Jo Lawson, the chair of governors at Barnwell School in Stevenage, has received an award recognising her "outstanding and distinguished service".

The award was given by Hertfordshire Association of School Governors, and presented by Professor Sir Tim Wilson, deputy lieutenant of Hertfordshire, at a ceremony last month.

Jo has been a governor at Barnwell since 2010, and chair of governors at the school for the last five years.

Tony Fitzpatrick, executive headteacher at Barnwell, said: "This is a thoroughly deserved award and goes some way to recognize the tireless work that governors put in on a completely voluntary basis for schools and their students.

"Jo has been a great support to myself and all the staff at Barnwell School and we are delighted to see her recognized in this way."

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Mohammed Ashraf, a fellow Barnwell governor, said: "Jo works tirelessly in a personal and professional capacity, providing strong support and challenging engagement for Barnwell and its leaders consistently and regularly.

"Similarly high support is provided to all governors within Barnwell school and the much wider governor audience via her Herts for Learning Governance’s role as district chair for the northwest region of Hertfordshire."