School Governors

“Governors”, what are we…….?

We are a body of volunteers set up to help the school provide the best possible education for its pupils and thereby raise standards.  We have a legal responsibility to conduct the school with a view to promoting high standards of educational achievement.

Who is on the Governing Body?

There are 9 positions available on Clavering School’s Governing Body plus a clerk 3 parent governors (elected by parents),  Simon Camp, Jake Jones and Nick Briggs.  2 staff representatives (elected by school staff) Rosalind Allsop,  Yolanda Crosby, 1 local authority representative (appointed by local authority) Councillor Ray Gooding (Chair), 3 co-opted governors (members of the local authority appointed by the Governing Body) Julia Mackintosh (vice chair), Emma Kamel  and Chris Peters.  Clerk Jackie Sweeting

What do Governors at Clavering Primary School do?

• Together with the Head teacher we set the future direction for the school and decide how the school’s budget should be spent
• As a Governing Body we make decisions collectively on matters such as performance targets, school policies and the school’s improvement plan
• We monitor the impact of policies and oversee the use of the school’s budget
• We report to parents on the school’s achievements and respond to inspection recommendations
• We hear appeals from pupils and staff, and consider any complaints that may arise
• As Governors we provide the Head teacher with support and advice, drawing on our own knowledge and experience
• We ask searching questions and respect the Head teacher’s position as the professional leader of the school. This role is often called ‘being a critical friend’.

What’s involved?

As Governors we have individual responsibilities within areas of the school, for example: Safeguarding, Premises, Finance, Curriculum, Training and Development.

The Full Governing Body (FGB) meets once every half term, each meeting lasting two hours. Other committees are arranged as required. In a typical school term we expect to spend eight to ten hours on our duties.

Financial Information

Please see below a link to the webpage which is dedicated to our school on the schools financial benchmarking service –

https://schools-financial-benchmarking.service.gov.uk/school/detail?urn=114967&openOnly=true

There are no school employees that have a gross annual salary of £100,000 or more in increments of £10,000

Training and support

All our Governors are volunteers and are not paid to perform the role.  Even though we have experience in the outside world, we do need training.  The Governor responsible for training will encourage new and existing Governors to attend courses which will benefit them within the areas they are responsible for.  Courses are usually held in the evenings or on Saturdays in local primary or secondary schools and usually last a couple of hours.

Visits

As Governors we visit the school occasionally as part of a monitoring process. These meetings are mutually arranged between the individual teacher and link Governor at the beginning of the academic year and tie in with the school improvement plan.

Going forward

Although we received a very positive Ofsted report in May 2022, we are not complacent, Ofsted will continue to undertake annual assessments of the school’s performance. As a Governing Body, we are committed to maintaining the highest expectations of our staff and the highest aspirations for our children; meeting the needs of every child and supporting all in attaining the highest personal level of achievement. The minutes of the Governors’ meetings are available in the school office for viewing.

Governors’ written statement of behaviour principles

Under the Education and Inspections Act, 2006, the Governing Board is charged with the duty to set the framework of the school’s policy by providing a written statement of general principles relating to behaviour and discipline, taking into account the needs of all pupils.

The purpose of the Statement is to provide guidance for the headteacher in drawing up the school’s Behaviour Policy so that it reflects the shared aspirations and beliefs of governors, staff and parents as well as taking full account of law and guidance on behaviour matters. It is intended to help all school staff to be aware of and understand the extent of their powers in respect of discipline and sanctions and how to use them. Staff should be confident that they have the Governors’ support when following this guidance.

This is a statement of principles, not practice: it is the responsibility of the headteacher to draw up the school’s behaviour policy, though she must take account of these principles when formulating this.The policy aims to underpin the governors’ duty of care to pupils and employees; promoting teaching and learning and high standards of attainment and preserve the reputation of the school.

This statement will be reviewed on a three yearly basis, unless changes at national or local level necessitate an exceptional review. This statement is informed by our Mission and Core Value statements:

Governor-Behaviour-Statement

Governance Statement

CPS Annual governance statement 2022-23

CPS Annual governance statement 2021-22

Declaration of pecuniary and personal interests   2023 – 2024