Governing Board
All schools in England have a Governing Board which is responsible for overseeing many of the strategic decisions. A key role is to act as a critical friend: to support, to challenge, to ask questions, ultimately to represent the school community. Cheadle Heath Primary School Governing Board has three core functions and is responsible for:
- ensuring clarity of vision, ethos and strategic direction
- to support and challenge the systems within the school to ensure the performance of the school remains at its highest level
- overseeing the financial performance of the school and making sure its money is well spent
To ensure effective governance, the following have been put in place:
- the appointment of individuals with the necessary skills, and diversity of perspectives
- an effective chair and an explicit governor code of conduct
- clear governance structures with tightly defined remits
- clear separation, but a positive relationship, between the role of the board and its school leaders
- the support and advice of an independent, professional clerk
- robust processes for finance, business planning and compliance
- processes for regular self-evaluation, review and improvement
The governors come from a wide range of backgrounds.The governors work together as a group bringing their own particular experience to support the school and to ensure that the children are getting the best possible education. They have to make important decisions about issues such as the priorities for each year, the way the curriculum is delivered and the budget. Governors act collectively: once a decision is made they all stand by it.
The standard term of office for a governor is four years. The Governing Board has termly meetings and adopts the principles of open governance. The chair and vice-chair are elected bi-annually at the first meeting of the academic year. Governors do not claim expenses incurred during their work as governors. Minutes of meetings are published and available in school to anybody who wishes to read them.
The work of a School Governor is varied and interesting. It can be time consuming involving challenge and debate but it is also very rewarding. If you want to be part of the Governing Board please enquire about any vacancies by contacting the Chair of Governors or the Headteacher. You can find out about the work of Stockport Council’s School Organisation Committee and GOVAS by clicking here. Read more about the work of the National Governors’ Association here.