Governing Body

All schools in England have a Governing Board which is responsible for overseeing some of the strategic decisions a school faces. A key role is to act as a ‘critical friend’: to support, to challenge, to ask questions, ultimately to represent the school community.

The Governing Body works in close partnership with the Headteacher, staff and the Local Authority. Whilst the Headteacher is, of course, responsible for the day to day running of the school, the governors are involved with such things as staffing, curriculum, school buildings and finance. It ensures the school functions well and maintains the proper range of academic and social objectives.

At St James (Daisy Hill) CE Primary School the governing body consists of:

The Head teacher
One elected Staff Governor
One appointed Local Authority Governor
Four elected Parent Governors
Three Co-opted Governors
Three Foundation Governors
One Community Governor

The standard term of office for a governor is four years. The chair and vice-chair are elected annually at the first meeting of the academic year. The current chair of governors is Mr Graham Burrows, who can be contacted via the school office.

Much of the work of the governing body is done by committees. At St James, we have the Resources Committee and the Enjoy and Achieve committee.

Resources Committee

Included in the remit of this committee is Health and Safety, staffing and school finances.

Members: Mr G Burrows, Mr A Hemmings, Mrs L Love, Mr R Orr, Dr A Gregory and the Head Teacher

Chair: Mr A Hemmings (To be appointed by Committee at the first meeting of the Autumn Term)

Clerk: Minute Clerk, Governance Services

Qourom: At least 3 governors

The chair of this committee is elected at the first committee meeting of the academic year.

Enjoy and Achieve Committee

This committee holds the school to account over the way it provides the relevant education for all the children in the school.

Members: Mr G Burrows, Ms J Gardner, Mrs V Gould, Mr A Hemmings, Mrs J Prince, Mrs G Williams, Miss A Mills, Miss A Lee (or nominees) and the Head Teacher

Chair: Ms J Gardner (To be appointed by Committee at the first meeting of the autumn term)

Clerk: Minute Clerk, Governor Services

Qourom: At least 3 governors

The chair of this committee is elected at the first committee meeting of the academic year.

We recognise that a diversity of thought, voices and perspectives is essential to good governance and the effective running of any organisation. We regularly collect diversity information from our governors and, depending on current data, can use this to:

target recruitment to address gaps in experience and diversity
develop and adapt board practices to ensure full participation
prioritise training and awareness-raising in identified areas
address potential ‘blind spots’ through seeking wider advice and perspectives on current and upcoming opportunities, challenges and risks

We are unable to publish this information as it would mean that individual members of our governing body are identifiable.