The Governing Body of                                           School accept the following principles:-

 Responsibilities/Ethos

 1.             The Governing Body has responsibility for determining; monitoring and keeping under review the broad policies, plans and procedures within which the school operates.

 2.             The Governing Body recognises that the Headteacher, in consultation with the staff, is responsible for the implementation of policy, the day-to-day management of the school and the organisation and delivery of the curriculum.

 3.             Although Governors are appointed by different interest groups, their central concern at all times should be the welfare of the school as a whole.

 4.             All Governors have equal status regardless of their method of appointment.

 5.             The Governing Body and individual Governors have a duty to act fairly and without prejudice at all times.

 6.             In so far as they have, or share, responsibility for the employment of staff, the Governing Body should fulfil all reasonable expectations of a good employer, including adhering to rigorous safeguarding principles.

 7.             The Governing Body should recognise that its decisions could affect other schools.

 8.             The Governing Body should encourage open government except where the rules of confidentiality apply.

 9.             The Governing Body would expect all prospective governors to declare any previous offences or convictions and to undergo a List 99 check before their appointment, to ensure the safety of all children in school.

 10.          Governors should be committed to promoting inclusion actively, making every effort to welcome and value all children/young people entitled to attend their school, irrespective of their needs.

             As a Governing Body you should make every effort to ensure that both you and the school actively represent and are representative of the makeup of your local community.

 11.          Governors should oversee the implementation of effective policies and practices for securing the presence, participation and achievement of all children/young people in their school.

 12.          Achievement is about realising the potential of each and every child, and Governors will need to be committed to anti-discriminatory practices that ensure that learning and teaching are effective and enjoyable for all – regardless of ability, race, religion, gender etc.

 Commitment

 13.          Being a Governor involves the commitment of significant amounts of time and energy; careful regard should be given to this when agreeing to serve, or to continue to serve, on the Governing Body of a school.

 14.          All Governors should involve themselves actively in the work of the Governing Body and accept a fair share of responsibilities, including service on committees and working groups. The Governing Body should ensure that responsibilities are shared by all Governors.

 15.          Regular attendance at meetings of the full Governing Body, committees and working groups is essential.

 16.          Governors should know the school well and take all possible opportunities for involvement in school activities.

 17.          All Governors should participate in the Governing Body’s development programme, including attendance at training sessions or otherwise.  The Governing Body should support new Governors in becoming effective.

Relationships

 18.          The Governing Body should strive to operate as a team in which constructive working relationships are actively promoted.

 19.          The Governing Body and individual Governors should develop effective working relationships with the Headteacher, staff, parents, local community, LA and other relevant agencies, including the Diocesan Education Authorities.

 20.          Governors should declare any marital links (including co-habiting) with school employees, as they could imply a conflict of interest in discharging their responsibilities on behalf of the Governing Body.

 Confidentiality

 21.          Governors must observe complete confidentiality when either required or asked to do so by the Governing Body, especially in relation to matters concerning individual staff or pupils. The Headteacher’s Report and all Governing Body minutes should be treated as confidential until they have been approved

 22.          Governors should exercise the highest degree of prudence when discussions of potentially contentious issues arise outside the Governing Body.

 Conduct

 23.          Governors should express their views openly within meetings but accept collective decisions.

 24.          Governors should only speak or act on behalf of the Governing Body when they have been authorised to do so.

25.          All visits to the school should be undertaken within the framework, which has been established by the Governing Body and agreed with the Headteacher.

 26.          In responding to criticism or complaints relating to the school, Governors should follow procedures established by the Governing Body.

 27.          Governors should follow agreed procedures when wishing to make critical comment on any aspect of the school.

 28.          Governors have a responsibility to maintain and develop the ethos and reputation of the school; their actions in meetings and within the school and community should reflect this.

 Signature …………………………………………………… Chair of Governors

Date ……………………………………………….

Click here to see the document

Inspectors should evaluate:

•         how effectively governors help to shape the direction of the school
•         how rigorously governors and supervisory boards challenge and support leaders and managers, holding them to account for tackling weaknesses and further improving outcomes for all pupils
•          how well governors, supervisory boards and any joint committee(s) fulfil their statutory responsibilities.

 Outline guidance

If any judgement in the evaluation schedule is inadequate because of a breach of statutory requirements, inspectors should consider whether the school’s governance is inadequate.

 Inspectors may take account of:

•          the extent to which the school’s self-evaluation indicates compliance with statutory requirements
•          the rigour of the governing body’s procedures to ensure the health, safety and well-being of staff and pupils
•          how effectively governors fulfil their duties to promote community cohesion and inclusive practice relating to special educational needs, race equality, disability and gender equality
•          how knowledgeable governors are of the work of the school, including its strengths and weaknesses, through their monitoring and evaluation of the school’s performance
•         how engaged governors are in actively setting priorities for improvement and how robustly they monitor and evaluate the impact of any improvement plans
•          how effectively the governing body ensures that its skills and expertise are matched to the needs of the school and how effectively these are used to improve outcomes for pupils
•          the extent to which the governing body understands the school’s performance data and has an accurate picture of how well all the pupils are achieving compared with those in other schools, as well as how different groups of pupils within the school are performing
•          how governors ensure that school targets are both achievable and sufficiently challenging to lead to and sustain improvement
•          governors’ understanding of barriers to learning, including attendance and behaviour issues, and what the school is doing to overcome them
•         how effectively and confidently governors develop and use their skills and knowledge to hold leaders to account for improvement by robustly challenging underperformance
•          how systematically governors consult and gather the views of users and stakeholders and how these views are taken into account in future planning. 

The effectiveness of the governing body in challenging and supporting the school so that weaknesses are tackled decisively and statutory responsibilities met: grade descriptors