There are 12 governors, all from different backgrounds, who help and support the school:

 

  • Some are Foundation Governors – who are appointed by St Stephen's Church

  • Some are LA Governors – who are appointed by the Local Authority in Bolton

  • Some are Parent Governors – who are elected by the parents of the children who attend our school

  • There is one Teaching Governor – who is chosen by the staff

 

Many of our Governors have been in Office for a number of years and have long-standing connections with the school and the church. Some of them attended the school themselves as children and later sent their own children. In November 2017, Mr Grant (Chair of Governor until July 2018) and Mr Miller (retired 2020) attended a service at Manchester Cathedral delivered by Bishop Stephen, Bishop of Ely, to recognise the contributions of long serving Church of England Governors. Both Mr Grant and Mr Miller have been Governors at St Stephen's for over 20 years.

How do Governors help and support the school?

  • They are involved in planning our school's future development and direction

  • They have high expectations of what our pupils can achieve

  • They listen to our staff and support them in all areas of teaching and learning

  • They encourage our pupils' spiritual, moral and social development

  • They ensure the school is providing for all our pupils, irrespective of background, including those with special needs

  • They are accountable for the performance of our school to parents and to the wider community

  • They listen to advice from the Senior Leadership team as to how the school's budget should be spent, and make decisions

  • They challenge by gathering views and asking questions

  • They analyse the school's data

  • They visit our school and talk to our pupils

 

The two main Committees which Governors attend are as follows:

Resources -  D King (Chair of Committee), P Puckey, N Turner, N Bostock, D Jones, C Berry

School Effectiveness - B Tighe (Chair of Committee), P Puckey, S Savage,  A Hall, J Seggie, D Bithell, R Branchflower

 

We have Governors assigned to each Key Stage in school:

Early Years/Foundation Stage - D King & B Tighe

Key Stage 1 - S Savage & N Turner

Key Stage 2 - D Jones & N Bostock

Our Governors also have specific areas of responsibility, as follows:

Equal Opportunities - All Governors

SEN - S Savage

Looked After Children - J Seggie & C Berry

Child Protection - J Seggie

Safeguarding - J Seggie & C Berry

Health and Safety - R Branchflower & N Turner

Safer Recruitment - S Savage

Head Teacher Performance Review -  D King, B Tighe, D Jones

English - S Savage & B Tighe

Maths - D Jones & N Turner

Phonics - D King & N Bostock

Eco - J Seggie & A Hall

Link for Training - B Tighe & A Hall

Partnership - D King

Mental Health - R Branchflower, N Bostock

RE - S Savage & D Jones

 

There are no relevant business interests or family relationships between Governors and members of staff.