Our Governors

Each of the Schools within Forward As One CE Multi Academy Trust have its own Local Governing Advisory Board (LAB). Each LAB has a set constitution, governing the types of members and the numbers of members in each category,

The Local Governing Advisory Board at St. Paul’s CE Primary hold our leaders to account for performance, progress, and attainment. At a local level, we have representation from staff, parents, church, and the wider community.

Each Local Governing Advisory Board operates under delegated powers, assigned to them by the Trust Board and has its own Chairperson, elected by peers from the Local Advisory Board.

The main task assigned to our Local Advisory Board is to drive forward attainment within our schools and Safeguarding duties.

Our Governors

The Chair of Governors is Mr. Mick Crossley, who can be contacted via the school office at:
St. Paul’s CE Primary School, Newnham Street, Astley Bridge, Bolton, BL1 8QA

Governor Term Dates

Governor Attendance

Governor Register of Business & Pecuniary Interests

Governor Profiles

Mick Crossley (Chair of Governors)

My name is Mick Crossley and I am the Chair of Governors at St Paul’s Primary School in Astley Bridge. I have around 20 years of governing experience, I am also Vice Chair of the Trust of Smithills School with very recent experience of taking the school out of special measures back to good in a very short period of time. I am also a founding trustee of forward as One Trust bringing Strategy, IT, Risk Management, Facilities Management and Health & Safety from my extensive business background.

As a former pupil of St Paul’s and father to 2 successful former student daughters, I am extremely proud of the achievements of the staff, the students, the continued ethos of the school and the amazing facilities we have managed to provide for the students. We have an exciting future ahead of us and I personally look forward to supporting Anna, her team and Forward as One Trust to overcome the many challenges we inevitably face over the coming years.

Idris Maka (Vice-Chair of Governors)

I’ve been a governor at St Paul’s CofE since 2018. The main reason why I wanted to be a governor was to support an already outstanding school to help children build the right foundations for a bright future. I am proud of the progress children have made and have witnessed first-hand the excellent work done by the School’s management. As a parent, I value education highly and I continue to assist the School’s Senior Leadership Team to maintain the high standards it has set.

Rev. Julian Hartley (Foundation Governor)

I’m Rev. Julian Hartley and have been the Vicar of St. Paul’s Church in Astley Bridge since the Summer of 2019, meaning I’m automatically a governor of St. Paul’s School. I have over 30 years of experience having the same role in a series of primary schools. Overlapping with that, I have over 10 years of experience as a secondary school governor – first as a parent governor and then community governor of Fred Longworth High School in Tyldesley, followed by a church-appointed governor of Canon Slade School. As well as being a governor, I have a long history of involvement in a variety of other ways with both faith and non-faith schools at the primary and secondary levels. There have been a lot of changes in education for schools, their staff, students and governors to adapt to over those years. It looks as though there are still more to come! Thankfully, I still relish the prospect of continuing my work as a Governor, drawing on my experience as a parent, a vicar and of schools and school governorship, for the benefit and wellbeing of everyone at St. Paul’s School.