Welcome to the Governors' Section.

Welcome from the Governing Board

The Governing Board 

The Governing Board of Tithe Farm Primary School is responsible for setting the direction of the school, holding the Headteacher to account and ensuring financial probity. Members of the Governing Board have been appointed on the basis of their skills, knowledge and experience.

What do we do?

We work closely with the Senior Leadership to drive improvement in standards, ensure the safety and well-being of pupils and staff and deliver the best possible opportunities for every child to achieve their potential.

The School Improvement Plan is the backbone to the work we all do together.

Our role is to provide a strategic overview, ensure accountability and constructively challenge and support how the School and its resources are managed. We carefully monitor progress and attainment. We agree targets, policies, priorities and budgets. 

Governors do not gain financially from any involvement with the governing board, it is a wholly voluntary role.  

Getting involved

Please do get in touch with us if you have any ideas, suggestions or questions. If you are interested in becoming a member of the Governing Board we would love to hear from you. We would encourage anyone with an interest to get in touch for an informal chat about how you can contribute your skills and experience to the Governing Board. Our meeting dates are published on the school calendar. The Chair of the Governors and any of the members of the Governing Board can be contacted via the School office email at office@tithefarmprimary.co.uk

Governor Diversity

As a Governing Board we feel that the diversity of our Governing Board reflects the cohort of our school.

Brian Mew - Chair - Co-opted Governor 

I joined the Tithe Farm Primary School Governing Board in June 2017. I am a qualified accountant with a background in public finance, and have worked for a range of local authorities, including Central Bedfordshire Council, both as an employee and as a consultant. I am currently Chief Finance Officer for East Suffolk Council.

Although originally from Hertfordshire, I have lived in the Houghton Regis and Dunstable area for over 30 years, and both of my daughters attended primary school in Houghton Regis.

I hope that I am able to use my experience to make a significant contribution to the school. I am currently Chair of the Governing Board, Chair of the Resources Committee, a member of the Headteacher Performance Management Panel, and Link Governor for Health and Safety and Data Protection. I have really enjoyed working with my fellow governors over the past few years and look forward to continuing on our journey to being an outstanding school, providing great opportunities for all of our children.

Jenny Gallucci - Vice-Chair - Co-opted Governor

I was pleased to be invited to be an Associate Governor in November 2015 and to be appointed as a Co-opted Governor in 2017. I have been delighted to support Tithe Farm Primary School as a member of the Governing Board, acting as Link Governor for Training, for Health & Safety, and a member of the Headteacher Performance Management Panel.  In September 2024 I was elected as Vice-Chair and I look forward to the challenge as the school works hard to ensure the safety of all the children and staff post Covid-19.  I support our local community through volunteering roles, including Secretary of Houghton Regis Helpers and as a Public Governor for Central Bedfordshire at the Bedfordshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust. I have an MA in Education and as a retired senior lecturer in Health, Education and Social Care I have experience in life long learning and believe our children's learning and well-being are at the heart of everything we do.

Edward Costello - Vice-Chair - Co-opted Governor

I worked for 20 years in Adult social care supporting people with learning disabilities to achieve open employment, while in this role I was for 7 years branch secretary for Unison union Bedfordshire. I covered education and youth services, supporting non-teaching staff with employment issues and working with headteachers to support staff.
I have also worked for a charity supporting disabled people to access support services and give benefits advice.
I am at present working for the NHS as a Health and wellbeing coach, supporting people to make changes to their health and wellbeing. I am also a town councillor for Houghton Hall ward. I am hoping to be able to support both pupils and staff to improve the school, so the children get the best start in life.

Rachel Worsfold - Headteacher

I have been part of Tithe Farm Primary School since September 2018; whilst at the school I have held a number of roles, first as Deputy Headteacher, then Acting Head of School and now, from January 2021, Headteacher.  Being the Headteacher at Tithe Farm is a real privilege. Since qualifying as a teacher, I have worked across the primary age range, in Central London, Sheffield, Buckinghamshire, Hertfordshire and now Central Bedfordshire. I am passionate about delivering the highest quality teaching and learning in an inspiring and challenging way so that outcomes for all children are improved.

As well as my role in school, I am a Local Authority Writing Moderator, working with schools across Central Bedfordshire supporting the assessment of writing in Key Stage 2.

I am committed to continuing our journey along the Tithe Farm Way, ensuring we deliver a high quality education which develops the children both academically, socially and emotionally.   

Susan Goodchild - LA Governor

I joined the Governing Board of Tithe Farm Primary School in 2005 and became the Chair in 2008, a position I held until 2020.  I am a local authority governor and it is a privilege to be able to volunteer my time, and work with my fellow colleagues on the Governing Board, to ensure that the children succeed beyond their expectations.

I am currently a Link Governor for Safeguarding, Quality of Education and a member of the Resources Committee.

I am an elected representative on both Central Bedfordshire Council and Houghton Regis Town Council, representing the Houghton Hall ward in Houghton Regis.  I enjoy working with, and on behalf of, my constituents and believe I have a deep understanding of the needs of the community I serve.

On Central Bedfordshire I am a member of the Adult Social Care, Health & Housing Overview & Scrutiny Committee and the Corporate Parenting Panel.  On the Houghton Regis Town Council, I am a member of the Community Services Committee and the Environment and Leisure Committee.

I am currently a member of Luton Rights, which is a professional Advice Centre, with over 30 years of service to the community.

In my spare time, I enjoy spending time with my family and friends.

Zunaira Sabih - Co-opted Governor

My name is Zunaira Sabih, and I live in Houghton Regis, Dunstable. Being an active member community, I have always desired and contributed for the local community to thrive and overcome the challenges collectively. I have vast experience working in an operational and administrative capacity, and I believe that these skills will transfer well to the work of the school governor for Tithe Farm School.

Although I have no experience of school governance specifically, I have successfully run an IT company as Director and was Operations Manager of a Charity. I was responsible for a modest budget and made tough decisions on various projects for both of the roles.

As a governor, I would like to learn more about the school approaches and challenges they face and play an active part in providing feedback with curriculum development & evaluation. I am lucky enough to have time to commit to a demanding volunteer role and ensure that responsibilities fall under role’s remit are delivered efficiently and in line with the priorities of the governing board.  

Sandra Gibb - Co-opted Governor

I moved into Houghton Regis in 2012 and joined Morrisons after working for Sainsburys for over 30 years as a licensed trainer. I  am proud to be part of the community not just in my private life, but also because of the part I play with in my job role as Community Champion.

I have an understanding of the children and schools in the area from the work that I do. 

Schools nurture the future of our world. It is important that they feel that they can come to a school and enjoy learning, no matter on their ability. I have a certificate of being a qualified trainer so understand that there are many different ways that children learn, and to find a good balance that will encompass all that is challenging in our society today,

Hopefully as a team the governors will be able to help with the changes that are happening along the way, to make Tithe Farm school the best we possibly can for the benefit of the pupils.

Abbey Ward - Staff Governor

I have been a part of Tithe Farm Primary School since 2019 but have been working in education since 2012. I have had numerous roles since starting at Tithe Farm including: Learning Support Assistant, SENDCO Assistant and since 2021 Early Years Classroom Teacher. Additionally, I am the Art Subject Lead which allows me the opportunity to work across the school to deliver an impactful and diverse Art and Design curriculum.

It is a privilege working with the children and staff at Tithe Farm while we are developing ourselves as a school, meeting the challenges after Covid and building partnerships in the community, in order to provide children with the best possible education. I am passionate about children’s early learning, developing positive relationships with parents and developing children into resilient learners that have strong aspirations. 

Maryam Bilal - Parent Governor

I would describe myself as an approachable, friendly person who is always willing to learn. Through my studies and work experiences I have developed interpersonal communication and analytical skills with a vision to craft and create things out of my surroundings. Working as an administrator in a GP surgery and customer assistant in a retail store has trained me to work under pressure, accept challenges and given me the ability to multi-task within a team and as an individual. With my vast experience, I have proven to be reliable, responsible and a dependable member of a team.  My experience has instilled in me great attention to detail and made me confident in my verbal and telephone etiquette. To enhance my capabilities I enrolled in a graphics designer course which has developed visual text and imagery concepts in me by using computer software which has inspired me to communicate and inform through ideas or designs.  

Saikat Chatterjee - Parent Governor

Since my child entered the Tithe Farm Primary School, I have been incredibly impressed with the care he has received, and the progress he has been able to make. My child, who is in year 1, entered the school in October 2023 after we shifted from Teesside, and within a very short space of time he has been enjoying his school life again. I am extremely keen to give something back to the school who have given so much to my child.  In terms of my skills and background - I started my career as a teacher and later was promoted to the post of Principal in an English medium school run by ICSE board (previously known as Cambridge board) in India and thus having 20 years of experience in field of education, work in business development, consulting and general management. As
Principal, I worked with Ministries of Education, innovative schools and educationalists.

I will advocate for a rich and creative curriculum, better communication, parental engagement and annual Parent Survey. I have a deep understanding of the needs of busy working parents in ensuring the welfare of their children in their academic setting and understand the challenges other parents and children with additional needs can face on a day-to-day basis.

Michelle Soper - Parent Governor

My name is Michelle, and I’m a mother of 2 who both attend Tithe Farm Primary. I also work full time as a store manager for Tesco. I would say I’m approachable and always looking to help anyone in any way that I
can whether that’s to help them grow, advise them or be an ear for.  I manage a team of colleagues in a fast-paced environment to deliver results on a daily basis; with this, I bring a lot of energy and ideas. I strive for perfection and ensure we are always making the right decisions. I also have a huge interest in the school system. School played a positive impact on me growing up, and it’s amazing to see how much it has progressed over the years. All for the better for our children and their futures, teaching values and giving them inspiration to achieve and believe; it would be amazing to contribute and be a part of that.

Former Governors

Haseeb Zafar - Parent Governor. Term of Office 1st Dec 2021 - 22nd Mar 2023

Jyoti Wadekar - Parent Governor. Term of Office 5th July 23 - 6th Dec 2023

Nicola Philpott - Parent Governor. Term of Office 1st Sept 2021 - 6th Dec 2023

Lorna Ryan - Staff Governor. Term of Office 1st Sept 2022 - 1st Sept 2023