Governors
What do governors do?
Governors are essential to the work of the school and are legally responsible for it. They are not; however, involved in the day to day running of the school which is managed by the Senior Leadership Team. This leaves governors free to focus on their core functions of:
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ensuring clarity of vision, ethos and strategic direction
- holding the Headteacher to account for the education performance of the school and its pupils and the management of staff
- overseeing the financial performance of the school and making sure its money is well spent
Governors act as a sounding board for issues being reviewed within the school and work with the senior leaders to raise standards of achievement. They approve the school budget and appoint the Headteacher. They work as a team and make collective decisions, abiding by an agreed code of conduct. As you would expect they need to gain an understanding of the school and its overall performance in order to explain its decisions and actions. This is done by attending regular meetings and carrying out school visits. They also attend training in order to keep up to date with the requirements of the role. More information about the role of governors can be found here.
The Governing body at Carden Primary School
Constitution
The governing body reconstituted in March 2015 and the number of governors on their instrument of government is now set at 12. This twelve is made up of different categories of governors. There are 7 Co-opted governors, 1 Headteacher staff governor, 1 staff governor, 1 Local Authority governor and 2 parent governors. The term of office for each governor (other than Headteacher) is for four years, although being a voluntary position, governors may resign at any time.
The Structure of the Governing Body
The majority of the work of the governing body is delegated to committees and at Carden Primary there are three:
- Health Safety and Welfare Committee
- Development and Resources Committee
- Curriculum Learning and Achievement Committee
The latest terms of reference showing the work covered by each committee may be viewed by clicking on the relevant committee. There are also two associate members, appointed by the governing body to assist them should a panel of governors be required to hear a case.
Meetings
The full governing body meet at least once a term as do each committee. The minutes from each meeting, showing who attended and what went on, will be posted in this section when they have been agreed at the next meeting. Just click on the date. Non-confidential agenda papers may also be available to view. Please refer enquiries to the Clerk of Governors via the school office.
Meetings 2018/19
Full Governing Body 8th October 2018 4th February 2019 20th May 2019 7.45am 16th July 2019 4pm
Development and Resources 28th November 2018 25th March 2019 8am 18th June 2019 8am
Curriculum Learning and Achievement 6th December 2018 19th March 2019 8am 9th July 2019 8am
Health Safety and Welfare 17th October 2018 12th February 2019 8am 7th May 2019 8am 3rd July 2019 7.45am
Meetings 2017/2018
Full Governing Body: 12th September 2017 12th December 2017 20th March 2018 18th July 2018 4pm
Development and Resources 4th October 2017 16th January 2018 4pm 8th May 2018 4pm
Curriculum Learning and Achievement 31st October 2017 6th March 2018 11th July 2018
Health Safety and Welfare 7th November 2017 22nd February 2018 8 am 7th June 2018 8 am
Meetings 2016/2017
Full Governing Body: 8th September 2016 19th January 2017 26th June 2017
23rd March 2017 (Confidential) attended by SB, JH, JN, HLH, PSD,PS
Curriculum Learning and Achievement 17th November 2016
Development and Resources 15th November 2016 9th February17 4th May 2017
Health Safety and Welfare 11th October 2016 28th February17 9th May 2017
Meetings 2015/2016
Full Governing Body 8th September 2015 10th December 2015 24th March 2016 7th July 2016
Curriculum Learning and Achievement 10th December 2015 17th March 2016 27th June 2016
Development and Resources 16th November 2015 11th February 2016 5th May 2016
Health Safety and Welfare 23rd November 2015 23rd February 2016 10th May 2016
Governors - current and in the last 12 months
| Name | Category | Term of Office | Roles of Responsibility and Committee Membership |
| Helen Longton-Howorth | Staff Headteacher | 2.9.14 to - |
• Headteacher |
| Alistair McNair | Co-opted | 08.10.18 - 07.10.22 |
|
| Samuel Baker | Parent | 18.7.18 - 17.7.2022 |
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| Co-opted | Vacancy | ||
| Co-opted | Vacancy | ||
| Hayley Mallipoudy | Parent | 12.3.18 -11.3.2022 |
|
| Jeff Nixon | Local Authority |
13.10.17 -12.10.21 |
|
| Amanda Mortensen | Co-opted | 12.9.17 - 11.9.21 |
|
| Sophie Wadleigh | Parent | 20.3.18 - 19.3.22 |
|
| Meraud Davis | Co-opted | 16.7.19 - 15.7.23 |
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| Natasha Sothcott | Staff | 12.1.18-11.1.22 |
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| Kevin Cunningham |
Co-opted |
10.12.15 - 22.5.18 |
|
| John Hull |
Co-opted |
26.3.15 -20.8.18 |
|
| Paul Smith |
Co-opted |
26.3.15 - 18.7.18 |
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|
Daniel Holmes Peter Sandeman Samantha Beal |
Co-opted Parent Co-opted |
10.12.15 - 18.7.18 20.3.18 - 16.7.19 19.01.17 - 26.7.19 |
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How are governors appointed?
The majority of governors are now in the 'co-opted' category. When vacancies arise, new governors can be appointed by the governing body as co-opted governors based on the skills they offer. Co-opted governors can come from the general public and may include those eligible to stand for other categories, although there is a limit on the numbers that can be drawn from the staffing body. At present the governors would be particularly interested in applicants who either self-identify with the BME community, have experience in the building industry or who might aspire to become a Chair of Governors. Training is provided. An application form is available here which should be completed along with a skills form here and returned to the Clerk to the Governors via the school office, or to the Chair of Governors amandamortensen@carden.brighton-hove.sch.uk who would be happy to answer any queries.
The staff governor is elected from and by the staffing body.
Parent governors are elected from and by the parent/carer body.
The Local Authority governor is chosen then appointed by the governing body from candidates put forward by the Local Authority.
The Headteacher decides whether to take up the Headteacher staff governor position. Associate members are appointed by the governing body.
All governors and associate members need to meet certain eligibility criteria and confirm annually that these continue to be met.
Register of Interests
Governors and associate members declare any pecuniary or other interest, which includes membership of other governing bodies, at the time of application or appointment, annually and at each meeting. Should the governing body consider there would be a conflict of interest that governor withdraws from that part of the meeting and does not vote on that item. The register of interests is reviewed at least annually and is published here. It includes the term of appointment for any associate members.
