Our Governors

The governing body meets regularly and works with the senior leadership team and the staff to decide the school's aims and policies and to oversee the efficient running of the school. The governors work in partnership with the school and the Local Authority and have particular responsibility for:

• Setting aims and planning for the future of the school
• Agreeing targets to raise standards of achievement
• Ensuring the curriculum for the school promotes the spiritual, moral, cultural, mental and physical development of the pupils
• Managing the school budget by providing the head teacher with guidance, setting priorities and budget monitoring
• Staffing issues including appointing the head teacher and other staff and determining salaries
• Deciding the school's policies on issues including admission and the length of the school day
• Making sure all pupils have equal opportunities within the school and providing for pupils with special educational needs
• Ensuring there is a high standard of maintenance of the school's premises
• Dealing with complaints about the school

Mr David Barker - Chair of Governors

• Governing Body Membership:  L A Representative
• Date of Appointment: 9th July 2017
• Appointed by: Local authority
• Register of Interests: None
• Code of Conduct : up to date
• Governor Monitoring Group: Premises, Health and Safety
• Committee Membership: Strategic
• Link governor for Health and Safety and Wellbeing  
• National Database of Governors: - Yes - January 2017
• Term of Office: ongoing, review 2025

• "Born in Woodhouse, I am a Local Councillor who has represented this area since 2004 and I currently Chair the Councils Licensing Committee. I initially joined the Governing Body of Shortbrook School in 2004 and the federated Governing Body of Shortbrook and Halfway when this was formed. I have also served as a Governor at Westfield School. I have worked in the NHS since 1988 and still work part time managing security for Harrogate and District Foundation Trust. I played local, league football for 30 years and still manage the occasional game of cricket, though I am now much more of a spectator than participator when it comes to sport."

Mrs Beverley Nicholson

• Governing Body Membership: Co-opted
• Date of Appointment: 1st September 2017
• Appointed by Governing body
• Register of Interests: Learn Sheffield 
• Code of Conduct 2020-2021 (signed): 22nd March 2021
• National Database of Governors: Yes - January 2017
• Committee Membership: Strategic 
• Link governor for Quality of Education including SEND
• Term of office: 4 years ending 31st August 2021

• "After a career in education spanning over 35 years, I am now employed by the Sheffield Schools’ Company as a Learn Sheffield Improvement Partner. My current role allows me to draw on previous experiences as a teacher, senior leader and more recently executive head teacher, to support primary schools in their strategic planning for school improvement. Having worked in four different local authorities and many schools operating in very challenging circumstances, I feel that I have much to bring to school governance." 

Mr James Smart 

• Governing Body Membership: Co-Opt
• Date of Appointment: 18th November 2018
• Appointed by - Governing body
• Register of Interest: None
• Code of Conduct 2020-2021 (signed): November 2020
• Committee Membership: Strategic 
• Link governor for Safeguarding 
• Governor Monitoring Group: Safeguarding 
• National Database of Governors: Yes - January 2020
• Term of Office: 4 years ending 19th November 2022
• "I was born and grew up in Oxfordshire, I moved to Sheffield over 13 years ago to attend The University of Sheffield to study Mathematics and Physics. I subsequently trained to be a Teacher of Mathematics at Sheffield Hallam University and have remained in Sheffield since working at several different secondary schools within the city during this time. I am now settled in Halfway and my eldest child attends Halfway Nursery and Infant School. I am invested in education, both through my work experience and being a parent, I feel that this gives me a useful tool set to offer the governing body. I can both appreciate the school view, whilst maintaining a drive for all children in the local area achieving their best. I am excited to undertake the role of governor across both Halfway Junior and Shortbrook School to work with the other governors to enable local children to achieve their best in their early educational experiences. 

Mr Alan Heath - Chair of Resources Committee

• Governing Body Membership: Co-opted
• Date of Appointment: 20 May 2019
• Appointed by: Governing body
• Register of Interests: None
• Code of Conduct 2020-2021 (signed): 8th February 2021
• Committee Membership: Strategic 
• Link Governor for finance 
• Governor Monitoring Group: Finance
• National Database of Governors: Yes - January 2017
• Term of Office: 4 years ending 20 May 2023

• "I was born and raised in Sheffield, initially living at Firvale, but later moving to Broomhill near to King Edward VII School which I attended. I  worked for Sheffield City Council from 1971 until I took early retirement in 2012, spending several years as an auditor, but I managed to ‘escape’ and move into ‘School’s Finance’ where my role basically involved helping schools manage their budgets. I was mainly involved with primary schools and visited many over the years including a brief contact with Shortbrook and a longer spell at Halfway Juniors. This role was the most enjoyable of my working life as I felt I could genuinely provide assistance to schools and it also gave me a good working knowledge of their budgets and the problems encountered by trying to provide the best education possible with limited resources.

  Since retirement I have remained active and found the cliché ‘I don’t know how I found the time to go to work’ to be very true! I coordinate one of the Sheffield U3A (University of the Third Age) walking groups, and go for a 10 to 12 mile walk in the Peak District with them most weeks, sing in three excellent choirs in the city and have taken up tennis in the last couple of years. My son and daughter-in-law are both primary school teachers in Staffordshire and my wife – Pauline – and I travel down each week during term time to collect our three year old granddaughter from nursery on Thursdays and look after her on Fridays. We also manage occasional visits to our daughter who lives with her husband and baby daughter in Bristol".