St. John Bosco Catholic Academy

St John Bosco Catholic Academy (SJBCA) is a Multi Academy Company (MAC) in accordance with agreement formulated between the Archdiocese of Birmingham and the Department for Education.

Presentation introducing St John Bosco Catholic Academy

We are within the Archdiocese of Birmingham and are made up of the following Dudley Catholic Schools:

Bishop Milner Catholic College
St Chad’s Catholic Primary School
St Joseph’s Catholic Primary School

St John Bosco

Together our MAC is named after St John Bosco (popularly known as Don Bosco), an Italian priest, educator and writer who founded the Salesian Society. He dedicated his life to the betterment of young people.

St John Bosco was born of poor parents in a small cabin at Becchi, a hill-side hamlet near Castelnuovo, Piedmont, Italy, 16th August 1815, he died 31st January 1888. He was declared Venerable by Pius X on 21st July 1907. Pope Pius XI beatified him in 1929 and canonised him in 1934.

Aims

St John Bosco Catholic Academy (MAC / SJBCA) was formed on the 1st September 2013 to provide the following benefits:

Secure and preserve the Catholic ethos and character of our schools through ecclesial communion.
Offer quality Catholic education across the primary and secondary phases within Dudley, which will meet the expectations of parents, employers and further/higher education.
Continue to raise the quality of education through joint accountability for standards whilst also committing to collective responsibility for improving provision in all three schools in order to promote achievement and improve pupil/Student performance.
Continued enhancement of the quality of teaching and learning.
Facilitate the sharing of good practice and successful strategies for improving quality.
Improve further the quality and impact of strategic thinking and planning.
Support strategic leadership and management within our schools, including strengthening the effectiveness of the roles of: Principals, Vice Principals Assistant and Assistant Principals.
Promote effective collaboration to further enhance the quality of middle level leadership and management, and subject leadership across the MAC.
Facilitate as required the appointment of staff and shared induction, training /development and review opportunities.
Support Director training and developmental opportunities.
Strengthen capacity through providing wider career and vocational opportunities along with leadership formation.
Extend the range and broaden the diversity of planned curriculum and extra-curricular opportunities.
Strengthen existing partnerships with other schools and providers, e.g. those with other neighbouring Dudley schools and other Catholic schools within the Archdiocese of Birmingham.
To further enhance responses to the needs of individual pupils/students, including those with special educational needs.
Address community cohesion and social inclusion issues particularly improving the performance of potentially higher achieving pupils/students and those with low aspiration.
Ensure best value in the use of finance and resources.
Ensure effective use of new technologies to enhance teaching and learning.
Improve the sharing and economies of scale regarding resources.
Use the MAC as the basis for exploring improved liaison, collaboration and partnership working with all external agencies.

Director and Committee Structures

St John Bosco Catholic Academy (MAC) has an overall Academy Board of Directors and each of the member institutions also has an individual Academy Committee. Each Director and Committee member is vetted by the Trustees of the Archdiocese of Birmingham.

This concentrates the strengths of the previous Boards of Governors so that there is representation and a knowledge / skill-base linked to both education and business. The Academy Directors and Committees work together with the Principals and staff of each institution for the good of the pupils / students whilst also ensuring everything is underpinned by sound financial acumen.

St. John Bosco Catholic Academy Committee Structure to Feb 2020

Responsibilities

Ensure strategic oversight and provision of excellent Catholic education within the MAC. This must always be undertaken fairly and equitably so as not to give unreasonable advantage or disadvantage to any one or more academies within the MAC. The MAC Directors have the duty to make sure that where there are problems in any of these areas, that such problems are successfully addressed.

Preserve and develop the religious and educational character, mission and ethos of the MAC, as determined by the Archbishop working through the DES in accordance with the Articles of Association, and ensure that it is embedded in each academy.

Carry out the following core functions:

Ensure clarity of vision, ethos and strategic direction.
Hold the Principals and/or CSEL(s) (if appropriate) to account for the educational performance of the academies in the MAC and its pupils and for the internal organisation, management and control of the academies including performance management of staff.
Oversee the financial performance of the MAC and the academies within it and make sure its money is well spent.
Secure, protect and improve the Catholic life of the academies.
Ensure compliance with the MAC’s charitable objects and with company and charity law and ensure that all MAC Directors are provided with training to ensure that this can be achieved.

Have strategic oversight of governance arrangements and their effectiveness across the MAC.

While the primary responsibility of the Regional Governing Body Committees is to oversee Daily Operational Matters:

Catholic life
Implementation of policy
Day-to-day
Relationships with other schools & partners
Feedback and evidence of impact
Evaluation of effectiveness of strategic framework

Documents

Articles of Association (April 2020)
Company Register of Members 2019-20
Completed Directors Register of Interest Forms 2018-19
Governance Structure March 2020
Directors Attendance at Meetings 2018-19
Directors Attendance 2019/20
Scheme of Delegation
St. Chad’s Catholic Primary School – LGB Attendance
St. Joseph’s Catholic Primary School – LGB Attendance

Conversion 2018 Documents

Development Plan

Importantly, and to underpin the process of enhancing educational opportunities and progress, there is rigorous ‘Self Evaluation’ across the MAC which informs the production of a shared ‘Development Plan’ which has at its heart the continued raising of standards.

This has a firm foundation based upon clear challenging action points with associated dates / milestones and costing pertinent to the needs of each institution. Crucially, the Plan is underpinned by common policies, identified professional development and as required intervention strategies. All of this ensures safe practice, rigour and accountability.

In addition, St John Bosco Catholic Academy has collaborative links with other MACs across the Archdiocese of Birmingham along with the continued development of mutually supportive links with other primary and secondary schools within the locality of Dudley and beyond.

Registration Details

St John Bosco Catholic Academy
08608177 (registered in England and Wales)
Registered office: Bishop Milner Catholic College, Burton Road, Dudley, DY1 3BY