DOBCROFT INFANT SCHOOL

Remit of the Governing Body

The Governing Body hold meeting on a quarterly basis including Full Governors, Finance and Premises, Steering and curriculum and pupil welfare. Specific terms of reference apply for each committee and these include:

Governing Body Terms of Reference for Governing Body and Committee’s Premises

1. To provide support and guidance for the Headteacher on all matters relating to the school premises and grounds, security, Health and Safety.

2. Annually to ensure inspection of the premises and grounds and prepare a statement of priorities for maintenance and development linked to the School Improvement Plan to support delivery of a first class curriculum.

3. To propose and approve the costs and arrangements for maintenance, repairs and decoration within the budget allocation and in liaison with the finance committee.

4. To oversee the preparation of and to monitor premises services contracts (e.g. fuel/water, cleansing, grounds maintenance).

5. To work in liaison with the Health and Safety committee to ensure the school premises meet health and safety requirements.

6. To ensure that governors’ responsibilities are discharged regarding litter under the Environmental Protection Act 1990.

7. To prepare a lettings and charging policy for the approval of the governing body.

8. To contribute towards an Accessibility Plan as required by the Disability Discrimination Act.

9. To consider how the use of the school premises may contribute to the development of Extended School/Children’s Centre provision.

10. To monitor Risk Assessment procedures.

11. To ensure that there is relevant training and guidance for the Caretaker/Buildings Supervisor and/or key staff liaising with building contractors.

12. To consider sustainability in relation to school premises, grounds maintenance and repairs, and when awarding contracts for school improvements and additional facilities.

Health and Safety

1. To be familiar with National and Local Health and Safety legislation and guidelines.

2. To participate in the development and review of school Health and Safety policies and to recommend them for adoption by the governing body.

3. To ensure that all statutory and CYPD requirements for the safety and wellbeing of staff and the safe management of school premises and care of pupils are discharged.

4. To ensure that appropriate Risk Assessments are carried out to ensure that activities and premises, materials and equipment used by the school do not present health and safety risks.

5. To ensure that partner providers and other users of school premises have appropriate risk assessments and Health and Safety procedures in place.

6. To ensure that all children are safe and healthy through:

  • The provision of a secure environment

  • The establishment and review of a school Food Policy.

7. To receive and consider any reports and audits completed by the School’s Health and Safety representatives or the Headteacher/Senior Management arising from general inspection of the school, to identify issues that need to be addressed and to report at least once a year to the governing body.

8. To make recommendations to the finance committee and/or governing body when expenditure is deemed necessary.

9. To act as advisers/consultants to the governing body on Health and Safety matters.

10. To ensure that the school follows CYPD procedures in respect of permissions to work when carrying out work on premises.

Finance

To determine and review financial policy including consideration of long term planning and resourcing.

1. To approve the Annual Budget Spending Plan, ensuring it is consistent with and subordinate to the School Improvement/Development Plan.

2. To act as advisers and consultants to the governing body on financial issues.

3. To be familiar with the Local Authority budget spending plans, formula funding structure and policies for financial delegation.

4. To monitor the school budget expenditure (including specific purpose grants) with reference to criteria for receipt of the grant and the annual spending plan. To make reports at least once a term to the governing body.

5. To ensure that the school has a financial management policy and procedures in place and that these are communicated to all relevant staff.

6. To authorise virement from one area of budget spending to another in order to respond to unexpected expenditure needs up to an agreed limit approved by the governing body.

7. To agree the level of delegation to the Headteacher for the day-to-day financial management of the school.

8. To review the school’s charging and remission policy on an annual basis and make recommendations to the governing body.

9. To monitor school fund expenditure and ensure the audit of school funds for presentation to the governing body.

10. To receive and where appropriate respond to periodic audit reports.

11. To ensure that a register of pecuniary interests is maintained for all staff and governors and referred to when procuring or tendering for services.

12. To ensure that the school has effective Risk Management strategies in place.

13. To ensure the schools’ compliance with the DCSF Financial Management Standard in Schools (FMSIS).

14. To ensure that an appropriate inventory is maintained and to approve the disposal of inventory items.

15. To oversee the financial planning of Extended Service/Children’s Centre provision.

Personnel / Staffing

1. To legal requirements and procedures relating to personnel issues.

2. To ensure that all staffing policies and procedures contribute to achieving Every Child Matters outcomes.

3. To ensure the staffing structure, retention and succession planning is sufficiently flexible to deliver the School Improvement/Development plan objectives.

4. To ensure that the school complies with the legal requirements of the workforce modernisation and development agenda and promotes the sustainability of this agenda via staffing structures and personnel policies.

5. To monitor Continued Professional Development for all staff and its contribution to school improvement.

6. To annually review the school’s Performance Management policy.

7. To decide on procedures for staff appointments excluding Heads and Deputies.

8. To ensure that safe recruitment procedures are in place for all staff and volunteers working in the school, including those involved in Extended School activities.

9. To be involved in the development of all of the school’s policies relating to personnel matters, including:

  • Code of Conduct

  • Staff consultation

  • Equalities

  • Pay (through the Pay Matters Sub-Committee*)

  • Leave of absence

  • Capability, Discipline and Grievance

  • Safeguarding and Child Protection

  • Religious Observance

  • Recruitment and Selection and Staff Retention

  • Leadership Development and Succession Planning

  • Staffing reduction procedures

  • Staff secondment

  • Adverse weather conditions

  • Group size of the school and I (to be reviewed at least once every three years)

To recommend them for approval by the governing body and to ensure that systems are in place to make all staff aware of these policies.

1. To annually review the staffing structure and workforce development plan.

2. To draft criteria for the approval of the governing body about the use of discretionary elements of pay provisions and make recommendations about implementing them.

3. To be consulted on and to approve job descriptions for the staff.

4. To be responsible for reviewing the Headteacher’s job description should the need arise.

5. To liaise with the finance committee in implementing the current School Improvement Plan in staffing matters.

6. To ensure that the Headteacher is able to maintain an appropriate Work-Life Balance

* To appoint from its members a Pay Matters Sub-Committee.

Curriculum

1. To be aware of and advise the governing body on the legal responsibilities of governors in terms of Curriculum provision and assessment including Special Educational Needs provision in accordance with the Code of Practice.

2. To monitor on behalf of the governing body that National Curriculum requirements are being implemented by the school.

3. To consider and review the school’s Curriculum policies on behalf of the governing body (including Religious Education, Sex and Relationships Education and Drugs Education) and to ensure that policies contribute to achieving Every Child Matters outcomes.

4. To formulate and review as necessary an overall Curriculum Policy Statement for presentation to the governing body.

5. To agree statutory targets for pupil attainment and non-statutory targets to be included in the School Improvement Plan.

6. To receive monitoring reports on the attainment and welfare of vulnerable children and other groups of pupils with reference to local and national benchmark information. To monitor the provision for vulnerable groups of children, e.g.

  • Black and Ethnic Minority Children

  • Traveller Children

  • Looked After Children

  • Young Carers

To support, and receive reports from, curriculum link governors.

1. Special Educational Needs e.g.

  • Literacy/Numeracy

  • Transition

  • Other areas of the curriculum

  • To consider and review the school’s policies on discipline and behaviour (including Anti-Bullying policy) and make recommendations to the governing body.

  • To contribute towards an Accessibility Plan as required by the Disability Discrimination Act.

  • To monitor and review the school’s curriculum contribution to its Disability, Gender and Race Equality schemes.

  • To monitor how the school listens to the Voice of the Child.

  • To consider how the curriculum can contribute to sustainability.

  • (Aided and Foundation Schools only) To consider and review the school’s admissions policy and make recommendations to the governing body.

Pay Matters Sub-Committee

1. To draw up and review annually a governing body Pay Policy with due regard to the current School Teachers’ Pay and Conditions document and other appropriate guidance relating to Support Staff.

2. To determine matters relating to the pay of all staff in the school.

3. To ensure that, within budget constraints, the pay policy meets the needs of recruitment, retention and development of staff and contributes to the resourcing of School Development Plan priorities.

4. To make recommendations to the Finance Committee.

5. To take into account recommendations from the Performance Management governors when determining the salary of the headteacher.

6. (For community schools) to ensure that the Local Authority is consulted about grades or regrades of support staff posts to ensure compliance with equal pay legislation.

7. To act as a first appeals body as appropriate in relation to pay decisions, e.g. award of Upper Pay spine points.

8. A Local Authority model Pay Policy is reviewed annually and sent to Chairs of governing bodies and headteachers.

Performance Management Reviewers

The governing body is required to appoint a minimum of two governors, and preferably three, to:

  • Meet with the Headteacher and the School Improvement Partner or to review the Headteacher’s performance against previously agreed objectives

  • Agree objectives for the forthcoming Performance Management Cycle relating to:

    • Pupil Progress

    • Leadership and Management

    • The Headteacher’s Professional Development

  • Record the outcome of the review meeting and provide a copy for the Chair of the governing body and a summary on request to the Executive Director : Children and Young People

  • Make recommendations regarding the Headteacher’s salary to the Pay Matters Committee

  • Ensure that the CPD leader is aware of the resourcing implications arising from agreed objectives

  • Be familiar with DCSF guidance on the governing body’s role in Performance Management.

  • To meet with the headteacher to monitor in-year progress towards achieving agreed objectives.

Teachers and other staff working at the school may not be the Performance Management Reviewers.

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