Governors
The Governing Body's aim is to work closely with the Headteacher, the Deputy, and the staff, in order to help the children at the school achieve their full potential, in a happy, caring environment.
The key elements in achieving this aim are listed below:
- Monitoring the performance and progress of all the children at the school.
- Supporting the staff to teach and care for the children.
- In discussion with the Headteacher, ensuring that the resources of the school are best utilised.
- Forward planning with the Headteacher and Deputy to ensure that the overall performance of staff, children, and hence the school, continues to improve.
To enable the Governors to achieve these objectives, the Body is made up of key groups within the school, parents, staff, the Local Authority, the Church and the community. Some of the Governors are appointed by the Diocese, whilst others are elected. All serve for a term of three years.
The Body generally meets once a term; a number of sub-committees focus on finance, staffing, buildings, health and safety and the curriculum. Individual members of the Body focus on particular subjects, ie. numeracy, literacy, ICT, etc.
We welcome views from our parents and supporters, and hopefully this summary will give you a brief insight into the role of the Governing Body.
Mr Simon Bragington
Chair of Governors
School Governing Body
| Name | Title |
|---|---|
| Mr Simon Bragington | Chair of Governors |
| Ms Julie-Anne Tallon | Headteacher |
| Mr Patrick Byrne Mrs Sarah Doody Mr Gerard Jackson Fr Gabriel Maguire Mr Malcolm McDermott Mrs Elaine Martin Mr Gareth Moore Mrs Tracey Smith Mrs Linda Waters Mrs Joanne Whitty Mrs Clare Wilde Mrs Bernadette Woulfe |
Governors |
| Mrs Jackie McCorriston | Clerk to the Governors |
| Name | Governor Links |
|---|---|
| Mr Simon Bragington | Health and Safety, RE, Year 1 Link |
| Mr Patrick Byrne | ICT, Year 4 Link |
| Mrs Sarah Doody | Literacy, Year 6 Co-Link |
| Mr Gerard Jackson | Health and Safety, Parental Links, Year 5 Link |
| Fr Gabriel Maguire | RE |
| Mr Malcolm McDermott | EYFS, Year 3 co-Link |
| Mrs Elaine Martin | Safeguarding, SEN, Child Protection, Year 2 Link |
| Mr Gareth Moore | School Council, Year 3 Co-Link |
| Mrs Tracey Smith | IPC, Reception Link |
| Mrs Linda Waters | Parental Links |
| Mrs Joanne Whitty | Numeracy, Year 6 Co-Link |
If you would like to contact the Governing Body, please forward hard copies of mail to Mr S Bragington c/o Abbey Catholic Primary School, Sutton Road, Erdington, Birmingham, B23 6QL. Emails to be sent to s.cope@abbeyrc.bham.sch.uk and given the title 'For the attention of Mr S Bragington'.
Governor Profiles
Mr Simon Bragington
I have been a Foundation Governor since September 2010. Born and raised in Erdington, I feel lucky to be part of this wonderful parish and enjoy taking part in many of the events which are put on. I have been a Structures Engineer for Network Rail for over 20 years. In my spare time I enjoy Rugby Union (Leicester Tigers), cricket and athletics. I am also a keen campanologist and spend a lot of my time in the church tower ringing the bells for masses and weddings. As a Structures Engineer, I understand the need for firm foundations. I firmly believe therefore, that a good education at primary level is essential if children are to reach their full potential. I know that all of the staff and governing body at Abbey Catholic Primary are wholly committed to make this happen and I am very honoured to have been asked to be part of that team and hope that I will be able to use my experience in order to make a difference,
Mr Patrick Byrne
Originally from Handsworth, I have now lived in Erdington for the past 28 years. Married at the Abbey Church and now have two children at the Abbey School. Qualified Management Accountant with over 19 years' business experience, I also have a passion for travel, running and Wolverhampton Wanderers. I'm an active supporter of both Parish and school events from quiz nights to summer fairs and the occasional Pantomime performance. I have a strong belief in the role family, school and church have to play for our children and will endeavour to bring this and my experience to the role of Governor.
Mrs Sarah Doody
My name is Sarah Doody and I have been a Foundation Governor at the Abbey School since January 2008. I have a daughter in Year 3 and a son who is due to start school in September 2010. I currently work as a teacher in the Reception class of a local Catholic Primary school. I have been teaching for 18 years and have experience of working in both Key Stage 1 and 2, as well as the Foundation stage. Prior to teaching, I worked for four years as a librarian in both University and Public library settings. As a committed, practising Catholic, I feel privileged to be able to serve in this very important role. I am extremely proud of our school with its wonderful children and dedicated staff and I will continue to work hard for the Abbey Primary school to ensure its continued success.
Mr Gerard Jackson
My name is Gerard Jackson and I have been a Governor since 2005. I have strong links with the school dating back to when I attended as a pupil in the 1970's to present day as two of my children attend the school and my eldest child left last year to attend St Edmund Campion School. My working life has been primarily spent in the Plant Hire business and I currently work in the Rail and Construction Plant Training industry. The Abbey school has a great community spirit and I am always impressed at the behaviour of all of the children whenever I visit the school be it as a parent or a Governor. I find my role as a Governor very interesting as it allows me to gain an insight into the running of the school and how its successes are achieved. I hope to continue to serve as a Governor at the Abbey Catholic School for the foreseeable future and support the Abbey team in continuing to maintain the catholic ethos of the school.
Mrs Elaine Martin
I have been a foundation governor since September 2010. I was born and raised in Dublin. I trained as a nurse in Ireland and then came to England in 1990. I have worked in the NHS for the past 22 years, in a variety of settings, and am currently based in the community working as part of an Intermediate Care team. I have always had an interest in the law and completed a law degree in 2008. I would hope that I can use some of these skills in my role as governor. I have four children who have all attended the Abbey - in fact my husband, his seven brothers and sisters, and his mom were all pupils here, so the family roots go back a long way! My two oldest children have now moved on to Bishop Walsh where I am involved in the PTA. I am a committed Catholic and my faith is very important to me - I feel very blessed that our children have had the opportunity to be educated at the Abbey school which combines high standards of education with a wonderful caring Catholic ethos. I believe strongly in supporting the partnership of church, school and family, and that our witness as catholics is particularly important in these increasingly secular times.
Mrs Jackie McCorriston
My name is Jackie McCorriston and I was delighted to be appointed as Clerk to the Governing Body at The Abbey Catholic School in the Autumn Term 2009. I have worked as a clerk at various schools for over 13 years now and very much enjoy unique insight the role gives me. The Governing Body at The Abbey School is made up of volunteers who are passionate about ensuring the pupils get the very best possible start in their foundation and primary education. The Pupils' development and well being are at the heart of everything the Governors do. The Abbey School has a strong Catholic ethos and good academic results and I feel privileged to be part of such a dedicated team of people.
Mrs Tracy Smith
I originate from Devon and have lived in Birmingham for the last 18 years. I have been a parent Governor for almost two years. I have a daughter in Year 2 and an older daughter now in Year 9 that also attended the school. I work as a Science teacher at St Edmund Campion School and have been there for two years, although I have been a teacher for six years. Prior to becoming a teacher I worked in the finance industry as a Bank Manager for several years. I am a practising Catholic and attend Church regularly with my family. I believe that the Abbey School is a fantastic place to be and constantly hear positive comments regarding the pupils that attend. In this respect I feel privileged to serve on the Governing body and provide whatever support I can for its future development and the development and well being of its pupils and staff.
Ms Julie-Anne Tallon
As part of the Governing Body of the Abbey Catholic Primary School, I work alongside a dedicated team of people committed to ensuring the Catholic ethos and character of the school is preserved and provision is in keeping with the teachings and Canon Law of the Catholic Church. It is an honour to be able to work as part of a team ensuring that our school provides a high quality education and secures good outcomes for pupils whilst constantly pursuing improvement. As Headteacher I am able to provide professional advice to the governing body and am pleased to receive constructive advice, challenge and a second opinion on proposals from other members.
Mrs Linda Waters
I am married with two children and became involved with the Abbey School when my son started Reception in 2002. He has now moved onto to Bishop Walsh Secondary School. My daughter is currently in Year 4 at the Abbey. I worked for LloydsTSB Bank for twenty years before giving up work to look after our children. Whilst 'not working' I became actively involved in the school doing voluntary work and became a Governor too. After three years of voluntary work and study to gain qualifications to work with children, I was offered work at the school as a Teaching Assistant. I enjoyed working in Year 1 and Foundation stage. I have more recently joined the office team where I am one of the first faces to greet you when you visit the school. I am proud to be a part of the Abbey team as a member of staff and a Governor.
Mrs Joanne Whitty
My name is Joanne Whitty, I am a Foundation Governor. I have two children who attend the Abbey School. I feel all of the staff at the Abbey school are dedicated and hard working. For this reason I had no hesitation in accepting the role of a Governor. I hope I will be able to assist Ms Tallon and her staff to carry on their good work. It has been a very interesting experience for me seeing how the school works behind the scenes. As a parent I was never fully aware of all the hard work that goes into making the school function professionally. Having attended a number of Governor's meetings now it is great to see the teamwork that goes into making The Abbey a successful school. I hope I can fulfil my responsibilities as a governor to you the parents, the staff and the Church.
Mrs Clare Wilde
I have been employed at the school since 2000, and for much of this time have also been a Governor. As a Higher Level Teaching Assistant I currently spend most of my time teaching ICT to all the classes in the school, while the class teachers take their planning, preparation and assessment time. This role is an interesting one that allows a great deal of variation as I work with every pupil at the Abbey. My governing role is that of an Associate Governor, the recent developments at the school have been testing and it has been a privilege to be a part of the changing face of the Abbey. I live in the Abbey Parish and have been an active member of the Church community for many years.
Mrs Bernadette Woulfe
I have been a full time teacher at the Abbey School since September 2002 working in Year One and Reception. I was delighted recently to become a Staff Governor and to be able to contribute further to the life of our school. I live in the Abbey Parish and regularly attend Mass. My husband came to the Abbey School in the 1960’s, and my own connection with the school started in 1992, when the oldest of our three children started school here. My children received a wonderful education and they thrived in the caring ‘family’ environment of the school. I am pleased that these high educational standards, and this ethos, are still an important part of our school. I look forward to working with our Governors in further development of our school.
