Governors

The role of the governing body

Governors are responsible for a number of areas including attainment, finance, policies and procedures. Their core purpose is:

1. To ensure clarity of vision, ethos and strategic direction;

2. Hold the headteacher to account for the educational performance of the school and its pupils, and the performance management of staff;

3. Overseeing the financial performance of the school and making sure its money is well spent.

 Their role involves working with the headteacher and senior leadership team to ensure children get the best possible education to

  • Help set the aims and objectives of the school
  • Help to ensure all policies and procedures are relevant and achieve their objectives
  • Set targets to monitor the progress of the school to ensure it is meeting its aims and objectives
  • Be a critical friend to the school and provide a source of challenge and support.
There are 11 governors at Belford Primary School
  • 1 LEA Governor
  • 1 staff Governor
  • The headteacher
  • 2 Parent Governors
  • 4 co-opted Governors
  • 2 Associate Members 
The Governing Body's Committee Structure and Membership
The full Governing Body meets once a term and the committees meet more regularly (building, Finance, staffing and curriculum). This collective work is supplemented by additional contributions, such as school visits from individual governors in their respective roles and link governors.
 
Governors regularly undertake a skills audit which has confirmed a broad and balanced range of experience and expertise within the Governing Body.
 
The overall purpose of the Finance Committee is to:
  • Monitor the school budget, approve the annual and indicative budgets, contribute to the Schools Financial Value Standard process.

The overall purpose of the Buildings committee is to:

  • contribute to, monitoring and evaluating parts of the self-evaluation summary, the school development plan and policies relating to resources issues, reporting or making recommendations to the full Governing Body.

The overall purpose of the staffing committee is to:

  • act as a personnel and pay committee by making decisions on behalf of the Governing Body relating to individual members of staff, as set out in the Governing Body’s personnel policies and procedures.
The overall purpose of the steering group is to:
  • monitor standards achieved by pupils and help them achieve more;
  • monitor the school’s success in promoting inclusion;
  • ensure that the school development plan is focused on appropriate priorities for raising standards at the school;
  • ensure that policies are reviewed on a regular basis to promote improved standards and contain appropriate targets/success criteria.
  • consider recommendations from relevant external reviews for example audit, Ofsted or local authority review, to agree the actions needed to address any issues identified and to monitor and evaluate regularly the implementation of any plan agreed, reporting or making recommendations to the full Governing Body.