Governors
What We Do
Governors do not manage a school on a day-to-day basis but carry out an essential role in overseeing the development of the school. Governors may lend support in a variety of ways but all their responsibilities lead back to the core task of steering the school in its development. There are three central pillars supporting this endeavour.
- Strategic management. We help set aims and objectives. In addition we allocate and control Sheen Mount’s budget for staff, equipment and buildings.
- We are critical friends. We help the headteacher in taking decisions. We ensure that these decisions are achieving the required results.
- We make executive decisions such as appointing senior staff and ensuring accountability.
Being a critical friend underpins school governorship. We can be defined as a trusted person who asks provocative questions, provides information to be examined from another perspective, and offers critiques of a person’s work in a friendly way. A critical friend takes the time to fully understand the context of the work presented and the outcomes that the person or group is working towards. The friend is an advocate for the success of that work.
Governing bodies are established by law as corporate bodies, responsibility for actions and decisions lies with the whole governing body and not with individual members.
Why We Do It
Being a school governor is the most important voluntary role in education. The reasons why we do it vary, but five stand out.
- We value the feeling of helping children and a local school achieve its potential.
- It is a chance to work alongside a wide range of people with diverse and enriching experiences.
- We gain insight into the education system
- We are fortunate to live in a community that provides a safe and secure environment for our families and we want to give something back.
- It is a fantastic opportunity to develop a range of transferable skills.
How We Do It
The Sheen Mount School Governing Body is divided into three committees, Resources, Curriculum & Learning, and Pastoral. The Full Governing Body, as well as each Committee, meets at least once a term, with meetings held more frequently as needed.
The term of office for a governor is four years, which allows Governors sufficient time to see plans through from initial discussion to implementation. Of course, some Governors remain for much longer and this has often been the case at Sheen Mount.
Where We Do It
A substantial time commitment is involved but nearly all preparatory reading can be done at home. Meetings are held at the school in the evenings. Governors are encouraged to, and regularly do, visit the school during the day.