Stanford Junior School

Governors are one of the largest volunteer forces in the country and have an important part to play in raising school standards.

The role of the governing board is absolutely key to the effectiveness of a school. Time and time again, Ofsted has noted that effective leadership contributes to making a school, including a governing body, good.

Full Governing Body (FGB) meetings

The full governing body meets once or twice a term.  At these meetings, the governing body carries out its three core functions, as identified by the Department for Education in the Governors Handbook.

The governing body has established a Finance & Buildings Committee to provide guidance and assistance to the Head teacher and governing body on all financial issues and exercise delegated responsibility for the condition, repair, extension and alternation of the premises. Full terms of reference for this committee are contained within the Governing Body Standing Orders which can be provided by the school on request.

The governing body thought it would be useful to give some back-ground to our work in school, where we fit into school life and our role within the school.

We currently have ten governors on our full governing body (FGB), including governors from the community, from the local authority, from staff, including the head teacher, and from parents.

What do governors do?

School governors provide strategic leadership and accountability in schools. Governors appoint the head teacher and deputy head teacher. Governors are responsible for the school’s finances and work with the head teacher to make decisions about balancing resources. Each governor is a member of the governing board, which is established in law as a corporate body. Individual governors may not act independently; decisions are the joint responsibility of the governing board.

A governing board’s key functions are to:

• Set the aims and objectives for the school;
• Set policies in order to achieve those aims and objectives;
• Set targets in order to achieve those aims and objectives.
• Monitor and evaluate the progress the school is making towards the achievement of its aims and objectives;
• Challenge and support the headteacher - a critical friend.

The head teacher is responsible for the internal organisation, management and control of the school and the implementation of the strategic framework established by the governing board.

How can parents and carers view the work of the FGB?

We have updated the governor section of the school’s website to include more information about what the FGB does. We publish minutes on the website once they have been agreed, as these are public documents. 

Richard Simcock - Chair of Governors