Meet the Senior Leadership Team
Steve Barnes - Head Teacher
I have worked in education for over 25 years. I started as history teacher in selective secondary schools. I have been a head of department, National Strategies consultant, secondary school senior leader, special school senior leader and now head of a hospital school. I have a Master degree in Educational Leadership and am an accredited Local Leader of Education. I believe that a person’s history does not determine their destiny. We are all capable of successfully navigating our way through troubles in life. I also believe that building on people’s strengths we will do more to help than trying to “mend them.” I believe that hope is a powerful way of thinking which will change an individual’s life for the better. Learning is key. Being ready to learn and continue to learn makes all the difference. Sometimes learning happens in the classroom. I am proud of being head teacher of the Pilgrim school, and I am sure I will look back on this as one of the most positive things I have done with my life.
Bev Lee - Executive Assistant Headteacher
Provision at The Pilgrim School requires a delicate balance between education and pastoral needs. As the Executive Assistant Headteacher, working closely with the Pastoral Support & Wellbeing Specialists (formally Reintegration and Support Officers), it is my role to oversee Pilgrim’s pastoral offer, helping each pupil to realise their potential, both in the classroom and beyond. This means that I have responsibility for behaviour, safeguarding, attendance and the school’s wide-ranging personal development curriculum.
Prior to joining Pilgrim in 2012, I had extensive experience in the private and voluntary sectors supporting vulnerable groups, promoting self-advocacy and improving the life chances of children and young people. Having initially joined the school as one of four Reintegration and Support Officers, we are now a team of eight, recently renamed, Pastoral Support & Wellbeing Specialists, one Training and Development officer and one School Counsellor. This shows our commitment to ensuring all Pilgrim pupils receive support, develop aspirations and get the most from their time at the school.
I have completed an MA in Trauma Studies at the University of Nottingham, focussing primarily on resilience and post-traumatic growth in an educational environment. This has helped provide a practical framework for work in the school and has really served to reinforce my commitment to the welfare and support of the pupils in our care.
Above all, Pilgrim – the staff, governors and particularly pupils and their families past and present – is a community and it is one that I am proud to be able to serve and nourish.
Helen Garrett - School Business Manager
I started my career in the Royal Air Force and completed 22 years’ service. I left in 2007 and gained employment in a Primary School in Boston as a Finance and Personnel Officer. In 2009 I applied for the position of School Business Manager at The Pilgrim School. My role is varied and includes managing the school’s finances, HR issues, Premises, & Health & Safety. I thoroughly enjoy my position at the school. We have a strong team commitment and pride ourselves in always putting the pupil’s needs first. Personally I have 2 daughters and my husband is a Musician who works part-time for the school as a BTEC Music instructor, we also have a Cockerpoo named Eddie.
Steve Lingard - Assistant Head
I am the Assistant Headteacher and a Science Teacher at The Pilgrim School. My passion for Science was ignited while studying for a Science degree in Manchester where I specialised in animal behaviour and conservation.
On completion of my degree I trained as a Scientific technician and research assistant and began to work at different facilities around the country. Over 8 years I worked at Addenbrooke’s Hospital, The London School of Tropical Medicine and University College London. At the latter I contributed to research published in the Scientific Journals Nature and Science.
At 30 I decided to retrain as a teacher and I have never looked back. The most enjoyable part of my working day is spending time with our pupils, to be able to work with like-minded staff who support and care about the wellbeing and progress that these pupils make, and seeing the positive impact that we all make as a collective team.
Sharon Smith - Assistant Head
I hold a lifelong love of Science, being inspired at an early age by my Primary School Teachers and a visit with my parents to the Science Museum in London.
I began my working life as a Biomedical Scientist at Pilgrim Hospital, so it seems fitting that I have come full circle and now work at the Pilgrim School which I originally encountered whilst visiting the wards when ‘on call’.
I started my teaching career over 20 years ago via the Graduate Teacher Programme. Teaching in a range of Lincolnshire secondary schools has given me a broad understanding of the different needs of individual children. I have held a variety of leadership roles including Head of Science as well as gaining Advanced Skills Teacher status. This opened the door to a secondment for the Lincolnshire Schools Science Advisory Service, where I worked collaboratively in supporting other schools in driving improvement. From this I developed a keen interest in Teaching and Learning, especially supporting trainee and newly qualified teachers.
I feel privileged to have the opportunity to be part of an amazing school. From starting as a part-time member of the Home tuition team, moving to Amber Hill base as a Science teacher, leading the Science department and now in my current role joining the SLT. As an Assistant Head teacher I am responsible for leading the Amber Hill base on a daily basis, Home tuition team and the Science department.
The children and staff of Pilgrim School continue to inspire me on a daily basis and certainly contribute to my Ikigai!
Sarah Mulligan - Lead Practitioner/Head of Literacy
I have always loved stories and the different ways they can be told. In my early twenties I worked in two theatres in the West End and was lucky enough to see many plays and musicals during my time in London. I love to read, so a degree in English Literature was the perfect choice for me.
I have been an English Teacher for 12 years. I trained at Lincoln Christ’s Hospital School and then moved on to The Priory Academy LSST. Before this I worked as a Teaching Assistant at Lincoln Christ’s Hospital School, where I taught small literacy withdrawal groups. I loved my work as a TA, and working in a supportive capacity with small groups was something I missed when I moved to teaching whole classes. When the opportunity arose to teach at Pilgrim, I jumped at the chance. I have been at Pilgrim since 2020, and I wouldn’t want to work anywhere else! The students and staff are the most inspiring group of people I have ever met, and I feel lucky to work here. 2023-24 will be my first as Head of English and I am excited to work with the team to make English fun and accessible for every student.
Elena Wilson - Lead Practioner/SENDCo
My journey at The Pilgrim School has taken me from Teaching Assistant to Teacher, SENDCo, and now a member of the Senior Leadership Team. Throughout this time, I have always kept pupils’ individual needs at the heart of my work. After completing my degree in Psychology at the University of York, I qualified as a teacher and now teach both Maths and Psychology—two subjects I have enjoyed since first being introduced to them.
In 2022, I completed my NASENDCo qualification and then became the school’s SENDCo, a role that allows me to support pupils and their families in accessing the right support, at the right place, at the right time. This work has strengthened my passion for inclusive education and my commitment to ensuring every pupil has the chance to thrive, both academically and personally.
Working at The Pilgrim School is incredibly rewarding. It gives me the opportunity to help pupils learn and grow in all areas of life, while being part of a supportive and dedicated team who always put pupils first. As a member of the Senior Leadership Team, I am also committed to fostering an inclusive, supportive environment for both pupils and staff, ensuring everyone can succeed.
I look forward to continuing to serve our school community in the years ahead.
Mel - Pastoral Manager/DSL
I have worked with children and young people aged between birth and 16 years since 2004 in a range of roles including nursery manager, and an early help worker. I was a Pastoral Support and Welfare Specialist at Pilgrim for 4 years and before taking on the role of Assistant Pastoral Manager and Deputy Designated Safeguarding Lead in September 2022. Now, I am the Pastoral Manager and Designated Safeguarding Lead.
I have been married to my husband who serves in the armed forces since 2007 and together we have our teenage son. Over Covid I decided to take on the new challenge of being an adult university student while working full time and I successfully graduated with a BA Hons in Professional Studies Childhood and youth.
The pupils at Pilgrim have nicknamed me the Pilgrim mum due to my caring and nurturing nature that tries to find a positive in every situation. I am passionate about my job and put my all into fighting for the best interests of the pupils. I am very approachable, and I am always at the end of the phone for additional support if its required.