Functions of the Governing Board and Headteacher

The three core functions of the governing board are:

•  Ensuring clarity of vision, ethos and strategic direction of the school

•  Holding headteachers to account for the educational performance of the school and its pupils, and the performance management of staff

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

   

In exercising their functions the governing board will:

•  Act with integrity, objectivity and honesty in the best interests of the school

•  Be open about the decisions they make and the actions they take and in particular be prepared to explain their decisions and actions to interested parties
• The governing board must appoint a clerk with a view to ensuring their efficient functioning and must have regard to advice from the clerk as to the nature of the governing board’s functions.

The Headteacher’s responsibilities include:

•   the internal organisation, management and control of the school

•   the implementation of the strategic plan established by the governing board.

The Headteacher is accountable to the governing board for the performance of all his/her responsibilities. The Headteacher must comply with any reasonable direction of the governing board.

Appointment, Functions and Removal of Officers

Meetings and Proceedings of Governing Boards

There is a statutory requirement for the agenda and supplementary papers to be circulated seven days prior to the meeting. However where the chair so determines, on the ground that there are matters demanding urgent consideration, it will be sufficient if the written notice of the meeting states that fact and the notice and the copy of the agenda are given within such shorter period as the chair directs. However there are circumstances when this cannot happen, namely:

• The removal of the chair or vice chair from office

• The suspension of a governor

• A decision to service notice of discontinuance of the school

   

At the discretion of the chair any item of business may be discussed at a meeting irrespective of whether the matter is specified as an item of business on the agenda for the meeting subject to the exception of becoming a federation.

The governing board may approve alternative arrangements for governors to participate or vote at meetings of the governing board including but not limited to by telephone or video conference. Exceptions to this are where the meeting needs to be quorate (any vacancy is not included) and every question to be decided at the meeting of the governing board is to be determined by a majority of votes of the governors present and voting on the question.

Governors’ Allowances

The governing board of a maintained school which has a delegated budget may pay a member of the governing board or any associate member payments by way of an allowance.

Such payments by way of an allowance are in respect of expenditure necessarily incurred for the purpose of enabling the governor or associate member to perform any duty. This does not include payments to cover loss of earnings for attending meetings.
Travel expenses must be at a rate not exceeding the HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) approved mileage rates which are changed annually and are on the HMRC website https://www.gov.uk/hmrc-internal-manuals/vat-government-and-public-bodies/vatgpb4760

Other expenses should be paid on provision of a receipt and be limited to the amount shown on the receipt. It is recommended that governing boards should adopt a policy to cover such expenses. A model policy is available for consideration from Governor Services at governor.services@stcokport.gov.uk

Conduct of the Governing Board

• All Governors have equal status

• Governors must observe complete confidentiality and should only speak or act on behalf of the governing board when they have been authorised to do so. Any decisions taken should be in the best interests of the school and not those of individuals or groups. Governors must be aware of and act within the spirit of the Code of Conduct at all times

• Governors should express their views openly within meetings but accept collective decisions

• Governors should not get involved in individual complaints - any person with a complaint about the

  school should be directed to the Schools Complaint Procedures and Guidance document

• Governor visits - Visiting the school whilst it is in operation is the best way a governor can learn about their school. The purpose of such visits is to support the governors’ monitoring role rather than being seen as an inspection role and as such governors should be mindful that they visit their schools as guests. All visits should be arranged with the Headteacher at a mutually convenient time and the visit should be planned carefully with an agreed focus.

Categories of Governors

Depending on the category of the school (Community, Foundation, Voluntary Controlled, Voluntary Aided) the governing board will be made up of different numbers and categories of governors. 

Parent Governors

• Parent governors are elected by other parents at the school

• The role of the parent governor is to work openly in partnership with the Headteacher and staff for

• the benefit of the school and its pupils and not in the interests of an individual child or parent

• Issues that arise between individual parents and the school are in the first instance the responsibility of the Headteacher and staff – as a governor you cannot act for the governing board; parents should always be guided to take the matter up with the Headteacher or a member of the senior management team and follow the complaints procedures adopted by the school

• Whether elected by parents or appointed by the governing board, a parent governor is not a representative of the parent board, but a governor in his or her own right to act for the good of the school

• Parent governors are subject to the same rules as other governors and are accountable in the same way

Staff Governors

• The staff governor role is to support the school as a whole and not individual teachers or staff. They can contribute professional knowledge of certain activities in school to better enhance the governing board’s understanding of a particular task (or report on any staff views on a particular issue)

• Will be required to withdraw from a meeting if there is a direct or indirect conflict between their duties or their duty to remain impartial (i.e. pay, discipline, recruitment)

• While elected by staff members, a staff governor is not a representative of the teaching or non- teaching staff, but a governor in his or her own right to act for the good of the school

• Staff governors are subject to the same rules as other governors and are accountable in the same way

• Staff governors are not eligible to hold the office of chair of vice chair of the governing board of the school

Co-Opted Governors

• Are appointed by the governing board to add their particular skills and experience to it (it is recommended that the governing board has approved procedures for the appointment of co-opted governors)

Local Authority nominee Governors

• LA governors are nominated by a panel of councillors who may be appointed by the governing board if the governing board is satisfied that the nominee meets its criteria and will add complementary skills to those already in place, or are willing to train and develop identified skills for the benefit of the governing board

• LA Governors are subject to the same rules as other Governors and accountable in the same way

Associate Members

• Are not governors

• Associate members are appointed by the governing board to attend committee meetings and/or full

  governing board meetings due to their particular skills or experience

• Do not have full voting rights but may have delegated rights for committee voting which are agreed at the time of appointment

Code of Conduct for the Governing Board 2021

The following is not a definitive statement of responsibilities but is concerned with the common understanding of broad principles by which the governing board and individual governors will operate.

Governors of Ladybrook Primary School accept the following principles:-

We agree to abide by the Seven Nolan Principles of Public Life:

Selflessness

We will act solely in terms of the public interest.

Integrity

We will avoid placing ourselves under any obligation to people or organisations that might try inappropriately to influence us in our work. We will not act or take decisions in order to gain financial or other material benefits for ourselves, our family, or our friends. We will declare and resolve any interests and relationships.

Objectivity

We will act and take decisions impartially, fairly and on merit, using the best evidence and without discrimination or bias.

Accountability

We are accountable to the public for our decisions and actions and will submit ourselves to the scrutiny necessary to ensure this.

Openness

We will act and take decisions in an open and transparent manner. Information will not be withheld from the public unless there are clear and lawful reasons for so doing.

Honesty

We will be truthful.

Leadership

We will exhibit these principles in our own behaviour. We will actively promote and robustly support the principles and be willing to challenge poor behaviour wherever it occurs.

We will focus on our core governance functions:

1. ensuring there is clarity of vision, ethos and strategic direction
2. holding executive leaders to account for the educational performance of the organisation and its pupils and the performance management of staff
3. overseeing the financial performance of the organisation and making sure its money is well spent

NGA recognises the following as the fourth core function of governance:

1. ensuring the voices of stakeholders are heard

As individual board members, we agree to:

Fulfil our role & responsibilities 

1. We accept that our role is strategic and so will focus on our core functions rather than involve ourselves in day-to-day management.
2. We will develop, share and live the ethos and values of our school/s.
3. We agree to adhere to school/trust policies and procedures as set out by the relevant governing documents and law.
4. We will work collectively for the benefit of the school/s.
5. We will be candid but constructive and respectful when holding senior leaders to account.
6. We will consider how our decisions may affect the school/s and local community.
7. We will stand by the decisions that we make as a collective.
8. Where decisions and actions conflict with the Seven Principles of Public Life or may place pupils at risk, we will speak up and bring this to the attention of the relevant authorities.
9. We will only speak or act on behalf of the board if we have the authority to do so.
10. We will fulfil our responsibilities as a good employer, acting fairly and without prejudice.
11. When making or responding to complaints we will follow the established procedures.
12. We will strive to uphold the school’s / trust’s reputation in our private communications (including on social media).
13. We will not discriminate against anyone and will work to advance equality of opportunity for all.

Demonstrate our commitment to the role

1. We will involve ourselves actively in the work of the board, and accept our fair share of responsibilities, serving on committees or working groups where required.
2. We will make every effort to attend all meetings and where we cannot attend explain in advance why we are unable to.
3. We will arrive at meetings prepared, having read all papers in advance, ready to make a positive contribution and observe protocol.
4. We will get to know the school/s well and respond to opportunities to involve ourselves in school activities.
5. We will visit the school/s and when doing so will make arrangements with relevant staff in advance and observe school and board protocol.
6. When visiting the school in a personal capacity (for example, as a parent or carer), we will continue to honour the commitments made in this code.
7. We will participate in induction training and take responsibility for developing our individual and collective skills and knowledge on an ongoing basis.

Build and maintain relationships

1. We will develop effective working relationships with school leaders, staff, parents and other relevant stakeholders from our local community/communities.
2. We will express views openly, courteously and respectfully in all our communications with board members and staff both inside and outside of meetings.
3. We will work to create an inclusive environment where each board member’s contributions are valued equally.
4. We will support the chair in their role of leading the board and ensuring appropriate conduct.

Respect confidentiality

1. We will observe complete confidentiality both inside and outside of school when matters are deemed confidential or where they concern individual staff, pupils or families.
2. We will not reveal the details of any governing board vote.
3. We will ensure all confidential papers are held and disposed of appropriately.
4. We will maintain confidentiality even after we leave office.

Declare conflicts of interest and be transparent

1. We will declare any business, personal or other interest that we have in connection with the board’s business, and these will be recorded in the Register of Business Interests.
2. We will also declare any conflict of loyalty at the start of any meeting should the need arise.
3. If a conflicted matter arises in a meeting, we will offer to leave the meeting for the duration of the discussion and any subsequent vote.
4. We accept that the Register of Business Interests will be published on the school/trust’s website.
5. We will act in the best interests of the school/trust as a whole and not as a representative of any group.
6. We accept that in the interests of open governance, our full names, date of appointment, terms of office, roles on the governing board, attendance records, relevant business and pecuniary interests, category of governor/trustee and the body responsible for appointing us will be published on the school/trust website.
7. We accept that information relating to board members will be collected and recorded on the DfE’s national database (Get information about schools), some of which will be publicly available.

We understand that potential or perceived breaches of this code will be taken seriously and that a breach could lead to formal sanctions.

Signed:           Catriona Farnsworth                                      [chair of board]

Roles and Responsibilities

Chairperson (Chair: Catriona Farnsworth)

All Chairs should have a copy of the NGA’s ‘The Chair’s Handbook’ which is sent shortly after the election of a new Chair. Please get in touch if you need a copy: governor.services@stockport.gov.uk

Purpose of the role

The Chair’s role is to take the lead on the governing board. The Chair works with the Headteacher and other governors to develop the team ethos which enables the governing board to carry out its work of sharing the strategic leadership of the school and ensuring that the best standards are achieved. The Chair prepares for and chairs regular governing board meetings, and manages the ongoing work of the governing board. Although not exhaustive, below are some areas for consideration which may help you in your role as Chair.

Preparation and Chairing Meetings

• Agree agendas with the Headteacher and Governor Support Officer

• Ensure that the business of the governing board is conducted properly and efficiently, focusing on

  priorities

• Share information and documents received with the governing board (unless the item has been

  identified as confidential)

• Ensure meetings are reasonable in length, proceed at a good pace and enable focused discussion

• Meetings are chaired in a friendly manner that invites discussion while enabling issues to be dealt with decisively

• Check draft minutes for publication and agree any amendments

• Sign minutes for publication once they have been authorised

Practice

• Lead by example

• Establish and support a team ethos

• Encourage governors to adhere to the principles of democracy at all times

• Be inclusive - ensure that all members have equal opportunities to participate fully in discussions and decision-making

• Develop and maintain a good working relationship with the Headteacher, other governors, staff, parents and the local community

• When necessary mediate and resolve disagreements between governors

• Take care to discuss difficult issues with the Headteacher initially and be prepared to seek advice from the LA when dealing with challenging and complex issues

• Liaise with the Vice Chair ensuring that they are able to operate effectively as Chair in the Chair’s absence

• Remain impartial at all times

• Adhere to the principles of distributed leadership by effective delegation to committees and/or other  governors

• Encourage and develop governors for succession planning

• Have responsibility for your own training and development needs to ensure that you are appropriately skilled for the role of Chair and aware of current developments

Representation

• Attend termly Chairs briefing meetings

• Represent the governing board at specific meetings/occasions

• Encourage all governors to attend school events where possible

• Be prepared to make public statements/sign documents on behalf of the governing board

Decision Making

• Act in cases which are deemed as urgent. This applies where a delay in exercising a function would be seriously detrimental to the interests of the school, pupil, parent or member of staff. The action taken should be shared with the rest of the governing board as soon as possible.

Vice-Chairperson Donald Webb

Purpose of the role

To assist the Chairperson in ensuring that the governing board fulfil their statutory duties.
In the absence of the Chairperson be able to act as Chair adopting all the skills and behaviours required.

Preparation and Chairing Meetings

• Agree agenda with Headteacher and Clerk

• Ensure that the business of the governing board is conducted properly and efficiently, focusing on priorities

• Share information and documents received with the governing board (unless the item has been identified as confidential)

• Ensure meetings are of reasonable duration with a good pace

• Check draft minutes for publication and agree any amendments

• Sign minutes for publication once they have been authorised

Practice

• Lead by example

• Establish and maintain a team ethos

• Ensure that governors adhere to the principles of democracy at all times

• Be inclusive - ensure that all members have equal opportunities to participate fully in discussions and decision-making

• Develop and maintain a good working relationship with the Headteacher, other governors, staff, parents and the local community

• When necessary diffuse disagreements between governors

• Liaise effectively with the Chair ensuring that you are able to stand in effectively as Chair in their absence

• Remain impartial at all times

• Adhere to the principles of distributed leadership by effective delegation to committees and/or other governors

• Encourage and develop governors for succession planning

• Have responsibility for your own training and development needs to ensure that you are appropriately skilled for the role of Vice Chair

Representation

• Attend termly Chairs briefing meetings

• Represent the governing board at specific meetings/occasions

• Encourage all governors to attend school events where possible

• Be prepared to make public statements/sign documents on behalf of the governing board

Link Governors

Link roles are not a statutory requirement, but where a governing board has chosen to identify them as part of their overall governance, link governors should have a clear remit.

Link roles should arise from the School Development Plan and be reviewed annually with a reporting mechanism for updating the governing board of progress.

Link governors are prepared to take the lead for their board on their area but overall responsibility remains with the governing board.

Development Governor – Jonathan Worrall 

Purpose of the role

With the greater expectations from the DfE and Ofsted of governing boards, the Development Governor has an important part to play in ensuring that the governing board has a balanced skill set and that they are appropriately trained to meet the requirements of their role.

• Be aware of new governor appointments (ask your Clerk to inform you when a new governor has been appointed)

• Ensure new governors have an identified induction process

• Appoint a mentor for new governors if required

• Ensure the Chairperson welcomes the new governor at his/her first meeting

• Ensure that new governors receive a welcome pack and that they are aware of the New Governor Training programme

• Complete a skills audit for all new and existing governors

• Encourage and develop a reflective ethos for the governing board to assist in maximising their effectiveness

• Ensure progression of the Governing Board Development Plan and that the required number of governors are appropriately trained in the areas in which they have expressed an interest

• Encourage governor colleagues to attend training courses

• Monitor attendance on training courses to enable information to be disseminated to the whole

  governing board

• Attend termly development governor workshops

• Maintain a resource bank of information for governors at the school

• If required, support the Review of Governance process for the governing board

• Have responsibility for your own training and development needs to ensure that you have the skills required for the role of Development Governor

Safeguarding Governor – Catriona Farnsworth (pending appointment)

Purpose of the role

The Safeguarding Governor should act as a critical friend to the school for all Safeguarding issues. This should include that the appropriate systems and procedures are in place to cover all aspects of the safeguarding agenda.

• To monitor the training records of the school to ensure compliance
• To ensure that interviewing panels are convened appropriately, that safer recruitment practices are followed and that the single central record/identity checks are maintained
• To be able to verify that the school has done all it can to inform its community of its responsibility to promote the welfare of children and keep them safe
• To take account of how safe children feel when they are in school
• To have responsibility for your own training and development needs to ensure that you are skilled for the role of Safeguarding Governor

The evidence that needs to be seen includes:

• How the school complies with ‘Keeping Children Safe in Education’https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/keeping-children-safe-in-education--2
• Up to date policies, staff training and implementation of policy procedures
•  Commitment posters in school
• Information posted around school confirming the identity of the designated person
• How internal records are maintained
• How cases are monitored, though the governor will not have access to individual case files

Health and Safety Governor – Donald Webb

The responsibilities of a governing board include the monitoring of its school’s organisation, arrangements and performance regarding the health and safety of employees, pupils and other people such as parents, visitors and contractors. In the same way as a governor usually takes the lead regarding finance, it is good practice to have a designated governor who has a lead role regarding health and safety. It is not required that they be specialists or experts in health and safety matters. Also, the responsibility for such matters remains with the entire governing board as a whole and is not devolved onto the designated governor.

Common matters of health and safety for monitoring at schools (in no set order of priority) include the following:

• Inspection/audit annual tour of the condition of the school’s premises and equipment

• Appropriate maintenance and checking of items such as electrical appliances and installations.

• Risk assessments for various activities and situations, including teaching & support tasks and glazing safety

• Educational visits and journeys

• Measures for health & safety emergencies, including procedures and contacts

• Transport used by school, including coaches, minibuses and private cars

• Actions after and recording & reporting of accidents and ‘near misses’

• First aid arrangements

• Observance of Asbestos Management Plan by schools whose buildings contain asbestos materials

• Preventative and reactive fire precautions

• Appropriate health & safety training for employees

• Observance and review of health & safety policies

Liaison and communication - As part of the monitoring role it is appropriate for designated governors to:

• Discuss relevant matters with headteachers and/or other managers, and also teaching and support staff.

• See and review documents such as risk assessments, accident reports and relevant correspondence.

• Give regular updates about health and safety matters at governing board meetings

  Guidance, advice & support - is available from various sources including:

• Guidance documents about various matters from Services to People, plus publications by HSE and DfE.

• Stockport Council’s team of professional advisers in school health & safety may be able to meet designated governors at their schools by arrangement.

SEND Governor – Catriona Farnsworth (pending appointment)

Purpose of the role

To assist and advise the Governing Board on fulfilling its responsibilities towards children with Special Educational Needs and /or Disability (SEND).

• To ensure the school is compliant with the diversity and equality legislation especially those aspects that relate to identified groups that are vulnerable to underachievement.

• To ensure that the school has published an equality statement and details of their equality objectives to comply with the Equality Act 2010.

• To ensure that SEND children have access to the curriculum and that resources are used appropriately.

• To liaise with the School SENCo or SENDCo.

• To have an overview of the provision for vulnerable groups - funding availability, school provision, pupil progression/performance.

• To ensure that the SEND policy is up to date.

• To monitor the implementation of the SEND Policy in school and in terms of its links to the School Improvement Plan (be familiar with the Policy and the Code of Practice – does the Policy meet the needs of the pupils); ensure the necessary provisions are made for pupils with SEND.

• To ensure that the governing board are kept up to date with changes both locally and nationally for SEND pupils.

• To ensure the school considers the needs of learners with chronic or long term medical conditions alongside other vulnerable groups and are doing all they can to safeguard and support this potentially vulnerable group of learners.

The SEND Governor needs to be satisfied that any identified groups of learners achieve as well as other groups given their starting points.

Note: This role does not include access to individual pupil records but to analysis of overall outcome data.

• Are governors confident that staff members know how to keep any learners with chronic medical conditions safe in helping them to manage their condition?

• Are governors confident that the school ensures that learners with medical needs and chronic conditions have equality of access to the whole curriculum and extended activity of the school?

• Are governors satisfied that staff members are well-trained to support these groups/individuals learners? For example has there been separate training, over and above first aid training, that covers administering emergency rescue medicines, use of an epi-pen, providing insulin injections and testing pupils’ sugar levels)?

• Are governors satisfied that school staff members are aware of the potential risks of a learners' condition not being well managed in school? For example, are staff alert to what would constitute an emergency?

  SMBC – Services to People - Governor Remits and Responsibilities - page 17 2019

• Are governors satisfied the school seeks to find out if parents/carers are satisfied with the quality of support, guidance and care provided by staff at the school in relation to learners with SEND/medical conditions?

• To have responsibility for your own training and development needs to ensure that you are skilled for the role of SEND Governor.

   

Looked After Children and Young Carers Governor Champion – Catriona Farnsworth (pending appointment)

Purpose of the role

Looked After Children (sometimes known as Children in Care) and Young Carers are amongst the most vulnerable groups of young people in our schools. The core purpose of this role is to act as champion for these groups of young people.

Looked After Children

• to ensure that the school fulfils its statutory responsibility in appointing an appropriately qualified designated teacher for Looked After Children

• to ensure that the designated teacher has access to appropriate training to fulfil their role and meet their statutory responsibilities

• to monitor the effectiveness of the designated teacher by ensuring that the school has a clear overview of the educational needs and progress of looked after children on roll; that the school’s policies are effective in reflecting the needs of looked after children and that resources are allocated to support the designated teacher to carry out this role effectively for the benefit of looked after children

• to ensure that (as a minimum) governors receive an annual report from the designated teacher (the report should not mention individual children by name)

• to ensure that the governing board and school leadership team consider what picture the information in the report is providing and what needs to be done to address any issues raised by the report

• to ensure that in addition to considering and acting on the annual report, the governing board should make sure that there are arrangements in place to keep themselves informed about provision for, and attainment of, looked after children on the school’s roll on a more regular basis

Young Carers

• to ensure the school adopts the policy for Young Carers

• to ensure that the Young Carer’s Charter is signed and displayed prominently in school

• to appoint a senior member of the school staff to be the designated lead for Young Carers

• to receive regular updates (via the Headteacher’s report to governors) on activities in school that

  identify and support the welfare, achievement and attainment of young carers as a vulnerable group

• To have responsibility for your own training and development needs to ensure that you are skilled

  for the role of Looked After Children and Young Carers Governor Champion

Governing Board Committees

The NGA has drawn up Model Committee Terms of Reference which you might also like to consider at
https://www.nga.org.uk/Guidance/Legislation,policies-and-procedures/Model- Policies/Model-Committee-Terms-of-Reference.aspx

Structure & Remits

There is no requirement to have a committee structure, although most governing boards have established committees; all committees should have a remit outlining the functions delegated to it. These remits should be reviewed annually as part of the governing board’s self-evaluation to ensure governors are carrying out their duties in an effective and efficient manner. An established committee structure can spread the workload of the governing board and enable governors to become more involved in other areas of the school. The principle of the committee role is to conduct necessary background work, thus enhancing the effectiveness of governing board meetings.

Governing board evaluation

The All Party Parliamentary Group on Education Governance and Leadership have produced a list of twenty questions Governing Boards could ask themselves a copy of which can be found here https://www.nga.org.uk/About-Us/APPG/Home/Twenty-Questions-(1).aspx. Academies are encouraged to consider twenty one questions;https://www.nga.org.uk/Guidance/School-structures-and-constitution/Academies-and-free- schools/Twenty-one-Questions-for-Multi-academy-Trust-Board.aspx

A major role for governors is monitoring and evaluation to ensure that the school consistently endeavours to raise standards. Monitoring includes gathering evidence to determine what progress has been made; evaluation is making judgements about this evidence. Both these tasks can be achieved through the documentation and reports received from the school and Local Authority.

• The quorum for committees is a minimum of 3 governors; the governing board determines the membership and the remit of each committee,

• Associate Members may be given voting rights when co-opted on to a committee,

• Working Parties can be established for a specific purpose (once the task has been achieved, the group ceases to exist), such as Marketing, which might include various school stakeholders.

• Any governor can attend a committee meeting but only named committee members count towards the quorate attendance and can vote,

• The Chair of the committee in liaison with the Headteacher, compiles an agenda for each meeting; this agenda and any papers should be circulated to all members at least 7 days prior to the meeting,

• The governing board may appoint any one of their number (who is not the Headteacher) to act as clerk for the purposes of the meeting. However it is not good practice for the Chair of the committee to take these minutes. Minutes should include the date, time of meeting, members in attendance, apologies for absence and notes of all agenda items. The minutes should be produced as soon as is practical after the meeting and the draft copy sent to the Head and Chair with an approved copy then sent to the governor support officer.

• Functions that cannot be delegated to committees include: constitution of the governing board, appointment or removal of Chair/Vice-Chair, suspension of a governor, appointment of a clerk to the governing board, establishment/remits of committees, appointment of governors, decisions on the delivery of SRE (Sex & Relationships Education) and a decision on the length of school sessions.

• A chair of a committee may be removed at any time by the governing board

  The Chair has the power to act in an emergency situation where a delay could be seriously detrimental to the interests of the school, a registered pupil, a parent or a person employed by the school, but cannot make a decision on admissions, discipline policies, approval of first budget and closure or change of category of school.

Each remit should include:

• Title of Group: (e.g. Resources committee)
  How often meetings will be held:
  Membership: (Minimum number of governors to be named on the committee) Quorum: (minimum of 3):
  Minute taker: (not the Headteacher or Chair of the committee)
  Review: Annually

Committee Meetings

General Terms

• To act on matters delegated by the full governing board.

• To liaise and consult with other committees where necessary.

• To contribute to the School Improvement/Development Plan.

• To consider safeguarding and equalities implications when undertaking all committee functions.

• Committee members to be encouraged to attend training sessions to enable them to carry out their duties effectively. New governors to receive an induction and attend new governor training which ensures an understanding of their statutory responsibilities.

• To ensure the returns made under the SFVS (Schools Financial Value Standard) are made correctly and on time.

• To develop and review policies identified within the school’s policy review programme and in accordance with its delegated powers.

Quorum

• The Governing board is free to determine how often the committee meets – this may be left to the discretion of the individual committees and may depend on the circumstances of the school at any given time.

• Meetings are to be conducted in an open manner, enabling all members to participate and contribute to discussions.

• The Committee meeting minutes shall be made available upon request. Information relating to a named person or any other matter that the committee considers confidential does not have to be made available for inspection, but may be required to be shared if a Freedom of Information request is submitted.

• In the absence of the chair, the committee shall choose an acting chair for that meeting from among the committee members present (cannot be a member of staff).

• In the absence of the clerk, the committee shall choose a clerk for that meeting from among the committee members present (someone who is not the Headteacher) and this be noted in the minutes.

• The draft minutes of each meeting will be circulated with the agenda for the FGB meeting and will be noted there.

• Any decisions taken must be determined by a majority of votes of committee members present and voting – but no vote can be taken unless a majority of those present are governors.

• • Quorum for the meeting is a minimum of three governors who are members of the committee. Other governors may attend and contribute to discussions but shall not be entitled to vote or be included within a meeting quorum.

  • To ensure good governor oversight of the budget, it is recommended that sufficient committee members are not school employees.

  • It is best practice for the committee chair to not be the Chair of Governors or a member of staff.Meetings

Finance and Premises Committee

How often meetings will be held:Termly Membership: (6 governors including HT) Quorum: (4 governors including HT): Minute taker: (Catriona Farnsworth) Review: Annually

Financial policies and planning

• To review, adopt and monitor the School’s Finance Manual which includes the local scheme of delegation for spending and budgetary adjustments (virements).

• To review, adopt and monitor the implementation and impact of policies as indicated on the statutory policy list for the committee.

• To approve and maintain a three year financial plan, taking into the account priorities of the School Improvement Plan, roll projection and signals from central government and the LA regarding future years’ budgets, within the constraints of available information.

• To draft and propose to the governing board for adoption an annual school budget taking into account the priorities of the School

Improvement / Development Plan.

• To make decisions in respect of service level agreements.

• To ensure that sufficient funds are set aside for pay increments as set out in the Pay Policy and as

  recommended by the Headteacher.

• To make recommendations relating to the award of discretionary payments for temporary additional responsibility for the approval of the governing board where permitted under the current Pay Policy.

• To carry out Best Value Reviews in accordance with the Best Value Statement and review benchmarking information.

Financial monitoring

• To monitor the income and expenditure throughout the year of all delegated and devolved funds against the annual budget plan, including ring-fenced funding (DFC, Pupil Premium, Sports Premium).

• To receive at least termly budget monitoring reports from the Headteacher or School Business Manager.

• To undertake an annual review of all sources of income to ensure fees and charges remain appropriate.

• To ensure that any budget carry-over is accounted for in terms of projected expenditure.

• To ensure that the school is properly accountable for the financial aspects of its performance.

• To report back to each meeting of the full governing board and to alert them of potential problems or significant anomalies at an early date.

• Subjecttothelocalschemeofdelegation,toapproveanybudgetaryadjustmentsthatwillfromtime to time be necessary in response to the evolving requirements of the school.

• To review, complete and submit the School Financial Value Standard (SFVS).

• To undertake any remedial action identified as part of the SFVS.

• To receive and act upon any issues identified by a local authority audit.

• To monitor the expenditure of the School Fund and ensure that an annual audit of the School Fund Account is carried out

• To regularly monitor pupil numbers to assess the impact on future delegated budgets.

Premises and health and safety

• To provide support and guidance for the governing board and the Headteacher on all matters relating to the maintenance and development of the premises and grounds, including Health and Safety.
• To ensure that an annual safety inspection of the premises and grounds takes place and a report is received identifying any issues; to inform the governing board of the report and set out a proposed order of priorities for building improvements, maintenance and development, for the approval of the governing board. To arrange professional surveys and emergency work as necessary.
• The Headteacher is authorised to commit expenditure without the prior approval of the committee in any emergency where delay would result in further damage or present a risk to the health and safety of pupils or staff. In this event the Headteacher would normally be expected to consult the committee chair at the earliest opportunity.

• Tocreateaprojectcommitteewherenecessarytooverseeanymajorbuildingdevelopmentswhich reports to this committee.

• To establish and keep under review an Accessibility Plan, Building Development Plan, Critical Incident Plan and Asset Management Plan.

• To review, adopt and monitor a Health and Safety policy.

• To approve applications for the use of school premises.

• To review insurance arrangements.

• To ensure that the governing board’s responsibilities regarding litter, refuse and dog excrement are discharged according to Section 89 of the Environmental Protection Act 1990, so far as is practicable.

• To undertake an annual review of all sources of income to ensure fees and charges remain appropriate

   

Staffing Committee (incorporating Performance Management / Pay committee)

How often meetings will be held: Termly Membership: (up to 6 governors including HT*) Quorum: (3 governors including HT)
Minute taker: (Jonathan Worrall)
Review: Annually

*The Headteacher may attend all proceedings of the staffing committee for the purpose of providing information and advice, but when considering pay, must withdraw when their own salary is discussed.

Staffing

• To ensure that the school is staffed sufficiently for the fulfilment of the school‘s development plan and the effective operation of the school.

• To establish the annual and longer-term salary budgets and other costs relating to personnel, e.g. training.

• To ensure that CPD remains a focus for staff training and is linked to the priorities in the School Development Plan

• To establish and oversee the operation of the school's Appraisal Policy - including the arrangements and operation of the school's appraisal procedures for the Headteacher.

• To determine and establish a Pay Policy for all categories of staff.

• To advise the governing board Finance and Premises Committee on current and future pay levels;

• To ratify appropriate salary ranges and starting salaries for Lead Practitioners, and member of the leadership group;

• To ratify annual pay progress for teachers as set out in the Pay Policy, taking account of any recommendations made on the Performance Management review statement, in accordance with the approved pay policy.

• To approve applications to be paid on the Upper Pay Range

• Toapproveannualpayprogressfortheheadteacher(by31Decemberatthelatest),takingaccount of the recommendation made by the Headteacher’s Performance Review Panel, following the annual review.

• To determine the application of national inflationary increases as required;

• To monitor and report to the full governing board on the annual pattern of performance pay progression at each level and the correlation between pay progression, quality of teaching and outcomes for pupils.

• To be responsible for the administration and review of the Pay Policy.

• To ensure that staffing procedures (including recruitment procedures) follow equalities legislation.

• To annually review procedures for dealing with staff discipline and grievances and make recommendations to the governing board for approval.

• To monitor approved procedures for staff discipline and grievance and ensure that staff are kept

  informed of these.

• To review the staffing structure/pay whenever a vacancy arises.

• To recommend staff recruitment and selection procedures to the governing board, ensuring that they conform to safer recruitment practice. To review these procedures as necessary.

• To ensure that procedures are in place for managing staff levels (including re-deployment, early retirement, and redundancy).

• In consultation with staff, to oversee any process leading to staff reductions.

• Wellbeing - to ensure that there is a supportive environment in school and arrangements for staff to help and support each other in relation to their mental health and wellbeing.

• To ensure that all school staff are valued and receive proper recognition for their work and contribution to school life.

Teaching & Learning Committee

How often meetings will be held: Termly Membership: (5 governors including HT) Quorum: (3 governors including HT): Minute taker: (Rotating – excluding HT) Review: Annually

Curriculum Planning and Delivery

• To review, monitor and evaluate the curriculum offer, ensuring it is broad and balanced.

• To ensure the school is responding to legislative requirements in the curriculum.

• To recommend for approval to the full governing board:

  - Self-evaluation form (SEF)
  - School Improvement Plan/School Development Plan (SIP/SDP) - Targets for school improvement to the governing board

• To develop and review policies identified within the school’s policy review programme and in accordance with its delegated powers (e.g. sex and relationships education and pupil behaviour/discipline).

• To ensure that the requirements of children with special needs are met, as laid out in the Code of Practice, and receive termly reports from the Headteacher/SENCO and an annual report from the SEN governor (where appointed).

• To review the provision for collective worship and RE.

• To ensure that governors have the opportunity to visit the school and see the curriculum being

  taught.

Assessment and Improvement

• To monitor and evaluate the effectiveness of leadership and management

•  To monitor and evaluate the impact of quality of teaching on rates of pupil progress and standards of achievement

• To monitor and evaluate rates of progress and standards of achievement by pupils, including any underachieving groups

• To monitor and evaluate the impact of continuing professional development on improving staff performance

• To set priorities for improvement, and monitor and evaluate the impact of the School  Improvement/Development Plan in relation to the committee’s area of operation.

• To monitor attendance and receive anonymised statistical information on any pupil exclusions.

• To monitor and evaluate provision for all groups of vulnerable children (e.g. looked after children) and ensure all their needs have been identified and addressed, and to evaluate their progress and achievement.

• To regularly review and develop the Assessment Policy and to ensure that the policy is operating effectively.

• To review the information provided on published school performance data.

• To consider recommendations from external reviews of the school (e.g. Ofsted or local school improvement advisers), agree actions as a result of reviews and evaluate regularly the implementation of the plan.

• To ensure that all children have equal opportunities.

• To advise the resources committee on the relative funding priorities necessary to deliver the curriculum.
• To ensure the Single Central Record is up to date. Records are up to date (ensure checks have been carried out on all staff and there is evidence in school of these checks).
• To review and agree the Safeguarding Policy.
• To review SENDco priorities with relevant leader.

Engagement

• To monitor the school’s publicity, public presentation and relationships with the wider community.

• To identify and celebrate pupil achievements

• To oversee arrangements for educational visits, in line with current LA advice.

• Toensureallstatutoryrequirementsforreportingandpublishinginformationaremetandtheschool website content is fully compliant and presented in an accessible way.

Standards

• Monitor achievement and standards at school and subject level

• Monitor achievement and standards by different groups, e.g. by gender, ethnicity, postcode, and for those taking free school meals, children in care, young carers and children with special educational needs

• Monitor attendance

• Discuss, and recommend for approval, key targets

• Monitor progress against targets

• Be familiar with the school’s data on ASP/Fischer Family Trust

• Monitor trends in the quality of teaching and learning through review of the outcomes of lesson observations

• Help to determine the format of reporting information about outcomes to the governors

• Report to the teaching and learning committee and the full governing board

PAY APPEALS COMMITTEE

Delegation of Function

The governing board shall establish a Pay Appeals Committee to deal with all appeals against pay decisions.

The meeting of the Staff Pay Appeals Committee should be minuted.
The meeting should be held within 20 working days upon receipt of an appeal as stated in the Pay Policy.

Membership

• To ensure that the school promotes an ethos of high expectations for levels of achievement and behaviour for all learners and that this is communicated to pupils, parents and staff

• To ensure that all staff have the appropriate skills and training to deliver a high quality learning environment

• To be aware of any issues which may affect standards and look to how these may be addressed

The Pay Appeals Committee shall consist of at least three named members of the Governing Board, none of whom shall be employed by the school or Associate Members or members of the Pay Committee.

The Headteacher may attend all proceedings of the Pay Appeals Committee for the purpose of providing information and advice (except where the appeal is in respect of his/her own salary, where s/he will attend for the purposes of making his/her case).

Quorum: Three Governors

Terms of Reference:

To determine formal appeals against pay determinations in accordance with the Appeals Procedure set out in the Pay Policy.

Performance Management Group

Governors are responsible for reviewing Headteacher performance and should appoint two or more individuals from the full governing board to act as the performance review committee. This committee is charged with:

• Reviewing and evaluating the Headteacher’s performance

• Setting new objectives

• Agreeing and implementing arrangements for monitoring against objectives

The committee may also, depending on whether delegated powers have been accorded, be involved in making recommendations on Headteacher pay based on the statutory provision within the School Teachers’ Pay and Conditions document.

The role of the School Improvement Adviser/Link Adviser is to provide advice to the performance review committee on how to evaluate the performance of their Headteacher and on the most suitable objectives for the coming year. This involves:

• Discussion with the Headteacher about their performance

• Discussion with the review committee to help them review performance and consider new objectives

• Advising governors of monitoring procedures.