Ashurst Primary School

Governors

2024-2025

The Structure and Responsibilities of the Governing Body

All schools have a Governing Body, which is responsible for overseeing many of the strategic decisions of the school.

The Governing Body has a range of powers and duties laid down by various Education Acts. In the main these responsibilities relate to:

• Setting targets and promoting high standards of education
• Setting the strategic framework within which the school operates
• Being part of the schools senior leadership team and to be strategic in their thinking e.g monitoring the progress of all groups of children, evaluating the impact of the school’s curriculum and promoting good teaching and learning.
• Acting as a ‘critical friend’. A ‘critical friend’ offers support, constructive advice, a sounding board for ideas, a second opinion on proposals and help where needed. However a ‘critical friend’ may also challenge, ask questions, seek information, improve proposals and so arrive at the best solution for the pupils, staff and whole school community.
• Making decisions on the school’s budget and staffing;
• Being accountable for the performance of the school to parents and the wider community;
• Ensuring that the curriculum for the school is balanced and broadly based
• Ensuring that Health and Safety and Safeguarding policy and procedures are followed and embedded.
• Approval of all school policies;
• Making sure the school provides for all its pupils, including those with special educational needs.

The Governing Body works in close partnership with the Headteacher, staff and the Local Authority. Whilst the headteacher is responsible for the day to day running of the school, the governors are involved, for example with such things as staffing, curriculum, health and safety, safe guarding, school buildings and finance. It ensures the school functions well and maintains the proper range of academic and social objectives. The Governing Body works as a team with shared responsibilities. Governors never make decisions on their own, nor do they act as individuals.

Our Governors are representatives of the local community, parents, school staff and the Local Authority. They bring a range of interests, knowledge and skills to the school and they all work in a voluntary capacity and as you will see in this section of the website there are various types of Governors. 

• Governors give their service voluntarily and no formal qualifications are necessary although there are eligibility criteria.
• Governors are ordinary people, aged over 18, with a special commitment to the education and well-being of children.
• Terms of office will be a minimum of one to a maximum of four years.

 There are typically four types of Governors:

• Staff Governors
• Parent Governors
• Co-opted Governors
• Local Authority Governors 

Membership

The school’s governing body comprises of 12 Governors:

• 2 parent governors;
• 2 staff governors – the Headteacher, plus one teacher staff governor elected by their colleagues;
• 1 LA governor, appointed by the council and governing body
• 7 co-opted governors, invited by the other governors to represent the wider community.

Governors are appointed for a four year term. The chair and vice chair are appointed annually. All governors participate in a voluntary capacity and do not receive any remuneration for their work as school governors.