Mrs K Gardner - Head of HR & EDI Lead

Mrs Gardner was born and raised in South Shields, where she began her career as an Office Junior at J. Barbour & Sons Ltd, progressing through a variety of administrative roles before becoming Marketing Executive and Executive PA. She later relocated to Manchester and joined Lady Barn House School as School Secretary in January 2005.

During her 20-year career at Lady Barn, she has worked across a range of administrative roles, including Admissions and PA to the Head, before developing her current position as Head of HR. Alongside her career, she completed a BA (Hons) in Education at The University of Manchester, achieved Level 5 and Level 7 qualifications in HR Management, and became an Associate Member of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (Assoc CIPD).

Mrs Gardner is passionate about supporting staff to thrive, recognising that a positive workplace enables the very best outcomes for pupils. As both a member of staff and a parent, she has experienced Lady Barn from two unique perspectives. Her daughter, Beau, completed her education at Lady Barn from Pre-School to Prep 6, benefiting from an outstanding education and exceptional preparation for senior school.

Outside work, she enjoys spending time with family and friends and regularly returns to South Shields to visit family and reconnect with her North East roots.