Menheniot Primary School

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Governance in Schools 

All state funded schools are required to have a Governing Body. Governors play a very important and responsible role in schools. They are involved in decision making, not just in the management of the school but also in school development and in the undertaking of new initiatives. They work as a team with the Headteacher to ensure that high quality education is provided and they are responsible for the school’s aims and policies.

Being a Governor is an immensely rewarding role. Governors come from all areas of life and you do not need to have a child at the school in order to become a Governor. Being a Governor is a good way to contribute to the community.

Governors have a number of key roles. They are legally responsible for:

  • ensuring that a high standard of education is provided for pupils

  • maintaining the safety and well-being of pupils and staff

  • ensuring that the public funds allocated to the school are spent wisely and properly accounted for.

They are instrumental in providing a direction and vision for the school through the strategic plan. They act as a ‘critical friend’ to the Headteacher and they ensure accountability. They monitor performance and evaluate, and support the Headteacher in their management of the school. Other roles include appointing staff, setting and monitoring the budget. 

Menheniot Primary School Strategic Plan 2023_2026.pdf

Key performance Indicators - Strategic Plan

The structure of the governing body at Menheniot

At Menheniot Primary the governing body is made up of:

  •  The Headteacher

  • One Local Authority Governor

  • One Staff Governor

  • Two Parent Governors

  • Zero Community Governors

  • Two Foundation Governors

  • Six Co-opted (Governors elected by the members of the Governing Body who are not themselves co-opted Governors)

Meetings

Our Governors usually meet as a Full Governing Body once a term. This is the meeting where all major decisions are made. However this is our minimum and sometimes it is necessary to meet more often, for example, when setting the budget. Our meetings start at 6:00 pm and are usually on a Wednesday evening at the school. They generally last between 2 and 3 hours, but this depends on the agenda and the matters which need to be discussed.

Roles within the Governing Body

 Statutory responsibilities are borne by the whole governing body. Committees and governors with special responsibilities report back to the governing body. 

The Chair

The Chair is elected by the Governing Body. Anyone who works at the school can not take the role of Chair. The Chair leads the Governor’s Meeting and carries out particular tasks, such as signing off the school budget.

 The Vice-Chair

The Vice-Chair supports the Chair and he or she may be delegated specific tasks.

The roles and responsibilities are outlined below.

Committees

Governing Bodies use a committee structure to ensure that their role and responsibilities are carried out efficiently. All Governors belong to at least one committee and sometimes more than one. At Menheniot Primary School, we have the following committees:

 Finance, premises and Health & Safety:

This committee sets the annual budget, monitors costs and authorises any major items of expenditure. It is also concerned with the maintenance and safety of the school buildings and grounds. It usually meets once a term, although there are sometimes additional meetings according to need, for example, during budget setting. The following governors sit on this committee :

Mrs Catalan - Chair

Mrs Grange

Mrs James

Mr Hall

Mrs Raynham-Dobb (advisor)

Mrs Juckett (advisor)

Curriculum and Wellbeing:

This committee deals with curriculum matters and policies, the School Improvement Plan, assessment data and curriculum development and monitoring. It also meets once a term.  The following governors sit on this committee :

Mrs Clarke - Chair

Mrs Burrow

Mrs Juckett

Mrs Raynham-Dobb

Mrs Flynn

 Personnel:

This committee meets as and when it is needed. It looks at areas such as staffing issues, appointments, redundancies, Performance Management and dismissals. The following governors sit on this committee :

Mrs Grange

Mr Hall

Mrs Raynham-Dobb (Advisor)

 We also have committees for:

  • Appeals

  • Teacher Discipline

  • Headteacher Performance Management   (Mrs Clarke and Mrs Maslen)

 Particular committees can be given delegated powers to make decisions which do not then need the approval of the full Governing Body. Committee meetings are formal meetings and they are required to have defined duties, with minutes taken and decisions recorded. The Terms of Reference set out the duties allocated to each committee. Committee meetings usually last between one and two hours.

 Working Groups

Sometimes it may be necessary for Governors to form a working party to investigate a particular initiative or issue. These are likely to be temporary and to run only as long as they are needed for.

The Clerk 

The Governing Body is supported by the Clerk. Although the Clerk is not entitled to vote, they are considered to be an integral part of the Governing Body. They provide advice and updates on the administrative structure and regulations and help the Governors to interpret the latter. The Clerk also prepares and distributes the minutes and agendas and deals with any correspondence.

A copy of the minutes can be requested from the school office. 

 Subject Governors

Governors may be allocated to different subjects or Action Plan targets. This means that they take a special interest in the area allocated and may go and help in the classroom or accompany the class on educational visits. If allocated to a subject, the Governor will be expected to work with the subject leader so that they become aware of the strengths and weaknesses and are knowledgeable about any relevant assessment data.

 The following have been allocated to specific governors :

Mrs Clarke (Chair)

Literacy, Maths, Early Years,  Whistleblowing, Governor Training  

Mrs Grange

Safeguarding 

Mrs Juckett

SEND, Data 

Mrs Burrow

Spiritual, Cultural and Moral Education,  PSHE , RE 

Mr Hall

Health, Safety and Wellness 

Mrs Pascoe Parish

Creative Arts                                                                      

 Mrs Maslen                 

Behaviour,  Community Link  

Further Information

Annual Governance Statement

 

/docs/annual-governance-statement-2022-2023.pdf

Attendance and Pecuniary Interest Information

 

/docs/menheniot-governor-attendance-register-2022-23.pdf

 

/docs/menheniot-register-of-business-and-pecuniary-interests-2023-24.pdf

Code of Conduct

The Governing Body is a corporate body. This means that it has a legal identity, separate from its members. As such, Governors are unable to act on their own without authority from the Governing Body. All decisions are made collectively and Governors share a collective responsibility for the decisions made. Decisions made should always be done with the best interests of the whole school in mind. At all times, Governors must act fairly and objectively. Many sensitive issues will be discussed and confidentiality must be maintained at all times.

 Please see the Code of Conduct below for further information:

/docs/nga-governors-code-of-conduct-2023.pdf

 

Standing Orders

  All Governors of Menheniot Primary School agree to abide by the attached Code of Conduct and in accepting an appointment or nomination to the Governing Body each acknowledges acceptance of the code.

  •  The election of the Chairman and Vice Chairman of Governors is held at the first meeting in the academic year.  Nominations will be requested in writing and appear on the agenda.  If more than one nomination is received for either office a secret ballot may be held for the particular office.
  •  The Governing Body agree the number of Governors required for each committee at the first meeting in the academic year.
  •  The Headteacher is an ex officio member of the Curriculum and Finance and Buildings Committees and advisor to the Personnel and Appeals Committees.
  •  Each committee elects its own Chair and Vice-Chair at its first meeting each year.
  •  The quorum for committees is 3 of the appointed Governors.
  •  There are 6 committees: Finance and Buildings inc Health & Safety, Personnel, Curriculum and Wellbeing, Pupil Discipline, Appeals and Headteacher’s Review.
  •  Each committee records its activities in writing and reports back to the full Governing Body.
  •  The Curriculum and Wellbeing, Finance and Buildings and Personnel Committees hold at least one termly meeting.  The Appeals, and Pupil Discipline Committees meet as required.
  •  The Headteacher’s Review Committee meets at least once in each academic year.es and Benefits

 

Useful Contacts

 Children, Schools and Families 
North Wing, Third Floor
County Hall
Truro
TR1 3AY

Tel: 0300 1234 101
Fax: 01872 323839
Email: governorservices@cornwall.gov.uk

 

National Governors’ Association - www.nga.org.uk

 

Department of Education website – www.gov.uk/government/organisations/department-for-educatio

 
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