GOVERNORS’ INFORMATION

Who are we?

Our school Governing body is made up of Governors from all walks of life; they bring their different backgrounds, experiences, and skills and, as volunteers, they work together for the benefit of the School helping to be part of the link between the School and the Community it serves.

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Meet the Governors

Mr Tom Regan

Chair of Governors

I have been a governor since 2015, starting as a Foundation governor and now in my role as Parent governor. I was appointed Vice-Chair in September 2017 and have been Chair of Governors since April 2019. I have 2 children currently enjoying school at St Paulinus. I originally wanted to join the Governing body to give something back to Catholic Education and support the school that I attended as a child and to ensure the students and staff enjoyed and benefitted from their time at St Paulinus as much as I had. Previously I worked as a teacher for 11 years at a 3-18 school in Bradford working as a Head of Faculty, Head of Year and finally as a member of the leadership team with responsibility for Sixth Form. I changed careers in 2017 and am now in new role working for the West Yorkshire Police.

Miss Sophie Hayes

Headteacher

I am the Headteacher of St Paulinus. I joined the school as Deputy Head in September 2016, moving to Acting Head and now as Headteacher in September 2019. I have had a long and interesting career to date. Before joining St Paulinus, I have had many roles including being a leading teacher who supported other schools. I came to Kirklees from Blackpool as a KS2 Leader, moving on to Assistant Head then a deputy in the same school. I have gained a wealth of experience over my career right from Nursery to Y6 meaning that I understand the importance of each year group and how it moves a child forward. As soon as I joined St Paulinus, I immediately fell in love with the school and its pupils. Our core values of “Faith, Family, Respect and Achievement” permeate the whole school on a daily basis. As a member of the Governors, I am able to share all the great work that goes on in our school on a day to day basis, as well as bring about change to better the school and its provision. I am fortunate to work with a passionate group of people that want the best for all the children. My role on the board is to be a voice for all those linked to our school (that’s pupils, parents and staff) and to ensure that decisions being made will support the whole school. The Governor’s role is to hold me accountable for what happens in the school and together we make strategic decisions to improve the school for the future.

Mr Adam Smart

Parent & Vice Chair of Governors

I have been a parent governor since 2017 and was appointed Vice-Chair in September 2019. I have 2 children currently in school with 2 more who will start at the school in the coming years. I wanted to become a parent governor to ensure that my children and all children at our school receive the educational experience they deserve. Outside school I am a Chartered Water and Environmental Manager working for an engineering consultancy in Leeds predominantly investigating and solving river water quality issues.

Mrs Carla Bentley

Associate Governor

I have worked at St Paulinus since September 2011. I started as a Year 1 class teacher, became Key Stage 1 Assistant Headteacher and am currently acting Deputy Headteacher. I have previously completed my term, four years, as staff governor and I am now an associate governor. I attend all committee and full governing body meetings in order to support the Headteacher and enable the governors to have a full understanding of assessment across the school.

Mr Gavin Muldoon

Parent Governor

I have just been appointed my first governor role and this is the first time I’ve had the opportunity to become involved since my son started at St. Paulinus last year.

I applied for the role of governor as it will give me the chance to become more involved in the development of the school and in turn help both my son and other children in their time at St. Paulinus and enable them to develop intellectually as they grow.

I feel that my experience and work outside the school as an Operations Management Specialist within a global company will offer a different perspective and skill set to complement the other governors already in place.

Ms Anne Worden

Foundation Governor

I have been a Foundation Governor at St Paulinus for two years. I retired three years ago after being a high school English teacher for thirty-four years.

I have a long association with St Paulinus. My sons, now adults, both attended this school, and I was Chair of The Friends of St Paulinus for several years. For the past nineteen years, I have played the piano for the EYFS singing time every week.

In addition to my general responsibilities as a Governor, I believe that am able to provide some perspective from the viewpoint of both a parent and a teacher.

Mrs Cathy Baxendale

Foundation Catholic Governor

More information coming soon.

Ms Françoise Joyce

Staff Governor

I joined the school in September 2018 and I have enjoyed every day since. As soon as I arrived, I felt part of a family. From the staff at all levels all the way to the children, everybody is aiming towards the same goal: succeed and enjoy education in the light of Jesus.

As staff governor, I feel privileged to have been given the opportunity to make a real contribution to the strategic management of the school, providing an interesting and rewarding dimension to my work. I am looking forward to supporting the headteacher with decisions that I am sure will help the staff and children.

I am also looking forward to working alongside the other members of the governing body to ensure that our efforts and work fulfil its duties to all children.

Ms Mary Mochrie

Foundation Catholic Governor

Before retiring I spent most of my working life in education, which included St John Fisher Catholic Academy, supporting students with special educational needs and/or a sensory loss. I have two daughters who have both worked in education so it continues to be a big part of my family life. I have been a school governor here at St Paulinus for two years now and during that time I have have enjoyed being part of the school’s community attending celebration assemblies, masses, festivals and school trips. This has enabled me to see teaching and learning first hand and watch the children of St Paulinus flourish.

What does it take to become a Governor?

Governors are volunteers that have:

An interest in the performance of the School
A desire to positively contribute to and represent the community
An open and enquiring mind
The ability to look at issues objectively
The confidence to ask questions and join in debates
A willingness to listen and use the information they are given to make informed decisions
The ability to work with the Headteacher, staff and other Governors
Time to spare to attend all governor meetings and to spend time in school when necessary
An ability to maintain confidentiality in all circumstances.
An ability to think strategically

What are the different types of Governors on the register?

The governing body is made up of 4 – 5 different appointments. There is the Headteacher, a staff governor, parent governors, foundation governors and sometimes there is a governor from the LA (Local Authority). They all have equal say and equal voting rights. Each governor represents a different part of the School community and their role is to represent the thoughts of that part of the community.

What is the Governing Body’s role?

The Governing body of our school plays a key role in:

Setting targets for raising standards in educational achievement.
Monitoring the progress towards meeting these targets.
Supporting, and when appropriate, challenging the Headteacher and senior leaders
Deciding on policies and future development plans.
Monitoring how the budget is spent
Monitoring the impact of actions taken by the school to improve learning for pupils.

As well as attending all Governor meetings, Governors are also asked to look at specific areas of the school’s work in more detail. To help support governors in understanding their role, everyone has access to further training to help build their knowledge and understanding.

What are the different meetings the Governors attend?

Governors typically spend between 5 – 8 hours a term on Governor meetings. There are 4 Full Governing Body (FGB) meetings a year that all Governors attend to vote on specific needs of the school, update policies and make strategic decisions. There are 3 meetings for each of the committees over the year. The committee roles are described below:

CATHOLIC LIFE AND MISSION COMMITTEE

To ensure that the Diocesan vision for Catholic education is articulated through the school’s mission statement; and is clearly and effectively reflected in it’s policies, development plans and practices.

STANDARDS AND EFFECTIVENESS COMMITTEE

To provide support and challenge to the leadership of the School and to hold them to account in relation to the quality of educational provision including: the quality of teaching and learning; pupil progress and outcomes for pupils; the quality of the curriculum provision and delivery; behaviour and safety of pupils.

RESOURCES and risk management COMMITTEE

To provide support and challenge to the leadership of the School and to hold them to account in relation to the use of resources to support the priorities of the school including: the leadership of teaching and learning; the School budget; the employment and development of staff; the premises.

How can I become a Governor?

Parent Governor – to become a parent governor you need to have children in the school. Parent Governors are always voted in by other parents through a whole school vote organised by the School. There are a maximum of 2 parent governors on the Governing body at any one time and, when there is a vacancy, the school will advertise it to all parents.

Foundation Governor – to become a foundation governor you need to be a practicing Catholic and Fr Jonathan, or another priest, will need to recommend you. Foundation Governors are appointed by Leeds Diocese. If you are interested in becoming a foundation Governor, the school holds the application forms you will need to complete to send to the Diocese.

Staff Governor – volunteers come forward and the staff Governor appointed is voted in by the staff of St Paulinus.

Associate Governors – these are governors that join the governing body due to their role in school. The Governors decide if they can attend meetings and what voting rights they have.

We currently have a couple of Governor vacancies, if you think you may be interested in becoming a Foundation Governor of St Paulinus, please click the links at the side of the page or come into school for more information.

How long is a Governor term?

Once appointed, a Governors term lasts for 4 years unless they resign at an earlier stage. After 4 years a Governor will need to be voted in for a second term if they wish to continue in the role.

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