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Governance
Local Governing Body Membership
Mrs C. McKenna - Acting Headteacher
Mr L. Peachey - Headteacher
Mrs A. Kenny - Deputy Headteacher
Mrs. G. Donohoe - Chair
Mrs. M. Williams
Mrs. L. Riley
Mr. C. Gilbertson
At Saint Edmund Arrowsmith Catholic Academy, our Local Governing Body (LGB) is a committed and hard working group who meet as a full board each half term, to discuss the effective running of school within our governance model, as delegated through Pope Francis Catholic MAT.
The specific functions of our Local Governing Body are laid out in the Trust’s Scheme of Delegation, linked below. Our LGB's responsibilities are:
- To ensure high standards of achievement for all pupils by supporting our Catholic vision and aims, in harmony with the Trust’s mission and strategic direction.
- Both support and challenge leaders on the educational performance of our school and its pupils, and their well-being and safety.
- Support SLT generally and with specific emphasis on target setting, pupil monitoring and analysing progress data to inform curriculum & budgeting priorities.
- Monitor the school budget ensuring prudence, probity & efficiency.
- Support SLT with staffing structure, recruitment and performance management.
- Responsible for staff welfare and well-being, support SLT in monitoring absence.
- Promote collaboration with all schools, ensure school is meeting community need.
- Develop and review delegated school policies (e.g. admissions, behaviour).
- Provide a point of contact for parents and other members of the community.
- Evaluate performance ensuring appropriate development, skills and behaviour.
Our Chair of Governors for the Local Governing Body at Saint Edmund Arrowsmith Catholic Academy is Mrs Gill Donohue, she can be contacted by emailing or sending a letter to school, care of the admin office to pass on to her: Cumber Lane, Whiston, Knowsley, Merseyside, L35 2XG; email: admin@seaca.pfcmat.org.
Academic year 2023-2024, governance information:
SEACA Declaration of Interests Register for LGB 2024-2025
SEACA LGB Details and Attendance 2023-2024
Scheme of Delegation and Terms of Reference
SEACA Higher Paid Staff Information
If you would like to review copies of any of our governance minutes, or if you have any questions about governance at SEACA or Pope Francis CMAT, please email info@pfcmat.org and we will pass this on to our Governance Director to help you.
Trust Board
Governance at our Trust is strong and balanced. It offers professional support and challenge so that leaders push themselves while maintaining a laser-like focus on results and quality.
The Pope Francis CMAT website contains the Trust's financial information, Articles of Association, Memorandum of Understanding, Master Funding Agreement, as well as up to date information on the Trust board's meetings and membership:
Our Governance Structure
Members
The Members of The Pope Francis Catholic MAT are equivalent to shareholders of a trading company. As the Trust is charitable, with no power to distribute profit to shareholders, they are best viewed as guardians of the constitution - changing the Articles if necessary and ensuring the charitable object is fulfilled.
The Archbishop, through the Diocesan Education Department, also exercises oversight and supervision as diocesan authority. All Trust Governors are required to observe directions issued by on on behalf of the Archbishop.
Directors
Decision making and accountability for Pope Francis CMAT rests with the Directors, who are Directors for charity law purposes and company directors registered with Companies House. They are personally responsible for the actions of the Trust and its Academies, accountable to the Members, Secretary of State for Education and the wider community for the quality of education and spending of public money.
The Directors have systems in place through which they can assure themselves of the quality, safety and good practice of the affairs of the Trust. They meet as a board and delegate aspects of governance and the day to day oversight of school leadership to Local Governing Bodies within each academy. Other committees established by the Board may by tasked with fulfilling particular functions or advising the Directors on strategic matters.
Local Governing Boards (LGBs)
The role of a Local Governor within our Trust is an important one - the Trust has sought to ensure that, as much as possible, the responsibility to govern is vested in those closest to the impact of decision making and that such responsibility matches the capacity of those assuming responsibility.
The Trust Board has established LGBs for each Academy, including Saint Edmund Arrowsmith Catholic Academy, for the most part made up of individuals drawn from our community, both as elected and appointed members. Those serving on the Local Governing Body are accountable to the Directors and the Archbishop, and must ensure that, at all times, they act in good faith and in the best interests of the Academies and the Trust, exercising reasonable care and skill, and having particular regard to local knowledge and experience.
Our Governors share a common belief that children should receive an education of the best possible quality. Staff Governors are teachers or other employees of the Academy who are elected into office by their colleagues. Parent Governors are elected onto the Governing Body by parents of pupils currently attending the Academy. Foundation Governors are appointed by Archbishop to represent and sustain their interests and priorities. The Chair of Governors forum is made up of the Chairs of LGBs, which meets termly and provides a clear link between the Directors Board and the LGBs.
Governors Area
Use these buttons to login to your account with NGA or GovernorHub, click to view our governance dashboards, and book your training with Sefton Governor Services:
National Governance Association
Joining our Governance Team
If you are a skilled and experienced sector leader looking to volunteer as a member of the Local Governing Body (LGB) at St Edmund Arrowsmith Catholic Academy, or as a Director on our Trust Board, please get in touch by emailing: info@pfcmat.org.
Our governing board is an integral part of the strategic running of our school and core members of our St Edmund Arrowsmith leadership team. Our whole-Trust governing team ensures best practice in three layers of accountability. On a local level, Local Governing Bodies (LGBs) like ours hold each Headteacher to account for what is delivered in their academy, each LGB at PFCMAT has a strong level of responsibility for their school's progress and success through our Trust's governing principle of subsidiarity. Our Directors are responsible for the strategic priorities of the Trust and our Members Board ensure compliance with charity and Company law requirements.
Our LGB governors and Directors attend half-termly face to face meetings as a full board, and are usually members of additional committees in areas such as standards and safeguarding or Catholic life, with some additional meetings as relevant over the year.
Our governors have a strong sense of integrity and live out the Nolan Principles of Public Life and the Academy Trust Governance Code. They are committed members of our community who can have a significant impact on how well our school is run and what pupils and staff can achieve.
You can find out more about becoming a Local Governor, or Trust Director (Trustee) through the NGA, and in their introductory video below: