Governor – Role and Responsibilities

Danehill C of E (VC) Primary School Governing Board

The Instrument of Government of Danehill Voluntary Controlled Church of England Primary School provides for nine governors in the following categories:

1. Two parent governors (elected by parent body)

2. One LA governor (appointed by ESCC)

3. One staff governor (elected by staff)

4. One headteacher (ex-officio)

5. Two foundation governors (one ex-officio, one appointed by Diocese)

6. Two co-opted governors (appointed by Governing Body)

Governor Role

Governors are people who wish to make a positive contribution to the school and the education of its children. The Governing Board’s overriding responsibility is to work in partnership with the Head Teacher to promote continuous improvement in the school’s performance. This involves working with management and staff to formulate an improvement plan, setting challenging but achievable targets and interpreting information to assess progress and to monitor appropriate action.

Linked to its improvement role, the Governing Board is there to be a critical friend which is a balance between supporting and challenging the performance of both the Head-teacher and the school. Part of the role of the Governing Board is to ensure that the school is accountable to the children it serves, to their parents, and to the staff it employs, and also to its local community and those who fund and maintain it.

Governor Responsibilities

The Governing Board as a whole has a number of responsibilities, some relate to:

• Supporting and leading the school in developing its Christian values and ethos • Ensuring the requirements of the National Curriculum are implemented

• Setting policies • Monitoring the annual budget and ensuring best value is achieved

• Recruitment, and selection of the Head Teacher and Deputy Head Teacher, and employment of Staff

• Ensuring the fabric of the school buildings are kept in good order

Governor Interests

Governors are required to declare any business or other interests which they may have in connection with the school. The DfE guidance on the constitution of maintained school governing bodies says that the register should set out:

• The relevant business interests of governors

• Details of any other educational establishments they govern• Any relationships between governors and members of the school staff including spouses, partners and relatives

Governors at Danehill CEP School complete an annual declaration of interests and are required to declare any changes to this at every Governing Board meeting. This information is recorded in minutes of meetings.

Code of Conduct

Governors also sign a Code of Conduct agreeing to these conditions. This is available on the website