Meet the Governors

Jesus said, ‘I am the Good Shepherd… I know my sheep and my sheep know me.’ John 10.14

How the governing body works

The governing body at Bayford is responsible for setting the school’s vision, developing strategy and policy, monitoring the school’s effectiveness in implementing that strategy and policy, approving the school’s budget and monitoring management accounts, agreeing a staffing structure, and generally working alongside the Headteacher and other staff to support them and act as critical friends.

Individual governors take on specific roles and responsibilities for various aspects of our school life, and to help them do that governors also undertake training. All governors receive an enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service check on appointment, which is regularly renewed.

Governors meet twice a term as a full governing body, but all governors also serve on one of our two permanent sub-committees, which meet regularly through the year (dates for all meetings are posted on this site on the school calendar):

Resources Committee

Deals with issues around finance and premises management, including health and safety, security, maintenance, budget setting and monitoring, insurance, and this web site.

School Improvement Committee

Deals with all aspects of teaching and learning, pupil welfare and behaviour, both monitoring the school’s day to day work and supporting staff in planning for future developments.

Other committees

There are also other committees and panels which only meet as and when required in response to any specific issues (such as a complaints or discipline and grievance panel), and less formal working groups to develop our response to new challenges and opportunities.

Meet our governors

Individual governors come into school regularly to meet with staff, develop their understanding of different aspects of school life, and monitor their particular areas of responsibility.

Governors come with a wide range of skills and expertise from their lives outside school, and include representatives of the staff and parents, the local community, and the church. Being a governor is an entirely voluntary role.

You can contact the governors through the school office.

You can meet all the governors below. Here’s a key to the entries under each governor’s name:

  • Term: is the governor’s current term of office (govenors may have served previous terms of office, or may serve as governors through their role, like the Headteacher).
  • Attendance: The percentage for attendance is a record of each governor’s attendance at meetings (full governing body and the two main committees) in the previous school year (‘n/a’ means the governor has not yet served a full school year). The Department for Education requires us to publish this information.

If a governor has any relevant business or financial interests to declare they will be listed below. You can read our Instrument of Government (constitution) using the link below. You can also read a copy of our Trust Deed from 1857 which still requires us to be a Church of England school serving the local community, although it allows us to provide adult education too!

Mel Berry

Clerk to the Governors

Mel attends all meetings of the governing body and its two committees, taking minutes and making sure we have all the information we need in advance.

Photograph of a governor at Bayford School

Sam Baker

Co-opted governor

  • Term: 1 Sep 21 to 31 Aug 25
  • Attendance: n/a

Sam serves on the Resources Committee and is our lead for art, DT, and English. Sam also helps monitor Early Years.

Amanda Brazier

Staff governor

  • Term: 1 Sep 21 to 31 Aug 25
  • Attendance: n/a

Mandy is elected by the school staff and serves on the Resources Committee.

Maggie Broomer

Co-opted governor

  • Term: 8 May 19 to 7 May 23
  • Attendance: 100%

Maggie is Vice-Chair of the governing body, chairs the Resources Committee, and is our lead for health & safety and humanities.

Malcom Foster

Headteacher

  • Term: ex officio
  • Attendance: 100%

As Headteacher Malcom attends both committees and serves as a governor as part of his role.

Lisa Holliday

Co-opted governor

  • Term: 1 Jul 19 to 30 Jun 23
  • Attendance: 100%

Lisa is a member of staff and serves on the School Improvement Committee.

Brenda Lambie

Local authority governor

  • Term: 18 Sep 19 to 18 Sep 23
  • Attendance: 100%

Brenda is Chair of Govenors and serves on both committees as part of her role. She is our nominated governor for child protection, and our lead for inclusion, SEND, and French.

Iain Lane

Foundation governor

  • Term: ex officio
  • Attendance: 100%

Iain is appointed by the Archdeacon of Hertford, serves on the Resources Committee, and is our lead for finance, RE, and collective worship. He is also our webmaster.

Sally Scott

Parent governor

  • Term: 1 Sep 21 to 31 Aug 25
  • Attendance: n/a

Sally is elected by the parents and serves on the School Improvement Committee. She is our lead for music and PSHE.

Fiona Smith

Parent governor

  • Term: 9 Nov 21 to 8 Nov 25
  • Attendance: 100%

Fiona is a parent at the school, chairs the School Improvement Committee, and is our Data Protection Officer and our lead for maths and science. Fiona is also a trustee of FOBS.

Colin Taylor

Foundation governor

  • Term: 25 Sep 21 to 24 Sep 25
  • Attendance: 60%

Colin is Churchwarden at St Mary’s, Bayford, serves on the School Improvement Committee, volunteers in school, and is our lead for EYFS.

Philip Wood

Parent governor

  • Term: 1 Oct 20 to 30 Sep 24
  • Attendance: 80%

Philip is elected by the parents, serves on the Resources Committee, and is our lead for computing, PE, and outdoor learning.

Business and financial interests

Governors are required to publish any relevant business and financial interests. These are deemed to include:

  • being a governor of another school or educational institution;
  • any material interests arising from relationships between governors or relationships between governors and school staff (including spouses, partners and close relatives).

If any such interests exist, they will be listed below. Interests which clearly arise from the nature of the appointment, for example in the case of staff governors, are made clear above and not separately declared here.

Declaration of Interest is also an item at every governors’ meeting and governors are required then to declare any interest which might impact on any specific items of business on the agenda, or any decisions to be taken at that meeting.

Interests declared

Maggie Broomer is a close relative of Mel Berry, Clerk to the Governors. Maggie is also Clerk to Bayford Parish Council and Treasurer of Bayford Pre-School

Former governors

Here you can find the names of anyone who served as a governor within the last twelve months but who has now stepped down, or come to the end of their term of office and not stood or served again:

All current governors have served for the last twelve months.

This list is updated at the end of each school term.

This page was last updated on 19th January 2023