The Governing Body

 
Christine Burgess
LA Governor and Chair

Sarah Taylor
Executive Headteacher

Sarah Webster
Foundation Governor
Vice-Chair
 

 
Laura Wild
Co-opted Governor   
 

Kate Atkinson
Parent governor

Duncan Berkshire
Co-opted Governor   

Ilona Smalley
Foundation Governor   

Jane Ball
Foundation Governor   
 

Jessica Petchey
Parent Governor   
 

The Role of the Governors:

Our Governing Body is made up of parents, staff members, members of the community and representatives from the church. A governing body’s overriding responsibility is to work in partnership with the head teacher to promote continuous improvement in the performance of the school. This involves the establishment of a development plan, the setting of challenging but achievable targets and the interpretation of information to assess progress and determine appropriate action. Aligned to its improvement role, the governing body is there to be a critical friend who can provide the right balance between supporting and challenging the performance of both the head teacher and the school.

How do we do this?

* Self-Evaluation, we look at what we do and what we can do to improve.

* Agree the School Development Plan and monitor its implementation.

* Ensure that the school meets its statutory and professional responsibilities as an employer and a provider of services to children.

* Plan how the school budget is to be used and monitor compliance with the Budget.

* Authorise the policies and strategies required to provide the best available education to children.

* Ensure the children have a safe and supportive environment.

* Review how the school meets its statutory responsibilities to provide for the needs of every individual child.

* Agree the appropriate staff structure for the school and ensure that staff is managed in a way that holds them to account for their performance and develops their potential for the future.

* Confirm that the voice of the children, parents and others with a legitimate interest in the school are heard and taken into account.

* Resolve any serious conflict within the school or between the school and parents.

* Appoint and support the staff of the school.

We meet as a full Governing Body at least eight times per year. Extraordinary meetings are arranged if circumstances warrant such action. Every year we elect a Chair and Vice-Chair from amongst the existing members of the Governing Body (employees at the School cannot be elected to these positions). The Governing Body also has a Clerk who arranges its meetings, circulates the agenda and papers, takes minutes of full meetings of the Governing Body, and circulates information to Governors from the Local Authority. Governors also have responsibilities for particular aspects of the school, these include Literacy, Numeracy, IT, Health & Safety, Child Protection, Special Needs and Finance.