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Chairperson: Lynda Earnshaw
 
Vice-chairperson: Dot Gott

What is a Governing Body and what do they do?

 

WHY WE HAVE GOVERNING BODIES

The Education Act 1980 made it compulsory for each school in England and Wales to have a governing body. The Governing Body is responsible for the overall management of the school.

 

ACCOUNTABILITY

Governing bodies are accountable to:

  • the Learning Accord Multi Academy Trust

  • the parents

  • the pupils

  • the community served by the school

  • the staff of the school

 

WHERE GOVERNORS COME FROM

Members of School Governing Bodies are volunteers and are part of the biggest volunteer force in the country. They include men and women who represent the parents, staff and the local community.

 

CATEGORIES OF GOVERNORS

At St Aidan's CE Academy, our governing body is made up of:

  • Two parent governors – parents with a child or children at the school, elected by parents.

  • Two staff governors – the Headteacher (if he or she chooses) plus one member of the school elected by school staff.

  • One Community/Co-opted governors – people who live or work in the community served by the school appointed by the governing body

  • Six Foundation governors – appointed by St Aidan's Church to which the school is linked because we are a Church of England school.

  • Two Associate governors - school staff who work in Senior Leadership roles.

 

Governing Bodies are responsible for the overall management of the school and have responsibility for raising school standards by:

  • deciding on the strategic direction the school should take

  • ensuring accountability

  • monitoring and evaluating school performance.

 

Overall management of the school includes:

  • admissions

  • complaints about the school

  • finance (setting the yearly budget)

  • fixing the starting and finishing times of the school day

  • agreeing how many children there should be on the roll and the maximum number in each class

  • health and safety

  • home-school agreement

  • links with parents

  • staff performance and pay

  • school prospectus

  • pupil attendance

  • pupil behaviour

  • school inspections

  • safeguarding

  • sex education

  • staffing

  • the curriculum

  • the promotion of high standards of educational achievement

  • the school’s aims and ethos

 

HOW GOVERNING BODIES PERFORM THEIR FUNCTIONS

The governing body can perform its duties and use its powers in three modes:

  1. itself as a body

  2. by delegation to a committee of governors

  3. by delegation to the head
     

We meet regularly, at least twice a term, to hear progress reports from the Head and committees as appropriate, on which the governors sit. The governors also regularly attend training sessions. Governors can also, if they wish, volunteer to help children by, for example, hearing them read on a one to one basis, help with after-school extra curricular activities and accompany staff members on educational and leisure visits.

 

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