Governors
On behalf of the Governing Body I would like to welcome you to St. Gerard’s School website.
The aim of the Governors at our school is to work with the staff to help the children achieve their full potential in a happy and caring environment. We feel that the links between the school and home are vital and we hope that you will find this website useful.
As a Governing Body one of our roles is to be a ‘critical friend’, to challenge, support and give direction to the school leadership. We do this in a number of ways:
- Monitoring the performance and progress of the pupils in our school
- Monitoring and evaluating the Catholic life of the school
- Working with the staff who teach and care for our children
- Overseeing the finances and resources of the school
- Providing a strategic review of future planning for the school and the pupils.
The Governors are involved in working on a variety of committees which meet regularly and help in the smooth running of the school – Curriculum, Finance and Staffing, Health and Safety and Admissions. We have designated Governors for Special Needs and Child Protection. Each Governor also has a specialist subject responsibility eg. Literacy, Numeracy, ICT, Art, etc.
The Governing Body members represent all the key groups involved in the life of our school – the Parents, the School, the Church, the Community and the Local Authority.
We, like you, have the best interests of the pupils and school at the heart of what we are doing and in the decisions that we make to ensure that St. Gerard’s is a good school.
Mr David Logue
Chair of Governors
Mr David Logue, Chair of Governors
Governing Body Members
| Name | Type of Governor | Responsibilities |
|---|---|---|
| Mr D Logue | Chair of Governors, Foundation Governor | RE Link Governor |
| Mrs M McConnell | Vice Chair, Foundation Governor | SEND and Pupil Premium |
| Miss F Chadzutsa | Foundation Governor | Parish Link Governor |
| Mrs T Engamba | Foundation Governor | |
| Miss H Macilwraith | Foundation Governor | Safeguarding, Online Safety, Attendance, Mental Health and Wellbeing |
| Fr M Pinakkattu | Foundation Governor | Parish Priest |
| Laura Williams | Foundation Governor | Quality of Education Link Governor |
| (vacancy) | Foundation Governor | - |
| Miss N Estrella-Gomez | Parent Governor | - |
| (vacancy) | Parent Governor | - |
| Mr J Cunningham | LA Governor | Resources, Premises, Finance and Staffing Committee |
| Mrs K Bannister | Headteacher | - |
| Mrs A Martin | Staff Governor | Admissions and Quality of Education Committee |
| Mrs L Allen | Clerk to Governors | - |
Also see:
- Governor Register of Interests – 2023/24
- Governor Sub-Committees and Terms of Office – 2022/23
- Governor Attendance – 2021/22
- Governors’ Code of Conduct – 2022/23
Governor Profiles
John Cunningham
LA Governor
I am the Local Authority Governor at St Gerard’s having retired in 2020 after working in the education, training and employment sector for over forty years. In my professional career I was responsible for planning, funding, quality improvement and commissioning in FE colleges, school sixth forms and training providers in the Black Country as well as managing several employer engagement and European Social Fund initiatives. My final role was Head of Service at Dudley MBC for Skills, Employment and Adult and Community Learning. I was also a Foundation Governor for eight years at King Edward VI Sixth Form college in Stourbridge.
Following my retirement, I was keen to ensure my skills and experience were used in a positive way to support other providers in the education sector so when the opportunity arose for me to volunteer as a governor at St Gerard’s I was delighted to accept this role. As all my experience was in the post-16 sector, the opportunity to work as a governor in a primary school was exciting as it ensured that I had to further develop my skills and learn new ones in a completely different education setting to what I was used to.
I am passionate about learning and development and in the short time I have been a governor at St Gerard’s I have been really impressed by the attitude and hunger for learning demonstrated by the children and the classwork they produce.
Miss H Macilwraith
Foundation Governor
Angela Martin
Staff Governor
I am privileged to be the Staff Governor at St. Gerard’s Catholic School. As a practicing Catholic, I firmly believe that a Catholic education forms the foundation stone for life. I am married, with three grown up children, who all attended Catholic schools. This was vitally important to me as I feel that every child has a God-given right to a good education. I am of the opinion that this is best found at a Catholic School.
I believe it is my duty and my vocation to strive to do my best for the children in my care. With this in mind, I will ensure that within my role I will do all I can to ensure that St. Gerard’s children are given every opportunity to realise their full and true potential.
David Logue
Foundation Governor
My name is David Logue, and I am the Chair of Governors and a Foundation Governor here at St Gerard’s Catholic Primary School.
This is my first term as governor at this successful school where I am proud and fortunate in equal measures to have such a wonderfully dedicated team of staff who are lead by an enthusiastic and professional senior leadership team who have the children and the teachings of Jesus Christ at the core of everything they do – a responsibility that I find incredibly rewarding.
Throughout my professional career, I have worked exclusively in Catholic schools, having been a teacher since 1999. Currently, I serve as a deputy headteacher in a successful Catholic school in Birmingham, where I have gained extensive experience in the management of Catholic schools. As a practising Catholic, I am a Eucharistic Minister in my own parish and am part of the successful marriage preparation team.
Prior to my current role, I was the vice-chair of a successful Catholic secondary school in Birmingham, giving me valuable governance experience that I now bring to St Gerard’s. In my role as a governor, I also serve as the RE Link Governor, overseeing the religious education curriculum and ensuring that the school’s Catholic ethos is upheld to its highest standard.
On a personal note, I am married to Jayne, and we have two children. I have lived in Birmingham all my life and enjoy playing golf and Touch Rugby in my spare time.
“Anyone who wants to be first must be the very last, and the servant of all” – Mark 10: 42-45
Margaret McConnell
Foundation Governor
I am a Foundation Governor responsible for RE and SRE. I have taught for 34 years in Catholic Schools in Birmingham and I was a Headteacher. I believe in Catholic education having taught in four Catholic schools (primary and secondary) and both of my children attended Catholic primary and secondary schools.
I was appointed a governor at St. Gerard’s in 2013 and I have enjoyed attending schools celebrations which have highlighted the talents of the children in the school. I believe passionately that all children should have the best education possible and that all children make the most of their time at St. Gerard’s School.
Laura Williams
Foundation Governor