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St Augustine's Catholic College

Governors

Meet the Governors

St Augustine’s is a stand-alone Academy, which means that it is not part of a Multi-Academy Trust (MAT). It is a company limited by guarantee and also a charity. The directors of the company and the trustees of the charity are the Governors of the College. The Governors of the College are volunteers and do not receive payment for their work. Governors in Catholic Schools have additional responsibilities and information on Governance in a Catholic School can be found at: schools.cliftondiocese.com

There are four types of Governors:

  • Foundation Governors are appointed by the Bishop. Their appointment is usually recommended by their Parish Priest

  • Parent Governors are elected by parents

  • Staff Governors are elected by staff

  • Co-opted Governors are appointed by the board because of their particular skills and experience

The Governing Board generally meets between 5 and 7 times per year

The core functions of the Governing Board are:

  • to ensure that the College has a clear vision, ethos and strategic direction

  • to hold the executive leaders of the College to account for the educational performance of the organisation and its pupils, and the performance management of staff

  • to oversee the financial performance of the organisation and make sure it's money is well spent

All communications to the Governors should be directed in the first instance to the Clerk to Governors at clerk@sta.cc, or by post to Chair of Governors c/o St Augustine’s Catholic College, Wingfield Road, Trowbridge, Wiltshire BA14 9EN

Jo Birkett-Wendes (Chair)

Start date 01/07/20, End date 30/06/24

Jo has been a Foundation governor at St Augustine's since 2016 and Chair of Governors since September 2022. Jo has been a teacher for over 25 years and is currently a SENDCO at a school in Wiltshire. She is a member of St John's parish in Trowbridge. She has three children all of whom have been or currently are pupils at the college.

Clare Farrow (Vice-Chair)

Start date 06/09/22, End date 05/09/26

Clare is a Foundation governor, and professionally, she has worked in training and compliance in the financial services sector.

She has been a school governor since 2006, starting as a parent governor in her son’s local primary school before becoming a foundation governor. Clare has experience of chairing both committee and full governing body meetings alongside completing investigations both for the Diocese and Wiltshire County Council.

 Both of her children have attended St Augustine’s catholic college, the youngest of whom will be taking his A levels in May 2023.

Aidan Dowle 

Start date 24/06/22

Aidan has been teaching for over 31 years and has recently completed his Masters degree in Educational leadership at the University of Gloucestershire. He is widely travelled having grown up in New Zealand and worked with the De La Salle Brothers in Chicago, USA as a volunteer when he left school. In 2013, he was awarded a Winston Churchill Fellowship and undertook research into impoverished schools in high areas of deprivation in Chicago which are producing outstanding educational provision. In his previous school, he led an international link with three schools in north western Kenya where he has taken four groups of year 10 students. Aidan has been a senior leader for over 10 years now and was a registered Section 48 inspector for the Diocese of Clifton.

 Chidubem Obiodu

Start date 09/03/21, End date 08/03/25

Chi Obiodu is a Foundation Governor and a health and safety professional. He is a member of the finance, audit and risk committee, and the health and safety link governor for St Augustine’s Catholic College. He is married to a banker, and they have four children of which the eldest is a sixth form student at St Augustine’s Catholic College. He loves walking and travelling.

Eileen Farrell

Start date 22/9/21, End date 21/9/25

I am a staff Governor on the Admissions and Pastoral Committees. I am a mother of five children who have all had the privilege of attending St Augustine’s Catholic College. My youngest child still attends. Being a school governor gives me the opportunity to say thank you for the amazing opportunities that have been given to my family. I love walking, talking and spending time with friends.

 

Kwame Adoku

Start date 09/03/21, End date 08/03/25 

Kwame Adoku is a Foundation Governor and the link governor for equalities and EAL. Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, he taught mathematics and integrated science to children of minority groups as a volunteer. He was also involved in teaching junior high and technical school students during and after his national service. He lives in Trowbridge with his wife Martina and three children. During his leisure time, he likes to commune with nature - either in the garden or at the town parks. He also likes to read or watch documentaries about successful people and high achievers and the lessons they learnt during their journey of success. 

Kwame is a project engineer who has been involved in different kinds of projects in a range of countries for more than 2 decades. He holds an MSc in project management, an MBA in business and entrepreneurship, a Bachelor of Engineering (with a major in mechatronics and production systems and a minor in international marketing and communication) and an HND in mechanical engineering (with a major in plant maintenance and works services).

Emily Bindon

Start date 7/7/21, End date 6/7/25

I have worked at St Augustine’s since 2009 as a Design and Technology teacher and I became Head of the Department in September 2019. I have lived in Wiltshire since 2009 having grown up in Gloucester and attending university in Leicester, where I studied Footwear Design. This is where I met my husband, who is also a teacher working in Warminster. We have 2 children, currently in primary school. In our spare time, we enjoy taking our campervan out for trips, kayaking and paddle-boarding.

 Clare Morris

Start date 10/11/22, End date 09/11/26 

Clare Morris is a Foundation Governor and Chair of the Finance and Audit Committee. She works in a local authority managing customers services.

Helen Gilroy

Parent Governor

Start date 14/10/2022, End date 13/10/26

Helen is a Parent Governor at St Augustine's and been part of the board since October 2022. She has over 25 years’ experience in the IT industry across sales, marketing and business development. She is a member of the finance, audit and risk committee, and the Marketing link governor. She has a daughter who attends the college. 

Miles Robinson

Parent Governor

Start date 05/03/23, End date 04/03/27

Mark Keirle

 Start date 20/03/23, End Date 19/03/27

Mark is a Foundation Governor and been part of the board since 2023. He is originally from Somerset where he attended St Gregory’s in Bath before heading off to university in East Anglia where he studied Geology.  He has a background in business and finance as a Regional Manager for a food retail company, leading large teams, working in a number of locations across the country. He settled in the Trowbridge area in 2010 with his wife and two boys, who both attend St Augustine’s.  

 Karen Yates

Foundation Governor

Start date 09/10/2023, End date 08/10/2027

Karen is a Foundation Governor, a member of the Finance, Audit and Risk Committee and link governor for Careers. She is a Chartered Management Accountant and has held Finance Director and senior finance roles at several local companies. Now working part-time she was keen to volunteer as a governor as she has had a long association with the College. She attended the College herself, as did her three sons.

Richard Woods

Foundation Governor

Start date 22/01/2024, End date 21/01/2028

Richard is a Foundation Governor and a member of St John's Parish in Trowbridge since moving to the area in 2009.

He has served as a Governor in 3 local primary schools from 2011 to 2020, as a Local Authority and Parent governor.

He works for a Local Authority in the Insurance Team. 

His daughter is currently studying for her GCSE's at the college.

Lindsey Wallace

LA Governor

Start date 19/03/2024, End date 18/03/2028

Lindsey is a co-opted governor and a member of the Finance & Audit Committee.

She currently works as a Business Manager at a secondary school in Somerset and has extensive experience in both primary and secondary maintained schools and academies within Wiltshire.

 

 

 

Members

The Bishop of Clifton

Clifton Catholic Diocesan Education Foundation

Chair of Trustees for St Augustine’s Catholic College

These post-holders listed above are automatically Members of St Augustine’s Catholic College, although the actual individuals in the role will change from time to time.

 

Trustees who have served on the Governing Body within the last 12 months

Nick Bracey (02/08/2021 - 31/08/2023

Stephen Brown (10/03/2023 - 01/09/2023)

Canon Tom Finnegan (01/09/2021 - 10/05/2023)

Cyril Kinsky (23/10/2018 - 22/10/2022)

Sarah Marshall (01/05/2019 - 16/12/2022)

Angela McAuley (05/01/2022 - 11/11/2022)

Marcus Myles (11/09/2019 - 18/07/2023)

Sharon Pemberton (22/02/2023 - 02/10/2023)

Alfred Perera (18/10/2019 - 01/12/2022)

Julia Tunnell (23/09/2019 - 01/09 2023)

Governance documents

Scheme of Delegation 2023-24

Terms of Reference 2023-24

Code of Conduct 2023-24

Pecuniary Interests 2023-24

Attendance & training records 

FGB Attendance 2022-23

Governor training records 2022-23

Committees

Some of the business of the Governing Board is conducted in committees which meet regularly throughout the year

Admissions Committee 

Aidan Dowle

Jo Birkett-Wendes

Clare Farrow

Eileen Farrell

Finance, Audit, Risk & Premises Committee

Aidan Dowle

Chidubem Obiodu

Kwame Adoku

Helen Gilroy

Clare Morris (Finance Committee Chair)

Miles Robinson

Mark Keirle

Jo Birkett-Wendes

Clare Farrow