WELCOME TO THE GOVERNORS' SECTION!

Members of the Governing Body meet on a regular basis and support the school in a variety of ways.  They have a varied and important role.  As well as full governing body meetings six times a year, there is also a Pay & Personnel sub-committee. 

The governors have three core functions:

• Planning the strategic direction of the school
• Overseeing financial performance of the school and ensuring money is well spent
• Holding the headteacher or school leadership to account

Governors don’t get involved with the day to day operational running of a school, instead supporting and challenging the school’s leadership team to drive school improvement.

Being a school governor is a commitment and a responsibility, but offers the chance to see first-hand the impact which can be made in improving education for children in our community.

Governors work as a team. They are responsible for making sure the school provides a good quality education for all pupils. Raising educational standards in school is a key priority. This has the best chance of happening when there are high expectations of what pupils can achieve.
Governors promote effective ways of teaching and learning when setting the school aims and policies. They do this together with the head teacher, who is responsible for the day-to-day management of the school.
Head teachers are recruited and selected by governors - and most head teachers choose to be governors themselves.

Governing bodies are accountable to parents, the local community and the Local Authority.  Appointments usually for four years. The governing body's main role is to help raise pupils' standards of achievement.

So in more detail, the Governing Body:

• is accountable for the performance of the school to parents and the wider community
• plans the school's future direction 
• selects the head teacher 
• makes decisions on the school's budget and staffing including the performance management policy 
• makes sure the agreed Curriculum is well taught
• decides how the school can encourage pupils' spiritual, moral and cultural development 
• makes sure the school provides for all pupils including those with special needs.

Governors are at the heart of how a school operates. It's important they get things right. How they do their job effects the interests of pupils, staff and the reputation of the school in the community. Governors support and challenge head teachers by gathering views, asking questions and discussing what's best for the school. They are not there to rubber stamp decisions. They have to be prepared to give and take advice and must be loyal to decisions taken by the governing body as a whole. As long as they act within the law and take appropriate advice, governors are protected from any financial liability for the decisions they take.

The Governing Body is made up of a variety of different governors.  Some are appointed by the Local Education Authority or the Diocese (called foundation governors).  Some are co-opted (community) governors and represent the views of the school's local community; parent governors have children at the school and are elected to ensure parents' views are listened to and represented.  Finally there are staff governors which includes the Head Teacher. 

The governors try to be present at all school events and you will even see them serving tea and coffee at parents' evenings.  

Governors are available to speak to parents if, for some reason, they have an issue which it's felt the school hasn't dealt with appropriately.  Any formal complaints will be dealt with in line with the school's complaints policy.

Further details of the current governing body membership can be found below in the document 'Governing Body Membership'