Welcome to the Governors' Section!

Welcome from the Governors at St Catherine of Siena R C Primary School. These pages will tell you who we are and the job that we do. It will also give the statutory information about our Governing Board.
 

THE ROLE OF THE GOVERNORS

The Governing Board provides strategic leadership and accountability for the school and its community. It meets regularly and works with the head teacher and the staff to decide the school's aims and policies and to oversee the efficient running of the school by fulfilling four strategic core functions. these are -:

• To ensure the clarity of Catholic vision, ethos and strategic direction of the school is clearly defined.
• To ensure that the Headteacher performs her responsibilities for the educational performance and Catholic character of the School.
• To ensure the sound, proper and effective use of the school’s financial resources.
• To ensure the voices of stakeholders are heard.

WHAT DO GOVERNORS DO?

The Governing Board's remit is to promote a happy and safe environment for our children, ensuring the Catholic life of the school and to encourage the school to raise standards of achievement. The best chance of success for a school is when there is a high expectation of what pupils can achieve. Governors attend targeted term time visits to look at specific areas of activity linked to the school's Catholic vision and development plans. Most of us are not educational professionals and do not make judgements ourselves on the quality of teaching. We do however, study carefully the information about the progress children make at our school and what their level of achievement is at the end of Key stage 1 and Key stage 2. We get to know the school's strengths and weaknesses, we agree policies and agree the staff's priorities for the school's development. Governors are there to offer a different view and ask challenging questions to help the school to continually improve. The Full Governing Board work together to fulfil our four core functions, meeting together each term. We also have two committees who meet termly to consider standards and resources in more detail. The finance committee review spending and work with the Head Teacher and school Business Manager to ensure rigorous financial controls are in place. Focussing also on staffing, staff workload and school maintenance. The curriculum committee review attainment and progress and are responsible for making sure the school provides a good quality of education for all our children, inclusive of all abilities. The governing board together focus on other aspects of school life including our Catholic life/ethos & vision, safeguarding, mental health and wellbeing, special educational needs of pupils, pupil's spiritual/moral/social & cultural development and our British values. We carefully monitor attendance and promote attendance strategies because we want every pupil to reach their full potential and not have gaps in their learning journey.

The Governing board also supports performance management of the staff and senior leaders, attends school and community events, sits on panels (discipline / complaints / admissions ) as required. The governors attend specific training to ensure they have the knowledge to fulfill their responsibilities and complete a skills matrix each year to highlight any competency requirements.

Each term the Governors have the privilege of awarding a deserving pupil a ' Governor's Excellence Award ' certificate. The award is given to a pupil who has excelled over the term in any number of ways, for example, trying their best or being a good friend. It is important to the Governing board that the achievement of pupils is recognised and celebrated.

Foundation Governors are appointed by Liverpool Archdiocese and are people who, in the opinion of the Archdiocese, have the skills required to contribute to the effective governance and success of the school.

Terms of Reference for all the committees and minutes from the Full Governing Board meetings are available on request from the school office.

MEET THE GOVERNORS

All the Governors

The members of the Governing Body are:

Christine Henshall - Foundation Governor -appointed by the Archdiocese. Chairperson of the FGB, member of the finance and curriculum committee, Safeguarding governor. Forum governor. Governor for attendance, looked after children. School Priority Governor.

To contact Mrs Henshall, the Chair of Governors please use the school email address and mark For the Attention of Mrs Christine Henshall enquiries@admin.lowtonsaintcatherines.wigan.sch.uk

Father Gordon Abbs - Foundation Governor - appointed by the Archdiocese. Chair of the Finance Committee. RE Governor.

Diane Gaskell - Foundation Governor - appointed by the Archdiocese- Vice-Chair of the FGB. Chair of the curriculum committee. School Priority Governor.

Alison Nuttall ​​​​​​ - Foundation Governor - appointed by the Archdiocese. Member of the finance and curriculum committee. Governor for Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS).

Deborah Knowles - Foundation Governor- appointed by the Archdiocese, member of the finance and curriculum committee. Governor for Health and Safety.

Steph Evans - Parent Governor - Appointed by nomination and vote by parents. Member of the Curriculum Committee. Governor for Special Education Needs and Disability ( SEND).

Charlotte Humphreys - Parent Governor - Elected unopposed by the school parents. Member of the Finance and Curriculum Committee. Governor for Pupil Premium and Sports Premium.

Vacancy- Local Authority Governor

Nicky Singleton - Teacher Governor - appointed by Staff ballot. Member of the curriculum committee. Wellbeing Governor.

Linda Morris - Associate Member - appointed by the Governing Board. Member of the finance committee. Area of school support in sustainability and climate change.

MORE ABOUT US

Christine Henshall -Hello, I have been a Foundation Governor here since 2015 but have a long connection with St. Catherine of Siena school as my two Sons attended here in the late 80's and early 90's. I have an NHS background and worked as a midwife for 44 years until my retirement, so I have had the privilege of working alongside many families. I strongly believe that the children are our future and am passionate about education, ensuring we provide our children with the tools and opportunity to achieve their full potential, in a safe and happy environment , teaching Gospel values, to shape the whole child. It is an honour to be involved in the education of the children in our school, working collectively with all the staff and governors to drive improvement and promote our mission statement to encourage our children to be who God meant them to be. I am a member of the congregation at St. Catherine of Siena and All Saints church in Golborne and volunteer at the church foodbank there. I have also been a Eucharistic minister in our parish for many years.

Since retiring and having more free time, I enjoy swimming, yoga, walking, flower arranging and skiing.

Linda Morris - I am Linda Morris and I am married to Ken. We have lived in Lowton for over 48 years. I am proud to have been associated with St. Catherine of Siena PS for over 50 years! I first came to the school Christmas Fayre when my three Nephews were pupils here and was more closely associated with school when our two Sons came here, followed in recent years by our Grand-Daughters.

I am a member of the Secular Franciscan Order and previously attended St. Catherine of Siena church, Lowton. Now I am active in the All Saints Parish in Golborne as a Eucharistic Minister, Parish Safeguarding Representative and Deanery Representative. One of my greatest pleasures and privileges is as a Parish Catechist when I help prepare yr 4 children in our three parish schools for Reconciliation and First Holy Communion.

Before I retired. I was a Principal Geotechnical Engineer and Geologist for an international company. Since retirement, I enjoy leisure time salsa dancing and looking after our allotment.

Stef Evans - I am Stef, I was elected as a parent governor in December ‘23. I have two boys, one currently at school and one hopefully starting in September. I currently work part time with a background rooted in the insurance industry for over twenty years, I bring a wealth of expertise and dedication to our school community. I have a wide knowledge of Sales Management Performance, Well-being and Culture. I bring passion, enthusiasm and my management experience to the role. I have a strong belief in giving children of all abilities an outstanding school journey.
I love spending my spare time with my family and friends, keeping active and watching the rugby. My family enjoy all sports, with two young boys, they certainly keep us on our toes.
I’m passionate about our school and glad to be part of the team of Governors.

Diane Gaskell - I am Diane, I am a former pupil at St. Catherine’s School as are my two daughters. I am a member of St. Catherine’s and All Saints church in Golborne where I have helped to set up and run the ‘Children’s Liturgy Group’. I enjoy working with children, I have worked in childcare for 17 years and now work for the NHS in the paediatric department. In my spare time I enjoy spending quality time with my family and watching rugby with them. I also enjoy socialising with my friends.

Debbie Knowles - I am an HR and Employment Law Specialist by profession and owner & Managing Director of a consultancy firm based in Lowton. Whilst I do not have an education background, I am keen to be able to contribute the other skills and knowledge I have to the school governing board, in the interests of the school and the children. I have two grown-up children who both attended St Lewis’s Primary School in Croft, l am an active member of both St Lewis’s and All Saints parishes, as a reader, a CAFOD representative and a member of the St Vincent De Paul Society ( SVP). In our spare time my husband and I enjoy walking with our Labradoodle, Woody, and we like to spend time in Anglesey.

Nicky Singleton - Hello, I am Nicky. I am the Reception Teacher at St. Catherine’s. I have worked at this school for nearly 24 years and love my role as Class Teacher. I have a passion for the Early Years and feel privileged to have taught so many children in their first year with us. I have built up strong, trusted relationships with parents and families over my time here and know that this will continue. In my personal life, I am married and have two teenage children. I love to crochet in my spare time and make many items for babies and young children. I also have a love of the outdoors and spend precious time at our caravan in Anglesey whenever I can. Being in the outdoors and walking in nature really helps with my health and wellbeing.

Alison Nuttall - Hello, I’m Alison, I’m mum to three, and my family and I love spending time outdoors together. I’ve worked across education and the non-profit sector in teaching, pastoral care, and community leadership, and I also founded a borough-wide baby bank supporting local families.

I’m an active member of St Catherine and All Saints parish and enjoy being involved in school life. Building strong, supportive relationships with staff, families and the wider community is really important to me.

As EYFS link governor, I’m passionate about giving children the best start and ensuring those who need extra support can thrive. I’m committed to safeguarding, spiritual development and helping to uphold the Catholic character and long-term vision of St. Catherine’s.
 

I’m thankful to be part of a school family rooted in faith, compassion and hope, and am really looking forward to seeing our children learn, grow and flourish.

Charlotte Humphreys - I am a parent of two children at St. Catherine’s School and have been appointed as a Parent Governor. I hold a BA ( Hons) in Fine Art and graduated in 2013. I changed my chosen career path after graduating and have worked in Finance and Data Analysis roles for the past 12 years. I have worked in Local Government since 2018 and later transitioned into the Education sector, where I currently work as a School Business Manager at a local school in Culcheth. I am committed to continually developing my professional knowledge and skills and I am currently completing the Level 4 School Business Professional Qualification. Upon successful completion, this will allow me to become a full member of the Institute of School Business Leadership (ISBL). I am passionate about supporting an engaging, inclusive and enriching learning environment where every child can thrive and I am excited to contribute my skills, experience and commitment to learning as part of the Governing Board at St. Catherine’s.

Father Gordon Abbs - Parish priest, St. Catherine and All Saints Catholic Church, Golborne.

STATUTORY INFORMATION

 

Governing Body Composition:

Governor Meetings