Welcome to the Governors’ page

Here you will find information about the roles and responsibilities of the Board of Governors. From 1st September 2018 Christopher Reeves VA C of E Primary School in Podington federated with St Lawrence VA C of E Primary School in Wymington. The Federation is known as ‘The Chellington Church of England Federation’. This means that the governance of both schools is covered by one Federated Governing Board.

The Role and Responsibilities of the Governing Board

Governing boards have a vital role to play in driving up school and pupil performance and ensuring that resources are used well to give every child the best possible education.  They also make decisions on matters such as school policies, and the school’s development plan.  They oversee the use of the school’s budget, and have responsibility to obtain value for money for that budget, and are responsible for the appointment of the head teachers.  In addition, governors monitor, support and challenge the head teacher and staff on how well those policies and the targets set, are followed through.  They do this by visiting the school, getting to know its strengths and weaknesses, and asking useful questions that foster an ethos of continuous improvement.

Federation Governance

The FGB meets half termly and additionally operates two sub-committees;

• Learning and Outcomes
• Resources and Personnel

Each governor has a specific responsibility and / or is a member of a committee.  Governors come from a range of backgrounds: parents, staff, the local authority and the wider community.  Where there are vacancies we will aim to recruit people who have a range of relevant skills and most importantly are committed to acting in the best interests of the children and their learning.

Federation Governor Vacancies

The Governing Board has a Constitution which allows for fourteen Governors. These are Foundation; Staff; Parent and Local Authority Rep. Governors. Currently there are vacancies on the Board for Foundation Governors and we would love to hear from you if you think this could be you.

The governing board has three core strategic functions:

Ensure clarity of vision, ethos and strategic direction:

• This means that you need to make sure the schools have a clear idea of what they want to achieve, and a plan for how to achieve it 
• Your role is to help set and embed the schools’ vision, ethos and strategy, and use these to monitor how your school is doing

Hold leaders to account for the educational performance of the school and its pupils, and the effective and efficient performance management of staff:

• This means you need to make sure that the school leaders are using their professional judgement properly and managing the performance of staff and pupils effectively 
• You also need to make sure that the information you get from your school leaders is accurate

Oversee the financial performance of the school and make sure money is well spent:

• Your role here is to monitor the finances of both schools make sure the schools are achieving value for money
• Ultimately, you need to be sure that public money is spent correctly in the best interests of your pupils

Foundation Governors are one of the distinguishing characteristics of Church schools. They represent the historic link with the original establishment of the school and its distinctive religious ethos, and like all Governors they are entrusted with the responsibility for formulating policies which produce well-managed schools. Their duties, along with the other Governors, cover monitoring the curriculum, finance, personnel and premises to ensure that the schools function efficiently, for the benefit of the children’s education. Foundation Governors also have a critical role in maintaining the Christian ethos of the school and to make sure that the school’s vision is reflected in all aspects of school governance and life. 

No special qualifications are needed to be a Governor, as training is available for all governors, with the requirement for all new governors to complete a short governor induction course. However, it is important that all governors have:

• The ability to be a good listener and express opinions with confidence
• Fairness and a commitment to equal opportunities
• A commitment to securing the best educational outcomes for young people
• The ability to work as a member of a team with tact and diplomacy
• The ability to respect confidentiality
• A commitment to the Governors’ Code of Conduct

Becoming a governor can be very fulfilling. It is great for professional development and to add to your CV. It is an opportunity to gain board-level experience, strategic decision-making skills and experience of performance management at a high level. It is also a wonderful way to give back to your local community and be at the heart of one of the most important settings in your locality – your local school.

All appointments are subject to the successful completion of a DBS and Section 128 check.

If you would like to discuss further, please contact pcameron@chellingtonfed.org.uk (Chair of Governors) 

If you wish to look at Governance in more detail, a copy of the Governance Handbook can be viewed at:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/governance-handbook

Federation Governors and how to contact them

Should you wish to contact the Governors you may write to them via the Clerk through the school office or email admin@crls.org.uk