Governors

Acting as Clerk to the Governing Board, I am very proud to have been involved with Scott Primary School since 2011. The members of the Board encompass many aspects of the school community and beyond, and together work hard to ensure Scott is a very successful school.

I was born and bred in Bedford. I have raised my family here and now I am seeing my grandson grow up in the area. It is my firm belief that the true strength of Bedford is that it boasts such fantastic schools, of which Scott Primary is a shining example. My home has always been filled with the hustle and bustle of school life as both of my children, my wife and my daughter-in-law are teachers so it felt only natural that in retirement I would want to join in and become a school governor.

Before I retired, I had worked in a major law firm here in Bedford, specialising in Health and Safety and workplace injury claims, so when I first joined Scott’s Governing Board in 2008, I took on the position of Health and Safety Governor. In 2013 I was delighted and honoured to be appointed as Chair of Governors, a role which has allowed me to work closely with the school’s exceptional staff and our fantastic team of Governors to oversee the development and growth of the school, including the successful transition to a two-site Primary school in 2017.

I am so proud of all that the school has achieved in recent years and I am positive that the staff and students will continue to go from strength to strength. One of the best parts of my job as Chair of Governors is meeting with the school council. Seeing the young pupils excited to present their ideas and full of pride to be representing their classmates is inspiring and leaves me in no doubt that the future of Scott Primary is bright.

I originally joined the Governing Board as a parent governor in 2003, and have had various roles in the years since.

I was Teaching Assistant within the school for 10 years, but have now retired to help with childcare for my grandchildren.

I feel that my role as a Governor is to appropriately challenge where necessary, ensure that all our pupils are safe, and contribute towards the children reaching their full potential at Scott Primary.

I have been involved with Scott Primary School for many years, as both a parent, a PTA member and a governor.

Working in local government I bring knowledge of local government financial procedures, and my own financial experience to the pool of governor knowledge and experience, which is beneficial for my position on the Finance & Premises Committee. Having spent the last 10+ years volunteering for the PTA I have a comprehensive knowledge of the layout of the school, the classes and the staff.

Born in Scotland, I have lived in Bedford since I was 5 (with a brief spell in London & France whilst at University). I have had a varied working career, my original degree was in French and Business Studies, following which I have worked in bacteriology, credit control and finance, logistics and for the past 18 years, archaeology within a local government setting – in a role which also encompasses budget management and other financial procedures. A few years ago I completed an Open University degree in Environmental Studies.

Outside of work I enjoy swimming, particularly open water swimming (summer only though), running, reading and cooking. I also am a Beaver Scout Leader for Brickhill Beavers, and several children from Scott are part of my colony.

I  am married to Anna and we have 3 young children who all attend Scott Primary School, our youngest still has 5 more years here.  I hope to use my time as Governor to support the School Leadership and Staff to continue to provide an outstanding education, great facilities, supportive pastoral environment and a wide range of extra curricular activities for all of our Pupils.  Previously I have helped out with the PTA when I have been able to, and was instrumental in the planting of nearly 3000 trees at the School over the last 2 years.

I have lived around Bedford for most of my life and have spent the last 28 years working in food retail for Sainsburys and Asda,  for the last 12 years I was managing my own stores, focussing on growing the business, people management, strategic planning, building relationships and controlling budgets.  All skills that I hope I can use to good effect as a Governor.

Outside of work I am active in the community as an Assistant Beaver Leader with the local Scouting organisation and I am working hard to encourage Bedford Borough Council, other local Schools and private land owners to plant as many trees as possible over the next few years.

I am immensely proud to be the Headteacher at Scott Primary School. Since becoming part of the “Scott family” in 2007, I have seen the school grow from having 135 children to now having over 500 very happy children on roll. We have the most amazing facilities set in the most stunning surroundings. I am privileged to work with such talented staff and children and be ably supported by a team of dedicated, hardworking and committed Governors. We all work together to achieve the very best outcomes possible for our children.

Scott really is a very special place in which to “inspire, believe and achieve”

I am Assistant Headteacher (KS2). I have been teaching for 11 years and have worked across both KS1 and KS2. I sit on the Governing Board as an Associate Member.

I am Jo Sawford and I have been a governor at Scott Primary for 7 years.
I joined Scott Primary in January 2015 as Assistant Head and Special Educational Needs and Disability Co-ordinator. I had 5 very happy years at Scott before I left to set up my own business.

I have been a teacher for over 20 years, with a passion for special educational needs. I am delighted that after leaving Scott as a teacher, I continue my role as a governor. I am very involved in the school and now have more time to devote to the governor role!

I sit on the Personnel Committee, Teaching and Learning committee, Policies working group, and SEF working group. I am the link governor for Special Educational Needs and Inclusion, and the Mental Health and Wellbeing Governor.

I have lived in Bedford my whole life and have been a qualified teacher since 2007. I started my teaching career at Scott when it was a lower school, before working as Director of Primary Education at a large middle school in Central Bedfordshire. I returned to Scott in 2019 as Assistant Headteacher and SENDCo, and am proud to be working alongside such an inspiring and dedicated team on the next step of Scott’s journey, in a role that I am so passionate about.

Outside of school, I enjoy writing, reading and theatre, and love bringing these elements of my personality into my teaching.

I have worked at Scott Primary School for 9 years. I started as a Teaching Assistant and moved on to the Nurture Group Lead and then progressed into my current role as Family Support Manager and Safeguarding deputy. I am very proud to be a part of the Scott Family.

I am proud to have seen and been a part of the school developing from a lower school to a primary school. It is a great place to be with amazing children, inspirational staff and brilliant facilities.

I have a close working relationship with all staff, across both sites, in all year groups and have established strong supportive relationships with our children and families. My passion and focus has always been well-being and I am always keen to find new ways to boost this in children, staff and families.
I have been a member of the Governing Board for 3 years, as a staff governor, and I sit on the Personnel Committee, Teaching and Learning Committee, and Marketing Working Group.

Outside of school I enjoy looking after my little boy, spending time with family and being outdoors, going for walks or exercising.

I absolutely love working at Scott and being part of such a supportive and nurturing team. It truly is a lovely place to be for all and I am excited to see what’s next!

After graduating from Corpus Christi College Oxford and completing the PGCE course at Manchester’s Victoria University, I spent over 20 years working in the murky world of International industrial relations, and politics. For over two decades, I worked closely with MPs, at Westminster and MEPs & officials in Brussels; and was part of the UK delegation to the International Labour Organisation (ILO) in 1999. Until I retired in 2006, I was a Visiting Professor in Human Resource Management at the University of Strathclyde.

In addition to lecturing at establishments of Higher Education in the UK, I lectured in Norway, Sweden, Iceland, Russia, Ukraine, Hungary, Poland, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Mozambique, South Africa, USA, and Canada. For many years, I was an Associate Examiner and National Assessment Moderator with the Chartered Institute of Personnel & Development (CIPD).

I also take great delight in coaching 6^th form students on the submission of applications to institutes of higher education.

I served as a Governor of Ruskin College Oxford and was a long serving member of the Board of EGIN, a European wide professional educational and research body. I’ve published several books on employment relations and am near to completing a historical novel set in the interwar years.

I take great pride in being part of the Scott Primary School family.

I’ve lived with my family in Bedford since 1980 and now at the ripe old age of 79, have two grandchildren at Scott. My life revolves around my children, grandchildren and my beloved Blackburn Rover F.C.

I grew up in Bedford, now married with two children who attend Scott Primary School. My career has centred around children and young adults, starting out as a family centre officer for social services before moving into education. I studied at Luton University, have worked in a number of private and state schools, and now work part-time as a teaching assistant in a local village primary school.

I joined the Governing Board in 2019 as Literacy Link Governor, and am delighted to support a pro-active team to ensure our children all have the best start in their education.

I have been a qualified teacher since 2007 and have worked across lower, middle and primary schools in Bedfordshire, Luton and Hertfordshire. I joined the Scott team in 2017 as Assistant Head of KS2 when the school first became a Primary. I absolutely love working here with such a fantastic team who have worked incredibly hard to make this a successful Primary school with such amazing facilities.

Outside of school I am enjoying looking after my little girls, walking, reading and crafting.

I am new to Scott Primary having joined the Board of Governors in September 2023 at the same time as my daughter started in Reception here. I am looking forward to this new role and learning more about Scott Primary in the process. I hope to be a valuable addition to the team of Governors.

After Graduating with a BA Hons degree in Dance and Culture I worked for London Contemporary Dance School as School Administrator supporting students from the age of 10 all the way up to 21 with their dance training. This gave me a valuable perspective into the challenges faced by the education sector and developed a particular interest for me in student wellbeing.

I then changed sector and worked for the RSPB in their Sustainable Development department for 2 years. This gave me a real insight in to environmental issues and ignited my own passion for living a more eco-friendly and sustainable lifestyle and preserving a better future for our younger generations.

Before starting my family, I undertook some additional training which enabled me to work with primary school children and staff teaching yoga to promote wellbeing in schools. Through these sessions I used movement and breathing techniques to help children learn how to understand their feelings and regulate their own behavior. Providing them with a toolkit to draw upon both in the classroom and in every day life. I also worked for Bedford Council helping to deliver sessions for teenagers and adults as part of their mindful sport programme.

I hope my training in child wellbeing and my passion for a greener future as well as the combination of my experience over the years in educational settings and my perspective as a parent, will help me to be a well-rounded member of the Governing Board who will be able to help advocate for students, staff and parents alike.

I am a retired Head Teacher which means I can offer a good deal of experience across the education phases.
After studying in Exeter my first teaching post was at Mark Rutherford Upper School in Bedford. After two years I spent a year as Head of Geography at Latimer School near Kettering, before taking up a similar post at Lea Manor High School in Luton. Whilst there, I spent a year teaching in the USA, near Chicago, on an exchange programme. Luton was an extremely valuable experience and I spent 23 years there before gaining my first headship at Abbey Middle School in Bedford.

In 2006 I became head of Mark Rutherford School in Bedford as my career turned full circle. At the time, the school was in Special Measures, but after two years it came out of Special Measures going on to achieve consistently good OFSTED reports. Having made a career of working in schools in challenging circumstances I retired in 2015 after 42 years in education.

I have always been a keen sportsman, playing rugby at Bedford before moving to Ampthill Rugby Club. In retirement I still play badminton, enjoy cycling and walking my two dogs.

I enjoy being a Governor at Scott Primary School and hope that my experience will enhance the skill set of a very good Governing Board and school leadership.

I’ve lived in Bedford since 2004, having grown up in Cambridgeshire. My eldest child joined Scott Primary School in 2017 and my youngest in 2021 and through their experiences and growth I have come to value the special nature and character of the school. I was delighted to be elected Parent Governor in 2023 to be able to support the school in its further development.

I have worked in state education since 2004 as a secondary teacher of English and have extensive experience in both middle and senior leadership roles, first in Northamptonshire and now in Central Bedfordshire. In addition, I work as Secondary Improvement Lead for my Trust, which involves working with stakeholders across primary and secondary phase schools. My practical experience gives me an understanding of some of the challenges facing schools today.

Professionally, I have specialised in curriculum development, teaching and learning, and professional development of teachers. I have led and managed change across institutions and so understand the importance of clear, regular, and open lines of communication, which I feel is relevant to this role. My work requires good communication skills, working with colleagues in different institutions on establishing and achieving shared goals. As a parent governor, I advocate for opportunities for professional development for teachers to support them in continuing to provide the very best learning experiences for our children. Education is about opening doors and continually supporting teachers to be able to do this is crucial.

As a parent, the vital role of the parent-school relationship in the progress and development of my children has become very clear to me. That relationship is the key in any child having a happy and successful school life and it is part of my role to ensure that the parental perspective informs the work of the school. I have really valued the full range of opportunities my children have had, from a full and stimulating curriculum to a range of extra-curricular opportunities in Science, technology and the Arts. Through this offer, Scott
has helped to develop my children’s confidence and love of learning; I have seen them flourish in their time here. This is what great schools do and the development of the whole child through such opportunities would be something I want to help to support and develop.

I am relatively new to Scott Primary as my son joined the school in 2023. I joined as a Governor very soon after this time. I was excited and privileged to be part of a great team however even with my background it will be a challenging learning curve, to be competent in all areas so I can give 100% to an amazing School and make myself a well-rounded member of the board.

I was born in east London and lived there for 24 years, I have moved to various locations and ended up moving to Bedford in early 2018.

My work history has been diverse, from being a trained Chef by Westminster College, being the youngest Operations Manager in the hotel industry, doing charity work within Bedford Prison to working in Various roles over 26 years at Transport for London. At present I am the Head of Trade Union engagement for TFL.

I am also a trustee at Putnoe Woods Preschool, I stood down as Head of Trustees in February 2023 as I was having Chemotherapy and Radiotherapy treatment for Cancer, however I have stayed on as an active member. It is imperative that we learn from both learning environments as I can share best practice with both learning environments.

My Qualification relevant to my role as a Governor are:
Managing GDPR, Practical guide to GDPR (level 2) Accredited harassment and bullying Manager, Accredited mediator, Adoption guidance lead (brief new adopters), Child protection (level 2),Child equality and diversity (level 2),Female Genital mutilation awareness (level 2), The prevent duty (level 2), First aid child and baby, safeguarding (as a trustee and Employing Manager), Mental health First aider.

I also hold a degree in Management studies.

I am also the HR Manager for Bell Build (based in Billericay, Essex). In ten years, Bell Build have gone from a startup business to a multimillion-pound successful business with 40 full time employees. I have also started a consultancy company called KD Consultants.

I will be challenging but fair as I want Scott Primary and the students to be the best they can and achieve and exceed their goals.