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.

I grew up in Wednesfield attending St Mary's Primary School, moving on to Our Lady of Mercy Grammar and later to the newly formed Our Lady & St Chad. Leaving school at 16, I first worked for a local house building company before joining the Civil Service. Following the birth of my children, I worked as parish secretary at Corpus Christi Church, whilst my children attended the primary school there. I became a foundation governor at the school, later vice Chair and then Chair of Governors until my youngest moved on to secondary education. I re-joined the Civil Service and currently work as a Senior Business Analyst for HMRC. At my current parish I regularly read at Mass. I am also President of the parish St Vincent de Paul Society. As an 'old girl', joining the governing body of OLSC has felt appropriate. Giving time back to the school that helped form me as a young adult, and being in a position to support the religious learning and development of today's young people is a privilege.