Welcome to our School Standards Committee Page

 St Thomas More School Standards Committee

An Overview

St Thomas More Catholic Primary School is part of the Lumen Christi Catholic Multi Academy which is comprised of seven local Catholic schools in South West Birmingham:

• St Brigid’s Catholic Primary School
• St Paul's Catholic Primary School
• St Columba's Catholic Primary School
• St Joseph's Catholic Primary School
• St James' Catholic Primary School
• St Thomas More Primary School
• St John Fisher Primary School
• St Thomas Aquinas Catholic Secondary School

The Lumen Christi Multi Academy is governed by a Board of Directors, who delegate certain responsibilities to each school through their School Standards Committees. The School Standards Committee’s primary role is to oversee the strategic management of the school on behalf of the Board of Directors. They check that the aims and objectives of the school are being delivered, discuss and approve proposals for various policies, check that the budgets and spending plans are all correct, highlight any areas of concern and offer advice and suggestions.

School Standards Committee (SSC)

Ideally the SSC should be made up of 12 members. Currently, St Thomas More has a School Standards Committee made up of 8 members.

• 4 Foundation Representatives who are practicing Catholics and are appointed by the Diocese. They are usually members of St Thomas More parish, often with direct links to the school.
• 2 Parent Representatives who are nominated and elected by the parents of the school.
• 1 Staff Representative who is nominated and elected by the staff of the school.
• We also have an associate SSC, but this member does not have voting rights 
• School Principal

The full SSC meet three times per year - once each term - plus any additional ‘extraordinary' meetings and training days as and when they are required, for example, to approve a new policy due to new legislation or to discuss an Ofsted inspection report.  

Due to Covid-19, the SSC have virtually met more regularly to agree risk assessments, policies and keep up to date on the changes to school life.

Other Activities

The Representatives are invited to get as involved in school life as often as they can. Individual Representatives are linked to a particular Year Group or Subject which involves them coming into school and meeting with the teachers, getting to know the students through attending assemblies, Masses and other events thus supporting the school in any way they can. Through meeting 2 or 3 times a year with the Subject Leader they can get a really good idea of how it all works and offer advice and suggestions if required.

Being a member of the SSC is an enormously challenging but very rewarding experience. It provides an opportunity to develop new skills and strengthen existing ones. We each have the chance to increase our understanding of areas such as finance, personnel, and strategic planning, gaining a greater awareness of the education system as a whole and, most importantly, get a huge sense of satisfaction knowing the children benefit from our efforts

Name:                            Fr Christopher Miller

Type of Representative Chair of Governors - foundation governor

Term of office                one year

Pecuniary Interests:       none  

I am very pleased to be a governor of St Thomas More. Catholic education is of the utmost importance to the mission of the Church. St Thomas More school plays a significant role in the building of the parish community and its witness to Jesus Christ, and in supporting parents in their role as the first and best teachers of the faith in their families. I am pleased to bring my many years of experience in Catholic education to help our young people flourish in all aspects of their development. the school aspires to provide the very best intellectual, spiritual and moral formation for all pupils, as they grow in the knowledge and love of God, their neighbour and themselves. 

Thank you for taking the time to read this.

I began as Principal in April 2023. I previously have worked in many schools in varying roles (including Principalship) across the West Midlands and Ireland.

My philosophy for education is simple; safe, happy children who know of God’s unlimited love for them will become excellent learners and achieve their God given potential when encountering quality teaching.

I hope to build on the sterling work started at STM since reopening under the Lumen Christi MAC stewardship in September 2019, and see a trusted and united staff unleash their talents in exciting and rewarding lessons.

I am invested in Catholic Education and see my role as Principal as to shepherd all families who join us to work, study and flourish at St Thomas More’s.

I am married to a teacher, whom I met at Teacher Training college, and have twin boys attending their local Catholic Primary school.

Outside of school and family, my passions are GAA, especially  Dublin GAA and Warwickshire GAA, and in ‘soccer’ terms, Tottenham Hotspurs. Following these teams, I am sure you will agree, I know and to win and lose in equal measure.
I look forward to working with you.

Hello everyone,

I am a parishioner of St Thomas More parish and am overjoyed to be asked to be part of STM school community once again as a governor. I have lived within the parish of STM since I was born and my dad, sister and I all attended STM as young people. I then taught for three years at STM between 2008 and 2011 where I loved working, worshipping and living within our local community.

I am currently Deputy Head teacher of Our Lady’s Catholic Primary school, Tile Cross where I also teach year 6 as well as having responsibilities for SEND and literacy amongst others.

As a young person I was inspired by my teachers at STM and at St Paul’s School for Girls and I felt that God was calling me to, hopefully, inspire and to work with young people. I enjoy sharing and celebrating the successes of our young people as well as supporting them during struggles and developing their resilience and perseverance to achieve their identified end goal. Each child is a unique and special gift of God into our world and I feel honoured to be part of their formation and education into young adults.

Beyond school life I enjoy travel and theatre. I love exploring new places and finding out about its history and culture. I love to cook and bake and during the recent pandemic I have perfected my lemon drizzle cake! Time spent with me family is very precious to me and we enjoying walking together as well as regular film nights!

Name: Debbie Sullivan

Type of Representative:  Staff Governor

Term of Office:  Sept 2022- July 2026

Subject Link:  Humanities 

Committee:  performance and standards, Health and Safety, appeals 

Pecuniary Interests:  None

I am the Assistant Vice Principal at St Thomas More School and I am the Leader of Learning for KS1 and EYFS. I am also one of the reception teachers and so am very hands on during the day! 

I am passionate about teaching and learning and especially about really getting it right in the foundation stage.

I am experienced teacher, leader and I have a particular passion for early reading and developing a reading culture across the school.

I have children of my own and a grandson and so know first hand how different children are, how they develop at different rates and how they have different needs.

I really believe in all that we do at Saint Thomas More School and am very proud to say that I work there.

Name: Peter Wall

Type of Representative: Parent Governor

Term of Office: April 2019 – April 2023

Subject and House Links: Attendance, Science, Eco/Outdoors, PE, Year 4

Committee: Performance and Standards

Pecuniary Interest: None declared

I have held the position of Parent Governor since early 2019, in that time, I believe I have developed a solid and productive relationship with my fellow governors and staff whom I interact with.

I am employed by West Midlands Police and have been for over 20 years. I hold the rank of Inspector. I have worked closely with schools in previous roles that I have held.

I am experienced at being held to account by partners and the public in everything I do. I have attended and chaired multiple forums in my time as a police officer, performing varying roles some of which has included resident’s meetings, offender management meetings, multi-agency partnership forums along with internal day to day forums.

I am experienced at drafting policies, consulting, reviewing, researching and testing their relevance, effectiveness and currency.

Being a manager within such a large organisation, my role centres around translating strategy into action and meaningful/measurable outcomes. I have personal experience at effectively delivering ‘more with less’ through a period of austerity.

Whilst different agencies perform and respond at different pace with different levels of effectiveness, I have developed a level of experience to a point whereby I feel that I am well equipped at effectively managing budgets, forward planning but most importantly performing the role of a ‘critical friend’ and (where necessary) holding others to account whilst being prepared to be held to account myself.

My wife and I have two children who attend school. One has recently moved on from St Thomas More to secondary school and one remains at school in year 3.

As a family we are both full-time working parents like many others, balancing a work/home life balance and spending most of our free time supporting and encouraging our children both of whom enjoy competitive sports, charity work and their education.

My wife is employed as a Teacher at a local primary school.  We are both personally and professionally committed to public service.

Through all of the above, I genuinely believe that we are ‘in touch’ with the community within which we live and have a good understanding of those around us in the playground at pickup and drop off times.

I am committed to my role as parent governor and thoroughly enjoy being part of the journey the school has undertaken over the last couple of years. I am determined along with a dedicated team of governors to support and deliver the strategy that will allow for all children at the school to get the best possible education and become the best they can be.

Name: Matt Morgan

Type of Representative: Associate Governor

Term of Office: 

Subject and House Links: Year 5/ Humanities/ Arts

Committee: Performance and Standards

Pecuniary Interest: None declared

As an Assistant Head Teacher at John Henry Newman Catholic College I have had the joy of being responsible for primary liaison. This led to an offer of becoming an associate governor at St Thomas More which I was very pleased to accept. St Thomas More have always served the best needs and interests of the children in its care which is evidenced by the fabulous students that come to us at John Henry Newman. 

Transition to secondary school can be a very nervous time for any child, in any part of the country, and research shows that one of the key anxieties is a concern that the secondary school teachers won’t like them. It has been a pleasure to dispel this myth and to get to know the children before they come to us through various projects including twice hiring Birmingham Symphony Hall, in all its glory, for a celebration of worship. 

Further responsibilities within my current job role include Catholic Life and Personal Development. It has always been a key passion of mine to see children grow in their faith life. St Thomas More have always been leading lights in this respect and I therefore believe I have found a home within the school. 

I have 3 children myself, 10, 12 and 15 years old, and have seen that crucial role that a good primary school can have in the academic and personal development of children. It is a privilege to witness such fabulous work taking place at St Thomas More