Our Vision
To serve the parishes of Our Blessed Lady Immaculate, Blackhill and Our Lady of the Rosary, Shotley Bridge and support families in educating their children in a happy, calm and safe environment where they feel surrounded by God’s love.
It is our vision to provide our children with experiences and opportunities which enable them to become happy, confident and successful adults who contribute positively to the community.
Our aim is to be an outstanding Catholic school, developing and retaining committed and inspirational staff and providing our children with a meaningful education at the heart of our parish community.
St Mary’s Governing Body
Upon joining Bishop Wilkinson Catholic Education Trust, the Governing Body of St Mary’s was re-constituted in March 2021 and now consists of:
- Headteacher
- One Parent Governor (elected by all parents)
- One Staff Governor (elected by the staff of St Mary’s Catholic Primary School)
- One Additional Governor (elected by the Local Governing Committee)
- Six Foundation Governors (people from the parish, nominated by Hexham and Newcastle Roman Catholic Diocese and approved by the Governing Body)
Our Chair of Governors is Dr Joanna Marshall and the Vice-Chair is Mrs Louise Milbourne
Our Purpose
Although the Headteacher manages the school from day to day, it is the governors, as a corporate body, who are legally responsible for the school and who work together to make decisions which are in the best interest of the children. We are responsible for supporting and challenging the school to provide the best possible education for all children. As a Governing Body we have three core strategic functions:
- Ensuring clarity of vision, ethos and strategic direction
- Holding the Headteacher to account for the educational performance of the school and its pupils, and the performance management of staff; and
- Overseeing the financial performance of the school and making sure its money is well sent.
Governors Also:
- Support and challenge the Headteacher in managing the school
- Work alongside the Headteacher to determine and agree the School Improvement Plan and set the aims and objectives for the school
- Determine the policies for the achieving those aims and objectives and monitor their effectiveness
- Set the targets for achieving those aims and objectives
- Monitor and evaluate the progress the school is making towards achieving its aims and objectives
- Appoint Staff
- Prepare and set the budget and monitor school finances
In practice this usually involves scrutiny and supervision of the Headteacher’s recommendations. However, all of the above are ultimately the responsibility of the governors.
Financial Benchmarking
Mr Miller, the Headteacher, and the governors use the Department for Education’s (DfE’s) Schools Financial Benchmarking website to find similar schools and then compare their per-pupil revenue and expenditure data against spending at St Mary’s. This allows the school to identify areas where spending is comparatively high or low.
Mr Miller works closely with the governors when considering financial decisions, and the Senior Leadership Team are also consulted when developing the systems and processes the school has in place to help ensure spending is efficient and results in the best outcomes for our pupils.
Please click on the link to find out more about financial benchmarking and our school Benchmarking Information.
Governors in School
The Chair of Governors meets regularly with the Headteacher, discussing relevant issues, supporting and at times providing challenge across a range of areas. All governors monitor key areas across the school with a specific focus on ensuring progress is made towards strategic goals and priorities laid out in the School Improvement Plan.
Contacting the Governing Body
The Governing Body welcomes suggestions, feedback and ideas from parents and carers. Please contact the Chair of Governors, Dr Joanna Marshall via the school office or send an email to: blackhillstmary@durhamlearning.net
View the Governing Body Committee Structure
Click on each name to find out more about each Governor and their responsibilities.
| Name | Category | Term of Office | Responsibilities | Register of Interests | Relationship to Staff | Admissions | *First Committee | Headteacher Appraisal | Second Committee (Appeals) | Children and Community |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mr David Miller - Headteacher | Headteacher | 15/3/21 ongoing | Ex-Officio | None | None | ✓ | ✓ | |||
| Dr Joanna Marshall | Foundation | 15/3/21 - 14/3/25 | Chair | None | None | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | |
| Mrs Louise Milbourne | Foundation | - | Vice- Chair PE | None | None | ✓ | ✓ | |||
| Father Tom McHale | Foundation | 15/3/21 - 14/3/25 | Parish Priest RE & Ethos | None | None | ✓ | ✓ | |||
| Mrs Kathryn Hunter | Foundation | 15/3/21 - 14/3/25 | Safeguarding MFL | None | None | ✓ | ✓ | |||
| Mrs Michelle Dale | Foundation | 15/3/21 - 14/3/25 | - | None | None | ✓ | ✓ | |||
| Rev Chris Callan | Foundation | 15/3/21 - 14/3/25 | Pupil Premium Covid Premium | None | None | ✓ | ✓ | |||
| Mr Chris Affleck | Parent | 3/3/21 - 15/3/25 | SEND Mental Health | None | None | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | |
| Mr Ian McGeorge | Additional Governor | 26/2/21 - 19/3/25 | Health & Safety | None | None | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ||
| Mrs Michelle Ross | Staff | 20/3/21 - 19/3/25 | - | None | None | ✓ | ✓ |
*First Committee (Complaints, Exclusions, Reorganisation, Grievances, Capability, Disciplinary)
How To Become A School Governor
If you require further information on the roles and responsibilities of School Governors or you are interested in becoming one, visit the Durham County Council website School Governor section.
Governor Attendance
Schools are required to display a record of Governor attendance at meetings for each school academic year.
KEY
✓ – Attended meeting
A – Apologies sent and accepted by meeting
N – Did not attend
n/a – Not a member of the committee
Record of Attendance 2022-2023
| Committee | Mr David Miller | Dr Joanne Marshall | Mrs Louise Milbourne | Father Tom McHale | Mrs Kathryn Hunter | Mrs Michelle Dale | Rev Chris Callan | Mr Chris Affleck | Mr Ian McGeorge | Mrs Michelle Ross | Mrs Michelle Butler | Mrs Amanda Bates | Miss Steph Hughes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Meeting | |||||||||||||
| Meeting | |||||||||||||
| Meeting |
Archived Attendance and Structure
You can also view previous years attendance on our website.
Committee Terms of Reference
We will be adding this information soon.
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