Emmaville Primary School

The Governing Body

The Role of a School Governor
 

The school’s Governing Body is responsible for overseeing many of the strategic decisions of the school, such as policy, curriculum, budgeting and staffing.  They enable their school to run as effectively as possible, offering support to the senior leadership team, giving advice and help where needed in order to provide excellent education to the children of Emmaville.  Conversely, governors may also challenge, ask questions, seek information and improve proposals, in order to arrive at the best solution for the pupils, staff and whole school community.  Governors bring a wide range of skills and expertise from their professional lives to the governing body, and schools benefit greatly from working with skilled volunteers.  A governor with business know-how can transform the running of a school.

 

Core Governor Responsibilities

The Governing Body works as a team with shared responsibilities and has legal duties. However, governors can only act together; they cannot act individually.  Governors tend to serve for a term of four years, and parent governors will be elected by parents of the school.

The Full Governing Body meets at least once each term - the minutes of these meetings are available to parents.  Additionally, governors are invited to a termly meeting to discuss curriculum and finance. 

Setting the strategic Direction

Our Governing Body works in close partnership with the Headteacher, staff and the Local Authority. Whilst the Headteacher is responsible for the day to day running of the school, the governors act as a kind of Board of Directors.  Along with the Head Teacher, it is the job of a governing body to set the school’s aims and objectives around how the school will develop and improve.  It is their job to regularly review the strategic framework of the school.

Creating Robust Accountability

The governing body plays a crucial role in holding the Head Teacher to account for securing the best possible outcomes for pupils. By challenging key decisions and asking pertinent questions about the school’s performance data, governors aim to guarantee high standards in education.

Ensuring Financial Management

The key financial responsibilities of governing bodies include setting the annual budget to meet the needs of  the school development plan, as well as agreeing a 3-year financial plan. 

2024-2025
This section will be updated following the Autumn Term Governing Body meeting on 5th December.
2023-2024
School Governor Membership and Attendance 2023-24
 
Summary of Relevant Business & Pecuniary Interest 2023-24
All governors are required to make an annual declaration of any relevant business and pecuniary interests that could represent a conflict of interest when exercising their role as a governor at the school (as recorded in the Emmaville Register of Interests). This includes governance roles in other educational institutions and any material interests arising from relationships between governors or relationships between governors and school staff (including spouses, partners and close relatives). 
 
For security, where governors have provided a handwritten signature, this has been replaced by a typed version for the website.  The original pecuniary interests register with these signatures can be viewed in school by request.

Please click on the link below to view the current summary of pecuniary/business/other interests:
 
Terms of Reference for Committees 2023-24