The governors of Holy Trinity welcome you to the governors section of the Holy Trinity Website so we can share with you what our role is and who we are. Holy Trinity is very unique school, it’s the only school in the country that admits pupils aged between 3-16 and is a joint Catholic and Church of England School.

Our governor membership is also unique because the majority of us are Foundation Governors. Foundation governors have a special responsibility to maintain the schools religious character and mission, because Holy Trinity is a joint Catholic and Church of England school the Foundation Governors are appointed by either the Bishop of Leeds (Church of England) or the Bishop of Hallam (Catholic).

They are appointed by both Bishops specifically to ensure that the:

Foundation governor appointments are reviewed every four years by the appropriate Bishop.

Holy Trinity also has parent governors who are elected by parents / carers of pupils at the school and come from the local community. Parent appointments are reviewed every four years and revoked if their child leaves Holy Trinity.

All the governors are volunteers who are committed to Holy Trinity and feel privileged to be part of the school.

Governors are there to support and challenge the senior leaders of the school to ensure that the school is continually reflecting on and improving its practice in order to create a learning environment in which all the children can achieve the best possible outcome. Historically this has been done at full governing body meetings and during school visits. Going forward now we are part of the St Clare Multi Academy (MAT) the full governing body meetings from September 2024 be renamed and become Local Academy Committee meeting (LAC) they will still continue to support and challenge the senior school leaders. For more information about the structure of the Academy Trust Governance please follow the link:

The Governors vision is to ensure Holy Trinity offers an outstanding, all-round education to our school community, rooted in the shared Christian values of love, honesty and respect. We seek to demonstrate this ethos in our school by providing a safe, caring environment where everyone is valued and pupils are inspired to develop a love for learning that will equip them for life in the 21st century.

If we can not respect another
How can we expect them to respect us
If we can not respect someone’s beliefs
How can we expect them to respect ours
If we can not respect another’s race
How can we expect that race to respect us
If we can not respect others
How can we expect respect in return

Everyone expects respect
No matter who they are
The only way to gain it
Is to start treating everyone
As a friend, a brother, a sister
As part of our extended family
No matter what colour or creed they are
Only then you will start to get
The respect you so dearly crave

David Harris

I am a Foundation Governor for Hallam Diocese. I live in Barnsley and worship at Holy Rood church in the centre of town. My whole career has been in Catholic Education; I was a teacher in the Primary Sector for 37 years, 17 of which was as the Head teacher of a Primary school in Sheffield, until my retirement in 2016. I am married and have two children, who are both now married and have their own children. Excellence in education is vital for the future of our children and young people, coupled with my Catholic beliefs and experience, I endeavour to support Holy Trinity in its mission to deliver this to the students in our care.

I have been a Parent Governor at Holy Trinity since May 2019, I am a mum of two girls both, one in Primary the other is in secondary. I have worked for the NHS for the past 20 years, initially working with a Mental Health Trust and more recently with NHS Blood and Transplant Service. As part of my role I want to represent the parents and ensure that our children have the best education, opportunities and experiences that they deserve.

I have been a school Governor for 26 years, initially as a parent Governor then as a foundation governor at Holy Cross Deanery Primary. I was a member of the temporary governing body, involved with the building of the new school which became Holy Trinity as Holy Cross was one of the primary schools to become part of the new school. It was a privilege to be involved with the development of the school from its inception. I have worked as a Civil Servant for 46 years and worship at St. Helen’s Athersley.

Holy Trinity had been open for 6 months when I became a governor and I was elected as Chair in 2019. I grew up in Athersley (North and South) I still live locally and attend Blessed Sacrament Church. From personal experience I know what opportunities a good education can bring and I want every child at Holy Trinity to reach their potential. As a qualified nurse my working life has been spent in the NHS working initially in Barnsley General Hospital then Barnsley Community Nursing services.

I have been a Foundation Governor for the Diocese of Hallam since 2023. I am married and have three children, two stepchildren and three grandchildren. I have worked in the NHS for 24 years. For fifteen of those years I have been working as a Health Visitor in children’s 0 -19 years services as a Health Visitor, initially in Barnsley and currently in Doncaster. I want to contribute to ensuring the pupils at Holy Trinity have a positive academic and pastoral experience.

If you would like to bring a matter to the attention of the Governors, please feel free to either:

In both these instances the information will forwarded to the Chair of Governors who will deal with the issue raised. Alternatively you can address a letter to the Chair of Governors and either hand it into reception or use the ordinary post and send it to Holy Trinity Carlton Road Barnsley S71 2LF.

Please note that governors should not be approached if you want to raise a complaint. These must be made as stated in the complaint policy. The role of governors when dealing with a complaint is also set out in this document.

Each academic term there will be a LAC meeting that focuses on Teaching & Learning and one that focuses on Ethos Welfare & Admissions, in total there will be 6 LAC meetings each academic year. At these meetings, which all governors attend, the Headteacher will provides a report that covers the topic areas relating to the meeting agenda and the governors will ask questions based on objective data and evidence provided in the report.

Please note – from September 2024 the governing body has been re-named. It is now known as a Local Academy Committee in line with St Clare governance arrangements.