WELCOME TO THE MUSWELL HILL PRIMARY SCHOOL GOVERNING BODY
What do we do?
The Governing Body’s brief is to provide a strategic overview for the school. We must ensure accountability and act as a ‘critical friend’. This involves setting aims and objectives, agreeing policies, targets and priorities and monitoring and reviewing whether these have been achieved. We are involved in the school’s Development Plan and we constantly monitor and evaluate the progress of the school.
Who are we?
There are currently seventeen governors. We have three Representative Governors who are appointed by the Local Authority: Nick Peacey, Ramila Dhupelia and Margaret Kennedy. We have three community governors who are co-opted by the other governors, all three are also parents of children in the school: Nilesh Goswani, Sheila Watson and Hinal Patel. The Headteachers (Jill Hughes and Alison Squire) are required to be members. There are three staff governors elected by the staff: Ritu Ganguly Khan, Toby Harrison and Lucy Seckin and six parent governors; Emma Ackerman, Martin Scarborough, Sarah Gray, Ted Lowery, Carol Detheridge and Louise Palmer. We hope to post photographs and a brief profile of each of us shortly.
We also have a Clerk to the Governors who keeps the minutes, produces the agenda and is the font of all knowledge on governing issues: Jan Smosarski.
Governors receive training from Haringey's Governor Support and Training Unit.
How does the Governing Body work?
The full Governing Body meets at least five times a year. Governors are also generally members of at least one of the five main committees and working parties, which meet more frequently and do much of the work of the Governing Body. One of the head teachers is also a member of each committee.
These committees are based on the Government’s ‘Every Child Matters’ agenda and are the:
To Enjoy and Achieve Committee whose core responsibilities are
- the OFSTED Action Plan
- the School Development Plan
- Standards analysis, including SATs.
- target setting and pupil tracking
- the wider curriculum (such as international links)
- relevant Curriculum Policies (for instance, Literacy, Homework, Geography etc)
- Special Educational Needs and Inclusion
To Be Healthy and Stay Safe Committee whose core responsibilities are
- all matters pertaining to Health and Safety
- all matters pertaining to the premises
- extended day developments
- physical education and sport
- child protection
- school meals
- school Travel Plan
- playground and kitchen
- maintenance and improvement of the School’s physical environment
To Make a Positive Contribution whose main remit is
- to provide liaison with stakeholders in the school community including
(a) parents/carers
(b) teaching and support staff
(c) the local community
(d) the international community
(e) ethnic groups within the school
- to explore ways in which the school interacts with the wider community
- to encourage a sense of involvement and community within the school
Staff Development and Human Resources Committee whose core responsibilities are
- to make arrangements for the Performance Management Policy to be implemented and to monitor its implementation
- to review and recommend for adoption procedures for dealing with discipline and grievances and ensure that staff are informed of them
- to ensure that every member of the teaching and support staff has a job description and that each is considered for review annually
- to review the staffing structure whenever a vacancy occurs, and at least annually in relation to the school improvement plan and to make any necessary recommendations on pay
- to advertise for, shortlist and select candidates for teaching posts, nursery nurse posts and senior support staff and to make appointments
- for appointments for teaching staff there should be at least one governor on the appointment panel
- to delegate to the headteacher supply appointments and support staff appointments (e.g. SMSAs, cleaners, etc.) and other appointments in urgent circumstances if it is not possible for governors to be involved
- to implement the relevant parts of the School Improvement Plan.
Finance Committee whose remit is to provide guidance, assistance and challenge to the Head teachers and Governing Body in all matters relating to budgeting and finance, in conjunction with the other four committees.
How can you contact us?
We welcome comments from parents/carers and we can be contacted at muswellhillgovernors@yahoo.co.uk. Alternatively, you should be able to catch the community or parent governors in the school playgrounds.
We plan to have a table at parent consultation evenings where you can come and chat and there will be a box outside the school office for any suggestions/observations.