Governance

The governing board provides strategic leadership which leads to robust accountability, oversight and assurance for the educational and financial performance of our school.

It has three key functions:

• Ensuring clarity of vision, ethos and strategic direction;
• Holding the headteacher to account for the educational performance of the school and its pupils, and the effective and efficient performance management of staff; and
• Overseeing the financial performance of the school and making sure its money is well spent.

For our Governance to be effective it is based on six key features:

• Strategic leadership that sets and champions vision, ethos and strategy.
• Accountability that drives up educational standards and financial performance.
• People with the right skills, experience, qualities and capacity.
• Structures that reinforce clearly defined roles and responsibilities.
• Compliance with statutory and contractual requirements.
• Evaluation to monitor and improve the quality and impact of governance.

Our governors set the aims and objectives for the school and set the policies and targets for achieving those aims and objectives. They monitor and evaluate the progress the school is making and act as a source of challenge and support to the headteacher. Examples include:

• Appointing and performance reviewing the head teacher and senior leaders, linked to defined strategic priorities, including making decisions about pay;
• Managing budgets and deciding how money is spent;
• Engaging with pupils, staff, parents and the school community;
• Sitting on panels and making decisions about things like pupil exclusions and staff disciplinary;
• Addressing a range of education issues within the school including disadvantaged pupils, pupils with special needs, staff workload and teacher recruitment;
• Looking at data and evidence to ask questions and have challenging conversations about the school;
• Governors must be prepared to adopt the Nolan principles of public life: selflessness, integrity, objectivity, accountability, openness, honesty and leadership.

There are 3 main committees that feed into the Full Governing Body:

• Resources
• Curriculum
• Welfare

Other committees, panels or sub groups are formed on a temporary basis to address particular issues such as the Headteachers Performance Review, Staff Discipline, Complaint Reviews and panels to make decisions about things like pupil exclusions.

There are also nominated governors in a number of areas such as Able, Gifted & Talented, Child Protection, Health and Safety, Looked After Children (In Care), Quality of Teaching, Special Educational Needs and Staff / Pupil Wellbeing. There are also Curriculum / Subject link governors who report back to the governing body at governors’ meetings as appropriate.

The term of office for all governors of the school is 4 years.

Please see the committees, roles and terms of office for each of our Governors.