The Governing Body sets the School’s overall strategic framework, including its vision and strategic priorities.  It also includes responsibility for setting and modelling its culture, values and ethos. 

The governing board is also responsible for appointing the headteacher and holding them to account.

They hold the headteacher to account for improving pupil and staff performance by asking the right questions such as:

• Which groups of pupils are the highest and lowest performing, and why?
• Which year groups or subjects get the best and worst results, and why?
• Does the school have the right staff, and the right development and reward arrangements?
• How effectively does the school listen to the views of pupils and parents?

Governors also refer to data published by the DfE and Ofsted, as well as other data on:

• Pupil learning and progress
• Pupil applications, admissions, attendance and exclusions
• Staff deployment, absence, recruitment, retention, morale and performance
• Quality of teaching

Our trustees fulfil their obligation to ensure that the school’s money is well spent by having at least one trustee with “specific, relevant skills and experience of financial matters”, and by asking questions such as:

• Are resources allocated in line with the school’s strategic priorities?
• Does the school have a clear budget forecast, ideally for the next three years, which identifies spending opportunities and risks and sets how these will be mitigated?
• Does the school have sufficient reserves to cover major changes such as restructuring, and any risks identified in the budget forecast?
• Is the school making best use of its budget, including in relation to planning and delivery of the curriculum?
• Are the school’s assets and financial resources being used efficiently?
• How can better value for money be achieved from the budget?

The majority of the routine work of the governing body is undertaken through three main committees:

• The Resource Committee
  - consisting of 8 trustees, focusing on finance, buildings and personnel.
• The Audit Committee
  - consisting of 3 trustees, providing advice to the Resource Committee and Full Governing Body on all matters related to the academy’s financial management.
• The Student Experience Committee (SEC)
  - consisting of 12 trustees, focusing on the students, i.e. their curriculum, overall performance, well-being and behaviour.
• The Futures Committee
  - consisting of the Chair and Vice Chair of the FGB, the Chair and Vice Chair of the Resource, Audit and Student Experience Committees and the Headmaster.  This committee sets the agenda for the meetings of the committees at the beginning of each term.

There are also a number of other committees that meet as required:

• Staff Discipline/Dismissal Committee
• Staff Discipline/Dismissal Appeals Committee
• Pupil Discipline Committee
• Pay Committee
• Appeals Committee
• Admissions Committee
• Complaints Committee

• The Full Governing Body meets four times a year.  The initial meeting in which Chairs and Vice Chairs are elected is followed by a presentation of results by the Headmaster to enable all trustees to have an overview of school performance.
• The Futures, Audit and Resources Committees meet once per term, whereas the Student Experiences Committee meets twice termly.
• The dates of all meetings of the Governing Body and its Committees are published on the school’s calendar.