How our Governing Body is structured
Our instrument of government (see below) shows that the governing body is made up of two elected parent governors; one staff governor; seven co-opted governors (people who live or work in our local community, who may or may not be parents, who are invited to join the governing body based on their skills); our head teacher; and one governor appointed by the local authority. We also have associate governors who attend meetings and contribute specifically on issues related to their area of expertise. They also have voting rights on the committees that they sit on.
Our governing body meets five times a year at full governing body meetings and has two main committees, who each meet once a term (3 times per year). Our Resource Committee cover areas relating to finance; personnel; and premises. Our Curriculum Committee covers all areas relating to the curriculum and data monitoring; SEND, wellbeing and pastoral care; School Development Plan; and Pupil Premium, equality and diversity. We also have a Pay Committee, who meet once a year to discuss pay and performance.
As well as attending meetings and training courses, governors visit the school regularly through 'link' visits, during which they consider the subject or focus area for which they are a link between the school and the governing body. The link areas change from time to time because they are driven by the school's strategic plan and priorities. We have link roles that cover all areas of the curriculum, finance, Safeguarding, Special Educational Needs & Disability (SEND), outdoor learning, Pupil Premium and staff and pupil wellbeing. During their link visits, governors see the curriculum being taught, learn how policies are being implemented and speak to a range of staff (including subject leaders) and pupils.
Our annual Governor Day provides an opportunity for all Governors to meet together during the school day and work as a team to see the school day in action, including visiting lessons, seeing break and lunchtimes, looking at books and carrying out detailed "pupil voice". Governor pupil voice allows us to hear directly from pupils about their experiences of school life and their learning. We ask pupils (and teachers) questions about subjects including safeguarding, bullying, what helps them to progress in their learning, how happy they are at school and what they'd like to see change.
Governors also learn more about the broader life of the school by joining information evenings to learn how subjects are being taught, attending performances or assemblies and speaking at the annual welcome event. We also review written feedback from parents, pupils and staff in bi-annual surveys as well as from parents during the course of the year, for example after school information events (some examples are below).
The information that we gather through link visits, pupil voice, surveys and our Governor Day combines with the school's own data, national test results, reports from the head teacher, report from external education advisers and the questions we ask in governing body meetings to provide the evidence for our decision making as a governing body.