Welcome to the Governors' section! Our current Governing Body Consists of:
Local Authority Linda Hull | Parent Governors Jessica Robinson Laura Whitby (Vice Chair) | Staff Governor Zoe McLauchlan | Co-opted Governors Kate Galvin Nikki Gasan (Chair) Richy Irwin Vacancy Vacancy Vacancy Vacancy |
Associate Governors None at this time | Ex-Officio Steph Fawdry (Head) | Clerk to Governors Kathy Smith |
What is the role of a Governor?
The Governing Body (GB) works with the Headteacher in setting the direction of the school by helping to build on its strengths and identifying areas for improvement. Individual governors need to understand how to study and use the educational evidence available to them, such as SATs results, Ofsted reports, the Department for Education (DfE) data analysis tools and in-school data to answer questions such as 'are we providing outstanding teaching and learning for every pupil', 'are there any barriers to consistent high performance and if so how do we overcome them' and 'how do we secure sustained improvement for the school'?
Governors have a strategic role in managing the school, being professionally challenging but fully supportive of the Headteacher and school senior leadership team who are responsible for managing the operational aspects of the school.
Governors are drawn from parents of children in the school and others from our local communities. The school's legal 'Instrument of Governance' defines the number and types of governor and anyone interested in becoming a school governor can apply to join the Governing Body by first making contact with the school. The categories of governor are defined as:
Staff Governors:
There is 1 staff governor elected by the staff team. (The Headteacher is ex-officio)
Parent Governors:
There are 2 parent governors and when a vacancy arises the school seeks volunteer(s) from the parents, who are then asked to vote on their choice of candidate. This process is managed by the school and, unlike the appointment of community or associate governors, the decision is not subject to the prior agreement of the Governing Body as a whole.
Co-opted Governors:
There are 7 Co-opted governors,which are drawn mainly from RAF Benson, although there are advantages seeking experience from outside of the base to offset the effects of frequent changes in Service governors when they are posted.
Local Authority (LA) Governors:
This 1 governor is appointed by the LA, usually on the recommendation of the Chair of the Governing Body and usually for specific reasons such as gaining a governor with a specific skill set (e.g. educational, financial).
Associate Governors: On occasion, an individual may be interested in becoming a governor when there are no vacancies on the Governing Body, or they may have a specific skill set that would be beneficial to a committee. Such volunteer governors are always welcome and the Governing Body may appoint them as Associate Governors.
The Governing Body usually meets once a term and is supported by 2 committees (Resources and Curriculum, Standards and Performance) who also meet once a term. These formal meetings do not make onerous demands on individual governors. However, Governors also visit the school at various times during the year on an individual basis, for example to take part in school activities or watch performances.
There are few more worthwhile occupations than that of being a governor of our school.