The Structure of the Governing Board

The Governing Board of Sefton Park School is made up of:

• 2 elected parent governors
• 1 Local Authority (LA) governor
• 3 staff governors (one of which is the Head Teacher)
• 9 co-opted governors

Other than the Head Teacher, each governor serves a four year term of office at a time. 

The Governing Board is assisted by a Clerk to the Governors, who is employed by Bristol County Council. 

In England, Wales and Northern Ireland, every state school has a governing body, consisting of specified numbers of various categories of governors depending on the type and size of school. Governors are unpaid, but they may be reimbursed for expenses for such as the care of dependents or relatives and travel costs. Under section 50 of the Employment Rights Act 1996] employers must give anyone in their employment who serves as a governor reasonable time off their employ to carry out their governor duties. Employers can decide whether this time off is given with or without pay

There are four types of Governor at the Sefton Park Schools, with one governing body covering the federated schools.  These Governor types are:

• Parent Governors: parents of children at the school; (appointed by parent ballot)
• Staff Governor: members of the school staff; (appointed by staff ballot)
• Authority Governors: (previously known as LEA Governors): nominated by the Local Authority; and
• Co-opted Governors (previously known as Community Governors): members of the local community (appointed by the rest of the governing body).

Our current Governors are:

Corrie Bell, Co-opted governor

Chair of Governing Body

Safeguarding Governor

Care, Curriculum and Standards committee

Term: 12 Feb 2023 - 11 Feb 2027

Amy Campbell, Parent governor

Safeguarding Governor

Care, Curriculum and Standards committee

Term: 21 Oct 2021 - 20 Oct 2025

Amy has worked in Public Health Nursing for over 21 years with a background in parental and infant mental health. She is particularly interested in nurturing children's emotional wellbeing and communication in order for them to get the most out of the opportunities available to them while in school. Amy is also a parent at Sefton with her son currently in year 6 and her daughter having left a few years ago. She decided to join the governors as a way of paying back the kindness and commitment of the school to her family during covid. As time has gone on she has enjoyed learning about how Sefton Park has a determination for all children to be seen as individuals with their own strengths and needs. Amy is very proud of the way the governors can support staff to make space  and value curiosity and creativity in all parts of learning.

Ben Crowley, Staff Governor

Care, Curriculum and Standards committee

Term: 12 Jan 2023 - 11 Jan 2027

Sally Dore, Co-opted governor

Vice Chair of Governing Body

Finance and Resources committee

Term: 7 July 2023 - 6 July 2027

Sally became a Sefton Park governor when her older child started school 25 years ago, so she has seen many changes.  Sefton Park's unusual dedication to delivering a child-led approach while achieving high standards is what made her stay on as a governor, in order to support a very valuable educational beacon in Bristol, and she has been Chair for two periods over that time. Otherwise her experience is in governance and advisory work, mainly in terms of public engagement and membership organisations. She is also the Chair of the Society of Bookbinders.

Claire Kearney, Parent Governor

Vice Chair of Governing Body

Finance and Resources committee

Term: 1 December 2023 - 30 November 2027

Claire is a Vice Chair of the Board of Governors and sits on the Finance & Resources committee. She was elected as a Parent governor in 2023 with two children in the school. Claire works for Better Society Capital, which focuses on growing the social investment market in the UK. Prior to moving to Bristol, Claire was on the Board of a Children’s Charity and Nursery based in London and of Social Value UK, a membership body for promoting social value standards in the UK. Claire is passionate about supporting the Sefton team in delivering an enriching and rewarding education to all children in the school.  

Amy Lewis, Co-opted governor

SEND governor

Chair of Care, Curriculum and Standards committee

Term: 07 Oct 2024 - 6 Oct 2028

Andy Lillie, Co-opted governor

Finance and Resources committee

Term: 6 December 2023 - 5 December 2027  

Helen Martin, Co-opted Governor

Finance and Resources committee

Term: 26 March 2024 - 25 March 2028

Helen has a daughter in the infant school, and another due to join soon, so is at the start of what she hopes will be a long relationship with Sefton Park. She has always had a strong interest in education, and has worked with kids over many years as a volunteer both in school and in the great outdoors. She is hugely impressed by Sefton Park's ethos and creative approach to education, and is excited to be involved in supporting and shaping that as a governor. For work, she leads a local community energy cooperative, where her role involves a combination of strategic direction-setting, managing people, project and finances, and engaging with communities: all skills she hopes will be helpful in her role as governor.

Ben Seal, Co-opted Governor

Wellbeing Governor

Care, Curriculum and Standards committee

Term: 6 December 2023 - 5 December 2027

Ben has two children at Sefton Park and has worked as a primary and lower secondary school teacher for the last 17 years. In addition to travelling, his main passions and interests are in neurodiversity and children's well-being. When he's not in a classroom, he feels most at home on a tropical beach, trying different cuisines. The diversity and radical attitudes in Bristol is why he calls this place home, despite the lack of sunshine and coconut trees.

Emily Shuker, Co-opted governor

Deputy Headteacher,  

Care, Curriculum and Standards committee

Finance and Resources committee

Term: 18 October 2023 - 17 October 2027

Dan Simson, Headteacher

Care, Curriculum and Standards committee,

Finance and Resources committee

Carrie Spittlehouse, Local Authority Governor

Chair of Finance and Resources Committee

Term: 29 Sep 2024 - 28 Sep 2028

Professor Jane Wheelock, Co-opted governor

Health & Safety Governor

Care, Curriculum and Standards committee

Term 03 Oct 2023 - 2 Oct 2027

Rachel Wills, Co-opted governor

Finances and Resources committee

Term: 07 Oct 2024 - 6 Oct 2028

Resigned in the last 12 months:

Megan Arnold, Co-opted governor

Shabaana Mitha, Co-opted governor