Message from the chair

Message from Chair of Governors, Fr Dave Heywood

In accordance with Government requirements, the three core strategic functions of the Governing Body of St Oswald’s Catholic Primary School are:

• Ensuring clarity of vision, ethos and strategic direction.
• Holding the Headteacher to account for the educational performance of the School and its children.
• Overseeing the financial performance of the School and making sure its money is well spent.

The Governing Body fulfils these functions by:

• Strategic leadership that sets and champions vision, ethos and strategy.
• Accountability that drives up educational standards and financial performance.
• Ensuring the membership of the Governing Body is made up of people with the right skills, experience, qualities and capacity.
• Implementing structures that reinforce clearly defined roles and responsibilities.
• Ensuring compliance with statutory and contractual requirements.
• Regular evaluation to monitor and improve the quality and impact of governance.

The Governing Body is made up of 7 Foundation Governors, 2 Parent Governors, the Headteacher, 1 Staff Governor and 1 Local Authority Governor. Each member brings different skills, knowledge and experience to the Governing Body.
The full Governing Body meets once a term, but much of the work of the Governors is carried out by committees that meet more regularly to consider different aspects of the school in greater detail (i.e. Curriculum, Finance & Personnel, Admissions, Premises). In addition, each Governor has an area of responsibility (e.g. Safeguarding, Early Years Foundation Stage, Pupil Premium, Wellbeing, etc).

Governors visit the school regularly and each Governor is linked with a year group.

The Governors are passionate about ensuring St Oswald’s provides the very best education for every child we serve under our mission to “love, learn, respect and appreciate”. We seek to do this in a warm, welcoming, safe and stimulating environment in which children can enjoy learning and thrive. We want every child to be happy in school, grow in confidence, and aspire to learn so that when they leave St Oswald’s they do so “with a love of learning, a thirst for knowledge, an understanding and appreciation of their faith and religion, and the world they live in and, above all, many happy memories”.

Fr Dave Heywood