School governors are people who want to make a positive contribution to children’s education.
Governors are one of the largest volunteer forces in the country and have an important part to play in raising school standards.
The role of the governing board is absolutely key to the effectiveness of a school.
What do governors do?
School governors provide strategic leadership and accountability in schools. Governors appoint the head teacher and deputy headteacher. It is governors who hold the main responsibility for finance in schools, and it is governors who work with the headteacher to make the tough decisions about balancing resources.
Each individual governor is a member of a governing board, which is established in law as a corporate body. Individual governors may not act independently of the rest of the governing board; decisions are the joint responsibility of the governing board.
The role of the governing board is a strategic one, its key functions are to:
The Full Governing Body meets at least six times a year but Governors also attend subsidiary committee meetings focussed on Learning and Resources.
The Learning Committee hold the school to account for the educational standards achieved and the quality of education provided. It sets targets for pupils' education and measures the school against those targets.
The Resources Committee is responsible for financial matters . It engages in the setting of the annual school budget and reviews it on a regular basis. Staff appointments, appraisal and pay, and the maintenance of all aspects of the school premises also fall within the remit of this group.
Meet The Governors of Chawton Primary School
Mrs Sarah Addison (Chair)
Local Authority Governor (Appointed by GB 2019)
Term of office: 4 years
Committee membership: FGB (Chair), Resources
Responsibilities: Safeguarding
Howard Bayliss (Vice-Chair)
Foundation Governor (Appointed by diocese 2018)
Term of office: 4 years
Committee membership: FGB (Vice-Chair), Resources (Chair), HT Pay review
Sarah Goldsworthy (Headteacher)
Headteacher Governor
Term of office: 01/09/2019
Kirsty Blandford
Staff Governor
Term of office: 4 years (21/01/2023)
Committee membership: Standards
Briony Cavell
Clerk to Governors
Emma Gosden
Parent Governor (Appointed by parents)
Term of office: 4 years (30/04/2022)
Committee membership: Resources
Jenny Perring
Parent Governor (Appointed by parents)
Term of office: 4 years (20/09/2021)
Committee membership: Resources (Vice-Chair), Pay
Kimberley Hayes
Parent Governor (Appointed by parents)
Term of office: 4 years (01/03/2024)
Committee membership:
Denise Janaway
Co-opted Governor (Appointed by GB 2019)
Term of office: 4 years
Committee membership: Standards (Chair), HT pay review (Chair)
Nic Parkes
Co-opted governor (Appointed by GB 2021)
Term of office: 4 years
Committee membership:
Joanne Ryan
Co-opted Governor (Appointed by GB 2021)
Term of office: 4 years
Committee membership:
Jane Owen
Foundation Governor (Appointed by Diocese)
Term of office: 4 years (27/01/2022)
Committee membership: Standards, HY pay review
Responsibilities: DTG
Tony Pears
Foundation Governor (Appointed by Diocese)
Committee membership: Resources, Pay
Responsibilities: H&S