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Instrument of Government:

1.The name of the school is The District Church of England Primary School.

2. The school is a Voluntary Controlled School.

3. The name of the Governing Body is The Governing Body of The District Church of England Primary School.

4. The Governing Body shall consist of:

(a) 3 Parent Governors

(b) 1 LA Governor

(c) 1 Staff Governor

(d) The Head Teacher

(e) 3 Co-opted Governors

(f) 2 Foundation Governors

5. Total number of Governors : 11 (The Head Teacher to give written notice that s/he chooses not to be a Governor).

6. Foundation Governors to be appointed by the Parochial Church Council of the Parish in which the school is situated.

7. The holder(s) of the following office shall be a Foundation Governor ex-officio:

(a) The Principal Officiating Minister for the Parish of St. John, Earlestown.

8. The Archdeacon of the Archdeaconry within which the school is situated shall appoint a Foundation Governor to act in the place of the ex-officio Foundation Governor whose Governorship derives from the office named in (a) above, in the event that the ex-officio Foundation Governor is unable or unwilling to act as a Foundation Governor, or has removed from office under Regulations 23(2) of the Regulations.

9. The Archdeacon of the Archdeaconry within which the school is situated can request the removal of any ex-officio Foundation Governor at 8(a) above and to appoint a substitute Governor.

10 The term of office for all governors is 4 years.

11. This Instrument of Government comes into effect on 1st September, 2015.

12. This Instrument was made by order of the St. Helens Council Local Education Authority on 25th August, 2015 to comply with Part 5 (Regulations 26-31) of the School Governance (Constitution) (England) Regulations 2012.

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Upcoming Events

There are no upcoming events at this time.

What Do Governors Do?

Governors oversee the development of the school but don’t manage it day-to-day. Governors are responsible for providing strategic management, being a ‘critical friend’ and making executive decisions. The governing body makes sure the school provides a good quality education, and sets the school aims and policies together with the Head teacher. There are different categories of governor on a governing body, some elected and some appointed. This mix ensures a diversity of views and experience, but doesn’t mean that governors of a particular category “represent” that group. For example, parent governors don’t act as representatives of the parents of the school and don’t report back to them – rather, they bring a broad parental perspective to discussion and debate. Governors are responsible for promoting high standards of educational achievement and enabling the head teacher and the staff to deliver these, as well as planning the school’s long-term future, overseeing its aims, values and ethos, and monitoring its performance.  This involves:

  • setting the school’s vision and aims
  • establishing & maintaining the school’s ethos
  • setting the school’s plans and policies
  • monitoring and evaluating school performance
  • agreeing budgets, policies and objectives and making sure these are met

Meetings of the full governing body are held at least once a term, normally in an evening, with governors normally giving up around 6-8 hours per month. Governors can also sit on some of the committees that look at things like finance, curriculum, staffing and premises. Occasionally, being a governor can be hard work. There may sometimes be a lot of papers to read, meetings to attend and, sometimes, difficult decisions to be made.

Governor Membership

Current Membership 

Type Full Name Appointed by Start term End term Office held
Co-Opted Tom Richardson Governors 16/03/2023 15/03/2027
Parent Kelly Dodd Governors 16/03/2023 15/03/2027
Associate Member* Mandy Pierce Governors 01/04/2021 31/08/2025
Associate* Mrs Claire Ryder Governors 07/03/2019 06/03/2023
Co-opted Mr Frank Maguire Governors 1/09/2019 31/08/2023 Chair of Governors
Foundation Reverend Tim Griffiths Diocese 01/09/2022 31/08/2026
Foundation Vacant Diocese
Local Authority Cllr Terry Maguire LA 07/12/2021 06/12/2025
Parent Mr Mike Bevan Parents 22/05/2018 21/05/2022
Parent Mrs Tina Thomas Parents 22/10/2020 22/10/2024 Vice Chair
Parent Mr. Brian Stanley Governors 01/04/2022 31/03/2026
Staff Mrs Sue Swift Staff 18/10/2017 17/10/2021
Head Teacher Mrs Lavern Shelford Governors //01/09/2017/ ongoing Head Teacher
Outgoing Governors
Co Opted Lisa Cunliffe

Associate Member + no voting rights

Associate Member* has voting rights

Governor Declaration

Name

Relevant Business and Pecuniary interests Governance Role
in other
Educational
Institutions

Any material interest
arising from
relationships between
governors and
school staff

Sharon Jevans None declared None declared None declared
Mike Bevan None declared None declared None declared
Mandy Pierce Maternal Aunt External Auditor None declared None declared
Tom Richardson None declared None declared None declared
Sharon Jevans None declared None declared None declared
Frank Maguire None declared Governor/Trustee
for other
NW schools
and academies
None declared
Claire Ryder None declared None declared None declared
Sue Swift None declared None declared None declared
Kelly Dodd None declared None declared None declared
Tina Thomas Works for Learn to Play Live None declared None declared
Lavern Shelford None declared None declared None declared

Outgoing Governors

 

Name Relevant Business and Pecuniary interests Governance Role
in other
Educational
Institutions
Any material interest
arising from
relationships between
governors and
school staff
Mrs N Knight None Declared. None Declared None Declared
Mrs L Cunliffe None Declared None Declared None Declared
Nominated Governors
Governor Forum Representative Shared
Compliance Mike Bevan
Safeguarding and vulnerable groups inc. pupil premium Frank Maguire
Teaching, assessment and learning standards Tina Thomas/Sue Swift

 

Resources Committee

Remit

Quorum : 3 governors – Chair is elected at first committee meeting and terms of reference reviewed

  • Finance Management and budget setting/monitoring
  • Pay Decisions – appraisal process
  • HR – including recruitment, redundancy, staffing structure, staffing policies
  • Premises, health & safety, lettings
  • Quality and reliability of 2, 3, 4 year old provision, breakfast/after school
  • Safeguarding and equality
  • Lettings Policy
  • Charging Policy

Membership

L Shelford, M Pierce  (voting rights), Cllr Maguire, F Maguire, Vacant, T Thomas (Chair), C Ryder, T Richardson

Governor Resources Committee Autumn 2023 Resources Committee Spring 2024 Resources Committee Summer 2024
L Shelford Y
F Maguire Y
S Jevans N
Cllr Maguire Y
M Pierce Y
C Ryder Y
Mr B Stanley N
Mr. T Richardson Y
Learning and Progress Committee

Remit

Quorum : 3 governors – Chair is elected at first committee meeting and terms of reference reviewed

  • School improvement standards and statutory obligations under the National Curriculum.
  • School’s performance from SATs results, QCA results, teacher assessments and other performance data.
  • School website compliancy
  • Safeguarding and SEND
  • PSHE

Membership

L Shelford, B Stanley, M Bevan, F Maguire (Chair), K Dodd, T Thomas, C Ryder

Governor Learning & Progress Autumn 2023 Learning & Progress Spring 2024 Learning & Progress Summer 2024
L Shelford
L Cunliffe
M Bevan
F Maguire
C Ryder
M Pierce
K Dodd
B Stanley
Other Committees
Pupil Discipline Committee
Frank Maguire
Tina Thomas
Mike Bevan
Head Teacher’s Performance Management
Frank Maguire
Tina Thomas
Complaints Committee
Frank Maguire
Vacant
Tina Thomas

Mike Bevan

Dismissal/Appeals Committee
3 non-staff governors to be selected for each committee when required
Governing Body Attendance (current year)

The District C E Primary – Governor Attendance at Full Governing Body Meetings 2023/24

The District CofE Primary School

Attendance

Y = Attended, N = Apologies Accepted, NA = Apologies not Accepted, NS = No Apologies sent,

? = Attendance Not Marked, – = Not Required

Full governing board Full governing board Full governing board Full governing board
Governor Governor Type Sep 2023 Dec 2023 Mar 2024 Jul 2024
Reverend Tim Griffiths Foundation governor N N
Mr Michael Bevan Parent governor N N
Mr Heavey Clerk Y Y
Mandy Pierce Associate Member* Y Y
Vacant Foundation governor
Angela Webster Clerk
Sharon Jevans Co-opted governor N N
Mr Frank Maguire Co-opted governor Y Y
Cllr Maguire Local Authority Governor N N
Mr Tom Richardson Co-
Opted Governor
N N
Mrs. Kelly Dodd Parent Governor Y Y
Mrs Claire Ryder Associate Member* Y N
Ms Lavern Shelford Headteacher Y Y
Mrs Sue Swift Staff governor Y Y
Mrs Tina Thomas Parent governor Y Y
Ms Shirley Nield Clerk
Full Governing Body Attendance (past year)

The District C E Primary – Governor Attendance at Full Governing Body Meetings 2021/22

It is a requirement to hold a termly full governing body meeting and committee meetings.  These may increase dependent upon needs of the school

Name Autumn 1 2022 Autumn 2 2022 Spring 2023 Summer 2023
S Jevans No Yes Yes Yes
M Bevan Yes Yes Yes No
Rev T Griffiths Yes No No No
L Cunliffe Yes No
F Maguire Yes Yes Yes Yes
M Pierce Yes Yes Yes Yes
C Ryder Yes Yes No Yes
T Richardson Yes Yes
S Swift No Yes Yes Yes
T Thomas No Yes No Yes
B Stanley Yes Yes
Cllr T Maguire Yes No Yes Yes
L Shelford Yes Yes Yes Yes
K Dodd Yes Yes

Our Governors

Mr F Maguire (Co-opted Governor) I was Headteacher of Emmaus School, the first purpose built, joint denominational church school in the country. Prior to this I was Headteacher of a Primary school in Halewood.  In December 2007 I resigned in order to work as an Educational Consultant. I am also engaged independently by schools and Local Authorities to advise on raising standards, performance management, staffing structures, skills audits and create staffing needs which match financial circumstances. Other aspects of my work include acting as an adviser/consultant for the Diocese of Liverpool. I am a governor at two other schools and Member of the Board of the Rainbow Education Multi Academy Trust. I am proud of the work taking place at The District and believe we provide an atmosphere which rejoices in success and acknowledges real effort on the part of each individual. In our school, all children are of equal value and we strive to provide for each according to need offering positive encouragement and support. I have been a governor with The District since 2012.

Mrs L Shelford I am proud to be the Headteacher of The District CE, a school with a strong Christian ethos and a wonderful history. I have previously worked in Wigan, Bradford, Batley and other St Helens schools. Prior to taking up the post of Headteacher at The District, I was Head of School at Platt Bridge Community School in Wigan for two years and Deputy Headteacher for nine years. I have worked in eight previous schools and also as a Local Authority consultant. I have supported many schools in diverse contexts, and most of my career has been spent working in areas of socio-economic deprivation. I have two children and as a parent and an educationalist I am committed to ensuring that all children have the opportunity to succeed. I aim to ensure that all our pupils experience excellent educational provision, led and taught by highly skilled and nurturing adults. I am keen for parents to engage in school life and to support their child’s learning journey, throughout their time at The District.

Foundation Governor

Reverend Tim Griffiths

Hello, my name is Tim Griffiths and I have recently been appointed as a Foundation Governor of the District School. I am currently the Priest in charge of St. Michael’s Church Burtonwood and Associate Priest within the Newton Team Ministry with responsibility for St. John’s Church, Earlestown. I have some previous links with the area as I began my working life as an underground fitter at Parkside Colliery where I worked for ten years. I then trained as a teacher completing a Bachelor of Education Degree at Edge Hill College, Ormskirk. I worked for twenty- four years as a teacher in three different Primary schools across all year groups and holding various management positions. My work included seven years as staff representative Governor. I believe passionately that the main purpose of a Primary School, is to provide children with an education of high quality within their classrooms, in a safe and happy school environment. I look forward to joining the other Governors in supporting the work of the Headteacher and her staff and to developing further links between school and the church.

Mrs S Swift I have worked at the District CE Primary School since 2014 in my role as Head of Safeguarding and Extended Services.  I have worked within the Local Authority for many years, and have enjoyed  the day to day challenges of working with children and  families. In my role here at the school I have attended Governing Body and sub-committee meetings to deliver reports related to Safeguarding and Extended Services.  My work at the school enables me to develop good working relationships with our children, their parents, staff and many partner agencies.  I have developed a good knowledge of the local community and understand the dynamics of the local area.  I enjoy and thrive on the challenge that comes with every aspect of school life and about high quality education and each and every child reaching their full potential.  Nothing but the best is good enough.

Cllr Terry Maguire,
I am 60 years old and have been married to my dear wife Ann for 40 years, we have 2 children and 4 grandchildren. I am a family orientated man and my family mean the world to me.
I have had my own business since 1991 and employed many tradesmen and developed apprentices through that time
I have always enjoyed helping in our community and strongly believe everyone should give a little help and care towards others. Based on that philosophy, I developed Business For Youth in 2011.  BFY became a registered charity in 2016 and helps many children and families  in our town.  BFY and it’s team are a huge passion of mine
I was honoured to have recently been elected as a local councillor to represent the Earlestown ward and I will represent all in a dignified and respectful manner.
I now have the honour of becoming a school governor at District C of E school and hope to help that school in any way I can to achieve its goals.

Mrs T Thomas – Vice Chair I have 2 children who attend The District.  I have worked as a primary teacher for the last 15 years and am currently working as a Dance specialist in schools throughout the North West. I have been a parent governor for over 4 years. I am keen to support the school and its staff in developing all aspects of school life and moving the school forward to give our children the best start to their education.

Mr M Bevan – appointed May 2018 Hi, my name is Mike Bevan and I am a parent Governor, I have 3 children who have all attended The District.  My links with The District go back a long way, I and my 2 siblings also attended  and I  have  friends who I met through the school. During recent years I have seen many changes to the school and I truly believe that those changes have been for the better, the school is led in a positive way and provides a great atmosphere for all children to learn and feel safe,  I am proud to be part of the District family.  I am a Health and Safety Advisor for the North West Prison Service and believe that the skill-set I have for my job role can be transferred into my role as Governor to assist the school in progressing and developing.

.

Mrs S Jevans My interest in becoming a co-opted governor stems from my personal positive experience of attending a primary and secondary school in an underprivileged area of Warrington and remembering fondly the positive educational experiences which were afforded to me and other students which enabled us to reach our full potential, and have helped shape us into the adults we are today. I am presently the director with overall responsibility for the UK and Ireland’s leading independent lounge operator, Aspire, as well as a board director for one of the joint venture entities under my remit.  My background is in chartered accountancy, with my having completed an ACA qualification as part of a finance graduate scheme after university. My hope is to use my skills and knowledge to make a positive contribution to the education and social wellbeing of the children within The District C of E School so that all children have the opportunity to succeed in a safe and supportive environment.

Mandy Pierce

I have worked for the local Authority for over 20 years and involved with Governance at the school since 2019.  I have since had the opportunity to become the School Business Manager.  I look forward to gaining more experience and managing the school’s business objectives.

Mrs C Ryder 

I have worked at the District CE Primary School since January 2019 in my role as Deputy Headteacher.  I have previously worked in two other primary schools one in St Helens and the other was situated in Wigan. I am passionate about improving outcomes for our pupils, celebrating their differences and raising aspirations. I am committed to providing an environment that will support, encourage and motivate our pupils. I value working in partnership with our families and the wider community to help support our pupils to achieve their potential and enable them to flourish.

L.A. Officials undertake clerking for full Governing Body Meetings Office Supervisor – Mrs. Tamara Ellaby undertakes clerking for Resources and Learning and Progress Committees

Latest News

Take a look at our latest news posts below

BASC Play

Afterschool club had the opportunity to use our outdoor area. The children used the trim trail and then created their own games and showed great team work. What better way to burn off some energy!

Philharmonic 2024

Y5 and 6 are having a wonderful time at the Liverpool Philharmonic Hall to watch the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra perform an Olympics-themed concert. Outdoor learning - Spring Term Y2 had a great afternoon planting potatoes. This links with our...

Breakfast & After-School Club

After school club enjoyed icing and decorating some fairy cakes on Monday. Look at some of these designs! Hope they all enjoyed eating them at home. 🧁 😋 The children in afterschool club have been requesting paper aeroplanes, so on Monday we gave them a...

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district@sthelens.org.uk

TELEPHONE US

01744 678250

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Patterson Street, Merseyside, WA12 9PZ

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district@sthelens.org.uk

TELEPHONE US

01744 678250

FIND US

Patterson Street, Merseyside, WA12 9PZ

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