The Governing Body
ANNUAL GOVERNANCE STATEMENT FOR THE ACADEMIC YEAR 2022/23
As the Governing Body of Sacred Heart Catholic Primary School, we are proud of the school and its welcoming, inclusive ethos and strong family atmosphere. The Governors, in partnership with the Headteacher, ensure that the overall management of the school is in keeping with the Catholic ethos.
In accordance with the Government’s requirement for all governing bodies, the three core strategic functions of the Governing Body at Sacred Heart are:
1. Ensuring clarity of vision, ethos and strategic direction
2. Holding the Headteacher to account for the educational performance of the school and its pupils
3. Overseeing the financial performance of the school and making sure its money is well spent
The structure of the Governing Body is as follows:
Full Board
School Improvement Committee
Resources Committee
Governor Constitution
Sub Committees:
Resources
Curriculum
Admissions
Pay
Discipline
Complaints
Staff Disciplinary Appeals
Head Teacher’s Performance Appraisal
The Governing Body appoints a professional Clerk who is responsible for arranging meetings, taking minutes and following up on all actions. The Clerk also advises on procedural matters and plays a key role in the work of the Governing Body. Governing Body Minutes are available from the school office. You can contact the office by calling 01923 901179 or emailing – admin@sacredheart682.herts.sch.uk.
Governors are volunteers who apply for and are appointed to their roles (except for the Headteacher), are independent and have equal status to each other. A Chair and Vice Chair are elected by the Governing Body and work closely together with the Headteacher and the Clerk.
Governors attend Full Board and committee meetings where the schools policies and procedures are agreed. They also visit school where they monitor key priority areas identified in the annual School Improvement Plan. These monitoring arrangements are in place also for the Nursery and specific monitoring is undertaken for the areas of Health & Safety, Safeguarding and Finance. Formal monitoring visits allow Governors the opportunity to observe and communicate with staff and pupils and to ensure that actions agreed in the School Improvement Plan are being actively undertaken by the school. After each visit, a report is prepared and presented at the next Governing Body meeting. From this, the progress in the delivery of agreed school priority areas can be actively monitored and impact on the education of the pupils more effectively assessed.
The Chair of Governors has regular meetings with the Headteacher and Clerk outside of full Governing Body meetings. Governors attended strategic and finance meetings in school and reported accordingly to the full Governing Body.
The Headteacher’s Appraisal Committee is supported by an external advisor. Additionally, there is a facility to bring together small panel/committees as and when needed. The Governing Body and the committees all have clear terms of reference and all Governors are required to abide by a Code of Conduct.
Governing Body Skills & Knowledge Development
The Governing Body recognises that to effectively fulfil its role, it must ensure that all of its Governors have the required skills and knowledge to support the achievement of the school’s priority objectives. Recognising the importance of training and development, the Governing Body has a Training Policy in place and appoints a Training Governor to ensure that there is a committed and consistent focus on the areas where the Governing Body needs to develop. Regular skills audits are undertaken to identify and address any skills gaps together with an annual self-evaluation of the effectiveness of the Governing Body over the school year. These are identified and monitored through regular skills audits of the Governing Body and an annual Governing Body self-evaluation. The Governing Body is a member of the National Governors Association and uses this and other relevant information channels to ensure it remains abreast and up to date on relevant developments in the education sector.
Governor Focus in Academic Year 2022-23
At the beginning of the school year, the Governing Body agreed with the Headteacher and the School Leadership Team a School Improvement Plan. This annual planning document is used to identify the key areas on which the school and the Governing Body wish to focus during the academic year. It includes scheduled milestones and measures to assist with ongoing monitoring as well as impact indicators so that the Governing Body can assure itself that the actions taken within the plan will improve teaching and learning outcomes for all children. In addition to school monitoring visits, the Governing Body uses other school data including, SATS results, Local Authority data, government data (Analyse School
Performance), Phonics Screening Check, Baseline Assessment, the Ofsted Data Dashboard and regular internal school assessment data. Pupil progress and attainment is scrutinised through data analysis. Vulnerable groups including pupil premium and SEN children are closely monitored.
Governor focus areas for 2023/24
The Governing Body will continue to develop and work towards the longer-term strategy of the school, to closely monitor financial status and progress against plan and to work closely with the Headteacher, SLT, staff and parent communities to deliver the best outcomes for our pupils.
How to become a Governor
The Governing Body have an active role in the life of Sacred Heart School. They are appointed, having shown a strong interest and knowledge of the Catholic faith and Catholic education. They must also have a desire to develop the School’s identity and character in both the Church and the local community.
We currently are looking to recruit a Foundation Governor. Please see the link below.
If you are interested in becoming a Governor, please contact Vivienne Morgan on 01923 901179 or admin@sacredheart682,herts.sch.uk. The link below also gives further information on how to become a governor:
Members of the Governing Body
| Governor | Category | Term of Office | Role/Committee Membership, Structure and responsibility | Business Interests | Finance Interests | Relationships with school staff | Governor roles at other schools | Meeting Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mrs. Vivienne Morgan | Foundation Governor | 06/01/20-05/01/24 | Chair of Governors/ Resources /Admissions/Pay/HT Performance Appraisal/Safeguarding Governor, Children Looked After Governor, Geography, Art & DT Link Governor | None | None | None | None | 5/5 |
Vivienne was elected onto the board as Parent Governor in December 2011.She has two children who both attended Sacred Heart and she has enjoyed being involved in school life through volunteering in class and supporting the PTA. This led her on to become a school governor so that she could use her skills and experience to support Sacred Heart to deliver on its mission and aims, and ensure that it continues to develop and offer our children the best possible education and supportive environment in which to learn. She became Chair of Governors in January 2014 and since then has led the board through some key developments, including the succession of the previous headteacher and the reconstitution of the governing body. Vivienne has a background in Financial Services, HR Consultancy, change management and implementation and has delivered significant change programmes across a wide range of commercial organisations. She is passionate about working with the leadership team to continue the development of Sacred Heart, enabling every child to achieve their full potential. | ||||||||
| Mrs. Nicole Moran | Foundation Governor | 02/08/18-1/07/22 | Vice Chair of Governors/Chair of Resources/ HT Performance Appraisal/Health & Safety Governor | None | None | None | None | 3/5 |
| Nicole has been a governor at Sacred Heart for a number of years now, working with both Mrs Hatch and Mrs Cooper before her. She is looking forward to the challenges facing the school in the coming years, working alongside the teaching staff, children and parents. She has three children, two of which have attended Sacred Heart. Her youngest son left the school in July 2016. She originally became a parent governor and having served her four year term, then took over the role of LA (Local Authority) governor. She attends regular full board meetings and also sits on the Resource Committee. Nicole has worked for Hertfordshire County Council since 1998, within the Health and Community Service. She attends church regularly and takes an active part in church life. | ||||||||
| Mrs. Linda Payne | Executive Headteacher | 11/06/19– 10/06/23 | Executive Headteacher. Curriculum Committee, Admissions Committee, Resources Committee | Staff | Staff | None | None | 4/5 |
| Linda has been the Executive Headteacher since May 2019. She is also a LLE. | ||||||||
| Mrs. Anna Smith | Head of School | 27.2.2018 – | Curriculum Committee, Admissions Committee, Resources Committee, Pay Committee | Staff | Staff | None | None | 5/5 |
| Anna has worked at Sacred Heart since February 2003 and she has taught in all Key Stages throughout the school. During this time, she has been a Key Stage leader, Curriculum Leader, Deputy Headteacher, SENCO and Head of School. Within county she has been a leading teacher supporting local schools with Maths and English. She has continued her studies since leaving University and has completed a Catholic Certificate in Education, NPQSL and NPQH. | ||||||||
| Miss Ella Bradley | Staff Governor | 12/05/21 – 11/05/25 | Curriculum Committee | Staff | Staff | None | None | 2/5 |
| Ella is EYFS Leader, Reception teacher and the Music Leader. | ||||||||
| Father Jim McNicholas | Foundation Governor | 01/04/11 – present | Curriculum Committee, RE Governor | None | None | None | None | 0/5 |
| Sacred Heart & St John the Evangelist Parish priest. | ||||||||
| Giovanni Marseglia | Foundation Governor | 27/11/19-26/11/23 | Curriculum Chair, Curriculum Committee, Music Governor, PFL Governor, PPG Governor | None | None | None | Governor at St Josephs | 3/5 |
| Giovanni became a Foundation Governor at Sacred Heart Catholic Primary School in June 2018. He has been a secondary school teacher for most of his working life, seeing children progress through the education system is very dear to him. As a music graduate, his interests extend into the broader community, mainly through parish and diocesan work. At present, he is the organist at the parish of the Sacred Heart and St John the Evangelist and musical director to the Westminster diocesan pilgrimage to Lourdes. He is a member of the Curriculum Committee. | ||||||||
| Mr. Paul Higginson | Foundation Governor | 01/10/21 – 31/08/25 | Resources Committee, Admissions Committee, Pay Panel, RE Governor | None | None | None | None | 5/5 |
| Paul joined the Governors in October 2021. His children used to attend Sacred Heart. He is on the Resource Committee, Pay Panel and the Admissions Committee | ||||||||
| Mr . Kevin Sparks | Parent Governor | 19/1/22-18/01/26 | Resources Chair, Resources Committee, Health and Safety, Computing Governor, History Governor | Parent | Parent | None | None | 4/5 |
| Kevin joined the Governing Board as a Parent Governor in January 2022 and is on the Resources Committee. He has a daughter at Sacred Heart. | ||||||||
| Mr. Martin Coulson | Foundation Governor | 20/02/23 – 19/02/27 | Resources Committee, Maths Governor | Parent | Parent | None | None | 2/2 |
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