The overall responsibility of the Governing Body is to support the school to provide the best possible education for all children.
Governors are volunteers who collectively make up the schools Local Governing Committee. The Local Governing Committee comprises of individuals drawn from the school’s community, both as elected and appointed members.
The Diocese appoints Foundation Governors specifically to ensure:
The Headteacher is a Governor and each school also has elected Parent and Staff Governors and may also co-opt a Governor for a specific purpose.
The role of a Governor within the Trust is an important one. The governance structure ensures that as far as possible the responsibility to govern is vested in those closest to the impact of decision making. Governors play a crucial role in the leadership of our school. They share in the strategic responsibility of promoting high educational standards on and ensuring that the school is conducted as a Catholic school. The overall role of the Local Governing Committee is to support and challenge the school leaders to provide the best possible education for all children.
Governors attend at least three full Local Governing Committee meetings a year, will have a monitoring role which helps them develop a deeper understanding of the school and may also sit on a sub committee where specific issues are considered such as admissions, staffing, finance or standards.
Governors are expected to attend training which is provided free of charge through the Trust and are required to undertake annual safeguarding training.
Governors are accountable to the Directors and the Bishop and must ensure that, at all times, they act in good faith and in the best interests of the school and the Trust, exercising care and skill using their knowledge and experience.
We have two Foundation Governor Vacancies available.
Please contact the school for more information.
St Anne’s Catholic Primary School adhere to the statutory guidance from the Department for Education. This means that governing bodies must have regard to it when carrying out duties relating to the constitution of governing bodies in maintained schools. For further information about our governors, please view or download the documents below.
Please find below details of how our Governing Body is structured, including the names, categories, responsibilities and terms of appointment for each Governor.
Mr Paul Arrowsmith (Chair – Foundation Governor)
Term of Office Expiry; 07.03.25
Appointed by; Diocese
My name is Paul Arrowsmith, I’ve worked in education for over 17 years as a teacher, Boarding House Master, Pastoral Lead and Senior Leader. Including 5 years as an Assistant Headteacher, SENDCo and DSL for a large secondary school in the west end of Newcastle with over 1200 pupils and 70 staff.
Throughout my career I have gained leadership experience in an international boarding school in Australia and a Pupil Referral Unit and three large comprehensives in the North East of England.
I currently work as a safeguarding consultant, delivering training for schools and organisations looking at all aspect of safeguarding and education welfare.
I believe that inclusivity is key to ensuring that students feel confident to learn and enjoy education and all students deserve the best education possible.
Mr James Crowe (Vice Chair – Foundation Governor)
Term of Office Expiry; 27.01.23 new application pending
Appointed by; Diocese
My name is James Crowe and I was appointed as a Foundation Governor in January 2019. I am an Assistant Headteacher at Cardinal Hume Catholic School and work closely with matters of Curriculum, Pupil Achievement and Intervention. I have experience of working as part of a team to deliver an Outstanding Education for all pupils regardless of background and I hope to use these experiences to help drive the school forwards over the year to come.
Mrs Sandie Matthewson – (Parent Governor)
Term of Office Expiry; 17/02/2027
Appointed by; Parents
Awaiting Information…
Mrs S Fraser (Executive Head Teacher)
Appointed by; Diocese
My name is Sonia Fraser and I am privileged to be the Head Teacher of St Anne’s. I joined the school in June 2015 as Acting Headteacher and became the permanent post holder in March 2016 . During my time at St Anne’s the school has undergone a dramatic transformation and I am passionate and committed to ensuring that the school continues to grow and improve so that it can be the best it can be for the pupils, parents and staff. The school has grown into a family community where all are loved, welcome and valued and I believe that by all working together we can ensure that the children that we serve have the best start in life.
Mr Stephen Bartley (Foundation Governor)
Term of Office Expiry; 23.06.26
Appointed by; Diocese
Committees; Head Teacher’s Appraisal
My name is Stephen Bartley and I am a Parent Governor. I was appointed as a Governor in October 2013. Since I have been on the Governing Body i have seen a lot of changes for the better and seen the school drive forward. I work in the building controls industry and have experience of working in a team and able to listen to people’s opinions as well as voice my own. Being part of the Governing Body I want to continue to help drive the school forward in all aspects and so the children can have the best experience and education possible.
Miss Christine Hodgkinson (Foundation Governor)
Term of Office Expiry; Nov 24
Appointed by; Diocese
Committees; Head Teacher’s Appraisal
My name is Christine Hodgkinson, I was recently appointment to the Governing Body of St Anne’s School as a Foundation Governor. I have strong link with the Parish of St Anne’s, having been an active Parishioner since 1973. I am keen to promote the Catholic Ethos of the school and believe that the school should be at the very heart of Parish Life. I have 40 years experience working with children and young people as a Residential Social worker for Gateshead M.B.C, and went on to manage the short break service for children with disabilities. I continue to live in the parish and I am now retired and hope to bring some of my existing skills and knowledge to help benefit the school.
Dear Parents and Carers, We are waiting for further information from the Trust about St Anne’s Catholic Primary School and our plan going forward. We will be in touch as soon as we know more information. From Tuesday 5th September all teachers will be contacting parents and carers as we look forward to catching up […]
Published: September 4, 2023
The Bishop Wilkinson Catholic Education Trust is an exempt charity. It is a company limited by guarantee registered in England and Wales under company registration number 07890590. The registered office address is Bishop Wilkinson Catholic Education HQ, Barmston Court, Turbine Business Park, Nissan Way, Washington, SR5 3NY.
School is temporarily closed following an instruction by the Department for Education, due to RAAC being in existence. Further details can be found in our letter to parents dated 01/09/2023 found on our letters / newsletters page. Please bear with us whilst we work through the detail and make the necessary arrangements to cause the least disruption to our staff and pupils. We are working very hard to make emergency arrangements and will issue further updates as soon as we are able. If you have an urgent RAAC enquiry please email raac@bwcet.com. Thankyou.
If your query is relating to a student in the school, our new temporary phone number is
0191 823 9390
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