Governors

LOSTOCK GRALAM C OF E PRIMARY SCHOOL

Terms of Reference for the Governing Board

Governing Boards are equal partners in leadership with the Head teacher and the senior leadership team. They help schools to provide the best possible education for their pupils.

The 3 core functions of every Governing Board are:

1. Ensuring clarity of vision, ethos and strategic direction

2. Holding the Head teacher to account for the educational performance of the school and its pupils, and the performance management of staff; and

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

The Governing Board has resolved to conduct its business as a full governing body, meeting once each term and to work two committees which will also meet once each term – a Finance & Resources Committee (F&R), a Church, Family & Community Committee (CF&C)

The main responsibilities to be managed by the Governing Board are outlined below.

Items in bold cannot be delegated.

Operational

(Full Governing Body)

·         Ensure the Governing Board complies with all legal duties placed upon it.

·         Draw up the Instrument of Government and any amendments thereafter.

·         Elect or remove the Chair and Vice Chair.

·         Appoint or remove Co-opted and any associate members.

·         Suspend or remove a governor.

·         Appoint or dismiss the Clerk to the Governing Board.

·         Decide which functions of the Governing Board will be delegated and to whom.

·         Receive reports from governors to whom a delegation has been made and consider whether any further action by the Governing Board is necessary.

·         Review the delegation arrangements annually.

·         Recruit new governors as vacancies arise.

·         Arrange a suitable induction process and mentoring for new governors.

·         Audit governors’ individual and collective development needs and promote appropriate training.

·         Make Head teacher and Deputy Head teacher appointments.

·         Dismiss the Head teacher, or end the suspension of staff or the Head teacher.

·         Review and approve a Health & Safety Policy and ensure that Health & Safety regulations are followed and appropriately prioritised.

General

(Full Governing Body)

·         Review regularly the vision and values of the school and ensure that these are shared with all stakeholders.

·         Ensure the Head teacher provides such reports as requested by the Governing Board to enable it to undertake its role effectively.

·         Take an active role in School Self Evaluation identifying areas of success and those requiring improvement.

·         Take an active role in compiling the School Development and Improvement Plan and monitor and evaluate regularly the actions taken against the priorities.

·         Review regularly how the school is regarded by pupils and parents.

·         Establish, monitor the impact of, and review the school’s statutory policies and non-statutory policies in line with the agreed cycle.

·         Approve all school trips involving an overnight stay away from home.

·         Ensure that the school does not discriminate against pupils, job applicants or staff on the basis of race, religion, gender, age disability or sexual orientation.

·         Ensure that the school keeps parents and prospective parents informed by publishing a school prospectus.

·         Adopt and review home school agreements.

·         Ensure the school has a Complaints Policy and Procedure and that parents know how to raise concerns and make a complaint.

·         Set the time of the school sessions.

·         Consider proposals to change the category of the school and publish any proposals.

·         Ensure that the school is compliant with all Data Protection requirements.

·         Ensure that the school’s website complies with DfE requirements, celebrates the work of the school and provides parents and prospective parents with pertinent information.

·         Ensure that the whole school curriculum is: broad and balanced; relevant to the needs of all children; provides continuity and progression; adequately resourced.

·         Ensure that the National Curriculum is delivered and its assessment procedures are carried out in line with the legal framework.

·         Receive pupil attainment and progress reports from the Head teacher and others including an analysis of the annual statutory assessments and information about any non-statutory assessment and testing in order to monitor, review and evaluate the standards of achievement and seek to make continuing improvements.

·         Develop links between individual governors with each class and with subject leaders to support the monitoring of teaching and learning, curriculum and standards.

·         Review and approve the school’s SEND Policy annually.

·         Ensure that the school has a SENCO who is provided with sufficient time, training and resources to undertake their responsibilities.

·         Celebrate children’s achievements.

·         Promote extra-curricular and enrichment activities.

Safeguarding

(CF&C)

·         Review and approve the school’s Safeguarding Policy annually and monitor its implementation.

·         Ensure the discharge of duties in respect of Safeguarding by appointing a ‘Safeguarding governor’.

·         Ensure that the school has a Designated Safeguarding Officer (DSO) who is provided with sufficient time, training and resources to undertake their responsibilities.

·         Receive reports from the DSO termly.

·         Ensure that all staff and governors have received appropriate Safeguarding training.

·         Ensure the Single Central Register is correctly established and maintained.

·         Ensure appointments are made with regard to the Safer Recruitment process and ensure at least 2 governors have received Safer Recruitment training.

·         Review and approve the school’s Critical Incident Plan annually to ensure that the school is prepared to react appropriately to any serious event.

·         Ensure that the school complies with all eSafety requirements including fire walls and filtering to keep pupils safe while using the internet.

·         Endeavour to secure the necessary provision for any child who has special educational needs and/or a disability (SEND) having regard to the SEN Code of practice and the Equality Act.

·         Ensure the discharge of duties in respect of pupils with special needs by appointing a ‘SEND governor’.

·          

Finance

(F&R)

·         Provide guidance to the Head teacher and Bursar in all matters relating to budgeting and finance.

·         Ensure compliance with all financial regulations and procedures and ensure the adequacy and effectiveness of the internal financial control framework.

·         Monitor and evaluate the income and expenditure of all monies generated by the school, including grants and unofficial funds, to ensure that spending provides best value and is linked to the school’s agreed priorities.

·         Engage in benchmarking exercises to support best value for money.

·         Provide financial information to the LA as required and respond to recommendations made following internal audit of the school.

·         Ensure compliance with SFVS guidelines. Complete and submit the SFVS annually, write an action plan for any findings and monitor the actions taken.

·         Engage in strategic planning considering the impact of changes in income and pupil number forecasts and agree a 3 year budget.

·         Consider and approve an annual budget targeted at delivering the School Development and Improvement Plan.

·         Appoint independent auditors to audit unofficial funds and review audited accounts annually.

·         Review and approve the school’s Manual of Internal Procedures annually including the Scheme of Delegation.

·         Review and approve the school’s Business Continuity Plan annually to ensure that the school’s financial processes are safe and sustainable.

·         Review and approve the school’s Charging and Remissions Policy annually.

·         Review and approve the school’s Pay Policy annually.

·         Make decisions in respect of service level agreements and insurances and ensure that all insurances provide adequate cover.

·         Maintain a Register of Pecuniary Interests of governors and members of staff.

·         Ensure that there is an Asset Register that is kept up to date.

Staffing

(F&R)

·         Ensure that all staffing matters are dealt with in line with employment law and agreed procedures.

·         Keep the staffing structure under review at least annually in response to the changing needs of the school.

·         Review and approve a Pay Policy annually.

·         Review and approve an Appraisal Policy annually.

·         Establish a Pay Panel to consider teachers’ pay awards, dismissal payments and early retirement payments.

·         Establish a Headteacher’s Performance Management Panel to set and review the Head teacher’s appraisal objectives annually, with the support of an external advisor.

·         Establish an Appeals Panel to hear staff appeals against pay, dismissal, redundancy or grievances.

RE and Collective Worship

(CF&C)

·         Ensure that the school provides teaching of religious education for all pupils in accordance with the agreed syllabus or has informed parents of their right to withdraw their child.

·         Ensure the school provides an act of daily collective worship in accordance with the denominational nature of the school.

Behaviour, Exclusion, Attendance and Punctuality.

(CF&C)

·         Ensure that policies and procedures are in place to ensure good levels of behaviour, attendance and punctuality.

·         Receive termly reports on bullying, homophobic and racial incidents.

·         Review and approve a Behaviour Policy.

·         Review the use of exclusion and decide whether or not to confirm all permanent exclusions and fixed term exclusions where a pupil is either excluded for more than 15 days in total in a term, or would lose the opportunity to sit a public exam.

Premises

(F&R)

·         Develop a school buildings strategy and contribute to LA Asset Management Planning arrangements.

·         Ensure the discharge of duties in respect of Health and Safety by appointing a ‘H&S governor’.

·         Take all reasonable steps to ensure that the school premises, grounds, equipment and materials are safe and do not put health at risk.

·         Ensure that security measures for the protection of personnel and premises are effective and make recommendations for improvement as necessary.

·         Make decisions for budget and devolved capital funding expenditure based on environmental surveys and plans and best value principles.

·         Monitor ongoing maintenance, repair and improvement work and related expenditure and assess value for money.

·         Ensure that the school is obtaining value for money in relation to all environmental contracts including those awarded on its behalf by the LA; liaise with contractors and the LA as necessary.

·         Ensure that a member of staff responsible for Health & Safety is appointed as required and that they receive the necessary support and training in their role.

·         Promote high quality displays of children’s work and information that provide a stimulating learning environment and celebrate the work of the school.

·         Oversee the letting and use of the premises and ensure that facilities are appropriately resourced.

·         To receive an annual Health & Safety Inspection Report and agree any actions.

Agreed by the Governing Board:     Autumn 2023

Review Date:   Autumn 2024

Quorum:

Full Governors: one half of the number of governors in post (rounded up) - 7

Committees: committees are free to determine their own quorum, but as a minimum this must be not less than three governor members of the committee

Any decisions taken must be determined by a majority of votes of Governors present. Should the votes be equal, the Chair holds the casting vote.

Membership of the Governing Board

Head teacher: Jo Powell

Staff: Jennifer Southern

Parents: Peter Gibbon, Kate Waugh

Foundation: Andrew Ridley, Margaret Sheen, Ian Cliff

Co-opted: David Nield, Jon Barker, Zoe Clancy, Rebecca Widdowson, Richard Bennett

Local Authority: 

Appointment Date   

Chair of Governors   Jon Barker

Vice Chair                   David Nield

Clerk                           Elaine Atkin-Nash (Edsential)

Safeguarding Governor             Jon Barker

2.12.2019

SEND Governor                     Jon Barker

2.12.2019

Health & Safety Governor        David Kettle