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The Grove Primary School

Governing Body

At The Grove, the Board of Governors does not just oversee and uphold professional and educational standards. We come from the community, and work with staff, always striving to improve standards. At The Grove we all support each other, which is underpinned by the school's ethos and delivery of quality Governor services.

Chair of Governors: Sophie Miller, smiller@grove.wilts.sch.uk

Governor profiles

Contacting the Governing Body

We welcome and value your comments. Emails can be sent to the email address above or alternatively letters to the governing body addressed to the Chair can be handed in to the school office. If you have concerns relating to the day to day running of the school these should, in the first instance, be referred to the Headteacher.

Local Governing Body LGB Meeting Attendance

2024-2025

First Name

Surname

22 Oct 24

10 Dec 24

6 Feb 25

27 Mar 25

Term 5

17 Jul 25

Jayne

Bullock

Y

 Y  Y   -

 

Ellie

Allerdice

Y

 Y  Y   -

 

Stuart

Woodburn

Y

Y

Y

 

 -

 

Becky

Denmeade

Y

Y

Y

 

 -

 

Sophie

Miller

Y

Y

Y

 

 -

 

Ellie

Timms

Y

Y

Y

 

 -

 

Jen

 McMillan Y Y Y   -  

Lesley

 Shellard A Y Y   -  

Mike

 Hill Y A Y   -  

Dawn

 Bryant Y Y Y   -  

Key: Y = Present, A = Apologies Received, P = Part Attendance, Ab = Absent, N/A = Not appointed

Governor Profiles

Sophie Miller - Chair of Governors

I joined the Governing body in September 2020 and became the Chair of Governors in April 2025. Prior to having my children I was a primary school teacher in Wiltshire and loved it.  I am passionate about Education and all things that make school such a wonderful place for children. In my free time I like to bake and draw. 

Sophie M

Becky Denmeade

I am the Deputy Head and SENDCo at The Grove. This means that I get to work across the school with all of the children, parents and wider members of our Grove Community. 

I enjoy keeping fit and regularly unwind with a gym session or short run in the evenings, something that I love to share with the children at the school during my involvement with sporting events such as the swimming gala and support of our school football team.

Becky D

Ellie Alderdice

I am delighted to be part of the Governor team at The Grove. I joined as a member in April 2018. I have a child at The Grove who joined Foundation Stage in 2016 and I hope that my son will also come to the school. I currently work in Human Resources for a charity and hope that I have some skills that will be of value to the school. I think we have a fantastic school and I am very proud to be part of it!
Ellie A

Ellie Timms

I have been a governor at The Grove since February 2015, both of my children had incredibly positive experiences here and I felt like I wanted to give something back to the school and I just can't seem to leave! 

I very much enjoy supporting the fantastic staff to provide all of the children at The Grove with a really positive school experience.

Ellie S

Jayne Bullock

Joining October 2017, I am proud to be a governor at The Grove Primary School and feel privileged to work alongside such a committed staff team to achieve the best outcomes for all Grove children.  I have a particular Governor link to maths and highest attaining learners.

Working in education for over twelve years I currently manage Collaborative Schools Ltd co-ordinating the partnership working of the Trowbridge cluster. 

Jayne B

Jen McMillan

Having spent forty years in education as a teacher and headteacher, I was thrilled to join The Grove governing board in April 2023. I am passionate about giving children the best opportunities during their time in school, in preparation for later life - a passion which I share with the school team. I currently chair the Curriculum and Education Committee and I am the link governor for English.
Jen Mc

Dawn Bryant

As a parent who has had two children spend seven years at The Grove it has been a pleasure to watch it grow into the wonderful school it is today! Becoming a governor is an absolute honour and an opportunity to give something back.
Dawn B

Mike Hill

I am pleased to be a parent governor for The Grove Primary School. I have been a governor since September 2020 and thoroughly enjoy the role. I have been working in Special Education for the past 16 years in a variety of roles and am proud to support The Grove. The team at The Grove are fantastic and the children thrive under their support and I am happy to be a part of the team.
Mike H

Lesley Shellard

I joined the Governing body in September 2023, and it is an honour to be back!

My son attended Grove from 1999 until 2006 and within that time I was the Chair of FOGS (now POTS) and a Governor. My Grandson is now at Grove and having done a year as part of the POTS team I wanted to reprise a role within the Governing body too.

I work as an administrator now, but for over 30 years I worked in Early Years, and I maintain a passion for children reaching their potential in a supportive and stimulating environment… the Grove team offer this.

In my spare time I love to get out the craft resources with my Grandson and watch his parents faces when there is paint and glitter everywhere. Cooking is a passion; I get a lot of pleasure feeding people, desserts are my forte although I don’t like them myself.

Grove is in my blood as I also spent my primary education here too. I look forward to supporting the superb team in the coming years.

Lesley S

Danny Holland

I joined the Grove in January 2020 as the Clerk to the Governing Body.  I have been a  Clerk since 2011 and continue to support other schools within Wiltshire in this role. 
Danny H


Role of the Governing Body

The Governing Body at The Grove Primary School operates at a strategic level and has 2 core functions:

  • To hold the Headteacher to account on delivering the vision and strategic direction of the school, which is set by the Headteacher and the EQUA Mead Learning Trust.
  • Hold the Headteacher to account for the educational performance of the school.

School governors are volunteers and can be parents/carers of pupils at the school, school staff or individuals drawn from the wider community.  Being a school governor is a rewarding way to be involved in the education of young people and the local community.  The most important qualities for being a governor are enthusiasm, commitment and an interest in education. 

At The Grove we currently have 11 Governors.  The Local Governing Body (LGB) normally meets once every term, i.e. 6 times per year.  In addition to the LGB meetings there are 2 sub-committees which meet approximately once per term.  The sub-committees and their responsibilities are as follows:

Safeguarding

The Governing Body has a collective responsibility for safeguarding at the School. The purpose of the Committee is to assist the Governing Body in fulfilling its oversight responsibilities for Child Protection and Safeguarding at the School, and to provide additional support for the Nominated Safeguarding Governor.

Contacting the Governing Body

We welcome and value your comments. Letters to the governing body should be addressed to the Chair and handed in to the school office.  Alternatively, you can contact the Clerk to Governors by email: dholland@grove.wilts.sch.uk.   If you have concerns relating to the day to day running of the school these should, in the first instance, be referred to the Headteacher.

Governor Monitoring Areas

In addition to visiting school on a regular basis, governors also formally monitor activities to ensure that strategies and policies are being implemented appropriately and provide feedback to the governing body on school activities. The areas for governor monitoring change each year according to the school’s priorities.

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