Governing Board Membership
Name of Governing Board: St Bernadette’s Catholic Primary School
The remit for the Governing Board is to:
- Ensure clarity of vision, ethos and strategic direction;
- Hold the headteacher to account for the educational performance of the school and its pupils, and the performance management of staff; and
- Oversee the financial performance of the school and making sure it’s money is well spent.
The structure of the Governing Board at St Bernadette’s is a circle model. The Governing Board works collectively as a ‘whole team’, meeting seven times per year, once in each half term including the Business Meeting, without any separate committees, except for the pay committee which reports directly to the Board.
SCHOOL GOVERNORS
Click on the link to visit the Wigan Council website to view information re School Governors, including how to become a Local Authority governor:Â Wigan Council Link
See details to view information re Foundation Governor, including how to become a Foundation Governor: Foundation Governor BookletÂ
g.donohoe@rcaol.org.uk
0151 522 1059
GOVERNORS ROLES & RESPONSIBILITIES
Each governor has a role to play within the full governing body and is assigned a specific area of school life to monitor and evaluate its effectiveness within the school.
Specific Responsibilities
| Responsibility | Name |
| Vulnerable Children Governor (including Safeguarding/Child Protection/Pupil Premium/Looked After Children & Attendance) | Mrs Amy Pennington |
| SEND Governor | Mrs Rebecca Whitaker |
| Financial Liaison | Mrs Marianne Halliwell |
| GDPR & Governors for Conflict Resolution | Mrs Chris Mason |
| Governor for RE, Spiritual Life, Ethos and Mission | Mrs Liz Garner |
| Headteacher’s Appraisal Panel | Mrs Chris Mason and Mrs Kathy Hall |
|
Clerk to the Governing Board |
Mrs Charlotte Farnworth |
| Ad-hoc Committees: |
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Three governors with no prior knowledge will be called alphabetically to form the committee. Drawn up (in alphabetical order) when required as outlined in the Scheme of Delegation for Staffing Matters. |
Governor Engagement
To ensure that governors are fully versed in the effective delivery of the school curriculum they are assigned to curriculum areas to enable them to get to know the staff and children and monitor progress over a school year. Governors are also invited to share in school life. This could be by way of working with groups of children on a particular topic, accompanying them on school trips, joining them in class/school celebrations etc.
Link Governor Roles 2025-2026
Governor Training 2024-2025
Governor Attendance
Terms of Office
| Names of Governors | Type of Governor | Term of Office | Date of appointment | Date of resignation (if resigned in the last 12 months) | Appointing Body |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mr Peter Rushton | Foundation | 01.09.20 – 31.08.24 | 01.09.12 | 31.08.23 | Archdiocese of Liverpool |
| Mrs Marianne Halliwell (Vice Chair) | Foundation | 16.03.22 – 15.03.26 | 01.09.14 | N/A | Archdiocese of Liverpool |
| Mr Rory Orlandi | Foundation | 21.07.20 - 20.07.24 | 21.07.20 | 31.08.22 | Archdiocese of Liverpool |
| Mrs Margaret Quinn | Foundation | 01.09.18 – 31.08.22 | 01.09.14 | 31.08.22 | Archdiocese of Liverpool |
| Mrs Jane Corner | Foundation | 22.07.21 – 21.07.25 | 22.07.13 | 04.01.24 | Archdiocese of Liverpool |
| Mrs Elizabeth Prior | Foundation | 16.07.20 - 15.07.24 | 16.07.20 | 15.07.24 | Archdiocese of Liverpool |
| Mrs Elizabeth Garner | Foundation | 28.06.21 - 25.06.25 | 28.06.21 | N/A | Archdiocese of Liverpool |
| Dr James Dewey | Local Authority | 29.05.20 – 28.05.24 | Pre-2000 | 04.07.23 | Appointed by Wigan MBC |
| Mrs Helen Crowder | Headteacher | 01.09.21 - indefinite | 01.09.21 | N/A | Ex Officio |
| Mrs Isla Li | Staff | 01.03.22 - 28.02.26 | 01.03.18 | N/A | Elected by staff |
| Mr Ben Spence | Parent | 05.12.19 - 04.12.23 | 05.12.19 | 04.12.23 | Parents |
| Mrs Danielle Trickett | Parent | 16.09.21 - 15.09.25 | 16.09.21 | 08.03.24 | Parents |
| Mrs Rebecca Whittaker | Local Authority | 27.09.23 - 26.09.27 | 27.09.23 | N/A | Appointed by Wigan MBC |
| Mrs Amy Pennington | Parent | 11.12.23 - 10.12.27 | 11.12.23 | N/A | Parents |
| Mrs Chris Mason (Chair) | Foundation | 01.09.22 - 31.08.26 | 01.09.22 | N/A | Archdiocese of Liverpool |
| Mrs Nuala Briscoe | Foundation | 08.07.24 - 07.07.28 | 08.07.24 | N/A | Archdiocese of Liverpool |
| Mrs Victoria Bateson | Parent | 22.05.24 - 21.05.28 | 22.06.24 | N/A | Parents |
| Mrs Fiona Brownsey | Foundation | 11.06.24 - 10.06.28 | 11.06.24 | 11.12.25 | Archdiocese of Liverpool |
| Vacancy | Foundation | Archdiocese of Liverpool | |||
| Vacancy | Foundation | Archdiocese of Liverpool | |||
| Vacancy | Foundation | Archdiocese of Liverpool |
 REGISTER OF INTERESTSÂ
| 2025-2026 | Details of Pecuniary Interest | Details of personal interest |
|---|---|---|
| Mrs Marianne Halliwell (Vice Chair) | I.T. Project Manager (Agilisys) Director of John Halliwell Ltd (property business) | Nil |
| Mrs Isla Li | Teacher ~ St. Bernadette's Catholic Primary School | Nil |
| Mrs Helen Crowder | Headteacher ~ St. Bernadette’s Catholic Primary School | Parent |
| Mrs Elizabeth Garner | Teacher ~ St. Cuthbert's Catholic Primary School | Parent |
| Mrs Chris Mason (Chair) | Retired | Nil |
| Mrs Rebecca Whittaker | Teacher ~ Oakfield High School and College | Nil |
| Mrs Amy Pennington | Nil | Parent |
| Mrs Nuala Briscoe | Teacher ~ Thornleigh Salesian College | Parent |
| Mrs Victoria Bateson | Nil | Parent |
The Governors of St Bernadette’s Catholic Primary School believe it is important that the Governing Board reflects the diversity of our school community. Diverse Boards promote inclusive school environments and provide diverse role models for our children and young people.
Data is currently collected on the diversity of the Board, which is used to inform our recruitment and training needs to ensure that there is always a diverse range of perspectives around the table to support robust decision making. However, due to our relatively small Board we do not publish this data online as individual Governors could be identified and we have a legal obligation to protect their personal data.