Governance arrangements
The Governing Body of JRCS is made up of:
- 1 LA Governor
- 6 Co-opted Governors
- 2 Parent Governors
- 1 Staff Governor
- 1 Headteacher
The term of office of all categories of Governor is four years.
Governors are appointed by the Governing Body and 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. Detailed pen portraits which highlight the skills our Governors bring to their role can be found on the school website. The appendices summarise the roles of our Governing Body.
The full Governing Body meets once each term, and we also have a number of committees to consider different aspects of the school in detail. These also meet termly in addition to the full Governing Body meeting.
At JRCS we have the following committees:
Finance Committee
Monitoring all aspects of the school’s budget and ensuring compliance with all financial regulations. The committee also consider issues relating to premises and personnel, health and safety, safeguarding arrangements and the Castle Green trade account. The Chair of the Finance Committee reports back to each full Governing Body meeting and, along with the school’s Finance Manager, answers any questions relating to the school’s income and expenditure.
Standards Committee
Monitoring all aspects in relation to student progress and attainment, student attendance, progress of different groups including disadvantaged students and SEND, and the school curriculum.
Pay Committee and Pay Appeals Committee
The first of these committees ratifies or challenges all decisions relating to staff performance review and pay progression (including the Headteacher’s). The second is responsible for hearing and deciding on any appeals raised by staff in relation to their pay progression.
All other committees are convened as and when necessary meeting statutory requirements in relation to the number of Governors required to be in attendance. This includes occasions such as pupil permanent exclusions, staff disciplinary, competency, grievance and redundancy.
Attendance records of Governors
Governors have excellent attendance at meetings and we have never cancelled a meeting because it was not “quorate” (the number of Governors needed to ensure that legal decisions can be made). See Appendix 1 for details of individual Governors’ attendance at meetings.
The work that we have done on our Committees and in the Governing Body
- The Governing Body was reconstituted in the spring term 2015. The new appointees brought with them a wider range of educational, business and financial experience. This resulted in a much sharper focus upon accountability and the role of governance within a secondary school. The reconstituted Governing Body includes a number of members who bring specific skills to their roles. Governing Body meetings therefore have a more focussed approach to both challenging and supporting the Headteacher on a range of issues and outcomes.
- An ongoing programme of governor induction training ensures that all members have an up to date knowledge of all key educational issues and practice. Governors have attended a range of training opportunities both in school and through the LA Governors’ Training Provision which have included OFSTED Framework, Prevent training and data management.
- A continued focus upon developing skills and strategies has been established to enable Governing Body members to understand the key areas of student progress, assessment, data analysis and accountability.
- The resulting impact has meant the Governing Body meetings are now much more focussed upon the issues of raising attainment and promoting student progress.
Future plans for the Governors
- To ensure that the appropriate training programme supports Governors’ developing knowledge of education and financial systems.
- To ensure that Governors have the opportunity to involve themselves in the full life of the school community in order to broaden their understanding of their role and the impact their actions can have.
In addition to this, the Governing Body will support the Headteacher and the staff in the school in achieving the following school improvement targets:
- To further develop the quality of education ensuring we continue to improve outcomes for students;
- To further develop our pastoral systems to ensure all students are effectively supported;
- To further the personal development of our students;
- Continue to develop leadership across the school.
How you can contact the Governing Body
We always welcome suggestions, feedback and ideas from parents – please contact the Chair of Governors, Mrs Vicki Gray, via email to headteacher@jorichardson.org.uk or write c/o the school and your correspondence will be forwarded on to her directly.
You can see the full list of Governors, their attendance at meetings and more information about what we do, on the Governors’ page of the school website and in the appendices to this page.