Governance

It is the Governing Body’s responsibility to bring independent judgement to bear on issues of strategy, performance, resources and standards of conduct.

The Governing Body is provided with regular and timely information on the overall financial performance of the College together with other information such as performance against funding targets, proposed capital expenditure, quality matters and personnel related matters such as health and safety and environmental issues. The Governing Body meets on a termly basis.

The full Governing Body meets four times per year. It receives reports from the Principal and its own committees. The key responsibilities of the Governing Body are:

• to determine the educational character and Mission of the College and to ensure the College management is fulfilling the mission
• to ensure the solvency of the College and the safeguarding of its assets
• to approve the annual estimates of income and expenditure
• to oversee the appointment, grading, suspension, dismissal and the determination of the pay and conditions of senior post holders the Principal and Vice Principal.
• to set a framework for the pay and conditions of service for all staff.

In legal terms, the Governing Body has a corporate identity separate from its members. This means that responsibility for actions and decisions rests with the Governing Body as a whole and not with individual governors. Governors are expected to show the highest loyalty and to act collectively in the best interest of the College.

All governors are able to take independent professional advice in furtherance of their duties at the College’s expense and have access to the clerk to the Governing Body, who is responsible to the Board for ensuring that all applicable procedures and regulations are complied with. The appointment and removal of the clerk are matters for the Governing Body as a whole.
The clerk to the Governing Body maintains a register of financial and personal interests of the governors.

Formal agendas, papers and reports are supplied to governors in a timely manner, prior to Board meetings. Briefings are also provided on an ad-hoc basis.

There is a clear division of responsibility in that the roles of the Chairman and Principal are separate.

Although the full Governing Body meets termly and once for a training session, most of the detailed work is undertaken by committees which utilise the individual specialist skills of Governors.

Each committee has terms of reference, which have been approved by the Governing Body. These committees are audit, resources, teaching and learning, remuneration, general purposes and employment,  Full minutes of all meetings are available on this page or from the clerk to the Governing Body.

The committees are:

• Audit (3 times per year): has legal powers to investigate all aspects of the internal control and financial systems of the College and employs two firms of auditors.
• Resources (3 times per year): oversees the budget, monitors the duties of the Governing Body as the employer and oversees the resources and the estate.
• Teaching and Learning (3 times per year): monitors and develops all aspects of student achievement, the quality of teaching and support and students’ experiences.
• Remuneration (At least once per year): reviews salary structures of the Principal and the Vice Principal..
• General Purposes (3 times per year): monitors admissions, marketing and liaison.
• Employment

The Foundation Governors are appointed by the Bishop of Shrewsbury.  The two staff governors, the parent governor and two student governors are elected by their respective groups. There remains only two co-opted governors for which any vacancy for a co-opted governors would be appointed by the Governing Body and this would be instigated on an as necessary basis when new co-opted governors were needed. The Governing Body is responsible for ensuring that appropriate training is provided as required.

Members of the Governing Body are appointed for a term of office not exceeding four years.

Principal

• Mr D Pearson

Chair

• Mr T.P.McGee (Chair)

Vice Chair

• Mrs J Miller

Clerk

• Mr T Conlon

Staff Governors

• Mr C Green
• Mr R Harris

Parent Governor

• Ms A Lindsey

Foundation Governors

• Mr T.P.McGee (Chair)
• Mrs J Miller (Vice Chair)
• Mr L Byrne
• Ms H Donelon
• Mrs C H Dove
• Mr B Hickey
• Mr G Hynes
• Mr A Martin
• Dr A Smith
• Mr M Taylor

Audit Committee – Co-opted Members

• Mr A Anwar
• Ms Garrett

Co-Opted Governors

• Ms J Paton

Student Representatives

• There are two student representatives.