St Mary Magdalene Catholic Primary School has a governing body consisting of 12 governors, these are the headteacher, a Milton Keynes Council appointed governor, two elected parent governors, a teacher governor and 7 foundation governors appointed by the diocese of Northampton.  

The governing body has recently undertaken a review and as a result of this has reconstituted.  The term of office for all governors is 4 years.

The full governing body meets once a term across the school year. In between these meetings the governors work via a committee system, utilising the different skills and expertise of governors. Each committee has a clear terms of reference and operates within a framework of delegated decision making. The headteacher sits on each committee.

There are two working committees with specific functions, each of which also meets three times a year.  These are:

Resources

This committee is primarily responsible for finance, staffing and premises.

Teaching and Learning

This committee is concerned with the quality of teaching and the school curriculum.

Our school community has always been keen to promote the strong catholic ethos of St Mary Magdalene school, to be involved in new initiatives and in shaping the future of the schools vision and aims.  Governors are very involved in these areas alongside the headteacher and senior leaders.  Improving standards and attainment are key areas for governors as we all work together to enable all of our pupils to fulfil their potential. 

The governors are responsible for staff appointments and participate in shortlisting and interviews. They agree and approve the key priorities of The School Improvement Plan, approve and monitor the school budget and ensure out statutory policies are in place.

We are fortunate that our governors are regular visitors to the school.  During these visits they talk to pupils, undertake learning walks, meet curriculum co-ordinators and follow up their monitoring visits with written reports.

A register of pecuniary interest is maintained and updated every year.  This ensures there is openess and transparency on personal interest.  It also ensures no governor benefits personally from decisions they make. These interests can be found in the table below. 

Impact Statement

The impact that governors have on the school is as follows:-

• governors are aware of schools financial position and can make decisions in an informed and strategic manner.
• governors have a clear understanding of financial regulations followed in the school and ensure the budget is managed effectively.
• governors are able to allocate funds appropriately eg:- intervention groups, staffing.
• governors can appoint suitable staff.
• governors can support and challenge the headteacher about achievement targets.
• governors know the children and staff.
• governors monitor pupil premium spending to ensure effective use.
• governors can agree SEN spending and effective allocation due to their knowledge of numbers and need.
• governors are aware of safeguarding procedures, have undertaken training, they ensure policy and practice is in place regarding child protection and appointments.
• governors undertake termly Health & Safety Inspections.
• governors ensure 10% of curriculum time is allocated to RE.
• governors monitor school website to ensure DfE compliance.
• governors review policies on a programmed basis ensuring guidance is up to date.
• governors analyse data, raise questions, challenge and hold staff accountable for school standards.

 

The school is a popular choice for parents with waiting lists in place across the year groups.

There are also a number of individual roles fulfilled by governors in addition to their collective responsibilities. These are:

• St Mary Magdalene Catholic Primary School

 

Governing Body October 2024

 

Name	Category	Role	Committee	Terms of Office	Register of Business Interests
Mrs Laura Maw	Foundation Governor (Chair)	RE & PSHE/RSE governor	Children & Learning	31/08/2025	None
Mrs Faye Duncan	Foundation Governor (Co-Chair)	Health & Safety, Humanities and Art	Resources	31/08/2027	None
Mrs Jo Byrne	Foundation Governor	Performance Mangement and Mental Health and Wellness governor	Children & Learning	09/10/2026	None
Mrs Mary Holland	LA Appointed	Admissions, RE, Performance Management, Child Protection & Safeguarding and RE governor	Resources	10/10/2025	Daughter employed at the school
Mrs Rosemarie Jones	Foundation Governor	Child Protection  & Safeguarding governor	All Committees	31/08/2022 to date	Employed at the school.  Son employed at the school
Mrs Kathryn Williams	Staff  Governor	SEN governor	All Committees	05/12/2026	Employed at the school
Ms Joanne Farragher	Foundation Governor	Literacy and Development governor	Children & Learning	31/12/2024	None
Mrs Stefania Ferreira	Foundation Governor	Pupil Premium governor	Children & Learning	31/03/2025	None
Mr Edward Sekpe	Foundation Governor	Numeracy governor	Resource	31/10/2025	None
Mrs Kyrene Poku	Parent Governor	Child Protection & Safeguarding, PE and Nursery governor	Children & Learning	31/08/2026	None
Ms Eleanor Barnes	Foundation Governor	Music and SEN governor	Resource	08/01/2027	None
Mrs Colette Lighthill	Associate Member	Mental Health & Wellbeing, Pupil Achievement, GDPR, ICT governor	Resource	31/08/2026	Employed at school
Miss Thett Nyunt	Parent Governor	to be assigned	to be assigned	06/10/2028	None
Mrs Fola Akinsowon	Foundation Governor	Equality policy governor	to be assigned	01/12/2028	None

All governors have voting rights with the exception of co-opted governors.