Please find below details of how our Governing body is structured, including the names, categories, responsibilities and terms of appointment for each Governor.

► "The key purpose of a Governing Body is to help schools provide the best possible education for pupils."                                    The Department of Education (DfE)

What is the role of the Governing Body?

Governing Bodies help schools by:

• Working with the Head Teacher and staff to set strategic aims for the school, based on its mission and strategies.

• Monitoring and evaluating performance, acting as a critical friend to the Head Teacher and Senior Management Team to support and challenge them in running the school.

• Ensuring that the school is accountable to the children and parents it serves, to its local community, to those who fund and maintain it, as well as to the staff it employs.

Our Mission Statement:

►  "St James's is a Catholic School in which each individual grows in the knowledge and love of Christ. In partnership with parents and the whole community, our purpose is to provide a high standard of education, giving the maximum opportunity to realise each person's potential"

Our focus as a Governing Body is to strive to ensure that the school is able to deliver that mission. We therefore focus our attention on making sure that:

• Every individual is able to grow in the knowledge and love of Christ.

• Children and staff have the maximum opportunity to realise their individual potential.

• The school provides a high standard and a broad based education.

• We work in partnership with parents, staff, the local community and other stakeholders in the interests of the children and the community we serve.

Who is in the Governing Body?

The Governing Body is made up of a combination of the following:

• Parent Governors (2)
  • Are elected by, and act as representatives of the parent body.
  • They serve a term of four years with the next elections in October 2024.
• Foundation Governors (10)
  • Are appointed by the RC Diocese of Westminster and serve for four years.
  • Under Diocesan guidelines, only two foundation governors can be parents who have children currently attending the school.
• Staff Governors (2)
  • The Head teacher is a member of the governing body by virtue of his position.
  • The School staff elect one other staff governor.
• Local Authority Governor (1)
  • Is nominated by the Local Authority (LA) and appointed by the governing body.
  • Appointments are made on the basis of the individual’s interests and experience at work, home or elsewhere which may be relevant to being a governor.
• Co-opted Governors (3) 
  • Are appointed by the Governing Body.
  • Appointments are made taking into account the skills required to contribute to the effective governance and success of the school. 

How does the Governing Body Work?

The Board of Governors administers business through five sub-committees:

• The Admissions committee:
  • The committee’s role is to set and annually review the school’s admissions policy to ensure compliance with legislation and the guidelines of the Diocese of Westminster.
  • The committee checks all applications for entry to the school and prepares a ranked list of Reception applicants for the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames (LBRuT) (who administer school place offers).
  • The committee also processes Nursery applications, in-year admissions and prepares a response to any appeals.

• The Finance committee:
  • This committee is responsible for the strategic and efficient management of the school budget in line with the requirements set by the Local Authority and/or Department of Education.
  • It regularly monitors expenditure and considers and approves budget priorities in order to ensure value for money.
  • The finance committee also manages the Governors’ fund.

• The Pay & Personnel committee:

  • The purpose of this committee is to ensure that all procedures relating to the recruitment, selection, appointment of staff and their related salaries comply with legislation and current LA guidelines.

  • This includes review of the appropriate school policies, participation in interviews for new (and exiting) staff and in meetings relating to any disciplinary matters, as well as reviewing staffing structures with the Head Teacher. 

  • In addition, the committee is responsible with the Chair of Governors for undertaking the performance management of the Head Teacher and ensuring that the school’s performance management policy is operating effectively.

• The Safeguarding committee:
  • Its purpose is to ensure the school is a safe and nurturing environment for all stakeholders. This includes child protection, school security and inclusivity.

• The Teaching, Learning and Assessment committee:
  • It forms the link between the governing body and teaching and learning in the school.
  • The committee reviews and seeks to maintain and/or enhance standards within St James’s by assessing relevant subject and curriculum areas, including statutory assessment requirements.
  • It reviews relevant data to monitor progress, set targets and review subsequent actions, giving regular feedback on school actions and their intended outcomes, and reflecting systematically on the effectiveness of teaching approaches.
  • It aims to inform and involve governors on the progress of teaching and learning as outlined in the School Development Plan and individual subject plans.

In addition to the sub-committees, some of our governors are involved in a working party.  This is organised by the Diocese of Westminster to consider implications of current educational strategic thinking around Multi-Academy Trusts.

Who are the members of St James's Governing Body?

♦ Julie Key - Chair of Governors – Foundation Governor

Julie was a parent at St James’s School for eleven years, having had a daughter and a son in the school. Before giving up work to focus on family life, she was a forensic accounting partner in a large London accountancy firm. She serves the school as a foundation governor and joined the board in September 2015. She shares the rest of her time between her family, being a member of the management committee of Malden Oaks School and Tuition Service, sitting on the Board of St Giles Trust, a national charity, and being a magistrate.

Committees: Finance & Premises; Pay & Personnel; MAT working party; Professional Learning & Outreach

GB Posts held: Chair of Governing Board

♦Hilary O'Sullivan  - Vice Chair of Governors -  Foundation Governor

Hilary has been a parishioner at St James church for over 20 years.  She is the parent of 3 children who all attended St James’s School between 2006 and 2017.  One of her children has SEND so she has a special interest in special education and inclusion.  Before her children were born, Hilary had a career in advertising.  Whilst her children were at St James' Hilary did a PGCE at St Marys and now teaches in a local primary school. Hilary joined the Governing Board in September 2020. 

Committees: Admissions; Teaching, Learning & Assessment GB Posts Held: Pupil Premium Link Governor

♦Ciaran Beatty - Staff Governor (Head Teacher)

Committees: All committees

♦Clare Kinsella - Foundation Governor

Clare joined the board as a Foundation Governor in September 2023. She was a parent at St James’s School for eleven years, having had a daughter and 2 sons in the school, her youngest leaving in 2023. Clare was an active member of St James's PFA.  She is a chartered accountant with experience of working in both Practice and Industry including 10 years at KPMG and more recently as a part time finance director in a media agency. Clare volunteers at a local premature baby charity providing accounting support. In her spare time, Clare enjoys supporting her children's football teams, travel, theatre and reading books. Clare is a parishioner at St James’s Church, Twickenham.

Committees: Finance and Premises, Safeguarding & Pupil Welfare

♦Neil D'Mello - Foundation Governor

Neil joined the Governing board in December 2021. His daughter attended St. James and he was keen to help and support the Governors board, as a foundation governor. He works for a large national independent insurance brokers, dealing with all types of clients. Neil lives locally in Teddington with his wife and daughter who has recently qualified from Nottingham University.   

Committees: Finance & Premises; Professional Learning & Outreach

♦Robert Razzell - Foundation Governor

Robert joined the Governing Board in May 2019.  Robert has two daughters, the youngest of which is at St James’s.  He qualified as a chartered accountant at a Big 4 firm, and has since worked in both the private and public sectors, specialising in major projects and property, including the London Olympics and the Building Schools for the Future programme. 

Committees: Finance & Premises, (Chair) Teaching, Learning and Assessment, GB Posts Held: Well-being Link Governor

♦Sinéad Russel - Foundation Governor

Sinéad has been a parent at St James’s since 2017 and joined the governing board in 2023. She is the Director of Literature at the British Council, the UK’s international organisation for cultural relations and educational opportunities. There she oversees the global programme of work in writing, reading and publishing. Sinéad is also a BACP-registered therapeutic counsellor, working with "Off the Record", Twickenham’s youth counselling service. 

Committees: Safeguarding  and Teaching, Learning and Assessment

♦Eileen Church - Foundation Governor

Eileen joined the Governing Board in November 2022.  She is the parent of two sons, both of whom attended the school between 2010 and 2022. Her professional background is in education and she has been a primary class teacher for 30 years in the Borough of Richmond. Beyond teaching, Eileen seeks to enrich children’s life experiences and sits on the fundraising committee that supports music opportunities for pupils at Tiffin Boys’ School.  She is also on the committee of a local youth Gaelic football club, where she is the child welfare officer and safeguarding lead. 

Committees: Teaching, Learning & Assessment, Pay and Personnel 

♦Lydia Cuddy-Gibbs - Local Authority Governor

Lydia is a teacher and experienced school senior leader. Currently, she works as Head of EYFS for a large multi-academy trust. She lives in Twickenham with her young daughter, husband and two cats. In her spare time, Lydia enjoys baking and going to the theatre. Lydia is a parishioner of St Margaret of Scotland.  She joined the Governing Board in June 2020.

Committees: Admissions; Teaching, Learning & Assessment  

GB Posts Held: Early Years Link Governor; Inclusion Link Governor, Safeguarding Link Governor

♦F Cullasy-Doran - Co-opted Governor

They are currently training to be a Clinical Psychologist for the NHS at the University of Surrey. Prior to this they were working in Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services. Before pursuing their career in psychology they taught science to pupils from year three up to sixth form. In their spare time they love to read and travel as much as possible. They have three children, two of whom are at St. James’s. They were co-opted to the Board in November 2020.​

Committees: Safeguarding & Pupil Welfare

GB Posts Held: Diversity Link Governor

♦Ben Wootton - Co-opted Governor  

Ben joined the Governing board in September 2023 and was appointed as the Local Authority Governor in November 2023. Having grown up in the area, Ben was very keen to send his two children to St. James’s. He was heavily involved as a volunteer across his childrens’ time at St. James's and he now hopes to continue his involvement as a Governor. Ben is a solicitor, specialising in data protection, IT and commercial law. Outside the office, he can be found on the touchline of various sports pitches supporting his kids with his first aid bag.

Committees: Admissions Committee and Professional Learning & Outreach

♦Iain Hildreth - Co-opted Governor

Iain joined the Governing Board in 2022. A parent at St James for 15 years his daughters now attend Waldegrave and Tiffin School, with his son at University College London. He has worked in commercial, marketing and strategy leadership roles for listed and private-equity businesses in the UK and France, developing expertise in branding, communications and digital transformation. He has lived in the area since 1999, now in Hampton Hill.

Committees: Professional Learning & Outreach,(Chair): Pay & Personnel

♦Claire Biagioni - Parent Governor

St James’s has been a part of Claire’s life for the last 8 years.  She has 2 daughters, one of which has now moved on to senior school and a second in Year 5.  Claire has been a primary school teacher for 23 years. Her teaching career is extensive, having worked in both private and state schools, as well as teaching in an international school in Rome for 2 years. Her most recent experience has been at St James’s, where she worked in Years 1 and 2 for 5 years. Last year, Claire reluctantly gave up her position to pursue a new business venture. However, children and their education are her passion and her ties to the school remain extensive where she continues to support the school on a voluntary basis.  

Committees: Safeguarding & Pupil Welfare; Admissions
 

♦Fiona Forrestal - Parent Governor

Fiona joined the Governing Board in July 2022 and has 2 daughters at St. James’s. She is originally from Ireland and has also lived and worked in Switzerland before settling in Twickenham. Her professional career is in drug development and she is currently a Director of Biostatistics for a biotechnology company. Her background in Mathematics and Statistics makes her passionate about promoting STEM to children from a young age, especially to girls. 

Committees: Finance & Premises; Admissions

GB Posts held: RE Link Governor

♦Stephen Wasmuth - Admissions & Staff Governor

Y2 Teacher/Assistant Head Teacher 

Committees: Teaching, Learning & Assessment; Admissions (Chair)

♦Julie Fox – Clerk

Governors who have stood down in the past 12 months:

• Ann Eades resigned July 2023
• Carole Tupper - resigned July 2023
• Justin Ryan - resigned July 2023
• Ciaran Merrigan - resigned July 2023
• Nicola Richards resigned due to relocation November 2021
• Fiona Shepherd resigned July 2022
• Frank Glennon resigned October 2022
• Edel Hindley resigned December 2022

Updated: September 2023

Details on Governors meeting attendance, terms of office and declaration of interest can be found here. 

Please note the data in the document below is for the academic year 2023/2024

(*) Total possible meeting attendance varies based on committee schedules 

Updated: September 2023

How to contact us:

The school clearly outlines its preferred communication channels for parents.

Communication should follow this escalation:

1. Class Teacher
2. Team Leader
3. Assistant Headteacher
4. Deputy Headteacher
5. Headteacher

 Should you need to contact the governors having exhausted this escalation, contact should be made via email to the Clerk of Governors- julie.fox@st-james.richmond.sch.uk or in writing to the Chair of Governors and handed into the school office.