St Patrick's Catholic Primary Academy

Our Academy Council

Our Academy Council of school governors are responsible for the vision and strategic direction of St Patrick's Primary Academy, working alongside the Blessed Peter Snow Catholic Academy Trust. They hold the Headteacher and leadership team to account for how well pupils achieve and progress educationally, for the quality of the curriculum, the effectiveness of teaching and learning and ensuring clarity of the Catholic vision. 

The Academy Council takes a strategic role, acting as a critical friend and should be accountable for its decisions. It will set aims and objectives and will agree, monitor and review policies, targets and priorities. It will do this by focusing on four strategic core functions.

1. Ensuring clarity of vision, ethos, and strategic direction at school level, with particular attention to ensuring that the Catholic Life of the school is at the heart of everything that is done;
2. Holding leadership at all levels to account for the educational performance of the school and its pupils (standards) and the performance management of staff;
3. Holding leadership at all levels to account for the quality of the curriculum, which also includes extra-curricular, sports, arts, and additional provision, e.g., Forest school;
4. Membership of statutory panels, eg., appointments, disciplinary, appeals, exclusions.

Following academisation, joining the Blessed Peter Snow Catholic Academy Trust in January 2022, the Trust Board now hold the responsibility for ensuring the effective financial management of the school budgets. This work is mainly completed by the Trust Finance Team led by the Director of Finance, Mr N Aurangzeb. For more information regarding the Blessed Peter Snow Catholic Academy Trust Board please click the following link 

https://www.bpstrust.org.uk/Trust-Governors/

St Patrick's full Academy Council meets four times a year, with a Governor Evaluation day at the end of the academic year. There are also two sub-committees that meet an additional three times a year each and these are where the work of the academy council is largely carried out. The core sub-committees are:

• Catholic Life and Wellbeing Committee which is responsible for ensuring we live, learn and grow in the Light of Christ and that we support the development of the whole child, the RE Curriculum, RHE/PSHE Curriculum, links with St Patrick's parish, Safeguarding including attendance alongside Mental Health and Wellbeing.
• Standards and Curriculum Committee which is responsible for the curriculum, standards and achievement and school improvement.

There are also a number of other sub-committees that come together as and when required: Headteacher Appraisal, Admissions, Staff Dismissal, Dismissal Appeal, and Pupil Discipline.

In addition, all governors also have special responsibilities and as such visit school once a term to meet with key staff in school and discuss the key developments and effectiveness of the link area: Special Educational Needs, Early Years, Governor Training, Looked after Children, Safeguarding and Child Protection, Mental Health and Wellbeing and Pupil Premium/PE and Sports Premium, Pupil Learning and Progress.   

 Please click on the link to see the Governor Link roles in 2023-2024:  https://www.stpatricksbirstall.co.uk/ourschool/ourgovernors/governor-link-roles

Below provides the names of the governors on our Academy Council:

To find out more about the governors please look at 'Introducing our Governors' page: https://www.stpatricksbirstall.co.uk/ourschool/ourgovernors/introducing-our-governing-board-1

Our clerk to the governors is Wolfgang Schonenberg       Term of Office: 11/10/2021 - 10/10/2025 

Please find below a link to the Blessed Peter Snow Catholic Multi-Academy Trust Governance structure: