Interested in Governance?

INTERESTED IN GOVERNANCE AT FHS?

Governing Body

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Formby High School is proud to have a highly effective Governing Body which is wholly committed to the ongoing success and development of the school. This dedicated group of volunteers bring a wealth and variety of skills, experience and backgrounds to the work of the Governing Body.

The Governing Body is made up of community, co-opted, parent and staff governors who each serve a four year term of office and are determined to support the staff of Formby High School in providing the best education and the safest learning environment for all students so they can fulfil their potential.

Governors carry out their responsibilities (set out below) in a number of different ways, including visits during the school day, attending events such as concerts and sports fixtures, working closely with the Headteacher, Senior Leadership Team and staff, and attending formal Full Governing Body and committee meetings.

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The Role of Governors

Governors work together to carry out their core functions:

ensuring there is clarity of vision, ethos and strategic direction
holding executive leaders to account for the educational performance of the organisation and its pupils and the performance management of staff
overseeing the financial performance of the organisation and making sure its money is well spent
ensuring the voices of stakeholders are heard

Governors must also ensure that the Governing Body complies with all legal and statutory requirements. Governors should seek the advice of the Clerk to the Governing Body and other professional advice as appropriate.

Governing Body strategic responsibilities

The Governing Body works closely with the Headteacher and senior leaders. The Headteacher is responsible for day-to-day management whereas the role of the Governing Body is strategic. As such, Governors are responsible for:

determining the mission, values and long-term ambitious vision for the school
deciding the principles that guide school policies and approving key policies
working with senior leaders to develop a strategy for achieving the vision
ensuring that parents, students, staff and the wider community are involved, consulted and informed as appropriate
ensuring that all students have access to a broad and balanced curriculum such that they are well prepared for the next stage of their education and adult life
setting the school’s budget and ensuring it is managed effectively together with premises and other resources
agreeing the school’s staffing structure and keeping it under review to ensure it supports delivery of the strategy
ensuring robust risk management procedures are in place and that risk control measures are appropriate and effective

Monitoring and evaluating school performance

Governors must monitor the priorities that have been set to ensure progress is being made by:

measuring the school’s impact and progress towards its strategic objectives
ensuring the required policies and procedures are in place and the school is operating effectively in line with these policies
evaluating relevant data and feedback provided by school leaders and external reporting on all aspects of school performance
asking challenging questions of school leaders in order to hold them to account
holding the Headteacher to account for standards, financial probity and compliance with agreed policies
visiting the school to monitor implementation of the strategy and reporting back to the board (this could be in a link governor capacity)
ensuring that there are policies and procedures in place to deal with complaints effectively

Panels and committees

When required, Governors are expected to serve on panels or committees in order to:

appoint the Headteacher and other senior leaders
appraise the Headteacher and make pay recommendations
hear staff grievances and disciplinary matters
review decisions to exclude students
deal with formal complaints

Contribution to the Governing Body

Governors should ensure that they are making a positive and meaningful contribution to the Governing Body by:

attending meetings (five full Governing Body meetings and a number of committee meetings each year), reading papers and preparing questions for senior leaders in advance
establishing and maintaining professional relationships with senior leaders and colleagues on the board
getting to know the school, including visiting the school occasionally during school hours
undertaking induction training and developing knowledge and skills on an ongoing basis

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Disqualification of Governors

Extract from Formby High School Articles of Association

No person shall be qualified to be a Governor unless he is aged 18 or over at the date of his election or appointment. No current pupil of the Academy shall be a Governor.

A Governor shall cease to hold office if he becomes incapable by reason of mental disorder, illness or injury of managing or administering his own affairs.

A Governor shall cease to hold office if he is absent without the permission of the Governors from all their meetings held within a period of six months and the Governors resolve that his office be vacated.

A person shall be disqualified from holding or continuing to hold office as a Governor if:

- his estate has been sequestrated and the sequestration has not been discharged, annulled or reduced; or (b) he is the subject of a bankruptcy restrictions order or an interim order.

A person shall be disqualified from holding or continuing to hold office as a Governor at any time when he is subject to a disqualification order or a disqualification undertaking under the Company Directors Disqualification Act 1986 or to an order made under section 429(2)(b) of the Insolvency Act 1986 (failure to pay under county court administration order).

A Governor shall cease to hold office if he ceases to be a Governor by virtue of any provision in the Companies Act 2006 or is disqualified from acting as a trustee by virtue of section 72 of the Charities Act 1993 (or any statutory re-enactment or modification of that provision).

A person shall be disqualified from holding or continuing to hold office as a Governor if he has been removed from the office of charity trustee or trustee for a charity by an order made by the Charity Commission or the High Court on the grounds of any misconduct or mismanagement in the administration of the charity for which he was responsible or to which he was privy, or which he by his conduct contributed to or facilitated.

A person shall be disqualified from holding or from continuing to hold office as a Governor at any time when he is:

- included in the list kept by the Secretary of State under section 1 of the Protection of Children Act 1999; or
- disqualified from working with children in accordance with Section 35 of the Criminal Justice and Court Services Act 2000; or
- barred from regulated activity relating to children (within the meaning of section 3(2) of the Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups Act 2006).

A person shall be disqualified from holding or continuing to hold office as a Governor if he is a person in respect of whom a direction has been made under section 142 of the Education Act 2002 or is subject to any prohibition or restriction which takes effect as if contained in such a direction.

A person shall be disqualified from holding or continuing to hold office as a Governor where he has, at any time, been convicted of any criminal offence, excluding any that have been spent under the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 as amended, and excluding any offence for which the maximum sentence is a fine or a lesser sentence except where a person has been convicted of any offence which falls under section 72 of the Charities Act 1993.

After the Academy has opened, a person shall be disqualified from holding or continuing to hold office as a Governor if he has not provided to the chairman of the Governors a criminal records certificate at an enhanced disclosure level under section 113B of the Police Act 1997. In the event that the certificate discloses any information which would in the opinion of either the chairman or the Headteacher confirm their unsuitability to work with children that person shall be disqualified. If a dispute arises as to whether a person shall be disqualified, a referral shall be made to the Secretary of State to determine the matter. The determination of the Secretary of State shall be final.

Where, by virtue of these Articles a person becomes disqualified from holding, or continuing to hold office as a Governor and he is, or is proposed, to become such a Governor, he shall upon becoming so disqualified give written notice of that fact to the Secretary.

Articles 69 to 80 and Articles 98-99 also apply to any member of any committee of the Governors who is not a Governor.

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Further Reading and Useful Information

Governance

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Our Governors

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Chair of Governors

Mr David Pearson (Community Governor)

Vice Chair of Governors

Mr Myles Duckworth (Parent Governor)

Ex-Officio Governor

Mr Alex Wood (Headteacher)

Community Governors

Mr Peter Killen

Miss Cathleen McNamara

Mr Paul Monaghan

Co-opted Governors

Mr Richard Smith

Parent Governors

Ms Gillian Bainbridge

Ms Louise Roberts

Mrs Jennifer Stuart

Clerk to Governors

Mrs Lucy Forster

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Our Members

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Mrs Pam Bell

Mrs Nicola Foley

Prof Nick Greeves

Mr Allan Harris

Mr David Pearson

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Contact Us

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Direct Telephone:

01704 835650

Email:

[email protected]

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Key Documents

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