Governor Information
The Role of the Governors
The governing board provides strategic leadership and accountability in schools. It has three key functions:
Overseeing the financial performance of the school and making sure its money is well spent
Holding the headteacher to account for the educational performance of the school and its pupils
Ensuring clarity of vision, ethos and strategic direction
Governors or trustees set the aims and objectives for the school or group of schools and set the policies and targets for achieving those aims and objectives. They monitor and evaluate the progress the school is making and act as a source of challenge and support to the headteacher. In action, this means:
Appointing and performance reviewing the head teacher and senior leaders, including making decisions about pay
Managing budgets and deciding how money is spent
Engaging with pupils, staff, parents and the school community
Sitting on panels and making decisions about things like pupil exclusions and staff disciplinary
Addressing a range of education issues within the school including disadvantaged pupils, pupils with special needs, staff workload and teacher recruitment
Looking at data and evidence to ask questions and have challenging conversations about the school
Governors and trustees must be prepared to adopt the Nolan principles of public life: selflessness, integrity, objectivity, accountability, openness, honesty and leadership.
Governors and trustees should also be committed to their role and to young people; confident in having courageous conversations; curious with an enquiring mind; able to challenge the status quo to improve things; collaborative to build strong relationships; critical to improve their own work and that of the board; and creative in problem solving and being innovative.
At Whitefield Primary School, we have a strong, skilled governing body who are committed to our school and actively work alongside the Headteacher, the staff and families within our community to ensure we continue to improve on our journey towards outstanding.
Governors Constitution, Appointment Dates and Terms of Office
All Whitefield posts are appointed as follows:
Chair of Governors: elected by the Board
Co-opted Govenors: elected by the Board
Local Authority Govenors: nominated by LCC and approved by the Board
Parental Governors: elected by Parents
Staff Governors: elected by Staff