GOVERNORS
The Governing Body of any school is in place to provide both support and challenge the leadership team in the way the school is led and managed and to provide the best possible education to every pupil in the school - our Governing Body is no exception.
About the Governors
We are a team with a wide range of personal and professional skills, expertise and experience. The Governing Body provide strategic leadership for the school and have a general responsibility for the effective management of the school. We strive to be a diverse and committed team of parents, community members and staff representatives.
What are the Governors here to do?
The 3 core functions of our Governing Body are:
➢ Setting the school vision (see bottom left).
➢ Holding the Head Teacher to account for the school's educational performance.
➢ Ensuring our money is well spent.
We organise our Governing Body into three Committees
- Resources;
- Teaching, Learning and learning;
- Pupil Support;
Each Committee has a focus on a specific, defined remit which when combined cover all aspects of the school
Who is part of the Birchfield Primary Governing Body?
| Samantha Hirst |
Headteacher |
| Michaela Walker |
Co-opted |
| Jennifer Whitehead |
Co-opted |
|
Grainne Dickerson Luke Surtees |
Co-opted Co-opted |
| Phil Turner | Co-opted |
| Lee Dobson (Chair) | Co-opted |
| Gregg Shevill | Co-opted |
|
Claire Preest |
Co-opted |
|
Glenn Pegden |
LEA |
|
Tom Taylor |
Parent |
|
Kathryn Stephenson |
Parent |
|
Sian Dolby |
Staff |
What is the role of the Chair of Governors?
Being a chair of governors is a key role in the leadership and management of schools. To be effective, you need a good understanding of the role and its responsibilities so that your school gains maximum benefit from the work that you do.
An effective chair of governors:
• works with the headteacher to promote and maintain high standards of educational achievement
• ensures that the governing body sets a clear vision, ethos and strategic direction for the school
• with the governing body holds the headteacher to account for the educational performance of the school and its pupils, and for the performance management of staff
• ensures oversight of the financial performance of the school and effective use of the schools resource
Who is the Chair of Governors for Birchfield Primary?
The Chair of Governors is Lee Dobson and can be contacted at l.dobson@birchfieldprimary.org.uk
Key information
Click here for Governors terms of office
Click here for Governor Sub Committee membership and responsibilities
Click here for Governor attendance Register 2016-20
What is the Governing Body responsible for?
(This information is taken from Leeds City Council Governor Support Services)
Primary School Governing Bodies have a range of responsibilities as a consequence of the Education Acts:
* to help to decide school policy for management of the school with the Headteacher and act as a link between the school and the local community
* to monitor the progress of a post Ofsted Action Plan and the School Improvement Plan
* to set appropriate targets for pupil achievement at Key Stage Two
* to ensure that all children make progress in their personal development and wellbeing (Stay Safe, Be Healthy, Enjoy & Achieve, Make a positive contribution, Achieve economic wellbeing)
* to ensure that the curriculum for the school is balanced and broadly based and that the National Curriculum and religious education are taught
* to ensure that special education needs are met
* to manage the school budget
* to determine the staffing of the school and pay policy and make decisions about pay in accordance with the School Teachers' Pay and Conditions of Employment document
* to recruit and dismiss staff employed at the school
* to participate in the appointment of the Headteacher
* to ensure provision of a performance management policy and to set performance objectives for the Headteacher
* to listen to complaints from parents
* to hear appeals from parents when pupils are excluded from school
* to decide the start and finish times of the school
* to make sure the school is safe and healthy
How to become a Governor
When there is a space on our Governing Body, a letter/ email/ message on Class Dojo will go out to parents / carers and request for those who are interested to contact school. You will then be asked to write a short statement about what skills you could offer the school by being part of the Governing Body. The statement is then circulated round to the relevant people to read. If needed, a vote is then carried out and the person with the highest number of votes is elected. If you are interested in becoming a member of the Governing Body at Birchfield or need further information about the role of a Governor, please speak to Mrs Wharton in the school office.
The document below sets out the eligibility criteria for being a school Governor. This is a vital document to consider before applying.
Please click here for the eligibility document.
Minutes from the Full Governing Body (click to open)
2020 - 2021
2019 - 2020
2018 - 2019
2017 - 2018
2016 - 2017
2015 - 2016
2015 -2016