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Structure and responsibilities of the Governing body

Division of responsibilities

Under the current governance arrangements, Walter governors meet each term for Full Governing Body, Finance Committee and Teaching & Learning Committee meetings.  Not all governors are members of both the Finance and Teaching & Learning Committees.  Governors are each assigned additional specific responsibilities, covering a range of areas including the Curriculum, Pupil Premium, Health & Safety, IT and Performance Management.  Specific responsibilities can vary year on year and are aligned to the school’s current priorities.

In addition to the formal meetings, governors attend an annual Governors Day (a full day visit to the school) and visit the school on an individual basis throughout the year as part of their specific governor responsibilities. Governors often attend school assemblies, parent information evenings and school fairs, as well as undertaking training sessions or attending conferences led by the local authority.

Full Governing Body

The Chair of the Full Governing Body for 2023-2024 is Ghislene Lokuciewski (Local Authority governor). Each governor is a member of the Full Governing Body. The core functions of the Full Governing Body are to establish the strategic direction of the school; to ensure accountability; and to oversee financial probity. The Head Teacher is responsible for the implementation of policy, day to day management of the school and the implementation of the curriculum.

The terms of reference for the Full Governing Body, available below, are reviewed on an annual basis and include a comprehensive description of:

  •          The purpose of the Full Governing Body
  •          Membership
  •          Meetings
  •          Roles and Responsibilities
  •          Commitment of the Governing Body
  •          Relationships
  •          Confidentiality
  •          Conflicts of Interest
  •          Breach of this code of conduct

Finance Committee

The Finance Committee is a sub-committee of the Full Governing Body. The Full Governing Body is the body ultimately responsible for the overall financial management and affairs of the School. It exercises this responsibility by establishing clear levels of delegation to the Chair of the Finance Committee, the Finance Committee, to other Committees and to the Head Teacher.

The Chair of the Finance Committee for 2023-24 is Stephen Kennedy (co-opted governor). The Finance Committee has responsibilities for: financial competence; policies and procedures; annual financial planning; monitoring; compliance (with national standards and internal policies and procedures); expenditure approval; and financial planning.

The financial Terms of Reference, financial management, procedures and structure operating within the school are set out in the Integrated Finance Policy, which is reviewed on an annual basis.

 

Teaching & Learning Committee (T&LC)

The T&LC is a sub-committee of the Full Governing Body and has the principle focus of ensuring that Walter children have the best education possible. The Full Governing Body is responsible for ensuring the review and evaluation of the curriculum policies, as well as ensuring that all statutory obligations, including the National Curriculum and the Early Years Foundation Stage Curriculum are met.  The T&LC Chair, in consultation with the Head teacher, advises the Full Governing Body on all curriculum matters.

The T&LC membership includes the Headteacher, Deputy Headteacher and at least three governors. The Chair is Vicky Howard (Co-opted Governor). The T&LC meets once a term and its terms of reference include: keeping a watching brief of Our Big Curriculum and the delivery of the National Curriculum; reviewing relevant curricular policies and making recommendations to FGB; supporting effective T&L, reviewing progress against end of year targets and evaluating action plans; ensuring that individual pupil progress tracking is in place and used to evaluate the effectiveness of provision, including Special Educational Needs and Disability (SEND) and Greater Depth (GD); evaluating school performance through analysis of results in all year groups; monitoring and supporting curriculum development; contributing to the direction and review of the annual School Development Plan (SDP) and the Self-Evaluation Form (SEF); with the FGB, monitoring the impact of Pupil Premium Funding on pupil achievement; articulating with the Finance Committee regarding the budget; and working with subject leaders to consider the impact of subject policy.