Shottermill Infant School

Governor Who’s Who?

Who makes up the Governing Body?

School Governors come from all sections of the community and all walks of life. A School Governing Body is made up from the following categories of Governor:

Parent Governors - Parents, including carers, of pupils are eligible to stand for election as Governors. Parent Governors are elected by other parents at the school. If insufficient parents stand for election, the Governing Body may appoint parents.

Staff Governors - The Headteacher is a Staff Governor by virtue of their office. Other staff, both teaching and support, may become Governors as long as they are employed (volunteers do not qualify). Staff Governors are elected by the school staff. Any election that is contested must be held by ballot.

Local Authority (LA) Governors - Local Authorities are encouraged to appoint high-calibre Governors to schools that need the most support and to appoint candidates irrespective of any political affiliation or preference. Authorities may appoint minor authority representatives, e.g. district and parish councillors, as Authority Governors.

Co-opted Governors - Co-opted Governors are appointed by the Governing Body to represent community interests. They can be individuals who

• live or work in the community served by the school
• are committed to the good governance and success of the school even though they do not work or live close to it.

The definition of Co-opted Governor is wide. People from a business or professional background and minor authority representatives can be appointed as co-opted governors.

What does the Governing Body do?

The role of school Governors is to set strategic direction, to hold school leaders to account for improving performance, to act as a ‘critical friend’ to the Head and to make sure money is well spent.

The Governing Body routinely meets twice a term. From September 2021 we no longer have committees, except the Pay Committee and Headteacher’s Performance Management Panel, instead individual governors have specific roles as shown in the table below.

 Register of Business and Financial Interests / Material Relationships

Governor Attendance report

• All Governors can always be contacted through the school office.
• The minutes of the Full Governing Body Meetings of Shottermill Infant School are available on request via the school office.
• Useful Links – If you would like to find out more about the Role of a School Governor then these websites provide information on the Roles and Responsibilities of School Governors:

www.nga.org.uk

www.education.gov.uk/.../categories-and-roles-of-school-governors