Governors

The Governing Body's role

The responsibilities of a school governing body are:

• Ensuring clarity of vision, ethos and strategic direction

• Holding the headteacher to account for educational performance

• Overseeing the financial performance of the school and making sure its money is well spent

Governors are not involved in the day-to-day running of the school – that is the responsibility of the headteacher and staff.

Acting as a ‘critical friend’ to the school, governors check that progress is being made towards agreed targets.

Other examples of what the governing body does are:

• Working with the headteacher and other staff to establish the vision and ethos of the school

• Setting budgets and monitoring income and expenditure against those budgets

• Reviewing the performance of the headteacher, with support from education professionals

Governing body minutes are available from the school on request.

How governors work

Governors get to know the school through attending meetings and by visiting the school during the school day.  Currently, there are five full governing body meetings a year.  In addition, each governor joins one of two committees, which usually meet twice a term.  These are:  

• Teaching & Learning Committee

• Resources Committee

The Teaching & Learning Committee considers the learning and progress of pupils, quality of teaching and provision for disadvantaged pupils.

The Resources Committee considers budgets and expenditure, value for money, premises, and health and safety.

Some governors take on specific responsibilities, for example, safeguarding or special educational needs and disability, which usually involve further training and additional meetings with staff in school.

Who are Beckley’s governors?

The governing body is made up of the headteacher and people from different groups who have an interest in the success of the school — parents, staff, the Diocese of Oxford, the local authority and the community.  Between them, governors need a wide breadth of skills and experience to enable them collectively to support and challenge the school leadership.

As vacancies arise on the governing body, the Department for Education advises that specific skills are targeted in an effort to fill gaps in knowledge or expertise.

Governors can also appoint associate governors to advise on specific areas of expertise.

Our current governors are listed on the register below:

The chair of governors is Gary Chandler.  Contact gchandler@beckleyschool.org, Beckley Church of England Primary School, Church Street, Beckley, Oxford   OX3 9UT

More information about current governors can be found on the Governor profiles page.

All governors agree to a Code of Conduct and must declare any business or pecuniary interests, as well as governorship at other schools.

Attendance at meetings is also logged and published: