Welcome to our Local Governance Committee section. 

Please find below details of how our Governing body is structured, including the names, categories, responsibilities and terms of appointment for each Governor.

KCSP Governance Model

Kent Catholic Schools' Partnership (KCSP) is a charitable trust and a company limited by guarantee, established in August 2012 by the Archbishop of Southwark. We are committed to providing strong, faith-led education across our family of Catholic schools in Kent. 

At the heart of KCSP is a robust governance structure designed to ensure transparency, accountability, and excellence in leadership.  

The Trust Board of Directors oversee the strategic direction, management, and administration of the Trust. To carry out these responsibilities effectively, the Board delegates specific functions to a series of governance committees, as outlined in our governance structure chart. 

We recognise the vital role governance plays in the success of our schools. To support our committees and leaders. KCSP provides comprehensive guidance through our Governance Handbook and Scheme of Delegation. These documents outline the principles, responsibilities, and procedures that underpin our governance model, ensuring consistency and clarity across the Trust

GOVERNANCE AT ST THOMAS’

The school has a Local Governance Committee.

The Governance Committee is a 'critical friend' of the school.  It provides Strategic Leadership in school improvement.  It does this by being appropriately involved in the school improvement cycle as follows:

1. Developing and sharing the values and vision.

2. Setting out the aims and objectives of the school.

3. Setting out the policies and procedures by which the aims and objectives will be achieved.

4. Establishing the criteria by which the aims and achievements will be seen to be achieved.

5. Taking the views of stakeholders into account.

6. Evaluating the evidence on how well the school is doing.

7. Finding out how well the school is doing in comparison to similar schools.

8. Agreeing targets for improvement.

9. Planning to achieve improvement.

10. Ensuring that deployment of staffing and resources match the school's priorities.

Key Issues

The governance committee will consider and keep under review: the progress and attainment of all groups of pupils, evidence of narrowing gaps between under achieving groups and other pupils, improvements in the quality of teaching, the school's improvement since the last inspection, and the school's self-evaluation of how well it is doing currently.  Governance committee members are not expected to be involved in the day to day running of the school.

Who can be a governance committee member?

• Almost anyone, over 18, can become a member.  Governance committee members are volunteers from all walks of life - everyone has experience and skills to offer.
• An effective governance committee has people from different backgrounds and with a mix of skills.  No formal qualifications are needed to be a member.
• Governance committee members are not education experts - they are there to offer a fresh perspective.

What makes a good governance committee member?

• The ability to work in a team.
• An interest in education and a commitment to the school.
• Patience, energy and enthusiasm.
• A willingness to listen, learn and to spend time in school.
• A willingness to undertake training.

The LGC supports strategic direction of the school, and it also has direct responsibility for certain key areas, such as finance. The committee supports and challenges the leadership of St Thomas’. 

This means, for example, that if you have concerns or questions about the financial management of St Thomas’, they should go to the Finance Lead Committee Member on the Local Governance Committee. You can always contact them through the school office.

The Local Governance Committee will be updating parents on their work at the beginning and end of each term as part of the school’s weekly newsletter. Our work is vital to development and well-being of our children. If you believe that you can make a contribution, please consider volunteering and serving with us.

Our Chair of Governors, Margherita Caretta, can be contacted by email: margherita.caretta@st-thomas-sevenoaks.kcsp.org.uk

The clerk to the committee, Anita Venezia Yau, can be contacted by email: aveneziayau@kcsp.org.uk

Copies of Governing Body minutes are available from the school office.