Governance

Welcome to St Barnabas

As governors we are committed to supporting the head, senior leadership team and all staff to provide the best possible education and experiences for all of our children to enable them to fulfil their potential and grow in our “love filled Christian family”.

We hope you find the website informative and helpful. It is important to us as governors that parents feel welcome. A good relationship between school and home helps to build a child’s confidence and assists their development in school.

We work with school to ensure all of our children enjoy a rich and varied curriculum that meets their needs and reflects our Christian distinctiveness as a school.

All governors have a lead role linking to different parts of our curriculum, and other important areas of school life such as safeguarding and pupil premium. We also have a group of governors that are responsible for the vision and ethos, and the strands of the Statutory Inspection for Anglican and Methodists Schools (SIAMS) evaluation schedule which includes the headteacher and RE subject leader. Our incumbent, Rev Ben, has worked very closely with our school and is the lead governor for RE and Church links.

The children at our school have a happy, safe and caring environment in which to learn. We not only strive to enable our children to reach their full potential academically but also to be confident, sensitive to others, interested in the world and to grow up to be outstanding British citizens.

At St. Barnabas, our team of Governors are hard-working and passionate about our school. We provide support to school in many ways, using our experience from a variety of backgrounds – please see ‘meet the governors’ for more information on who we are and what skills and experience we bring to the role. We are here to make sure that our performance is evaluated and continuously improves, to provide the strategic direction for the school, to provide financial oversight and support the senior leadership team and staff team to ensure our provision is the best it can be for all of our children. Most of all we are here because we care about our school and want the whole school and all of our children to succeed.

Best wishes,

Mrs Laura Watson
Chair of Governors

[email protected]

All of the academies in the Cidari Trust are accountable to their individual Local Governing Committees, which in turn is accountable to the Board of Directors of the Trust. In all our Academies the Local Governing Committee can appoint its own community Governors, and it is traditionally these posts which the Committee uses to cover skills gaps, hence these posts often being offered to Governors from the local business community. Parent and Staff representatives are are also elected on to the Committee and play a vital role in Governance. Finally, the For faith Academies, the church, via Cidari, appoint a number of foundation Governors to each Local Governing Committee.

Local Governing Committees make decisions which are in the best interests of the children and young people. Keeping the decision making as close as possible to those that are affected by the decisions makes for sound and efficient leadership and governance.

Fulfilling the role of an academy Governor is, therefore, both a serious undertaking and an enormously rewarding one. Not only do Governors bring their own knowledge and skills to the role, but, in learning how academies are run, they often develop their understanding of leadership. In addition, contributing to the growth and development of an academy and seeing tangible improvements in the attainment and wellbeing of the children is a satisfying and important contribution to the local community.

For further information about our Multi-academy trust, Trustees, Members and LGC, please click on the following link:

https://cidarieducation.co.uk/governance/MembersDirs

Introducing our Local Governing Committee Members

As per DfE guidance, the purpose of governance is “to provide confident, strategic leadership and to create robust accountability, oversight and assurance for educational and financial performance”.

There are three core functions of the governing board:

Ensuring clarity of vision, ethos and strategic direction
Holding executive leaders to account for the educational performance of the organisation and its pupils, and the performance management of staff
Overseeing the financial performance of the organisation and making sure its money is well spent

The LGC shall consist of:

1 Headteacher
1 Staff Governor
2 Parent Governors (elected)
6 Foundation Governors

Meet the Governors

Mrs Laura Watson

(Chair ) Foundation Governor

1/05/23- 30/04/27

I am the Director of Spirituality at Hutton Church of England Grammar School and Sixth Form. This means I sit on the senior leadership team and am responsible for the Christian ethos and culture of our community as well as the Head of the Religious Studies and Philosophy department. I have been teaching for 14 years. I have two children, both of which attended St Barnabas. I am also a former St Barnabas student many, many years ago and a precious winner of the Sharon Kay kindness cup in Year 4! I am a member of St Barnabas Parish Church so I am thrilled to be able to serve both the Church and the school in the capacity of a Governor. I hope that my experience of teaching and, in particularly Christian education, will be of benefit to helping all members of the academy community to flourish and grow.

Mrs Beth Speak

(Vice Chair) Foundation Governor

19/10/2021 – 19/10/2029

I work on improvement of children’s services and I am currently working for a north-west local authority. I have worked on national children’s services improvement programmes, working with different councils nationally, and have experience of leading on strategic planning, quality assurance and all things inspection related (Ofsted!). I have been a Governor at St Barnabas since 2014, and was also a governor in another local school for 4 years before that and have completed the DfE Governance Leadership Development programme. I am a mum to two teenagers, both former pupils of St Barnabas.

Mrs Becky Ham

Ex-Officio Staff Governor

Headteacher- 01/01/2020

I have had the privilege of being the Headteacher at St Barnabas since January 2020, after being the Deputy Headteacher for nearly six years. I previously worked at a large outstanding academy in Blackburn as the Early Years and Phonics Leader for three years and at another large primary school in Blackburn for eight years, where I was the English, PE and KS1 leader. I was a staff Governor at both of my previous schools. I am a Specialist Leader of Education for both Phonics and Early Years and regularly support other schools in the Trust and local authority, to develop their Phonics and Early Years provision, teaching and learning. I am also the lead for our School Improvement Group (SIG) and also sit on the SACRE board. I have two teenage children who used to attend St Barnabas, so this school has a special place in my heart. I have thoroughly enjoyed being on an amazing journey of school improvement at St Barnabas, which has now seen our school gaining strong goods in the last two Ofsted inspections and we have been oversubscribed for several years. I am very proud of the wonderful, hardworking staff team that we have and I take pride in getting to know each of our fantastic children and their families.

Mrs Emma Wilkinson

Staff Governor

01/09/20-31/08/2028

I have worked at St Barnabas since September 2020. I am the Deputy Headteacher, Reception teacher, SENDCo and deputy designated safeguarding lead. I previously worked at a large outstanding academy in Blackburn as the Early Years, Phonics and Music Leader for 9 years. I am a Specialist Leader of Education for Phonics and have supported other schools in Blackburn with Darwen. I am passionate about providing an inclusive education and love to see all children thrive and achieve their potential. I love taking learning outside and love the Early Years as this is their starting point in their school education. I really enjoy getting to know our school family and hope to continue to make a difference. I am excited about the future of St Barnabas and want to continue to ensure that we all achieve great things and live life in all its fullness.

Mrs Rachel Lewis

Foundation Governor

30/11/2022- 29/11/2026

I am the Assistant Principal at a local high school where I am responsible for Pupil Premium, Inclusion and Transition. I previously was a SENCO and specialised in teaching English Language and Literature. I have experience in strategic leadership, all aspects of inclusive education and the transition from Primary to Secondary. I have been a governor since 2019, and I am also a parent of two children who attend St Barnabas.

Mr Ben Marston

Ex-officio Governor

16/03/23- 15/03/27

I am married to Sarah and we have two young daughters, who attend St Barnabas. I grew up in a village in Lancashire and started attending church regularly aged seven, partly thanks to an invitation from the local vicar. After university, I spent ten years working for a Christian charity working with university students, both in the UK and in New Zealand. Since ordination, I have been a curate (assistant vicar) in North Nottinghamshire. I am excited to be back in Lancashire and I am loving getting to know Darwen, Hoddlesden and especially its wonderful schools. In my spare time I enjoy spending time with family, walking, cycling and reading.

Mr Sean Dunn

Parent Governor

13/12/ 2023 - 12/12/ 2027

As an experienced Account Manager at the Schools and Academies Show, I am dedicated to building strong relationships with education professionals and industry partners. My focus is on understanding the needs of schools, academies, and multi-academy trusts to ensure they have access to the best resources, insights, and networking opportunities through our events. I am passionate about helping educational institutions stay informed on the latest policies, innovations, and strategies to enhance student outcomes and operational efficiency. By facilitating meaningful connections between exhibitors, sponsors, and attendees, I contribute to making the Schools and Academies Show a valuable platform for education sector growth and collaboration. I’m a father of three girls , two of which attend St Barnabas, my brother and I were also pupils here along with my Mother too.

Mr Andy Grayston

Parent Governor

1/11/2024 - 31/10/2028

I work in the private healthcare sector supporting clients living with acquired brain injuries. I have 10+ years of experience working with individuals with complex needs, neurodiversity and acquired brain injuries. I have always been passionate in helping others and hope I can be of great service to the school for pupils, teachers and parents. I have a son who attends St. Barnabas.

Mrs Caterina Berry

Foundation Governor

1 Dec 2025 - 30 Nov 2029

I have a daughter at St Barnabas, and have recently joined as a foundation governor. I am looking forward to learning more about the school through the role. I am a Lecturer in dance currently at FE and HE level where I have worked for the last 12 years. Prior to this I delivered dance as enrichment across a wide variety of pre-school, primary and secondary school settings. I am passionate about creative arts and sport within education, and the positive impact this can have on children, their creativity, confidence, and overall mental and physical wellbeing.

All Governors have completed a declaration of interest form on Governor Hub and no business or personal declarations have been made.

For further information on governance and the organisational structure of our Cidari Multi Academy Trust. Please click on the following link:

https://www.cidarieducation.co.uk/governance

Contact Details

Email: [email protected]

16th December 2026

Dear Parents and Carers,

We are delighted to introduce our new Chair of Governors, Laura Watson. Laura is a familiar face in our community; she is a former pupil of St Barnabas (even winning the Sharon Kay Kindness Cup!), a member of our parish church, and a parent to two former students. Professionally, she brings a wealth of experience as the Director of Spirituality and Head of RE & Philosophy at Hutton C of E Grammar School. We are thrilled to have her leading our Governing Body.

We will be officially welcoming Laura at a special church service on Sunday 18th January at 11:00 am. All are welcome to join us.

We would also like to take this opportunity to say a huge thank you to Jen Frankish for her unwavering support and dedication to our Governors over the last 10 years. We are incredibly grateful for her service to our school family.

Additionally, please join us in giving a warm welcome to Caterina Berry, who has joined us as a new Foundation Governor.

You can read the attached welcome message from our new Chair and find more information about our Governors on our website here: https://www.stbarnabasdarwen.co.uk/key-information/governance

Linked governors

Area	School Lead	Link Governor
Budget/finance monitoring	Becky Ham	Laura Watson
DP/GDPR	Becky Ham	Beth Speak
Pupil Premium	Becky Ham	Rachel Lewis
Link (training)	N/A	Beth Speak
Parental Engagement	Emma Wilkinson	Beth Speak
PE/Sports Premium	Emily Gardner	Sean Dunn
Safeguarding	Becky Ham	Laura Watson
Wellbeing	Becky Ham	Laura Watson

In addition to the above, linked governors are also assigned to subjects in accordance with the School Development Plan priorities for the current year. These are reviewed and re-assigned on an annual basis as needed to ensure that the priority subjects in the SDP are covered:

Subjects	Leader	Link Governor
Art and Design, Music and SEND	Marie Govan	Laura Watson
Design and Technology, Science & History	Shakira Kachwalla	Andy Grayston
Maths and Geography	Ashley Bloomfield	Lisa Fairclough
Phonics, EYFS and Curriculum	Emma Wilkinson	Beth Speak
Religious Education, MFL & Computing	Lindsey Araujo	Rev Ben Marston
English	Lauren Flynn	Rachel Lewis
Physical Education and PSHE	Emily Gardner	Sean Dunn

Cidari has a highly skilled Board of Trustees, approved by the Department for Education. The Board of Trustees delegate decision making for certain functions to a Local Governing Committee for each Academy. In Cidari each Academy has a Local Governing Committee (LGC). The LGC will continue to ensure that the needs of the Academy are monitored closely.

The structure of Cidari allows for more formalised, collaborative working whilst allowing the individual characteristics, distinctiveness and ethos of each academy to continue.

Cidari has a very small group of Members who are named for legal purposes. Members hold the trust board to account for the effective governance of the trust, the members themselves have a minimal role in the actual running of the trust. It is the trust board, not the members, who are the organisation’s key strategic decision makers. The MAT Board of Trustees has overall responsibility and accountability in law for the performance, site and overall running of the Trust and each of the Academies.

What do the Members do?

The standard company structure for Multi Academy Trusts is five members who are similar to shareholders in a company (but in this volunteers without any financial benefit rather than investors), there is then also a Board of Trustees who are responsible for the strategic running of the trust. The Members sign the company documents for the company (which set out its core purpose, i.e. provision of education etc.), they also have the power to appoint the Trustees and amend the company documents. The Members attend one annual general meeting each year.

Role and Basis for Appointment to the Board of Trustees

The core governance functions of the Multi Academy Trust, (i.e. setting the direction of the Trust, holding the CEO and Headteachers to account and ensuring sound use of finances) are carried out by the multi academy trust Board of Trustees.

Within Cidari, Trustees have been appointed on the basis of the skills they can bring to the trust board. It is essential that this is made up of skilled individuals to ensure the success, both academically and financially, of the trust and the best outcomes for the learners within our Academies. Some of the Trustees are representatives of the Diocese of Blackburn Board of Education and Board of Finance.

Local Governing Committee

The local governing committees, set up for each of the Academies within the MAT, maintain their existing representation (unless serious Governance concerns have been evidenced) and are tasked with protecting the individual ethos of the Academy. Parents are elected to these local governing committees and so maintain an input into the governance of their Academy. However, as mentioned above it is also responsibility of the MAT Board of Trustees to ensure it protects the individual ethos of each Academy within the MAT (whether church or community) in accordance with the company documents. More information regarding local Governing Committees and how to become a Governor in one of our Academies can be found by clicking here.