonstration about volcanoes, where the children use golden syrup to simulate lava flows. He finds the LISAL children to be natural scientists and great team players, who are eager to experiment and learn, and who retain the sense of wonder in the world around them.
Zoé Wild
Safeguarding, Equality
Zoé is a qualified Medical Herbalist with a special interest in women’s and children’s health. She also teaches a recognised extracurricular course designed to empower children with the knowledge and confidence to become junior herbalists. Prior to completing her degree, Zoé spent 12 years working in early years and primary education, with a particular focus on Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND).
As a parent, Zoé was drawn to the Lancaster Independent School of Alternative Learning after facing challenges with mainstream education for her eldest child. Her middle child joined the school in September, and her youngest is currently attending the attached Montessori nursery and will go on to join the school. She deeply values the school’s gentle, child-led approach, which has already made a meaningful difference for her family.
Zoé joined the Board of Trustees in 2025 and serves as the Safeguarding Trustee—a role she takes to heart. She is committed to supporting a safe, kind, and inclusive environment where all children can thrive.
Dave Barton
Health & Safety, Premises, Steiner Waldorf Schools Fellowship
Dave has completed a 26 year career as an occupational therapist, mainly in the NHS with adults with learning disabilities. This included activity for learning as well as for therapy, some managerial roles, service development, and linking with schools for transition out of the school environment. Dave also spent many years on building sites, in factories and is a trained electrician. Forty-seven years ago he developed a deep interest Rudolf Steiner’s understanding of human nature and this continues with a weekly study group and other activities. For 47 years Dave maintained a deep interest in Steiner’s understanding of human nature. Learning is life-long for Dave as he is now completing a PhD in health research. Dave’s two sons are grown up, one training to be a teacher the other working in employment for people with disabilities.
Dave joined the Board of Trustees in 2018.
Hollie Kritikos Blades
Parent Liaison Trustee
Hollie is the Parent Liaison Trustee here at LISAL. After coming to the school as a parent herself she fell in love with the school’s ethos and deep understanding of the emotional and developmental needs of each child. Hollie has a Masters Degree in Post-Colonial Culture and Global Policy, and has worked in Secondary and Higher Education institutions both here in the UK and in Barcelona, Spain.
As our Parent Liaison Trustee, Hollie is passionate about maintaining a culture of inclusion, diversity and community both within the curriculum but also in the school in general. You will often find Hollie working in the school garden, assisting in the school’s weekly nature walks and observing the natural world with the children in nursery.
Hollie joined the Board of Trustees in 2025
Shabnam Cadwallender
Management Team, Quality of Education, Inclusion and Complaints
Shabnam is an experienced leader in the Primary and Early Years sectors. She recently set up Dewdrop Education and offers educational consultancy across the UK. Previously, she held the post of Head Teacher at Caton Community Primary School for 10 years, building on a further 10 years experience in the North East as a Deputy Head Teacher and SENCo. She graduated from the University of Sunderland with a BA(Hons) in Primary Education and holds a NPQH in Educational Leadership and Administration from the National College of School Leadership. She is also currently studying for a degree in Interior Design. Her son has been at LSS for 18 months and is in our T1 class.
Shabnam joined the Board of Trustees in 2018.
Gabriella Cani
Finance, Strategy and Business Planning, Marketing
As a Chartered Accountant with two decades of of experience in finance she is highly qualified for this role. She brings with her extensive experience in commercial and business partnering, operational finance and accounting within large organisations. She has worked in a procurement and financial transactional services outsourcing environment across a portfolio of 6 blue chip customers (including the aerospace, banking, retail and manufacturing sectors). Since 2009 Gabi has held the post of Director and Company Secretary in CHEK Institute. She also contributes her experience in strategic development, leadership, team management and performance monitoring to the Board.
Gabi joined the Board of Trustees in 2019.
Hannah MacLure
SEND