The Role of the Governing Body
The role of the Governing Body is an intrinsic part of the leadership of the school, although often unseen by parents and other community stakeholders. The Governing Body is made up of a group of dedicated volunteers, who invest a huge amount of good will and hard work for the sole purpose of improving the education of every child in our school. The government expects governing bodies to be a dynamic group of highly skilled individuals who focus on supporting the headteacher to shape the strategic direction of the school. As governors they are accountable for the performance of the school; they are measured by three core strategic functions:
- Ensuring clarity of vision, ethos, and strategic direction
- Holding the headteacher to account for the educational performance of the school and its pupils
- Overseeing the financial performance of the school and making sure the money is spent well
Training
All members of the Governing Body receive significant training. The impact of this is that the Governing Body are kept abreast of their responsibilities with regard to the latest requirements and expectations. Learning and actions from training are shared and implemented at Full Governing Body meetings.
Impact of Full Governing Body meetings
Each term Governors attend one Full Governing Body meeting, with meetings also being held for Finance, Health and Safety and Curriculum. In addition Governors will attend a Monitoring visit once a term that is connected to their area of responsibility. The impact of this is that governors understand the areas of strength and actions for improvement in teaching and practice within the school. This enables them to challenge the headteacher on how good practice within school is being shared for whole school benefit and how improvements are being made.
You can read more about what being a Governor means on the National Governors Association website by clicking here https://www.nga.org.uk/Home.aspx
If you want to find out more about what our governors do or have any other questions please contact the school office or our chair of Governors, Eoin Seager - ESeager@sterth.tpacademytrust.org
