Governor Visit
Welcome to Shefford Lower School’s Governing Body page. I hope you enjoy reading about our work to help support the school‘s leadership team and drive continuous improvement at Shefford Lower School.
If you would like to discuss any aspects of the governing body in more detail please feel free to contact us via the school office. Copies of the Full Governing Body meeting minutes can be obtained via Christie Young, the Governing Board's Clerk. Please request this via the school office email at schooloffice@shefford.cbeds.co.uk.
Jo Elliot - Chair of Governors
What is the role of the Governing Body?
The purpose of the Governing Body is to provide strategic leadership and to ensure robust accountability for the performance of the school, both in terms of pupil achievement and financial management. The Governing Body has three core functions:
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Ensuring clarity of vision, ethos and strategic direction;
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Holding school leaders to account for the educational performance of the school and its pupils, and the performance management of staff; and
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Overseeing the financial performance of the school and making sure its money is well spent.
Who are the Governors?
As a governing body we have a wide range of expertise across the local community, business, finance, and education. Governors are committed to the continued success of the school and promoting the school’s ethos and values. The governors have an unpaid, voluntary role and work in partnership with the Headteacher and the school’s Senior Leadership Team to ensure the best possible provision for all pupils in the school. New governors are recruited on the basis of skills we require to enhance the governing body. The table below provides a full list of current governors and their specific roles.
Meet the Governors
Governing Body Diversity Report
What do we do?
The Governing Body provides strategic leadership, shapes school policies and procedures, helps set performance targets and ensures the school’s resources are used efficiently. The Headteacher remains responsible for leading and managing the school and we work in close partnership to deliver the school’s vision. We are pleased that our governing body has been rated very strongly by external advisors to the school.
Shefford Lower School’s Governors meet every 4-6 weeks to discuss all issues relating to the school. We receive comprehensive reports from the Headteacher which cover performance of pupils, operational issues, review of policies, budget reports and many other issues. Governors also regularly visit the school to see the children learning as well as attending events throughout the year.
Governors are required to understand how the school is performing, provide strategic guidance and ensure appropriate controls are in place. Governors are inspected by Ofsted as part of the school’s Leadership Team.
The governning body is set up with a strategic overview of all aspects of governance. All governors attend Full Governing Body (FGB) meetings to allow a wider whole school perspective and can strategically plan with this in mind. We have essential committees such as the Headteachers Performance Management, Pay Policy and Schools for the Future. These have been set up to allow decisions to be made promptly and effectively, enabling a quicker response to the matters that arise.
It was decided as a board that decsions were being made with limited understanding of a whole school perspective and therefore hindering the overall performance of the school. It was therefore decided that governors should have a whole school perspective to enable greater understanding to make effective decisions. Based on this decision it is still beneficial to have specialist governors that have a greater understanding of their particular role within the board and that has led to the development of our link governors. Their roles and responsibilities specialise within a specific aspect of school, such as SEND, Safeguarding, Vulnerable Groups, Curriculum, Data etc. These governors will have an oversight in to the provision the school provides and strategically monitor it's progress.
The governing body constitution consists of:
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Co-opted Governors - Nominated and appointed by the governing board
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1 Headteacher - appointed by the means of office held
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1 x Local Authority Governor - Usually nominated by the LA, or from somewhere local, appointed by the governing board
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Parent Governors - Nominated by parents, appointed by the governing board
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1 x staff Governor - Nominated by staff, appointed by the governing board
The governing board does not have any associate governors at this present time. Where required an associate member would be used for advisory purposes only.
Governor Information, Roles, Interests and Meeting Attendance
Minutes
24th April 2025
26th March 2025
21st January 2025
3rd December 2024
24th October 2024
25th September 2024
Meet the Governors
Jo Elliot
Chair of Governors
I would like to take this opportunity to introduce myself as Chair of the Governing Body of Shefford Lower School. My name is Jo Elliott, and I have been on the Board of Governors for 9 years. Throughout this time, I have become increasingly involved in the strategic planning and support of the school. For the past four years I have been Chair of Governors.
I have two young children, one at Shefford Lower School and one at Robert Bloomfield Academy. My background is in Education. I have been a qualified teacher for 18 years, 10 of those years were as a Head of Department and my current position is a Senior Leader in charge of behaviour. My passion has always been around the educational development of young children and adults and becoming a governor was another way I could deliver this. I believe every child should be provided with the very best learning experience and wanted to support this within the Shefford community. I have lived in Shefford for 14 years and was drawn in by the warmth and huge community spirit. I felt that I could use my expertise to make sure our young children get the best possible start in their learning journey.
I have continued to support the school over these years and have had the privilege of working with three of its Head Teachers. I look forward to working alongside Mrs Ross for her second year here at Shefford Lower.
We as governors focus on six key areas and provide challenge and support where necessary.
The six areas of effective governance are:
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Strategic leadership that sets and champions vision, ethos, and strategy.
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The School Governance (Roles, Procedures and Allowances)
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Accountability that drives up educational standards and financial performance.
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Structures that reinforce clearly defined roles and responsibilities.
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Compliance with statutory and contractual requirements.
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Evaluation to monitor and improve the quality and impact of governance.
If anyone in our community is interested in taking on a voluntary position as a governor or would like to know more details about the role of the governors, please get in contact via the school office. We will be sending out further information regarding recruitment into the Governing Body shortly as we have a forthcoming vacancy.
I look forward to continuing to work with the school to ensure our children receive the best possible offer at Shefford Lower School.
Chris Hubbard
Health and Safety Governor
Link to Humanities Team. Member of three committees
I have been a governor since 2022. As a governor, I have been involved in headteacher recruitment and a range of HR matters. My main role is to ensure effective health and safety processes within the school. I also have a link to the Humanities team and sit on a number of committees. In my own time, I enjoy taking part in marathons, triathlons, fundraising activities and I coach a local football and rugby team. I also enjoy listening to podcast; particularly travel and politics. I was born and raised in Central Bedfordshire and my children have gone through Shefford Lower School. I enjoy giving back to the community and supporting the school to foster a culture which supports our children to be citizens of the future.
Jan Howieson
Co-opted governor
English, The Arts and Key Stage 2 Link Governor Member of 2 committees
I have been a governor at Shefford Lower School since 2023, before this I was a governor at another local school from 2014 – 2022. I am a retired School Business Manager and believe the skills I have accrued over my years working in schools are useful within the role of governor. In my own time I enjoy visiting theatres, gardening, sewing, visiting historic sites, holidays and I am learning to play the piano.
Joe Pepper
Co-opted governor
Whole School Outcomes Governor. Member of a committee
I am in my second term of office as a governor at Shefford Lower School. I have been CEO if PEXA UK and prior to that I was CEO of TM group from 2018-2023. I am interested in politics, history and I play hockey for Shefford and Sandy Hockey Club. I have lived in Shefford since 2010, I am a steward and the treasurer of Shefford Methodist Church and I have 3 children who have completed lower school at Shefford Lower between 2010 and 2023. As a governor, I wish to provide support and advice to the school recognising both its role in the local community and the education it has provided to my own children.
Michelle Hodson Reed
Co-opted governor
Vice Chair of Governing Body. Early Years Link Governor. Member of 3 Committees
I am in my second term of office as a governor and was previously a parent governor. Professionally, I am a child minder with a OFSTED Outstanding rating. I live in Shefford and both my children went through Shefford Lower School. Prior to my role as governor, I was chair of the Parent Staff Association. I am an avid reader; enjoying both fact and fiction equally! I am completing a level 1 qualification in British Sign Language and find this incredibly enjoyable. I enjoy spending time in North Wales with my family and can be found on the beach no matter the weather! We moved to Shefford after the birth of my second child and both of my children went to Shefford Lower School. I became a governor as I wish to contribute to the community at the school after my term ended as chair of the PSA. My parents were both volunteers and instilled in me an ethos of serving the community. Being a governor is incredibly rewarding and I enjoy working alongside the school.
Paul Brennan
Parent governor
Parent and Community Link Governor. IT, Marketing and Cyber Link Governor
I have been a governor at Shefford Lower for two years. Professionally, I am Head of service delivery for an IT service provider. I enjoy coaching a local youth football team, spending time with my family, sport and technology. I live in Shefford and both of my children have been through Shefford Lower School. Taking on the role of governor was suggested by a friend. I am really passionate about supporting young people receiving the best possible start to their journey in education. I enjoy being part of creating this.
Martin Perry
Parent governor
Life Subject area Link Governor. Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Link Governor. Key Stage 1 Link Governor. Member of 2 committees
I have been a governor at Shefford Lower School since January 2023. Professionally, I work in software partnerships for Technogym. My career to date has not been in the education sector. My interests include sport, fitness, music, technology and I am also a very amateur guitar player! This is my first experience as a school governor. I joined the governing body as I wanted to contribute to my local community and being a governor has given me the ability to make a difference as a volunteer. It is always rewarding to see the school and students develop and grow. I endeavour to use my experience from other industries to support the school, the staff and ultimately, the pupils. Equally, the experience gained from working alongside others on the governing board and school staff has positively supported my own personal development and enhanced transferable skills and knowledge I can apply in my own career.
Sarah Grosvenor-Brown
Co-opted governor
Safeguarding Governor. Attendance Governor. STEM Link Governor. Member of 1 committee
I have been a governor at Shefford Lower School for 2 years and I feel my skills and experiences within this role are developing all of the time. I enjoy watching sport of any kind, walking and spending time with friends and family. I have worked for the NHS for over 20 years as an occupational therapist. I joined to governing body to be part of ensuring that all the correct assurances are in place and that the children are getting a fully immersive learning experience rich with opportunity.