Structure and Membership of Bowmandale's Governing Body

Bowmandale's governing body is made up of local authority, parent, staff and co-opted governors from which a chair and vice chair are elected. 2012 regulations require schools to have at least 7 governors including 2 parents, 1 ex-officio head, 1 elected staff governor and 1 local authority governor, with the remaining places being filled with co-opted governors who can be parents, staff or community governors. The proportion of staff on a governing body, including the head, cannot exceed one third of the total.

Bowmandale's governing body re-constituted in 2014. It was decided to form a governing body of 11 members which comprises:

• 1 ex officio head
• 2 parents
• 6 co-opted
• 1 local authority
• 1 staff (elected)

A chair of governors and a vice chair are elected from the parent, local authority and co-opted governors (staff governors and the ex-officio head cannot take on these roles). Governors take on the responsibility for health and safety, safeguarding/child protection and overseeing different priorities of the School Development Plan. Governors are encouraged to visit school on a regular basis.

The Governing Board meet formally 6 times each academic year.

Mrs Vickers is the Chair of the Children & Learning Committee.

Mr Fernandes is the Chair of the Resources Committee.

As a school we recognise that diversity of thought, voice and perspective is imperative to effective governance. We recognise that collecting diversity information from our governors can support us to:

• target recruitment to address gaps in experience and diversity
• develop and adapt board practices to ensure full participation
• prioritise training in identified areas

We are unable to publish this information as it could mean that members of the governing body are identifiable.

Bowmandale's governing body currently comprises the following people:

Applying to be a Governor

Anyone over the age of 18 can apply to become a school governor. Terms of office usually last for 4 years. If you are interested in becoming a governor at Bowmandale Primary School you can enquire at the school office or apply online at www.gov.uk/become-school-college-governor.

Purpose of the Governing Body

The Department for Education describes the purpose of a governing body as follows. The governing body should:

• help the school to set high standards by planning for the school's future and setting targets for school improvement
• keep the pressure up on school improvement
• be a critical friend to the school, offering support and advice
• help the school respond to the needs of parents and the community
• make the school accountable to the public for what it does
• work with the school on planning, developing policies and keeping the school under review
• exercise its responsibilities and powers in partnership with the head teacher and staff
• not intervene in the day-to-day management of the school unless there are weaknesses in the school, when it then has a duty to take action

Full Governors' Meetings

Bowmandale's governing body meets termly for full meetings. These are chaired by the chair of governors and clerked by a local authority clerk. The head teacher presents a termly report which outlines the progress of teaching and learning in the school based on the results of lesson observations and data from assessments, along with progress on the school improvement plan, staffing, concerns, absences, exclusions and budget.

A typical meeting includes:

• Declaration of interests
• Ratifying minutes of previous meetings
• Reviewing and approving policies
• Matters arising from previous meetings
• Reports from governors with special responsibilities
• Correspondence sent to the Chair
• Part A of the head teacher's report
• Part B of head teacher's report (confidential)
• Any other urgent business

Contacting the Governors

If you wish to contact the governing body you should contact the chair of governors in writing at the school address or via email. If you would like to arrange a meeting with a governor, please do so via the school office.

Documents