Governors

 

Our Governing Body

 

All schools in England have a Governing Body, which is responsible for overseeing the strategic direction of the school. The Governing Body works in close partnership with the Headteacher, staff and the local authority to ensure the school is being run in the best way possible and provides a safe environment where children flourish and grow both academically and socially.

The Governing Body is often described as a ‘critical friend’ to the Headteacher as its role is to support, challenge, to ask questions (often difficult ones) and ultimately to represent the wider school community in ensuring we achieve our vision for our school.

 

Who we are

Our Governing Body is made up of 13 members. Membership is a mix of people including our Head Teacher Mr Clifford and our Vicar Fr. Edd Turner, parent, church and Local Authority representatives. We have a range of backgrounds which allows us to bring different ideas and experiences to the Governors role.  We all give our time voluntarily and commit getting involved fully and to training and learning to ensure we are up to date on issues that matter to our school. Most importantly we have a common purpose and drive to do the best we can for all of the pupils at St Andrews.

In 2014 the Governing Body carried out a skills audit to ensure we had the right mix of skills to be effective. This led to the recruitment of new Governors with specific skills we required. Now we are fully resourced and feel confident we have the skills, experiences and commitment to work with Mr Clifford and the teaching staff to make St Andrews the best school it can be for our children.

 

Our Governors

James Adeshiyan – Chair of Governors

Philip Miall – London Diocesan Board Schools Governor

Chris Cole – Local Authority Governor

John Hey – Synod/Deanery Governor

Sarah Tobin – Parent Governor

Olivia Clifford – Parent Governor

Kate Carroll – London Diocesan Board Schools Governor

Violet Henry – Synod/Deanery Governor

Rachael Franklin – Parochial Church Council Governor

Fr Edd Turner – Vicar

 

Matt Clifford – Head Teacher

 

Please click on the document at the bottom of the page to see the structure of the Governing Body:

 

 

What we do

The role of the Governing body is primarily a strategic one. We work alongside our Headteacher Mr Clifford and the staff at the school to ensure the delivery our shared vision for the school. Specifically, this includes:

• Agreeing the School Development Plan – priorities, aims and objectives for the year
• Ensuring our school is a safe environment for each one of our children through clear safeguarding
• Agreeing the policies needed to deliver the aims and objectives
• Monitoring and evaluating school performance and results
• Ensuring robust financial management of our school’s resources

 

How we do it

The Governing Body meets 5 times in the year to discuss, advise and review the areas above.

In addition there are separate committees which focus on priority areas. These include:

• Teaching & Learning committee – focusing on the quality of teaching across the school, results and the performance of all pupils, including more able pupils
• Resource Committee – focusing on the financial management of the school and the effective management of all resources and includes safeguarding
• Pay committee – this meets less frequently but ensures our staff are paid and rewarded appropriately
• To view the terms of reference for these meetings please click on the relevant documents at the bottom of this page

 

We also:

• Have ‘special interest’ or ‘link’ Governors who take responsibility for particular areas such as Pupil Premium children, or subjects such as Maths, Literacy, Science or RE.
• Take part in ‘learning walks’ around our school so we have a good understanding of how our school operates
• Take the views and any concerns from our school community such as parents and church members and try to grow further engagement with them and our school

Governor training

Our Governors attend training which is suitable for their role and each year the governing body meet with an external adviser for a Governor review, Accountability and Support Programme (GRASP). This years GRASP document can be read by clicking on the relevant document below.

 

 

Further information about the Governing Body and Governors

 

If you would like to get in touch with the Governing Body about the work we do, with any concerns or if you are interested in becoming a Governor contact our Chair James Adeshiyan via the school:

Telephone: 020 8886 3379

Email: parentgovs.st.andrews@outlook.com