APPENDIX 4 –THE ROLE OF THE CHAIR OF GOVERNORS

  1. ACCOUNTABLE TO:

The GOVERNING BODY (which in turn is accountable to the diocese, parents, community, pupils, staff, LA, Secretary of State, and, if appropriate, the Foundation).

  1. RESPONSIBLE FOR:

1.Promoting and sharing the school’s vision.

2.Establishing and maintaining an effective working relationship with the headteacher.

3.Ensuring the effective operation of the governing body to meet its statutory requirements.

4.Carrying out specific statutory duties of the

chair.

5.Chairing and preparing effectively for governing body meetings.

  1. PROMOTING AND SHARING THE SCHOOL’S VISION

All Church of England schools have Trust Deeds which make reference to the denominational collective worship and religious education* (voluntary aided schools only) that will be offered in the school. It is the duty of foundation governors to ensure that the education offered by the school complies with this requirement. All governors will be required to act in accordance with the Diocesan Code of Conduct for Governors of Church Schools.

ACTIONS CHECKLIST

STATUTORY:

Check that the school has an agreed set of aims formulated with the headteacher and approved by the governing body.

  • Check that a statement of these aims is contained in the school’s Prospectus.

Together with the governing body, be satisfied that the school’s statutory responsibilities for aims and policies are met including those in relation to the religious character of the school.

ADVISORY:

  • Decide with the head and governing body whether the set of aims should be reviewed.
  • Decide with the head and governing body how the review will be carried out and who will be consulted.
  1. WORKING RELATIONSHIPS WITH THE HEADTEACHER

ACTIONS CHECKLIST:

STATUTORY

  • As identified in agreed legal procedures, work with the headteacher in following those procedures in areas of personnel, including dismissal, capability and disciplining of employees.
  • Work within the school’s arrangements for considering complaints and investigate and respond to complaints, if this should become necessary. Thismay include complaints passed to youfrom the head, which require you to investigate, or be about the head.

ADVISORY

  • Meet with the head on a regular basis. (This to be mutually agreed and will depend on particular circumstances).
  • Regularly review, with the head, governance and management and report to the governing body.
  • Plan ahead to support the governing body and the school by addressing key issues of change: how they will be implemented; what effect they will have on the school.
  • Be satisfied that the work of governors in governing the school, and the work of managers in managing the school, provide effective support, e.g.there is an agreed scheme of delegation and operation;with the head, review the scheme of delegation and make recommendations to the governing body;both governors and managers understand the different, and mutually supportive, roles of the governing body and the head. (See appendix 2)
  1. CHECKING ON THE EFFECTIVE OPERATION OF THE GOVERNING BODY TO MEET ITS STATUTORY REQUIREMENTS

ACTIONS CHECKLIST

THE FOLLOWING ISSUES ARE ALL STATUTORY RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE GOVERNING BODY. THE CHAIR HAS AN ADVISORY ROLE IN CHECKING AND REVIEWING.

  • Work with the Clerk to be satisfied that the governing body operates within the law in its meetings and committee work. See also appendices 1 and 2.
  • Initiate the annual review of the governing body’s committees, their terms of reference and membership, for the first governing body meeting of the school year.
  • With the governing body, initiate a regular and on-going review of school policies.
  • Check that arrangements for monitoring are written into plans and policies, and that the agreed monitoring reports are made to the governing body.
  • With the governing body, review the way the governing body acts as “critical friend” to the head, that is, supporting the head in carrying out her/his functions and giving constructive criticism.
  • With the governing body, check that it is assessing school improvements positively, and setting realistic targets for future achievement and has an agreed and effective programme of school self-evaluation making use of information provided in reports by theSchool Improvement Partner (SIP)
  1. STATUTORY DUTIES OF THE CHAIR

ACTIONS CHECKLIST

The chair has all the statutory duties of other governors, as a member of the governing body, and the following duties are specifically assigned to the chair.

  • Conduct full meetings of the governing body;
  • Have a second (or casting) vote on any matter where the voting is equally divided, except in the vote for election of chair when the clerk will chair the item;
  • Act on behalf of the governing body in certain defined cases of urgency:
  1. when the action/decision is one which the governing body can delegate (see Appendix 2.)
  2. when delaying a decision or action until the next scheduled governing body meeting (or a meeting held as soon as practicable) is likely to be seriously detrimental to the interests of the school, or of any pupils or their parents, or of anyone employed at the school;
  • Report all actions or decisions taken on behalf of the governing body at the next governing body meeting;
  • Carry out any actions/decisions delegated to the chair by the governing body;
  • Have a role at certain points in the school’s staff grievance procedure;
  • Receive a copy of the head’s performance review statement (unless as chair you are already a part of the governors’ review group);
  • Act as review officer (i.e. “complaints” officer) if there are complaints from teachers about their performance reviews carried out by the head;
  • Receive a) an informal report, and b) a written report from the LA if the LA has serious concerns about the head’s performance at this point the diocese should also be notified;
  • Receive and report to the governing body on reports received from the LA/diocese about the school’s performance.
  • Notify the LA/diocese in writing of what action s/he proposes to take, in response to its serious concerns.
  • Review pupil exclusion in the specific circumstances where a pupil will lose an opportunity to take a public examination and it is not practicable to convene the governing body’s exclusion committee.

5. MEETINGS

ACTIONS CHECKLIST

STATUTORY

  • Agree the minutes of full governing body meetings with the clerk so that they can be circulated to governors as unconfirmed minutes.

ADVISORY

  • Plan with the head and the clerk a timetable of meetings for the year ready for the governing body to consider and agree; include committee meetings in the cycle, timed so that their minutes can be circulated for the next full governing body meeting;
  • Establish with the clerk how to work together on planning agendas, correspondence, and follow-up actions;
  • With the head and clerk, plan the agendas for governing body meetings to make the best use of available time. Be satisfied that actions have been carried out and reports requested;
  • Meet with chairs of committees to prepare advice for the governing body on terms of reference and description changes (or proposed changes) for annual review at the first meeting of the school year;
  • With head and clerk, identify key dates for the various statutory and non-statutory tasks of thegoverning body, to fit into the timetable of meetings, e.g. target-setting by December 31st, budget by April 30th ; approval of Annual Report in time for distribution; the review committee terms of reference and membership, and delegation, at the first meeting of the school year.

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