Alison Wagstaff

Key Roles:

I live in Bodmin and am a parishioner at St Mary’s Church. I am a very new governor having been appointed for the first time in July 2021, so my first experiences of governing body meetings were via Zoom. It is a challenging role, but it is fantastic to be able to experience at first hand the strong sense of community at St Mary’s School, and the way the children are taught and encouraged by example to live out the Gospel values of love of God and neighbour in their own lives. As a Foundation governor I hope to have many opportunities to share in the Catholic ethos of the school.

I am very interested in education having had four children of my own, and now also grandchildren living reasonably close by. After bringing up my family I worked for ten years for the Foundation Board of a large educational charity which ran a number of independent, grammar and comprehensive secondary schools. I also acted as clerk to the Governing Body of a local authority primary school, which gave me a good insight into how much is now expected of school staff and also of the children.

My own educational background is in languages, and I have a degree in German language and literature as well as an abiding interest in classical languages, especially Latin. I also took up quilting a couple of years ago, and my ambition now to make something which is both useful and beautiful.

I am proud to be the headteacher of St. Mary's having worked here before as a teacher and then deputy headteacher. I moved here in September 2025, having prviously been headteacher of St. Mary's Catholic Primary in Falmouth and before that, headteacher of St. Peter's Catholic Primary in Plymouth.

As a Parent Governor, I am proud to support the school and be part of its community. As a parent, I care about creating a safe and supportive environment where all children can thrive. I bring a legal background which supports my role as a governor, particularly around good decision-making and accountability. I enjoy working with staff and other governors, and as a Parent Governor I focus on representing parents’ views and helping to strengthen the link between families and the school.

Hello everyone.

I am delighted to be a Foundation Governor at St Mary’s Catholic Primary School as I have a strong connection with the school and parish going back to 1996 when I first moved to Cornwall. Both my children attended St Mary’s and my family have very fond memories of their time there. Having taught locally in Bodmin for ten years I also feel a close connection to the community.

I attended Notre Dame High School in London and my first teaching job was in a Catholic school where I attained my Catholic teaching certificate.

I qualified as a teacher in 1987 and have been in education for thirty five years, working in schools in London, Cornwall and Buckinghamshire. I have taught across Early Years, Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2 but my real passion lies in the education of the youngest Early Years children.

For the last six years, before I retired, I worked as an Executive Headteacher across three outstanding schools and a children’s centre. I have a broad experience of being a governor, having served on several governing bodies throughout my career.

For many years I worked as an Early Years School Improvement Advisor and for Ofsted as an Early Years Inspector.

As a governor at St. Mary’s I will strive to support and challenge the work of the Headteacher and staff, to ensure the best possible outcomes for all our children and their families.

I started my career in the Royal Navy as an engineer. I then taught English as a Second Language in Vietnam for nine years. This was the start of my life in education and is where I found my love and passion for teaching. The experience of teaching and living abroad has really helped inspire my desire to ensure every child progresses and thrives.
I have been at St Mary's Catholic Primary School for nine and half years, during which time I have spent six years in Year Six. With my current role as Deputy Head and Staff Governor, I aim to ensure all of our children are reaching their full potential.