Bidbury Junior School
Our Governors
What do Governors do?
The main role of the governing body is to support and challenge the school. This means focusing on the core functions of providing strategic leadership, holding the headteacher to account and making sure the school’s money is well spent. The governing body achieves this through working closely with school staff to have a clear understanding of what is going well and the areas in which the school needs to improve.
The Full Governing Body meets every half term. The Chair is Kevin Burt and the Vice Chairs is Pippa Shaw.
The Governing Body is supported by the Clerk to the Governing Body, Catherine Madden. She can be contacted via the school office.
The Governing Body works strategically to:
- Decide with the Headteacher, staff, pupils and parents the direction of the school through school development planning
- Focus on raising standards of achievement, establishing high expectations and promoting effective teaching and learning, so that pupils achieve their potential
- Ensure the school has clear aims and values supported by the whole school community and ensure these are evident in the school’s day to day operation
- Help to set and keep under review policies that provide a broad framework within which the Headteacher and staff should run the school
The Governing Body work to support and challenge the school by:
- Recognising and celebrating the achievements of the school
- Knowing where the school is not achieving as well as it could
- Providing support and encouragement when strategies to bring about improvement are being explored
- Monitoring and evaluating how the school is progressing.
The Governors are accountable to the community. To achieve this they:
- Are required to conduct the school with a view to promoting high standards of educational achievement
- Have the right to discuss, question and refine proposals and should respect the professional roles of the Headteacher and other staff, and their responsibilities for the management of the school
- Must be prepared to account for the school ’s overall performance and to explain its decisions and actions to anyone who has a legitimate interest.
- The Governing Body will need to account to the whole school community for the performance of the school.
Structure of the Governing Body
The Governing Body consists of 12 members with a number of different categories of governor, namely co-opted, parent, Local Authority and staff governor. Our constitution limits the number of governors in each category.
| 2 parent governors |
Elected by other parents at the school. Any parent, or carer, of a registered pupil at the school is eligible to stand for election as a parent governor. Parent governors may continue to hold office until the end of their term of office even if their child leaves the school. |
Darren Gough and Rebecca Valentine-Dunn
|
| 1 staff governor | The staff governor is elected by the school staff. They cease to hold office when they cease to work at the school. | Emily Burns |
| Headteacher | The headteacher is a member of the Governing Body by virtue of their office. | Vanessa Hicks |
| 1 local authority governor | The local authority governor is nominated by the local authority but appointed by the Governing Body | Kevin Burt |
|
7 co-opted governors |
Co-opted governors are appointed by the Governing Body. They have been appointed because of the specific expertise and experience they can contribute to the effective governance and success of the school. |
Max Cross, Neil Macintyre, Pippa Shaw, Maria House and Cecilia Norton
2 vacancies |
There are currently no associate members of the Governing Body.
From time to time vacancies occur, when for example a governor ends their term of office and at this time we attempt to fill the vacancy, with the key requirement that the prospective governor has, or is willing, to acquire the necessary skills. A governor may fall into one or more of these categories, but will only be appointed in one. For example, a parent may be classed as a Parent, Co-Opted or Local Authority governor, depending on where the vacancy is at that particular time.
We currently have vacancies in the following areas:
Co-opted Governors (x2)
If anyone is interested in becoming a governor, please contact the Chair of Governors via the school office.
Minutes of Full Governing Body Meetings are available on request from our school office.
Governors' Attendance
We expect all governors to be concerned and involved with the school and its activities. At the very least this means attending Full Governing Body meetings and all Committee meetings where Governors have agreed to be member. Regular and consistent attendance by members at Governing Body meetings and Committees ensures that all meetings are quorate and therefore are able to make decisions. Also a variety of views can be expressed which in turn facilitates informed and effective decision – making and spreads the workload fairly amongst the Governors.
Non attendance
There may be times where prior arrangements, unexpected situations or ill health mean that a member cannot attend a meeting. In such cases the member must send apologies for the full Governing Body, to the Chair of Governors or Clerk, or for Committees to the Chair of the Committee prior to the meeting. A Committee Chair must apologise for absence to the Chair of Governors.
If no apology is received before the meeting then the Governors’ consent at a Full Governing Body meeting will not be given. When a member has been absent for two consecutive meetings, the Chair or Vice-Chair of Governors / Committee will be responsible for contacting the member to find out whether the member’s absence is likely to continue and / or whether the member wishes to continue in office. For further information on the attendance of governors please contact the Chair of Governors.
| Name | Format | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Files | |||
| BIDBURY JUNIOR SCHOOL - GOVERNOR INFORMATION ON THE WEBSITE - August 2022.pdf | |||
| BIDBURY JUNIOR SCHOOL - GOVERNOR INFORMATION ON THE WEBSITE - August 2023.pdf |