Governor Information

Philip Jones

I am the current Chair of Governors for Our Lady’s Catholic College.  I have held this position for the last 2 years, previously holding the Vice - Chair role for a number of years.  I have been a member of the Governing body for 17 years during which time I have been in involved in the sub-committee groups that manage and govern other aspects of the school life.  These include the School Community, Resources and Achievements and Standards committees.  These sub-committees meet and look at these areas of the school life and then report back to the full Governing Body.  The Governing body is a critical friend to the school’s Senior Leadership Team, staff and the students themselves.  It is our job to ensure the school is being run effectively and efficiently and hold the school Headteacher and her team to account for their management of the school.  As chair, it is my job to ensure that this happens.

I am a retired Police Officer of some 30 years service and experienced in interacting with people in positions of authority and the public.  My own children both attended Our Lady’s achieving a good standard of education and exam results and have both gone on to be successful in their chosen careers.  I like to think this didn’t happen by accident but was a combination of parenting, and all that that involves, and the role the school and its teachers had towards educating and assisting in their development and growth from 11 year old pupils to 16 then 18 years old educated young adults.

Our Lady's is a very good school and we as individuals, and as a collective, work hard in this voluntary role to achieve this result.  We have worked extremely hard over the last two years to better equip ourselves to manage the school with the Senior Leadership Team and will continue to do so moving forward.

Anne Goddard

I have been a Governor at Our Lady’s for a number of years.  Firstly when I was Head of Cathedral Catholic Primary, which is a feeder school to Our Lady’s.  I am very committed to Catholic Education and putting Christ at the centre.  I am Chair of the Curriculum Committee and participate in the Resources and Community Committees.  It is important to support the school in all areas, and I am a frequent visitor interacting with staff and students supporting a range of activities.

Christopher Foster

I am a Co-opted Governor which means I am appointed by the Governors.  My role is Chair of the Resources Committee where we oversee the management of the school budget to cover staffing levels, and to ensure the buildings are suitable for the needs of the school and well maintained.  I also serve as the Link Governor for the Curriculum and am a member of the Curriculum and Standards Committee.  I am a retired Offshore Operations Manager with four children all of whom attended the school.

Paul Bates

I am a retired local GP and find being a Governor a new challenge.  Not that I am finding myself at a loss what to do with my time in retirement.  Happily, I have plenty of interests not least I am still able to go fell running.  My particular role on the governing board is to look at the Catholic life of the school and see how we can best fulfil our vision for the school in this area.

Laura Gatti

I am a Parent Governor.  My education was the bedrock of who I am today.  My parents and school teachers helped me develop myself in every aspect.  With my role, I would like to give back or at least give the children of our school the same opportunities I had.  I have two kids in school and I think this is a good opportunity to learn more about education and the English educational system.  The best part for me to be a Governor is meeting with staff and participating in lessons: seeing them in action is fantastic!

Stewart Pyne

I became a governor in 2022 and I am proud that both of my children attend OLCC.  I graduated from Loughborough University in 2005 and have enjoyed a varied career in Systems Engineering.  It has been a key part of my career to develop and mentor individuals, particularly in recent years.  I hope that I can use my industrial experience to enhance my role as Link Governor for Careers, and as such, work with staff who support students of Our Lady's Catholic College as they aspire to reach their full potential.

Jane Routh

I'm a married mum of 3.  I work for a local supermarket chain as a Safety and Environment Manager.  I have been a Foundation Governor for a local primary school and more recently joined OLCC.  I attended both schools so do feel really connected to them.  As both a mum and a Catholic, I was really interested in how the schools operated so when the opportunity arose felt I would be able to offer my skills and help influence, but also challenge, the schools in a positive way.

Richard Teasdale

I am a staff Governor at Our Lady's and have worked here for the last 4 years as a Pastoral Support Officer.  Before Our Lady's, I have worked at 3 other schools in the Diocese of Lancaster as a school chaplain.  I am also a Foundation Governor at one of our Catholic Feeder Primary Schools.  I wanted to be a Governor to see how things worked on a strategic level and felt I had something to offer by sharing my experiences of being 'on the ground' as school staff to help other governors understand how decisions made impact the school as a whole.

I grew up in West Cumbria and moved to Lancaster in 2018 when I got married.  I love walking in the Lake District, football and cricket, although I have just become a father for the first time so time for these things is a lot less that it used to be.

Nicola Holt

I am a Foundation Governor and have only recently joined the Governing body.  I am a local Catholic primary headteacher who has a passion for supporting Catholic education and for giving the children the very best opportunities schools can give them.  I am a member of the School Community Committee and PSHE nominated governor.

Alice Robinson

My role as a governor is diverse. 

In order to carry out my role I have undertaken governor training in a wide range of topics including; financial management in schools, training in preparation for Ofsted and Child Protection. 

I serve on the Curriculum Committee which undertakes to review and monitor developments within the school’s curriculum and how well these meet the needs of the pupils.  As well as the school’s performance in relation to external examination and the internal assessment of pupils and how this information is reported to parents.

I have also worked with one of the Assistant Headteachers as part of a working party looking at Assessment and Reporting.