Our Governing Body - What does it do?

All schools in England have a Governing Body which is responsible for overseeing many of the strategic decisions of the school. A key role is to act as a ‘critical friend’: to support, to challenge, to ask questions, ultimately to represent the school community.

The Governors of St. Bartholomew’s are very active and interested in the life of the school. Through attendance at meetings, scrutinising documents and being involved in school events, they gather knowledge about the school to be able to challenge and support school staff to keep standards high in all areas.

The Governing Body works in close partnership with the Headteacher, staff and the local authority. Whilst the Headteacher is, of course, responsible for the day to day running of the school, the governors are involved with such things as staffing, curriculum, school buildings and finance. It ensures the school functions well and maintains the proper range of academic and social objectives.

Who are we?

In November 2014 the governing body elected to reconstitute under the 2012 School Governance Regulation. This allowed us to change the numbers and types of governors we have and to appoint more people on the basis of the skills they could bring to the governing body

The governing body now consists of:

  • The Headteacher – Mrs J Wainwright
  • One elected staff governor – Mrs L McCaffrey
  • One appointed local authority governor – Ms S Banks
  • One foundation governor – Mrs H Robinson
  • One associate governor - Miss C Lawson
  • Two elected parent governors – Mrs T Adewuyi and Mrs C Nicholson
  • Five co-opted governors – Mrs S Marston, Mrs S Meyrick, Mr M Singh Bal, Mrs M Alnen and Mr C Waring

The standard term of office for a governor is four years. The Chair and Vice-chair are elected annually at the first meeting of the academic year.

The Chair of governors is Ms Sheila Banks, who can be contacted by e-mailing or writing to the school or via the school office. Much of the work of the governing body is done by committees and at St Bartholomew’s, we have the following committees:

  • Pupil Support
  • Resources
  • Teaching and Learning

All committees meet at least every term or more frequently if required.

 

Overview of Committees

The governors are not responsible for the day-to-day management of school but review, and monitor aspects of school and hold the head and school accountable for specific areas.

Pupil Support: This committee reviews behaviour policies, safeguarding, attendance, spiritual moral social and cultural development, children, parent and staff voice, equality and diversity, extra-curricular activities and school partnerships.

Resources: This committee looks at staffing including performance management, finance, property management, health and safety, risk management and GDPR.

Teaching and learning: This committee is responsible for the curriculum, target setting, assessment and outcomes, quality of teaching and School Improvement Planning.

Governance Statement

Governor General Documents

Governor Linking Records