Governors

Annual letter from the Chair of Governors 2018

Dear children, parents and all our school community,

I write to update you on our school from the Governing Body perspective.

We were thrilled that the recent Diocesan inspection led to the school being awarded an Outstanding rating. Further congratulations are also due with regard to being in the Top 5 Best Performing schools in Haringey.

It is always great to get external recognition for the hard work and effort that is put in on a daily basis and it is important to celebrate these achievements. Praise and thanks are due to all the teachers, staff, families and of course the pupils. The pupils are always the stars of the show, and they continue to rise to the occasion. Well done all!

Equally fantastic was winning the inaugural Aquinas Cup and we look forward to ever more sporting success for our school with the new “cage” developing sports stars of the future.

As a governing body, we were delighted to welcome three new members this year. Catherine Smith joined as a Foundation Governor along with Tomasz Ptak and Zofia Wozniak-Rutkiewicz as elected Parent Governors. We thank them for their valuable input and contributions in their new roles. 

I myself am completing my first year as Chair of Governors. I would like to thank all the other Governors and staff at SJV for their help and support over the year and look forward to another busy and rewarding year in 2018/19. Special thanks to my predecessor, Susan Goddard, who has remained on as an associate governor to manage a smooth transition.

We were enthused that the response to parent governor vacancies led to elections, it demonstrates the levels of commitment out there to our school. There will be a vacancy for a Foundation Governor from September 2018, which could be filled by a parent of a child in the school. If you are interested, please contact any of the current governors or the school, further information is available via the school website also.

Wishing you all a happy and relaxing summer break. 

Best regards, 

Eoin Hourigan

Chair of Governors - July 2018

The Role of a School Governor The role of the school governor is to contribute to the work of the Governing Body in raising standards of achievement for all pupils. This involves providing a strategic view for the school, acting as a critical friend and ensuring accountability. The individual governor has a responsibility, working alongside other members of the Governing Body, to the staff and pupils of the school, the school’s wider community and where they are representatives, to their particular group (parents; staff; teachers; church; etc).

 Responsibilities include:

• developing the strategic plan for the school;
• determining aims, policies and priorities of the school;
• setting statutory and non-statutory targets;
• monitoring and evaluating the work of the school;
• appointment of staff and ensuring the implementation of a range of personnel procedures;
• management of the budget;
• securing high levels of attendance and good standards of pupil behaviour;
• ensuring that all children in the schools have access to a broad and balanced curriculum which is suitable to age, aptitude and ability, which prepares them for adult life;
• ensuring the health and safety of pupils and staff.

Tasks include:

• to get to know the school, its needs, strengths and areas for development;
• to attend meetings (full Governing Body, committees and working groups);
• to work as a member of a team;
• to speak, act and vote in the best interests of the school;
• to represent the perspectives of groups, where appropriate;
• to respect all Governing Body decisions and to support them in public;
• to act within the framework of the policies of the Governing Body and legal requirements;
• to commit to training and development opportunities.

St John Vianney Catholic School Governing Body

Foundation Governors 

Foundation Governors are appointed in the name of the Archbishop and form the majority of the Governing Body. They have a legal duty to preserve and develop the Catholic character of the school. They must:

• Be familiar with and supportive of the policies and procedures of the Diocese;
• Represent those policies to the Governing Body;
• Consider not only the interests of the individual school but the interests of other Catholic schools throughout the Diocese;
• Respond to the needs of the Catholic community as a whole as represented by the Archbishop.

 Local Authority Governors 

Local Authority Governors are appointed by the Local Authority in which the school is situated. All Local Authority Governors are expected to be committed to raising standards at the school to which they are appointed.

Elected Governors 

Parents and staff elect representatives to the Governing Body. Elected Governors although representatives for particular groups are not delegates for that group.

The Governing Body Committees

Committees are set up to deal with the statutory duties of the Governing Body. They formulate policies and are delegated to make decisions on behalf of the Governing Body within their terms of reference.

 The main committees are:

Resources Committee (covering Personnel, Finance, Premises and Health and Safety) 

Chair: Catherine Smith

Members: Fr. Joe Ryan, Connor McIntrye, Mary Monoghan, Stephen McNicholas, Nuala Kennedy, Tomasz Ptak

School Improvement Committee (covering Curriculum, Achievement and Admissions)

Chair: Glen D’Souza

Members: Susan Goddard, Siobhan Clarke, Susan Griffin, Stephen McNicholas, Nuala Kennedy, Zofia Wozniak-Rutkiewicz