Contributing to discussions at governing body meetings which help to:

• determine the vision and ethos of the school
• set clear and ambitious strategic priorities and targets for the school
• ensure that all children, including those with special educational needs, have access to a broad and balanced curriculum and that the school encourages the pupils’ spiritual, moral and cultural development
• agree the school’s budget, including the expenditure of the pupil premium grant
• devise the school’s staffing structure and key policies

Holding the senior leaders to account by monitoring and evaluating the school’s performance; this includes:

• scrutinising the leadership’s own evaluation of the school’s performance and ensuring the conclusions are used to inform the priorities in the school development plan
• considering relevant data and feedback on all aspects of school performance, in particular pupil progress
• asking challenging questions of school leaders

The responsibility of a governor is to be strategic – to challenge, evaluate, monitor and support.  It is essential that governors do not get involved in the day to day operation of the school, that is the role of the headteacher and staff.  Governors and the school leadership are supported by a school improvement partner who is an expert in primary education and provides independent advice to continually assess the school's strengths and areas for development.

Governors also:

• appoint the headteacher and other senior leaders
• undertake the performance management of the headteacher
• set the headteacher’s pay and agree the pay recommendations for other staff
• hear staff grievances and disciplinary matters
• hear appeals about pupil exclusions

At Darell every governor is linked to a member of staff who has responsibility for a specific subject.  Governors meet with their linked staff member two or three times a year to understand how their subject is taught, the main strengths and challenges, the use of teaching resources and integration of the subject in the wider curriculum.

There are a maximum of 12 members including seven co-opted members, each of whom is appointed for a four-year term, after which time they may seek re-election.

Full members are drawn from four areas of the school community:

1. Parents of current pupils – two members
2. Staff – the headteacher and one other staff member
3. Local Authority – one member appointed by the Local Authority
4. Co-opted – nine members co-opted for the skills and experience they bring to the school

It is important to note that, although these members are representative of the school community, they are not intended to represent the views of the particular community from which they are drawn. Once elected or appointed, members should always act in what they consider to be the best interests of the school and bear in mind the seven principles of public life, which are:

1. Selflessness
2. Integrity
3. Objectivity
4. Accountability
5. Openness
6. Honesty
7. Leadership

Governors must also accept collective responsibility for all decisions taken, regardless of whether they personally voted for them and ensure that the details of discussions in meetings, including the votes of individual governors, remain confidential. This latter point is crucial for ensuring mutual trust, which is essential for effective school governance.

Headteacher Meetings of the governing body and committees

The full governing body meets at least once a term. Parents and staff are welcome to approach the Chair to ask to attend these meetings as observers, except where confidential matters are to be discussed.   Minutes of the full governing body meetings are posted on the website, once approved. Much of the work of the governing body is often done through committees. There are currently three committees:

1. Achievement and Curriculum
2. Resources
3. Pupils and Community

Much of the work of governors will not be immediately apparent to parents, for example it is solely the responsibility of the governing body to recruit a new headteacher, which is probably the most important job governors ever have to do.  Governors do everything from writing the job description and personal specification, to preparing and placing an advertisement in national media, producing a job pack for potential candidates, showing all candidates around the school, planning the interview days (panels, tasks, pupil involvement, presentation topic) and taking part in two full days of interviews.