Welcome to Stanhope's Governing Body

School governors are drawn from different parts of the community and can be parents and staff or from the LA, the community and other groups. This helps ensure the governing body has sufficient diversity of skills, views and experience but does not mean governors of a particular category represent that group on the governing body.

For example, parent governors do not represent the parents at the school and do not report back to them.

Governors are the strategic leaders of our schools and have a vital role to play in making sure every child gets the best possible education.

In all types of schools, governing bodies should have a strong focus on three core strategic functions:

• Ensuring clarity of vision, ethos and strategic direction;
• Holding the headteacher to account for the educational performance of the school and its pupils;
• Overseeing the financial performance of the school and making sure its money is well spent.

When a school is inspected by Ofsted, its governing body will be required to show evidence that governors conform with their three core functions

In the work that they do, a governors’ essential focus is on:

• Setting vision, ethos and strategic direction
• Holding the headteacher and school management to account
• Asking the right questions
• Being aware of the importance of objective data and their sources
• Overseeing financial performance
• Setting policies, targets and priorities for achieving those objectives
• Monitoring performance and progress towards those objectives
• Reviewing achievements against the set aims and objectives
• Enabling better governance through training, review and planning

Another aspect of the governors role has traditionally been referred to as being a ‘critical friend’ of the school whereby in addition to the duties laid out above governors can and should also:

• Offer support
• Provide constructive advice
• Act as a sounding board - for the headteacher’s ideas
• Give a second opinion on proposals - which includes asking questions and challenging assumptions
• Help in arriving at the best solution - to further the best interests of the school

Our school’s governing body consists of:

Parent governors

Who are elected by the parents and carers of school pupils.

Co-opted governors

Who are appointed by the governing body. Co-opted governors are people who in the opinion of the governing body have the skills required to contribute to the effective governance and success of the school.

Staff Governors

Who are is elected by fellow members of staff.

The Head Teacher

Mr Curtis White is by his position automatically elected to a position on the governing body.