Who are we?

Governors may be contacted via the school office: office@isleham.cambs.sch.uk

Co-Opted Governor
Mr Lionel Neal

What does the Governing Body do?

The Governing Body has various legal responsibilities and duties as set by central government and the Local Authority. It is responsible for the effective management of the school, for the school budget, and for keeping the school under review and helping to raise standards so that each child reaches their full potential.

Its key objectives are:

· To provide a strategic view of where the school is heading
· To act as a critical friend to the school
· To hold the school to account for the educational standards it achieves and the quality of education it provides

It is here to ask questions, which are probing but not confrontational, and to work with the head and the staff. Governors are not involved in the day to day running of the school and respect the professionalism of the head and staff. The Governors are all volunteers who give up their free time to ensure the school is managed effectively and to the benefit of the children.

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How does the Governing Body achieve its objectives?

The blueprint for school improvement is the School Improvement Plan [SIP]. The SIP is the mechanism by which we can:

· Plan what we want the school to achieve over the coming year
· have Goals and Targets
· Monitor and Review how well the school is succeeding against its goals

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Committees and Meetings

The Governors serve on the following committees:

Curriculum
Finance
Personnel
Property
Staff Dismissals/Discipline
Staff Grievance
Performance Management
Appeals
Salary
Salary Appeals
Pupil Discipline
Complaints

Most governors are on one, or more, of the committees. Many of the responsibilities of the Governing Body are delegated to these smaller committees which meet on a regular basis. The main committees are:

Curriculum: The curriculum is all the planned learning for the pupils in the school. It includes the programme of taught subjects, the learning that takes place as a result of pupils working and learning together, the school ethos, the range of enrichment and extra-curricular activities that take place during and outside the school day. It is the process for the acquisition of knowledge, skills, attitudes and values. Each curriculum subject, as well as additional areas (such are Homework, Special Educational Needs and Behaviour), has a Subject Leader who is a member of the teaching staff. Usually each Subject Leader is paired with a governor.

Finance: All the staffing costs, books, materials, maintenance and utility bills are paid for by the school using grants provided by the LA and central government. The committee sets and monitors the yearly school budget as well as setting longer-term financial plans.

Personnel: The committee is responsible for any issues relating to the staff (i.e. the teachers and support staff), such as recruitment, pay policy and performance management.

Property: The school is responsible for the maintenance of the school, grounds and pitches (even though they are owned by the LA). This responsibility is delegated to this committee. The committee oversees Health and Safety issues, including regular inspections of the school site.

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Useful Links

Additional information and links to other web-sites of interest to school governors:

http://www.governornet.co.uk/
www.nagm.org.uk
www.ngc.org.uk
www.governors.fsnet.co.uk
www.schoolgovernors-oss.co.uk
www.dfes.gov.uk