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Our Governors

 Federation Leadership Structure

Whilst the Headteachers in each school are responsible for day-to-day management of the school, the role of the Governing Body is to provide strategic management and to act as a ‘critical friend’, supporting and challenging the school.

 

The federation has one overarching governing body with governance responsibility and accountability across both schools.  

 

Schools generally have a budget to cover salaries, running costs, maintenance and equipment and the Governing Body is responsible for managing this budget. They can decide how many and what types of staff to employ, which equipment to upgrade or replace and what the priorities are for implementing new strategies and initiatives.

 

Governors also have a role in monitoring the school's progress and in setting annual targets for the school's performance and for the Headteacher.

 

Governors are volunteers and the overall Governing Body is made up of a number of different types of Governor: Parent Governors, Staff Governors, Foundation Governors (ie. Appointed by the Bishop and likely to be Parishioners or those with a close history with school or Parish) and Local Authority Governors.

 

Different Governor Roles are outlined below

 

THE SIZE OF THE FEDERATION'S GOVERNING BODY  

 

The Federation’s Governing Body shall consist of 12 governors as follows:  

  

Type of governor  

Total  

Number  

Head Teacher Governor  (shared) 

1  

Parent Governors elected from across the schools in the Federation : 1 from each school

2  

Staff Governor elected from across the schools in the Federation   

1  

Local Authority Governor Nominated by the LA and appointed by the Federation Governing Body  

1  

Foundation Governors appointed by the Diocese of Salford  

7  

TOTAL  

12  

  

 

Role of Foundation Governors

 

Although all of the governors have the responsibility to promote and maintain the school’s Catholic character and mission, the foundation governors have special responsibility in this area. The CES document ‘Governing a Catholic School’ (1998) gives this summary of their role.

 

‘Foundation governors are appointed by the Bishop specifically to ensure:

 

  • that the religious character of the school is preserved;
  • that the school is conducted in accordance with its trust deed (ie the diocesan trust deed);
  • that the religious education curriculum is in accordance with the bishop’s policy for his diocese, based on the Bishops’ Conference Curriculum Directory.’

 

Foundation governors in voluntary aided schools with a religious character have additional legal duties:

They are:

  • in employing teachers, ‘whenever possible, they should appoint Catholic teachers in order to promote and maintain the Catholic ethos of the school.’ They must appoint practising Catholics to the posts of Executive headteacher, deputy headteacher and coordinator of religious education.
  • admitting children ‘first and foremost on religious grounds’, by giving priority for admission to baptised Catholic children;
  • ensuring that the whole curriculum, including religious education, ‘is taught in the light of gospel values and actively promotes the spiritual and moral development of the pupils’.

 

Role of Staff Governor

 

Staff governors are elected  in the same way as other governors.

 

There is a teaching and support staff member on the governing body and they serve a four year term.

 

The Executive Headteacher is automatically a part of the Governing Body and other members of the leadership team may be delegated to particular committees on their behalf.

 

Role of Parent Governors

 

Parent governors are in a unique position on a governing body. Not only do parent governors have to work in the best interests of the school, but they have to balance this with their natural desire to see the best outcomes for their own child(ren).

 

Parent governors are not delegates and are not obliged to get voting instructions on matters to be decided, nor to vote in accordance with the parent body's views.

 

It is important that parent governors can give a fair and accurate representation of parental opinion on matters of importance.

 

Care must, however, be taken if they are approached by another parent with a complaint about the school, in which case the parent concerned should be referred to the school’s complaints policy.  

 

They vote, however, according to their own conscience and with the well being of the school foremost in mind.

 

Role of Local Authority Governors

 

Their role is to represent the Local Authority but they do not have to vote in agreement with the views of the Authority. As all governors their duty is to put the best interests of the school first.

 

Associate Governors

The new Federation Governing Body can also invite additional associate members as  required to provide a specialist skills set and ensure strong governance. Associate members will not have the voting rights of the governing body.  

 

The Admissions Authority

  

The new Federation governing body is also the admissions authority for both schools within the Federation.  The Federation complies with the guidance and suggested admissions policy set out by the Diocese of Salford. 

 

Committees:


All governors are part of the Full Governing Body and invited to attend those meetings. Governors are usually  invited to join smaller committees. The governing body has three committees, each of which has delegated responsibility and accountability across both schools 

 

The committees are:  

Curriculum Inclusion & Standards Committee  

Finance and HR Committee

Resources Committee  

       

The Headteachers of each school (or their representative from the leadership team) sits on all committees.

 

 

Meet The Governors
Please find below information about who our governors are and what they do. This includes details of how our Governing body is structured, including the names, categories, responsibilities and terms of appointment for each Governor.

 

Sean Brennan (Chair of Governors)

I became Chair of Governors in our Federation in April 2024, prior to this I had been the Vice Chair at St Mary's and had been on the governing body for seven years.

 

Pecuniary Interests: None declared 

 

Governor Type: Foundation (Chair)

 

End of Term of Office date: 04/04/2027

 

 

 

Parish Priest at St Cuthbert's - Vacant 

 

St Cuthbert’s RC Church, Withington supports the spiritual life of the school, celebrating Mass regularly with each class at least once a term. The parish priest also celebrates mass in school on holy days of obligation.

 

Pecuniary Interests: None declared 

 

Governor Type: Foundation 

 

End of Term of Office date: N/A

 

Fr Chris, Foundation Governor (Parish Priest)

I am the Parish Priest for both St Mary's and St Richards and a Governor in both schools.

Pecuniary Interests: None declared 

 

Governor Type: Foundation 

 

End of Term of Office date: N/A

 

 

Ms A Morrisey - Parent Governor

Pecuniary Interests: None declared 

 

Governor Type: Foundation Governor 

 

End of Term of Office date: 04/01/2025

 

 

Ms C Joyce - Parent Governor

Pecuniary Interests: None declared 

 

Governor Type: Foundation Governor 

 

End of Term of Office date: 04/01/2025

 

 

Ms K Perry - Local Authority Governor

Pecuniary Interests: None declared 

 

Governor Type: LA Governor (Vice Chair)

 

End of Term of Office date: 04/01/2025

 

 

Mrs K Sinclair - Foundation Governor

Pecuniary Interests: None declared 

 

Governor Type: Foundation Governor 

 

End of Term of Office date: 04/01/2025

 

 

 

 

Matt Lawrence

Headteacher at St Cuthbert's

 

I am Headteacher at St. Cuthbert’s. I have been here since September 2018 and my experience to date has allowed me to work with children of all ages. I am extremely passionate about education in a child’s life and I believe every child has the right to a quality education regardless of their background. I love working here at St. Cuthbert’s; the whole ethos and focus we have on ensuring our children receive the best possible start to their education lives is what makes the school so special.  

 

Joanne O'Mullane/ Tracey Collins

Co-Headteachers at St Mary's

 We share the role of  Headteacher at St. Mary’s. We have both worked at St Mary's for along time holding a variety of roles. We love working here at St. Mary's; the whole ethos and focus we have on ensuring our children receive the best possible start to their education lives is what makes the school so special.  

 

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