Full Governors Terms of Reference

The Governing Body will operate at all times in accordance with the requirements of the Education Act, the School Governance Regulations, the Local Authorities Scheme for Financing Schools and all other relevant legislation, and will review these Standing Orders at least annually. In addition to the requirements set out in legislation, the following procedures will apply to the operation of the Governing Body.

Whole Governing Body Approach

The Governing Body works as a whole team. The Full Body will meet 6 times per year to review reports and ratify statutory issues (once in each term).

In addition to commissioning activities or actions on their behalf, the governing body may wish to delegate monitoring activities to Lead Governors. This could apply to statutory functions, and/or the priorities of the School Development Plan.

In each case where a function has been delegated there is a statutory duty to report any action or decision to the governing body at the next meeting

Delegation

Functions in bold must be undertaken at the termly Full Governor Meeting, all other functions are delegated to the Standing Committee (of which all governors are a member) or to the Head Teacher, Lead Governors or Governor Group as appropriate.

Monitoring activities against the priorities of the School Development Plan will be commissioned at meetings or carried out by Lead governors

The main responsibilities to be managed by the governing body are as listed below

Operational Governance

To draw up the Instrument of Government
To elect/remove the Chair and Vice Chair
To appoint/dismiss the Clerk to the governing body
To hold at least 3 Full Governing Body meetings each year
To appoint and remove co-opted governors and any associate members
To decide which functions of the Governing Body will be delegated
To suspend a governor
To receive reports from any Lead Governor or Work/Task/Focus Group to whom a delegation has been made and to consider whether any further action by the Governing Body is necessary
To review the delegation arrangements annually
To recruit new governors as vacancies arise
To set up a register of Governors’ Business Interests
To approve and set up a Governors’ Allowances Scheme
To regulate the Governing Body procedures where not set out in law, and record these as Standing Orders
To delegate to the Head Teacher appropriate functions
To assign Lead Governors to monitor the priorities of the School Development Plan
To arrange a suitable induction process and mentoring for newly appointed or elected governors
To audit individual and collective development needs and promote appropriate training
To ensure the Head Teacher provides such reports as requested by the Governing Body to enable it to undertake its role
To receive reports on racial incidents.

General Matters

Regularly review the vision and values of the school and ensure that these are shared with all stakeholders
To take an active role in School Self Evaluation, monitoring success in all areas and identifying areas requiring improvement
To update and review regularly the School Development Plan
To review regularly how the school is regarded by pupils and parents
To ensure the school has in place all statutory policies and to keep these under regular review, consulting with representative stakeholders as appropriate. To approve policies on review.
To ensure that the school does not discriminate against pupils, job applicants or staff on the basis of race, religion, gender, age disability or sexual orientation.
To ensure the school has a Complaints Procedure for Parents and that parents know how to raise concerns and make a complaint
To ensure that the governing body complies with all other legal duties placed upon them

Finance Matters

To approve the first formal budget plan each year
To engage in strategic planning
To agree a 3 year budget
To analyse and recommend the annual budget
To annually review and approve the Finance Policy and recommend levels of delegation
To annually review and approve the Charging and Remissions policy
To make decisions in respect of service agreements and insurance
To approve annually the Statement of Internal Control (SIC)
To approve annually the Best Value Statement

To review and take account of any consultations to change the LA Finance Scheme

Staffing Matters

To make Headteacher and Deputy Headteacher appointments
To determine the staff complement
To agree a pay policy and pay discretions
To establish a governor panel to hear staff appeals against dismissal and redundancy
To dismiss the Headteacher
To end the suspension of staff or Headteacher
To determine dismissal payments/early retirement

Curriculum

To agree/reject the curriculum policy
To monitor the curriculum policy
To establish a charging and remissions policy for activities.

Performance Management

To establish and review and approve annually a Performance Management Policy
To determine the timing of the performance management review cycle of the headteacher and appoint two or three governors to act as reviewers

Target Setting

To approve and publish targets for pupil achievement
To monitor pupil achievement against published targets.

Discipline and Exclusions

To establish a discipline policy
To review the use of exclusion and decide whether or not to confirm all permanent exclusions and fixed term exclusions
To direct the reinstatement of excluded pupils.

Premises and Insurance

To develop a school buildings strategy or master plan and contribute to LA Asset Management Planning arrangements
To procure and maintain buildings, including a properly funded maintenance plan
To seek advice from the LA to ensure adequate levels of buildings insurance and personal liability
To receive annual site report.

Health and Safety

To institute a Health & Safety policy
To ensure that Health & Safety regulations are followed and appropriately prioritized
To receive annual Health & Safety Inspection Report and agree any actions.

Admissions

Admissions: application decisions and funding streams

Collective Worship

To ensure that the school provides teaching of religious education for all pupils in accordance with the agreed syllabus or has informed parents of their right to withdraw their child
To ensure the school provides an act of daily collective worship in accordance with the denominational nature of the school.

School Organisation

To set the time of the school sessions and the dates of school terms and holidays
To publish proposals to change category of school
To propose to alter or discontinue special school status.

Information for Parents

To ensure that the school keeps parents and prospective parents informed by publishing a school prospectus
To approve the School Profile
To adopt and review home school agreements

Federations

To consider forming a federation or joining an existing federation
To consider requests from other schools to join a federation
To leave a federation.

Extended Services

To decide to offer additional activities and agree what form these should take
To cease providing extended services provision

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