Governors and Governance

DECLARATION OF BUSINESS INTERESTS AND OTHER GOVERNANCE INFORMATION

Tyson Evans , CHAIR OF GOVERNORS

Natalie Nilletti, PARENT GOVERNOR

Natalie was elected as a Parent Governor for Wixams Tree Primary Academy, in July 2023. A primary school teacher herself, Natalie studied at Roehampton University in London, graduating in 2009 with a BA (Hons) degree in Primary Education with Physical Education.

Natalie has taught for over 15 years, working in schools in both Luton and Ampthill. She has a wealth of experience teaching across the primary age phases and leading and designing curriculum provision, in different subject areas.

Natalie has two young daughters that attend, Wixams Tree Primary Academy. Over the last 3 years, she has seen the positive journey that the school has gone on, since joining the Knowledge Schools Trust. As a Parent Governor, Natalie cares passionately about the education and provisions for all children. She hopes to support the school and the parent community, as Wixams Tree, continues to go from strength to strength.

In her spare time, Natalie is a keen runner and attends the gym regularly. With her husband, she recently completed a Hyrox fitness race, in London, and is currently training for her next race in May.

Term of office four years. Appointed July 2024.

Ester Truter, STAFF GOVERNOR

Ester was born in South Africa and completed her schooling in 2007 at the University of North West where she received her degree in Education. She moved to the UK in 2008 and started her teaching career in London. Ester has a great passion for working in the early years sector, hence having worked in day nurseries as a teacher and in a primary school setting based in East London.

She is currently working at Wixams Tree Primary Academy as the Pre School teacher and Geography subject lead. As part of Ester’s role as Pre School teacher, she is responsible for implementing phase 1 phonics to lay the foundation for excellence in reading and writing. She facilitates multiple parent workshops across the year to support the parents understanding of the early years curriculum and to empower them to support their child at home.

She prides herself in promoting a diverse, dynamic and creative learning experiences for all children through inclusive and hands on real live experiences within the classroom setting.

Term of office three years. Appointed December 2024.

Beth Laubscher, STAFF GOVERNOR

Beth graduated from the University of Bedfordshire in 2019 and worked in a small village school up until joining Bedford Road Primary Academy in January 2025. She has a passion for education, completing her NPQSL in December 2024, mentoring a variety of university students and was the staff governor at her previous school for the last 5 years.

In the past, she has led a range of subjects including PE, art, science, reading, phonics and EYFS and has taught across all key stages. She strives to bring creativity and excitement to all areas of the curriculum and enjoys creating an open and friendly classroom that encourages all children to challenge themselves and take pride in their learning.

Term of office three years. Appointed February 2025.

Richard Ward, CO-OPTED GOVERNOR

Richard grew up in Leicester, where his family has deep roots, although a quirk of fate meant he was born in Oxfordshire. Like both his parents and all his grandparents, he was educated wholly in the state sector, graduating with a BSc (Hons) from Newcastle University before joining the Civil Service.

Working initially in local offices of the Employment Department, Richard spent the majority of his career in the Department for Education, focussing on further education generally – and for his final twelve years – on prison education in particular. He was awarded an OBE in 2016 for his work in prison education.

All three of Richard’s children attended Bedford Road (and Robert Bruce and Hastingsbury) and he has two grandchildren at the school now, with a third expected to attend in due course. Richard has had a variety of roles as a Governor at the school since 1992.

Term of office three years. Appointed March 2024.

Suzanna Neate, CO-OPTED GOVERNOR

Term of office, four years. Appointed March 2024.

Lincoln Lendor, PARENT GOVERNOR

Term of office, three years. Appointed November 2025.

Shannan Robb, PARENT GOVERNOR

I was born in Bedford and grew up in a community that I still feel closely connected to today. I attended Bedford Road Primary School, a place that played an important role in my early years. Over the years, the school has gone from strength to strength, continuing to develop and support generations of students. It’s especially meaningful to me now that my own daughter has joined the school, continuing a connection that spans generations of our family.

As I moved into further education and career development, I completed an apprenticeship in hospitality. This experience helped me build strong practical skills in customer service, teamwork, and working in fast-paced environments. Alongside this, I achieved A-Levels in Health and Social Care, which deepened my understanding of supporting and caring for others, as well as the importance of wellbeing within communities.

My background reflects a blend of practical experience and academic learning, along with a strong connection to the local community that has shaped both my personal and professional journey.

Term of office, three years. Appointed November 2025.

Frank Maddison, CO-OPTED GOVERNOR

Frank studied Electronic Engineering at the University of Portsmouth and later at The Open University. He served for 12 years in the military, where he had the opportunity to work and learn in different environments around the world.

Frank is an Electrical Contracts Manager at ABB, where he leads engineering projects for oil & gas and power generation companies. His role includes overseeing budgets, managing risk and working with teams to deliver safe and successful projects. He has two young children attending schools in Bedfordshire and is keen to use his experience to support the school and governing board.

Frank sees his role as a way to support the community and help the school continue to grow and succeed. In his spare time, Frank enjoys walking, running and going to the gym, and has a keen interest in motorcycles.

Term of office, four years. Appointed February 2026.

Governance

Wixams Tree Primary Academy and its neighbouring school in the Trust, Bedford Road Primary Academy, share a local governing body. It is responsible for the quality of education at the school. The governing body is a committee of the Knowledge Schools Trust Board.

Governors focus on ensuring the schools have a clear vision, ethos and strategic direction. We hold our headteacher to account for the educational performance of the schools, and we oversee the financial performance of the schools including ensuring that their budgets are well spent.

We currently have seven governor positions on the team including parent governor(s) and a staff governor(s). We've recruited a governance team to bring the skills and experience that we need to perform the functions described above. As such, we have governors with experience of working in education, finance, the local community and business.

Our governing body will evolve as the school grows and develops. However, in line with both Lord Nash and Sir Michael Wilshaw’s comments about the excessive size of some governing bodies, we intend to keep our team small to ensure it is effective.

Governors exercise their responsibilities and powers in partnership with the headteacher and staff. We do not make day to day decisions on the operational running of the school unless there are weaknesses in the school, when governors then have a duty to investigate and take action. Instead, governors focus on longer-term strategic issues and on checking that the daily operations are taking place in line with the school’s vision, aims and strategic plan.

You can find out Terms of Reference here.