Parent Pay
Language
Local Governance Committee (LGC)
Governors
What is a School Governor?
School governors are volunteers who help to run the school. Some are elected (staff and parent governors) and others are appointed either by the local authority or from the local community.
What do governors do?
School governors have a wide range of responsibilities, helping to raise standards of pupil achievement and planning the school’s future direction, always in consultation with the Headteacher and other staff. We are also accountable for the performance of the school to parents and the wider community.
There are three core functions that support the roles above:
- To help set the strategic direction of the school.
- To hold the headteacher to account for the performance of pupils at the school.
- To ensure financial probity and the prudent use of public money.
We are not expected to take detailed decisions about the day-to-day management of the school, we are not responsible for the ‘conduct’ of the school or the ‘running’ of the school, that is the job of the Headteacher.
Governors’ responsibilities:
- Helping to establish the aims and policies of the school and how standards of education can be constantly improved
- Ensuring that a broad and balanced curriculum is delivered and that it meets statutory requirements, while promoting high standards and monitoring progress during the year
- Appointing, challenging and supporting the Headteacher (being a ‘critical friend’)
- Acting as a link between the local community and the school
- Helping to set and manage the school budget
- Ensuring the health and safety of pupils and staff
At St Nick’s we do this on several levels. We meet as a Full Governing Body about five times a year but also in two main committees, where certain aspects of the school are considered in more detail.
Our committees:
NASP (Non Academic Standards & Proviision) which includes -
- Premises - dealing with our building and grounds (including Health & Safety). Identifying any issues that may impact on the day to day running of the school.
- Finance – agreeing and monitoring the annual budgets and dealing with all the financial challenges of the school including expenditure, financial processes and audits.
- Pupil & Personnel Welfare – dealing with welfare of pupils and staff. Includes SEN children, safeguarding, e-safety and staffing issues.
ASP (Academic Standards & Provision) – monitors the standards being achieved by the school. Ensuring the objectives within School Improvement Plan (SIP) is being effectively managed, appointing governors to specific roles and the tracking of Pupil Premium issues.
Individual governors are also linked with a particular area, such as Special Educational Needs, Safeguarding, a curriculum subject or a year group. All governors are encouraged to visit the school during the working day if they can, but we do not interfere in the day-to-day teaching or running of the school: we leave that to the professionals!
North Somerset provides training in all aspects of governors’ responsibilities and we take full advantage of that, in order to be as effective as possible.