Governors

The governors are a team of 14 volunteers from our community, who have a vital and demanding role that requires a wide range of skills and professionalism.  The Governing Body is accountable to Ofsted for its effectiveness.  There are several types of governor within our school.

1. Parent Governor.  These posts are filled by parents and are elected by the parents of the school at the time. 
2. Staff Governor. This person is elected by the school staff.
3. Co-opted Governors.  They are appointed by the Governing Body due to the specific skills they can offer.
4. Foundation Governors. These are appointed by the Diocese on the recommendation of the local church.
5. Local Authority Governors.  These people are nominated by the Local Councillor and appointed by the Governing Body.

What is the Governors’ Role?

The role of the Governing Body is to provide non-executive leadership and is similar to the board of trustees of a charity.  The Governing Body operates at a strategic level, with the Head Teacher and senior school leadership team remaining accountable to the governors for the operational management of the school. Each governor serves for a term of four years. The Whole Governing Body usually meets three times a term.   The meeting may have a Resources/Finance focus or Curriculum. Governors bring a wealth of experience and knowledge but will also be expected to attend relevant training courses to fulfil their duties. Additionally governors will make pre-arranged monitoring visits to the schoolaround once or twice a term, and share a report of their visit at the following meeting. Most governors spend around 20 hours per term performing governor duties.

A clear understanding of, and distinction between, the role of the Governing Body and the Head Teacher is crucial to effective governance.  

The Governing Body of Whitchurch C of E Primary School focuses on three core functions:

• Ensuring clarity of vision, ethos and direction
• Holding the Head Teacher to account for the school’s educational performance and the performance management of its staff
• Overseeing the financial performance of the school and ensuring its money is well spent.
   
  Governors are expected to demonstrate robust processes and frameworks for setting priorities, creating accountability and monitoring progress. This means governors need to ask challenging questions on the basis of robust objective data. 
  
  If you would like to see a copy of the Governing Body minutes, please contact the school office.