The Full Governing Body (FGB) meets termly (chaired by Mr John Cresswell). The Governing Body has 2 main committees:-
- Curriculum and Pupil Wellbeing (Chaired by Mrs Eleanor Hope)
- Staffing, Finance and Premises (Chaired by Mr John Cresswell)
Both usually meet termly and report back to the Full Governing Body. In addition, the Pay Committee (chaired by Mr John Cresswell) meets annually to review pay decisions following staff appraisal.
There are a number of other committees that meet occasionally if needed and these are listed on the Committee Membership document which can be downloaded on the About our Governors page of the website. Member of other working groups may be set up when needed to address or discuss particular issues or research a particular area and report back to the full governing body.
The Department for Education (DfE) sets out the role and functions of the School Governing Body in The Governors Handbook and extracts are included below:
The Governors are responsible for 3 core functions:
1. Ensuring clarity of vision, ethos and strategic direction;
2. Holding the headteacher to account for the educational performance of the school and its pupils, and the performance management of staff; and
3. Overseeing the financial performance of the school and making sure its money is well spent.
The Core Features of Effective Governance include:
• The right people with the necessary skills, time and commitment, and sufficient diversity of perspectives to ensure internal challenge, all actively contributing in line with clearly defined roles and responsibilities under an effective chair and an explicit code of conduct, and with active succession planning;
• Clear governance structures with tightly defined remits, particularly in relation to functions delegated to committees or other bodies;
• Clear separation between the strategic and operational in terms of the role of the board and its school leaders;
• A positive relationship between the board and its school leaders enabling robust constructive challenge on the basis of a good understanding of objective data particularly on pupil progress, staff performance and finances;
• The support and advice of an independent and professional clerk and, in the case of academies, company secretary;
• Robust processes for financial and business planning and oversight and effective controls for compliance, propriety and value for money; and
• Processes for regular self-evaluation, review and improvement including; skills audits, training and development plans, and independent external reviews as necessary.
Term of Reference for the Full Governing Body and Two main committees may be downloaded below…