Nicky Ling

I joined Ranelagh Primary School as Headteacher in January 2018, however, Ranelagh is a school I know well having taught here from 1999 to 2004. Ranelagh is a very special place to me and I am delighted to return here to lead the school on the next part of it's journey.  Although Early Years trained, I have taught across the primary age range in a variety of schools and in a variety of roles.  I have a passion for teaching English; a love of  reading and the Arts.  When I am not at school, I love walking my two dogs and travelling.

David Plowman

I am now retired after a working life that included a management career involving customer service,HR and Finance. I was born on Chantry and have lived in the area most of my life. As a Governor, and particularly as Chair, I wish to support the school in its vision and values. It is important that every pupil at Ranelagh enjoys their education and is enabled to become the best person they can. This can only be achieved by providing the necessary resources and supporting the pupils and staff at all times.

Heidi Austin

I have two children who are pupils at Ranelagh School, one in key stage 1, 1 in key stage 2. I have been a parent governor since 2015. As a parent I value the inclusivity and the feel of community at Ranelagh, I love that our children learn and achieve in all areas of their development and the opportunities that they are offered in music, art and sports that build their skills, their confidence and their abilities to work alongside each other, and the impact this has on their learning in their core curriculum subjects. I am proud that our children feel happy and safe and want to come to school. My primary interest as a Governor, alongside our strategic responsibilities, is the development of learning and opportunities for disadvantaged children. At home I love to read, go to the cinema and spend time with friends and family.

Eileen Allpress

I have had a long career in Primary education. On my retirement from headship in 2016, I joined West Ipswich Teaching School as a Project Manager. This role involves providing school based support and CPD with a main focus on Early Years and SEND. I also workwithin Ipswich Research School as a Research Director. This role involves supporting practitioners from all settings to engage in evidence informed research to improve practice, with key links to Ipswich Opportunity area.

Gary Morgan

Having spent my early life growing up in Lancashire, I moved to Suffolk in 2016 following a management career that has taken me around the UK. Having previously enjoyed being a school governor, I applied to the local authority in order to continue what I consider vital work in the community, supporting a local school, educating the future generation. As a governor I would like to use my skill set to support the senior leadership team at Ranelagh in achieving the goals and vision of the school, specifically focusing attention on the school resources to support modernisation. Whilst not working I enjoy martial arts and walking my dog in the great Suffolk countryside.

Olga Hopper

I am originally from Russia where I qualified as a Teacher of German and English as a foreign language. I Completed SCITT Primary in Ipswich and obtained a Master’s degree at Ruskin University, Cambridge.  I started at Ranelagh Primary as a volunteer 15 years ago, a long but exciting journey! I have undertaken lots of different roles at Ranelagh over the years, now I am the Assistant Headteacher and this year became a Senior Leader of Education in Suffolk

Since arriving in the UK in 2002 I have always been an active member of the community. Initially I worked as a translator and interpreter for Translation & Interpreting Project in Ipswich. I then became a trustee for the Race Equality Council. I helped to build up the Russian Supplementary School in Ipswich and had my own Russian language show on Ipswich Community Radio. For the last five years I have been running “Achievers” Supplementary School, on Saturday mornings, for children with English as an additional language.

I fluently speak 4 languages, love travelling, reading, painting and swimming.

Janice Lee

I have recently retired after spending all my working life in education initially as a teacher in primary schools in Bradford, then in FE as a lecturer and senior leader in Lowestoft and finally for the last 18 years as a senior leader in Education with Suffolk County Council. My special expertise lies with working with headteachers, governors and multi agency partners on Safeguarding, School finances, HR and legal issues. In my personal life I have been married for 38 years and have 2 daughters and, since April, one granddaughter. In any spare time I have I enjoy meeting friends, visiting family, reading, knitting and baking, alongside a passion for shoes! As a governor at Ranelagh I hope I can use my knowledge and experience to support the school leaders in making the best use of the resources the school has to benefit the children at the school.

Lucy Matthews 

After graduating with a degree in Classics I spent all my working life in the technology industry, initially as a developer and then managing a variety of projects for clients within the finance industry. Having joined a small start-up company in the 1990s I helped it grow to a FTSE250 company in which I held roles on the executive committee representing HR and as senior client relationship manager.

Wanting to contribute in some way to my local community I became a governor of a local authority school in Croydon where I acted as chair of the finance committee and vice-chair of the full governing board. On moving to Ipswich I was keen to continue with a role in supporting the education of local children and am delighted to have joined the governing board of Ranelagh Primary School.

I am married to a retired head teacher and have 3 adult sons.

I am originally from Romania and moved to the UK in 2015 out of the desire to grow both personally and professionally. Having lived in London for five years, I retreated to Suffolk to be closer to my sister and to live in a more serene environment. I am still traveling to the City on weekdays to fulfill my role as a Facilities Manager where I have been working since 2019.

Lately, I have been seeking volunteering opportunities, to be of service, and I was pleased to have been appointed as a governor at Ranelagh School. As a governor, I aim to assist the management team in achieving its strategic vision.

In my spare time, I enjoy reading, learning Japanese and German, spending time with my family, and occasionally painting.