The Role of our Governors
Our Governing Board is made up of 12 members: 7 Foundation Governors (SDBE and PCC); 2 Parent Governors; 1 Local Authority Governor; 1 Staff Governor and the Head Teacher.
What is the role of our governors?
Our governors play a vital role in supporting the development of our school. They are responsible for overseeing the strategic side of our school: school development planning, policy, budgeting and staffing. They work alongside senior leaders and teachers, focusing on our school running and provides an excellent education for our pupils.
Our governors attend regular meetings which consider issues such as setting the school vision, mitigating financial risk and scrutinising educational outcomes. They act as critical friends to the Head Teacher and Senior Leadership Team and spend time within the school community getting to know the staff, parents and pupils in order to provide further support.
They bring a wide range of skills and expertise from their professional lives to the governing board. They each sit on one (or more) of our committees, attending termly meetings for these and a termly meeting of the Full Governing Board.
How do they support and challenge us?
Our governors each sit on the Full Governing Board, and are each members of one of more committees. The committees are as follows:
Resources
- This committee has been established to monitor Resources at St Paul’s Primary School, including the school budget, premises and staffing.
- The committee aims to ask questions, which support the leadership team in reflecting on progress so far, and to provide support for the leadership team as appropriate.
- The committee will review policies relating to performance management, pay and relating to fair grievance procedures. They will also scrutinise long-term plans relating to the site and works needing to take place and applications for spending of ‘Devolved Formula Capital’ or bids made to the Diocese for funding.
- A ‘Pay Panel’ will be created annually from members of this committee to scrutinise decisions relating to pay awards and monitor the school's performance management process.
Further financial information about our school can be found by clicking here.
Children, Families and Community
- This committee has been established to monitor policies and practices relating to children, families and the wider community, including safeguarding, at St Paul’s Primary School.
- The committee aims to ask questions, which support the leadership team in reflecting on progress so far, and to provide support for the leadership team as appropriate.
- The committee will review policies relating to behaviour, complaints, community cohesion, child protection and safeguarding.
- They will also scrutinise the safeguarding audit and the way in which identified actions have been addressed.
Teaching and Learning
- This committee has been established to monitor the quality of teaching and learning at St Paul’s Primary School, the impact of this on the progress and attainment of pupils and to monitor the school’s actions towards developments for each academic year as outlined in the School Development Plan.
- The committee aims to ask questions, which support the leadership team in reflecting on progress so far, and to provide support for the leadership team as appropriate.
- The committee will review policies relating to curriculum and teaching and learning.
Our governors are each linked to a subject area in order to monitor the quality and development of our broad and balanced curriculum. They meet termly with the subject leaders and engage in monitoring tasks, such as pupil interviews and book monitoring. These visits allow the governors to report back to the Full Governing Board about successes and further planned development in their focus area.
We encourage our governors to ask questions and to make suggestions as we believe that an honest and open working relationship with our governors allows us to ensure that we are making careful, measured decisions and staying focused on our key priorities.
Our governors also take part in whole school events, such as nativity and productions and ensure that they are monitoring the workload and well-being of all staff, supporting us in enabling all to flourish.
"Now the body is not made up of one part but of many." 1 Corinthians 12:14
Governors' School Support Fund
Our governors are also responsible for funding part of projects to improve the school's facilities. Governors need to raise money in order to:
- pay for the upkeep and insurance of the buildings;
- to provide 10% of the costs of any improvements made to the premises.
Without money from the Governors' School Support Fund, we would not have been able to pay for the playground developments, or pay our fees to Southwark, which covers insurance for the building against fire, flood or theft, and training for staff and governors at the Diocese.
The most recent examples of this are the playground improvement project, which included installation of the boat in the KS1 playground, and improvement of the outdoor area for Reception class, creating a space that is usable in all weathers. The governors ask families to contribute to their fund in order to continue to provide this monetary support to the school.
The suggested contribution is currently £42 per year, £14 per term or £3.50 per month. This is per family.
Please see the letter from our Chair of Governors for further information or download a form to start contributing.
