Role of Governors
The role of the governing body is very much central to the leadership of the school, although often unseen by parents and other members of the community. This statement is one way in which the governors can explain their role in school leadership, the impact they have on school improvement and their activities.
The governing body is made up of a dedicated group of volunteers who invest a large amount of their time for the sole purpose of improving the education experience of each and every child in our school. They come from a variety of backgrounds, some education, some business, some local community; most, though not all, have children currently in our school, or have had children ‘pass through’. Some have been governors, in this school or others, for many years and some have recently joined. All, however, share the same common aim.
The Government have high expectations for school governing bodies and assume that all are highly skilled and motivated individuals who focus on supporting the head teacher and senior leadership team to shape the strategic direction of the school. As governors we are accountable for the performance of our school and we are measured by three core strategic functions:
- Ensuring clarity of vision, ethos and strategic direction.
- Holding the head teacher and leadership team accountable for the performance of the school and its pupils.
- Overseeing the financial performance of the school by ensuring that money is well spent.
The structure of the Governing body at Bramcote Hills Primary
We have 12 members on the the governing body. Membership consists of parent governors, co-opted governors, staff governors and the head teacher.
2024 saw the appointment of two new parent governors to replace those whose term of office had come to an end. In addition, we were able to recruit three co-opted governors from the local community. All appointments have ensured that the skill set of the governing body is wide, something which is key to a successful governing body.
The full governing body meets once a term (or additionally if required), and its minutes are on display in school. In addition, there are three main sub-committees at BHPS:
- Finance and General Purposes with responsibility for the budget and spending, premises management, and health and safety. This committee meets once per term.
- Pupils and Personnel has responsibility for pupils and staff. This committee meets twice per term.
- Strategic Development covers pupil attainment and progress, curriculum development and monitoring, school improvement planning and inspection outcomes. This committee meets once per term generally, with an additional meeting scheduled towards the end of the summer term.
Additionally there is a Discipline Committee and a Pay Committee who meet as required. Governors generally sit on at least one sub-committee.
Full governor meetings hold the head teacher to account through his termly report, looking at all aspects of school life but in particular whole school academic performance, both current and future. Governors also carry out an annual head teacher appraisal, which is monitored through termly meetings. Targets are set which are linked to current school priorities, as are the targets for all members of staff.
Additional governor responsibilities
In addition to participation in the above most governors hold individual responsibilities for specific, usually academic, areas. All make regular visits to school and work closely with the appropriate member of staff.
Training
Nottinghamshire County Council provides comprehensive training for governors on a wide variety of topics and at a number of venues across the County, generally in the evening or at weekends. Governors at Bramcote have always taken responsibility for their own training and normally attend workshops on topics related to their own areas of responsibility and degree of experience. Governors are often invited to attend in house staff training events and at least once a year have a whole governor training event in school. This is normally on a current ‘hot topic’ and staff are also invited to attend should they wish. In addition, online training can be accessed from The National College.
