Governors

The Governing Body at Burwash C.E. Primary School

The responsibilities of the Governing Body

In England, all schools have a governing body, which is responsible for overseeing the strategic direction of the school and working with senior school staff to ensure that it is run as effectively as possible. 

The role of the Governing Body is to help Burwash CE Primary School be the best it can be. Our core functions are to;

Ensure clarity of vision, ethos and strategic direction.

Help to ensure a high standard of education, and the delivery of a high-quality curriculum for all children, including those with special needs.  

Hold the executive leaders to account for the educational performance of the school and its pupils, and the performance management of staff.

Oversee the financial performance of the school and make sure its money is well spent.

Help to set policies for the school, including those relating to health and safety and safeguarding.

The Governing Body works in close partnership with the Headteacher, staff and East Sussex County Council. Whilst the headteacher is responsible for the day to day running of the school, the governors are involved with such things as staffing, curriculum, health and safety, safeguarding, school buildings and finance. It ensures the school functions well and maintains the proper range of academic and social objectives. The Governing Body works as a team with shared responsibilities. Governors never make decisions on their own, nor do they act as individuals.

Our governors are representatives of the local community, parents, school staff and the Local Authority. They bring a range of interests, knowledge and skills to the school and they all work in a voluntary capacity.

The make-up of the Governing Body at Burwash

The Governing Body consists of 14 governors.

·         1 Headteacher

·         1 Local Authority governor (a governor whose appointment is approved by ESCC)

·         1 Staff governor (elected by staff as representative members to bring a staff perspective to discussions)

·         2 Parent governors (elected by the parent body)

·         6 Co-opted governors

·         3 Foundation governors (including one Foundation Governor ex-officio: the incumbent or Priest-in-charge of the Parish of Burwash.

We do regular skills audits and have carefully considered the balance of interests in composing our board as we want to have the right people around the table.

Our Meetings

The Full Governing Body (FGB) meets once a term. In addition we have 4 Finance Committee meetings,  3 Teaching and Learning Committee meetings, 3 Staffing Committee meetings, 3 Premises/Health and Safety committee meetings and an annual Pay Review meeting throughout the academic year. 

Monitoring and Training

The Governors are assigned year groups that they will monitor from when the pupils start in Reception to when they finish at the end of Year 6. The Governors also monitor how the curriculum is being taught across the school by carrying out governor curriculum visits.  The visits are written up and reported at the next Teaching and Learning Committee meeting and the FGB meeting.

We also undertake regular training and networking sessions throughout the year.