Did you know, it’s now 30 years since Alistair took over the leadership of Lewis School?
The school was founded in 1976 by Derek Lewis, with Alistair Walker becoming Owner/Director after Mr Lewis retired in 1994. The years that followed saw plenty of changes and innovations. Junior progammes and teacher training courses were introduced in the late 1990s, while programmes in English through theatre – with drama professionals often visiting schools around the world – began in 2010. The most recent change has been the addition of its Winchester Junior Centre, located on a university campus in one of England’s most beautiful cities.
We’ve remained committed to excellence in teaching and customer service, and received a Centre of Excellence award from EL Gazette following our most recent full inspection by the British Council.
The photo below comes from the 1990s, and if you look carefully, you can see Alistair and Andrew!
Here’s a message from Alistair.
“30 years ago, I took over the reins at Lewis School. My background was teaching and so running a business was a steep learning curve. Many successes and some failures later, here we are in 2024.”
“How different everything looked back then! Much has changed but the fundamentals are the same. Lovely young people eager to learn and explore new cultures, and for whom their stay in UK is an unforgettable experience. The energy and excitement they generate is palpable on a daily basis.”
“What an honour it has been to welcome back students who return 20+ years later to relive that experience. Even better when they send their own children!”
“It’s been a career of meeting wonderful individuals and working with great teams of people.”
Find out more about our English courses for adults and our junior programmes.
The photo at the top of this page show Alistair with Caroline of Quality English, an association of independent, owner-run language schools that Lewis School is a member of. Coincidentally, Caroline and Alistair were born on the same day, in the same year!
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