Governors at Carden

Carden Primary School is an inclusive school at the heart of a strong and diverse community.  A recent monitoring visit by Ofsted, the schools’ inspector confirmed that at Carden Primary “Pupils are confident, friendly and welcoming in this caring and inclusive school” and “Leaders are dedicated and ambitious, with a clear focus on pupils wellbeing and achievement”

We are proud of our inclusive ethos, where everyone’s views are represented and everyone has a voice. With this in mind, we encourage representatives of that diverse community to join us as governors. We are also looking for people who want a volunteer opportunity to add to their experience at the start of their careers, or returning into work.

Being a school governor is a challenging but rewarding role.  There is no requirement to understand the education system.  Governors just need to have life skills, the time to share their experience, an enquiring mind and the confidence to ask questions.  Above all, governors have to have a genuine interest in supporting the school and helping us to achieve the best outcomes for children.  Excellent governor training, support and resources are provided.

If you have any questions or are interested in becoming a governor, please contact the Clerk: zoeheaton@carden.brighton-hove.sch.uk

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:

• 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 via this link: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/maintained-schools-governance-guide

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 majority of the work of the governing body is delegated to committees. At Carden Primary there are three listed below. Clicking on the links will download a Word document with the committee’s Terms of Reference:

• Health Safety and Welfare Committee
• Development and Resources Committee
• Curriculum Learning and Achievement 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.

The full governing body meet at least once a term as does at least one 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.  For information on Governor annual attendance data, see here. Please refer enquiries to the Clerk of Governors via the school office.

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 there are 2 co-opted vacancies and the governors would be particularly interested in applicants who have any of the following attributes:

• live in and represent our local community
• experience in legal and compliancy
• might be at the start their career or returning to work and want experience

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 alistairmcnair@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.

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.