Our Governing Body

School Governing Bodies

All state maintained primary, secondary and special schools, are accountable to their governing boards, which in turn are accountable to parents and the community. Parent and staff representatives are elected to the governing board the local authority appoints governors to the governing board and the relevant faith bodies appoint foundation governors in faith schools.

In addition the governing board can appoint its own co-opted governors, and it is traditionally these posts which the governing board uses to cover skills gaps, hence these posts often being offered to governors from the business community.

Increasingly local authority appointment panels also look to the skills set of their appointees.

 At Crockham Hill CE Primary School, the Governing Board consists of 12 Governors. Of these:

• 2 are elected by parents
• 1 is appointed by the Local Authority
• 1 is elected by the staff
• 1 is the Headteacher
• 3 Foundation 
• 4 are co-opted (appointed by the Governing Board)

The Governing Board may also appoint Associate Members, who are not Governors and do not have voting rights on the Full Governing Board, but who attend Full Governing Board meetings.

Except for the Headteacher and Vicar, all Governors are appointed/elected for a term of 4 years.
The Governing Board operates under the Committee model of governance. We have a Finance, Resources and Personnel Committee, and a Curriculum and Learning Committee which meet three times a year. In addition, the Full Governing Board meets 5 times per year. There is also a SIAMS committee meeting regularly throughout the year.

The table at the end sets out details of all Governors who are currently in office. 

Governors - What we do

A governing board and its governors must, as required by The School Governance (Roles, Procedures and Allowances) (England) Regulations 2013, regulation 6(2):

• act with integrity, objectivity and honesty and in the best interests of the school
• be open about the decisions they make and the actions they take and shall be prepared to explain their decisions and actions to interested parties

The governing board also has legislative responsibility and strategic oversight for the school’s safeguarding arrangements.

The core functions of the governing board are as set out in (regulation 6) and include, but are not limited to ensuring:

• that the vision, ethos and strategic direction of the school are clearly defined
• that the headteacher performs their responsibilities for the educational performance of the school
• the sound, proper and effective use of the school’s financial resources

Governors set the aims and objectives for the school. They set the policies and targets for achieving those aims and objectives. They monitor and evaluate the progress the school is making and act as a source of challenge and support to the headteacher.

The headteacher is responsible for the internal organisation, management and control of the school and the implementation of the strategic framework established by the governing board.

In order to do this, governors need to gain knowledge of how their school operates through training, by attending meetings, and by getting to know their school community, for example through a small number of visits to the school during the school day.