School Governors
The role of the governor
Introduction
The purpose of this briefing is to explain how the governing body of this school works and what the governors do and don’t do.
Who is on the governing body?
The governing body of Kingham Primary School is drawn from a number of sources. Apart from the headteacher and two staff governors (one teacher; one TA), there are currently
- six elected parent governors, elected from the body of parents/carers but not as representatives of that body
- three appointed by the local authority, and
- up to four selected from the local community as persons committed to the welfare of the school with experience and/or skills sets suitable to add value to the work of the governing body.
All non-staff governors are volunteers.
What is the role of the governor?
Traditionally the governor is described as the ‘critical friend’ of the school. This is not an easy concept to grapple with, but in essence it requires the governor to
- offer support
- provide constructive advice
- act as a sounding board for the headteacher’s ideas
- give a second opinion on proposals – which includes asking questions and challenging assumptions
- help in arriving at the best solution to further the best interests of the school.
This list (which of course is not exhaustive) shows that the role of the governor focuses not on the operational aspects of how the school is run day-to-day – that is the headteacher’s responsibility – but on the strategic direction of the school. When a school is inspected by Ofsted, its governing body will be required to show evidence that governors
- provide a strategic direction for the work and improvement of the school
- support, monitor and evaluate the effectiveness of the school
- hold the school to account for the standards achieved and the quality of education.
How does the governing body perform that role?
In the work that they do, governors’ essential focus always is to be
- setting the school’s aims and objectives
- setting policies, targets and priorities for achieving those objectives
- monitoring performance and progress towards those objectives
- reviewing achievements as against the set aims and objectives
At a practical level, the governing body sub-divides into committees which drive forward this essential focus within their specific areas of responsibility. The sub-committees are
- the Buildings & Finance sub-committee, which concerns itself with the school premises and grounds, security, health and safety, and which advises on and monitors the school’s budgeting and expenditure
- the Community sub-committee, whose principal remit is to promote and maintain good communications within and between the governing body, school and wider community
- the Curriculum sub-committee, which primarily advises on, oversees and monitors the teaching, evaluation and resourcing of curricular content
- the Personnel sub-committee, whose function is to oversee staffing matters, including appointments, staffing structure, salaries, staff health and safety, staff grievances and discipline.
These sub-committees then feed back into the full governing body, which then carries out its strategic goal-setting and evaluation in a holistic way.
Governors can be approached re school matters at suitable times, and if you require further contact details, please call the school on 01608 658 366 or via email on office.2106@kingham.oxon.sch.uk or the Clerk on tc7978@kingham.oxon.sch.uk
Governor |
Type |
Sub-committees |
Until |
| Paul Parker |
Community |
Chair
Appeals (ch) - Pupil Discipline |
30/04/12 |
| Mike Cahill |
Community |
Personnel sub-committee |
16/1/13 |
| Tim Mountain |
Community |
Personnel and Curriculum |
31/12/11 |
| Peter Thompson |
LEA |
Personnel |
18/04/13 |
| Keith Hartley |
LEA |
Finance & Buildings Community |
31/12/11 |
| Sue King |
Parent |
Personnel |
11/06/12 |
| Helen Jenkins |
Parent |
Finance |
13/10/13 |
| Yvonne Shelmerdine |
Parent |
Chair of Community and on Appeals |
28/06/10 |
| James Lewis |
Parent |
Community and Curriculum |
04/02/12 |
| Linda Rowley |
Parent |
Community |
16/10/13 |
| Kate Woodward |
Parent |
(Vice Chair) Personnel and Curriculum |
04/02/12 |
| David Mullins |
Parent |
Community and Finance |
30/10/13 |
| Marianne Ferrero |
Teacher |
Curriculum |
31/08/11 |
| Helen Tomalin |
Non-teacher |
Curriculum |
31/08/10 |
| Ed Read |
Headteacher |
Finance & Buildings, Pupil Discipline |
|
| Belinda Armstrong |
Clerk |
|
|
Governor Class Representatives 2009-10
Foundation Stage - Peter Thompson
Year 1 - Helen Jenkins and Paul Parker
Year 2 - Susie King and David Mullins
Year 3 - James Lewis and Linda Rowley
Year 4 - Tim Mountain and Yvonne Shelmerdine
Year 5 - Keith Hartley and Kate Woodward
Year 6 - Mike Cahill
|
