Meet the Boarding Team
A boarding house is not complete without a whole host of staff to look after, care for, and manage the wellbeing of all students. We’re lucky to have some pretty phenomenal staff...
Mrs Emma Stott
Head of Boarding and DDSL
Emma absolutely loved school as a youngster and was an extremely high achieving and gifted student. It was this experience that has propelled her into becoming fully immersed into the life of St Bees as Head of Boarding and there couldn’t be a more warm, bubbly or wonderfully kind person to oversee the everyday runnings of a busy Boarding community.
Emma, a previous county gymnast for three consecutive years, may have hung up her leotard and whilst not backflipping down the corridors, has the meticulous organisation and ability to juggle a million things at once. These are skills most certainly necessary to keep a house full of young people in check - whilst also ensuring they have fun and feel that this truly is their home from home.
Following school education, Emma worked in an established catering department before going into care work, successfully completing her Diploma in Dementia/Alzheimer’s and end-of-life care. As the Mental Health lead at St Bees, Emma is fully qualified in Safeguarding vulnerable adults and children, Deprivation of Liberties, medication administration and is familiar with the Mental Health Capacity Act.
Sadly Emma had to leave her care position with the birth of her son, Noah (frequently seen wandering around the Boarding House!) - but fortuitously became Head of Boarding in 2019. Emma is a fantastic Head of House and is absolutely thrilled to play such a vital part in each and every boarder’s experience of living away from home
Miss Leah Barton - Houseparent
After working as a swimming teacher at a local pool for four years, Leah realised that she wanted to support children with special educational needs and mental health challenges further and began training to become a teaching assistant.
Her determination and passion for our school soon led her into the boarding house where she discovered that life at St Bees School was where she belonged. Her attention to detail, safeguarding knowledge, SEN and mental health awareness means she can create a fun, loving, understanding safe space for all students a home from home you could say.
In her spare time, Leah enjoys swimming and paddle boarding in any body of water that is safe to get in to. From living on the coast all her life in the beautiful Lake District, Leah has a strong sense of responsibility for our planet and loves inspiring others to take care of our environment.
Mr Duncan Gray - English as an Additional Language Teacher & Houseparent
After some years in Japan working and acquiring its language, Duncan gained a PGCE in Modern Foreign Languages from the University of Nottingham in 2001.
Since then, he has been the teacher in charge of Japanese and/or Head of EAL in a number of schools in the UK and overseas, most recently as Head of Senior School EAL at Dulwich College, Beijing.
Along the way, Duncan has acquired a first-dan in Shorinji Kenpo, renovated property in Northern Spain, learned a growing range of DIY skills, picked up a working knowledge of various languages, and adopted two four-legged dependents, one of whom is still with us and lives in the boarding house with him.
Duncan generally spends the school holidays on the bicycle, and has enjoyed reacquainting himself with Cumbria and its surroundings over the past couple of years, since he joined St Bees School in September 2022.