Our Governors

What do Governors do?

The main role of the governing body is to support and challenge the school.  This means focusing on the core functions of providing strategic leadership, holding the headteacher to account and making sure the school’s money is well spent.  The governing body achieves this through working closely with school staff to have a clear understanding of what is going well and the areas in which the school needs to improve.

The Full Governing Body meets every half term.  The Co-Chairs are Mrs Helen Glover and Mr Declan Curry.

The Governing Body is supported by the Clerk to the Governing Body, Allison Collier.  She can be contacted via the school office.

The Governing Body works strategically to:

• Decide with the Headteacher, staff, pupils and parents the direction of the school through school development planning
• Focus on raising standards of achievement, establishing high expectations and promoting effective teaching and learning, so that pupils achieve their potential
• Ensure the school has clear aims and values supported by the whole school community and ensure these are evident in the school’s day to day operation
• Help to set and keep under review policies that provide a broad framework within which the Headteacher and staff should run the school.

The Governing Body work to support and challenge the school by:

• Recognising and celebrating the achievements of the school
• Knowing where the school is not achieving as well as it could
• Providing support and encouragement when strategies to bring about improvement are being explored
• Monitoring and evaluating how the school is progressing.

The Governors are accountable to the community.  To achieve this they:

• Are required to conduct the school with a view to promoting high standards of educational achievement
• Have the right to discuss, question and refine proposals and should respect the professional roles of the Headteacher and other staff, and their responsibilities for the management of the schoo
• Must be prepared to account for the school ’s overall performance and to explain its decisions and actions to anyone who has a legitimate interest.
• The Governing Body will need to account to the whole school community for the performance of the school.

Structure of the Governing Body

There are 11 positions, 8 are filled and there are 3 vacancies.  There are a number of different categories of governor, namely co-opted, parent, Local Authority and staff governor.  Our constitution limits the number of governors in each category. 

Our Governing Body has two committees: the Pay Committee and the Headteacher Performance Management Committee.

Interested in being a Governor?

The role of a school governor is demanding but very rewarding and it is a good way to give back to the local community.  School governing bodies are responsible for working with the school to ensure that it delivers a good quality education. Together with the headteacher, who is responsible for day-to-day management, they set the school's aims and policies.  

We currently have vacancies in the following areas:

• Parent Governor (x2)

School governors are part of the largest volunteer workforce in the Country who use their skills and time to contribute to the effective governance and success of a school.

Here at Bidbury Infant School we are looking for committed and enthusiastic volunteers to join our Governing Body team.  You will work in partnership with the school’s leaders to ensure we uphold our vision and values and strive to provide the strongest educational and lifelong opportunities for all the Bidbury children.

The Governing Body’s main tasks are:

·         to ensure that the school has a clear vision and strategic direction;

·         to hold the headteacher to account for the educational performance of the school and its pupils;

·         to oversee the financial performance of the school, making sure its money is well spent.

Parent governors are welcomed as valued members of the team and play a vital role in making the governing body aware of the views of parents and the local community. We feel sure that there are parents with the specific skills, knowledge and rich expertise to take on this important role and give their time and commitment to helping us to continue to improve the school's performance.

Bidbury Infant School governors meet on a monthly basis and also get to know more about the school through visits. There are a range of training opportunities available to strengthen governors’ understanding of their role.

You can also look at the information for prospective governors on the Hampshire Governor Services website.

Please contact adminoffice@bidbury-inf.hants.sch.uk for an application form or if you would like more information.  

Please note that for the protection of children all governor appointments are subject to an identity check.

If there are more applications than vacancies, we will hold an election and you will be sent a voting paper in due course. You may return the ballot paper either via your child or by post.

We do hope that you will consider this unique and exciting opportunity to make a real difference.

Please contact the Chairs of Governors via the school office if you are interested in finding out more.

Governors' Attendance

We expect all governors to be concerned and involved with the school and its activities. At the very least this means attending Full Governing Body meetings and all Committee meetings where Governors have agreed to be member.  Regular and consistent attendance by members at Governing Body meetings and Committees ensures that all meetings are quorate and therefore are able to make decisions. Also a variety of views can be expressed which in turn facilitates informed and effective decision–making and spreads the workload fairly amongst the Governors.

Non attendance

There may be times where prior arrangements, unexpected situations or ill health mean that a member cannot attend a meeting. In such cases the member must send apologies for the full Governing Body, to the Chair of Governors or Clerk, or for Committees to the Chair of the Committee prior to the meeting.  A Committee Chair must apologise for absence to the Chair of Governors.  If no apology is received before the meeting then the Governors’ consent at a Full Governing Body meeting will not be given.  When a member has been absent for two consecutive meetings, the Chair or Vice-Chair of Governors / Committee will be responsible for contacting the member to find out whether the member’s absence is likely to continue and/or whether the member wishes to continue in office.  For further information on the attendance of governors please contact the Chair of Governors.

Minutes of Full Governing Body Meetings

Minutes of Full Governing Body Meetings are available on request from our school office.

Contacting the Governors

The governing body is always keen to hear the views of anyone interested in the welfare of our school.  Messages can be left at the school office by letter. If you have a complaint, please look at the policy on the website. We encourage you to speak with the school in the first instance.