MORLEY VICTORIA PRIMARY SCHOOL – GOVERNING BODY

 What is the Governing Body?

The Governing Body for Morley Victoria is a group of up to 18 governors. The purpose of the Governing Body is to support provision of the best possible education to every pupil in the school.

The current membership of the Governing Body is:

The headteacher:

Richard Elstub

Parent governors, elected by parents/carers:

Catriona Lawrie, David Parry, Lisa Porritt, Ian Street, Lisa Wainwright, Susan Redfearn, Michelle Bolton

Staff governors, elected by the staff:

Margaret Ashlee, Rebecca Badger, Debbie Dufton

LEA governors, appointed by Leeds City Council:

Robert Finnigan, Mark Nelson, Brian Taylor, Paul Redfearn

Community governors, appointed by the Governing Body to represent the community:

Jill Haigh, Paul Holdsworth (chair of governors), B Potts

How does the Governing Body work?

The Governing Body meets 4 times during the year. Governors also sit on one or more of the Committees: Finance & Premises, Pupil Support, Teaching & Learning, Pay & Performance Management, Personnel. These meet termly or less frequently. By having a committee structure and allocating governors to particular year groups (Foundation, Key Stage 1, years 3 & 4, years 5 & 6), it becomes possible for the Governing Body as a whole to discharge its responsibilities although individual governors are familiar with different aspects of the school, and none, other than the headteacher, can have a complete understanding. It is thus very much a team effort, with different governors bringing different skills and experience. All governors are equal and the decisions made by the Governing Body are our collective responsibility.

What is the Governing Body responsible for?

(from Education Leeds Governor Support Service)

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 head and act as a link between the school and the local community
    * to monitor the progress of the post OfSTED Action Plan and the School Improvement Plan
    * to set appropriate targets for pupil achievement at Key Stage 2
    * 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

  November 2011