Our Governing Body

What do we do?

All schools are overseen by a volunteer Governing Body who, alongside the headteacher, set the vision for the school. Together they ensure that the school works effectively and efficiently to achieve its vision by:

• Building a thorough knowledge of the school and its community;

• Supporting and constructively challenging the school;

• Ensuring accountability - judging the school's performance openly; and,

• Compliance - ensuring the school meets all its legal obligations, for example safeguarding children and managing finances.

The Governing Body works in close partnership with the headteacher, staff and the local authority. In practice, the headteacher is responsible for the day to day running of the school. However, the governors are involved with such things as staffing, curriculum, school buildings and finance. They ensure the school functions well and set the direction and policies for the school, to provide ongoing support and advice and to monitor the outcome.

The Governing Body meets five times each year. Much of the work of the Governing Body is done by committees which meet at least every term (three times in the year). At St. Francis Xavier’s RC Primary, we have the following committees:

Standards and Curriculum:  It’s main purpose is to discuss and monitor all aspects of the school’s work around pupil attainment and progress, and ensuring that the school’s curriculum is broad and balanced and meets statutory requirements.

Pastoral Support: The main purpose of the committee is to discuss and monitor all aspects of the school’s pastoral work which includes areas such as attendance, behaviour, safeguarding, health, and spiritual, moral, social and cultural (SMSC) provision. An important role of the committee is to ensure all Child Protection policies are fully understood and correctly implemented by all staff, and to monitor how the government PE grant is being spent to improve provision.

Finance and Resources: This committee’s main purpose is to ensure that the school spending remains within budget and that all funds are spent wisely to best meet the needs of the pupils.

Who are we?

St. Francis Xavier’s RC Primary School’s Governing Body consists of:

• the headteacher

• one elected staff governor

• one appointed local authority governor

• seven foundation governors

• two parent governors.

The standard term of office for a governor is four years. The chair and vice-chair are elected annually at the first meeting of the academic year.

The Governing Body of St. Francis Xavier’s RC Primary is currently:

• Mr Paul Williams, Foundation governor and Chair

• Mrs Sylvia Cockroft, Foundation governor and Vice Chair

• Mrs Elizabeth Christopherson, Headteacher

• Mr James Fishlock, Foundation Governor

• Mr Anthony Giampalma, Foundation governor

• Ms Deborah Hillyer, Parent governor

• Mrs Marie Layton, Foundation governor

• Mrs Kathryn Ling, Associate member

• Mr Ivan Powell, Local Authority governor

• Mrs Rebecca Seamarks, Foundation governor

• Mr Gift Sibanda, Parent governor

• Father Brendan Thomas, Associate member

• Mrs Rach Thompson, Staff governor

• Mrs Emily Lynch, Clerk to the Governors.

For further information on the Governing Board at St. Francis Xavier’s please apply to the Clerk to the Governors, through the School Office.