Jump to: Contact the Governing Body, Main Role, Responsibilites, How can you become a Governor

The Governing Body aims to help the school provide the best education possible for its children.

Who we are

How and when to contact the Governing Body

If you have an idea or a suggestion that you would like the Governing Body to consider, please leave a note in the Suggestion Box in the Reception lobby outside the School Office. We actively welcome input and contributions from parents and from others in the local community who support the school.

Any issues concerning pupils at the School should, in the first instance, be discussed with the Class teacher, thereafter with Mr Rylance, the Headteacher. If you do not feel the matter has been resolved to your satisfaction, then you can contact the Governing Body by sending an e-mail or letter to the Clerk, Cathy Hitchcock:

catherine.hitchcock@devon.gov.uk

Alternatively, you can write to the Chair of Governors c/o the School.

Main Roles of the OSM Governing Body

The law states that, "The Governing Body shall conduct the school with a view to promoting high standards of educational achievement at the school." Education Act 2002

Provide a strategic view

• Help to decide the school's strategy for improvement

Act as a critical friend to the school

• Provide the Headteacher and other staff with support, advice and information
• Monitor and evaluate the school's effectiveness
• Ask challenging questions and pressing for improvement

Ensure accountability

• Receive reports from the Headteacher and other staff on the school's performance
• Discuss and question the Headteacher's proposals and strategies
• Answer to parents and to the wider local community for the actions of the Governing Body and the school's overall performance

Responsibilities and authority of the OSM Governing Body

• The responsibilities and authority of the OSM Governing Body
• The responsibility for educating pupils falls primarily on the staff
• The day-to-day running o the school is the responsibility of the Headteacher, but it is the Governing Body that is ultimately responsible for the school's performance.
• The Governing Body executes its responsibilities collectively. It may assign specific tasks to a sub-committee or to a particular governor, but individual governors do not have any authority or right to act on behalf of the Governing Body
• Action falling to the Governing Body that cannot wait for a previously arranged meeting of the Governing Body (or for an Extraordinary meeting) is taken by the Chair of Governors or by the Vice-Chair if the Chair is not available. This is only in circumstances where delay is likely to be seriously detrimental to the interests of the School, a pupil, parent or a member of staff.

How do we work?

• We meet as a full Governing Body at least once every half-term. Extraordinary meetings are arranged if circumstances warrant such action.
• Every year we elect a Chair and Vice-Chair from amongst the existing members of the Governing Body (employees at the School cannot be elected to these positions).
• The Governing Body also has a Clerk who arranges its meetings, circulates the agenda and papers, takes minutes of full meetings of the Governing Body, and circulates information to Governors from the Local Authority.
• Members of the public are allowed to attend Full Governors' meetings though may be asked to leave the meeting should any agenda item be of a confidential nature.
• Minutes of Governors' meetings are available on request from the Clerk, Cathy Hitchcock.

Committees

In order to delegate and share the responsibilities of the Governing Body more effectively, we have set up the following sub-committees. These also meet once every half-term, with the Headteacher, separately from the full Governing Body meetings:

The two sub-committees are: 'Finance & Personnel' and 'Premises & Curriculum'. In addition we have a Discipline Committee that meets only when required. Governors on each committee are as follows:

These Committees are a flexible way of dealing with specific or fairly detailed matters. They offer individual governors wider opportunities to apply their personal expertise. They also make full Governing Body meetings more effective and efficient.

How you can become a Governor at OSM Primary School

Are you interested in becoming a Governor yourself?

The Governing Body is made up of a number of different types of governors and the normal term of office is four years. However, after four years, any governor who wishes to remain on the Governing Body can offer to stand for a further term of office and (if no-one else has expressed an interest in the position) be re-elected or reconfirmed in his/her position.

Our current Instrument of Government is for a Governing Body of 14 members made up as follows:

5 Parent Governors, 3 Community Governors, 3 LEA Governors and 3 Staff Governors (one of which is for the Headteacher).

Parent Governors: If you are a parent of a pupil(s) at the School or the primary carer, you can stand for election as one of the 5 parent governor positions (once a parent governor post becomes vacant). If more than one parent expresses an interest in filling a vacancy, elections are held in which all parents can vote. Parent governors do not formally represent parents on the Governing Body but they do act as a link between parents and the Governing Body and try to keep in tune with parents' views. But remember that individual parent governors have no authority - authority rests with the Governing Body as a whole.

Community Governors: These are governors who play some kind of role in the wider local community and have experience and/or local links that will benefit the school. Community Governors are appointed on to the Governing Body by invitation of the Governing Body itself.

LEA Governors: A Governor normally appointed by the local education authority (i.e. Devon County Council).

Staff Governor: A member of staff paid to work at the School and elected by the staff. Where a School has three or more staff Governor positions on the Governing Body (such as at Ottery St Mary) at least one must be a member of the support staff.

Support Staff Governor: A member of support staff elected by other support staff.

Headteacher: An ex-officio member of the Governing Body i.e. a Governor by virtue of their office. If the Headteacher elects not to be a Governor than his/her place cannot be taken by anyone else.