My name is Hayley Carden and I am a governor at both St Mary’s and OLSC. I grew up in Wolverhampton and attended both Catholic schools as named above. I left school having completed my A Levels and went onto study Sociology and Social policy at degree level. Following this I went on to become a Probation Officer and have been in this career for over twenty years. I now work at a local prison. I have three children that now also attend both schools. I feel really passionately about education and all children being given the opportunity to develop their culture capital no matter their socioeconomic background. I attend Our Lady of Perpetual Succour church and the Catholic ethos of our schools in teaching children to be kind and compassionate is important to me. I hope that by being a school governor I can give something back to the schools in the local area that helped to shape and develop me as an individual.

I am the staff governor at OLSC. I am currently the Curriculum Leader for Media, IT, Computing and Enterprise (MICE). I grew up in Walsall and I attended St Thomas More Catholic School. After I completed my A Levels, I went to the University of Wolverhampton to study an Information Technology degree. I knew from a young age I wanted to be a teacher. I began teaching in 2011 and worked in Birmingham for 11 years. I joined the OLSC family in January 2022. I have recently completed the RCIA at St Peter's Catholic Church in Bloxwich and I was welcomed into the Church in April 2024. When I attended Catholic secondary school, this is where I started to explore my faith but I did not peruse it further until after coming back into the Catholic education system.Being able to be the staff representative is important to me; I am able to support the school how they have supported me since I have been here. We are family and this is shown in our school ethos.

I have been a Governor, serving in primary education, for many years, both in Telford and in my native Wolverhampton. I became a Governor at Our Lady & St Chad in November 2020. I became chair of the Local Governing Body in November 2022. I believe in the excellent life experiences and learning opportunities afforded by Catholic education. Having closed my consultancy business in 2020, I am now enjoying more time to explore my hobbies and areas of interest. I’m also enjoying seeing my grandchildren and extended family grow year on year.

I am originally from Belfast and I worked as an electrician before becoming a teacher. I am now retired, but I was a maths teacher for 30 years after acquiring a degree from the Open University and PGCE from Wolverhampton University. I have been married for 52 years and my wife was a nurse, working in local hospitals and GP surgeries. Both my children attended Catholic schools in Stafford and have gone on to become teachers themselves. I am a practising Catholic and attend church in Stafford regularly, where I also serve as a Eucharistic minister. I am also a foundation governor of a Catholic primary school in Stafford, which I have served for the last 30 years, 27 of which have been as Chair of Governors. I enjoy being involved with Catholic schools as I value the importance of their work and I am committed to helping them secure their future and find their own excellence.