Our Governors

Governors’ Summary

The Governors are all volunteers and are elected or selected in the following categories:

• staff governors (elected by school staff for a term of four years)
• parent governors (elected by parents for a term of four years)
• local authority governors (appointed by the Local Authority for a term of four years)
• co-opted governors (appointed by the Governors for a term of four years)

Chair of Governors - Paula Stopinski-Yaldren
Vice Chair of the Governors - Chris Crofton

The Governors provide:

• strong links between the school and the community
• wide experience
• an independent view
• a visible form of accountability for the Headteacher and staff of the school
• a focus on long term development and improvement
• accountability to the community for the use of resources and the standards of teaching and learning in the school
• support for the Headteacher and staff

The Governing Body is responsible for strategic planning and it:

• employs others to carry out the work
• appoints the Headteacher who is responsible for the day to day management of the school
• agrees policies and practice which allows the Headteacher to carry out their responsibilities
• agrees principles and targets for improvement
• acts as the critical friend of the school and Headteacher
• receives and discusses reports on the resulting practice and conduct of the school
• reviews its own working practices

Decisions of the governing body are made either by the Full Governing Body or by committees, if their terms of reference allow.

The Governing Body is made up of the following sub-committees:

• The Pay Committee is responsible for approving staff pay increments and monitoring Performance Management documentation
• The school has a Health and Safety Governor who meets with the school's Safety Committee termly.
• Head Teacher Performance Management Committee 

The Committees

• carries out tasks given to them by the Governing Body
• aid the work of the Governing Body
• report back to the Governing Body

The Governors:

• attend 8 Full Governing Body Meetings per year 
• work as members of the Governing Body (not as individuals) in the best interests of the school
• show an interest in school activities
• become well informed about education in general and about their school in particular
• attend necessary training courses

In addition, individual governors, through groups or committees which report back to the Full Governing Body, are involved in the following activities:

• staff appointments
• the financial management of the school
• pupil behaviour and welfare
• the curriculum including Individual Learning
• the training and induction of new and existing governors
• liaising with parents and other stakeholders on behalf of the Governing Body

All Governors, once appointed, share the responsibilities and work as a team:

• individuals are part of the corporate Governing Body
• duties are carried out as part of a team
• governors are not legally liable as individuals

Principles of Working as a Governor and as a Governing Body:

Governors, once appointed, are holders of public office, and work to the same principles as any paid public official. This is true both as an individual and as a whole Governing Body.

Governors follow The Seven Principles of Public Life from the Second Report of the Committee on Standards in Public Life – The Nolan Committee CM3270 – 1 May 1996. These are Selflessness, Integrity, Objectivity, Accountability, Openness, Honesty and Leadership.