Information for Prospective Governors

Welcome!

This information is provided for people considering becoming a school governor and wondering what is involved. Being a school governor is a legal responsibility and so it is important that you are aware in advance of what you are signing up to. School Governing Bodies are responsible for:

  • Setting the school’s vision, ethos and strategic direction;
  • Holding the headteacher to account for the educational performance of the school and its pupils;
  •  Overseeing the financial performance of the school and making sure its money is well spent.

To meet their obligations governors at Polesden Lacey Infant School are involved in:

  • Full Governing Body meetings (6 times per year, currently 7 - 9pm on a Tuesday evening).
  • A ‘Monitoring Pair’ with a specific area of responsibility (current pairs are Standards and Achievement; Finance, Personnel and Premises; Quality of Teaching & Curriculum; Behaviour and Safety; Christian Distinctiveness). This will involve making a monitoring visit to school and a report to the Full Governing Body several times per year.
  • Special projects as required (e.g. new Headteacher recruitment, preparation for Ofsted).
  • Training. All governors need to undertake training so that they understand the responsibilities of the role, and develop the skills required to discharge them effectively. The Induction course is a full day course which all governors are expected to undertake (available Saturdays and midweek) after appointment. There are a range of other training courses provided by KCC and other providers, usually 7-9pm, around the county, and governors are expected to attend any relevant training.

We recognise that different people have different amounts of time available for governance, and accommodate this as far as possible, but all governors are expected to contribute to the work of the governing body. The term of office for a school governor is four years (governors may serve more than one term of office).

Please also read this further information:


What does a governor do?

Published by the National Governors Association, this is a really good summary of what is involved in being a governor, and the time commitment involved. (They estimate 10-20 days per year, equating to half a day per week-fortnight in term time.)

Code of Practice for all governors at Polesden Lacey Infant School

All governors are required to sign this Code of Practice. This includes confidentiality. Governors do not discuss individual pupils but inevitably at times have to deal with confidential information. We expect all governors to observe strict confidentiality.

List of current governors

The list shows the current governors and the type of governor post they hold. Please talk to any of the current governors about what is involved. Our photos are in the reception area if you need help to track us down! Otherwise any school staff can put you in touch with us.

Skills Audit

This is the list of skills we believe our Governing Body requires, and it is very closely based on the list developed by the National Governors Association. All current governors have completed the audit, and anyone putting themselves forward for appointment as a governor is also required to complete it.

Vision Statement

This Vision Statement was agreed by the Governing Body in December 2019 

All of the agendas and minutes of our meetings are available from the school office, and these may give you a feel for the kinds of things with which the Governing Body deals.

I hope that this further information does not make being a governor sound too daunting! All of us learn on the job, and the most important things at the start are that you are committed to getting to know the school, put in the time and attend the training required. If you do become a school governor we provide a mentor and induction process to help and support you through the initial stages.

If you wish to put yourself forward for election as a parent or staff governor you should await notification of any vacancy from the school office, and follow the procedure outlined.

If you wish to put yourself forward for appointment as a co-opted governor please advise the Clerk to the Governors, (clerk@polesdenlaceyinfant.surrey.sch.uk), and send her a copy of your completed Skills Audit.

Mark Rogers

Chair of Governors

September 2022