Local Governing Body

In order to support the school and help our senior leaders implement the identified improvements, our Governors will need to understand the school at a level which enables them to ask appropriately challenging questions. They will need to come to meetings with a clear knowledge of what a typical school day, behaviour and the pedagogy look like. They will need to build relationships with staff at all levels, interact with the students and generally ‘get under the skin’ of the school.

To achieve this they will be invited to take as active a role as their other commitments permit. At Bridgemary we operate an open culture whereby our governors are welcome to ask questions directly of senior leaders and also join them on their regular timetable of learning walks and monitoring. Where resource permits, each Governor will take a dedicated link role, working with a member of staff to investigate the quality of provision and carry out the regulatory checks relevant to that link e.g finance or safeguarding. The link roles will be reviewed at the start of each academic year in partnership with the HT to ensure that the Governors priorities are reflective of those of the school and SLT. By regularly joining learning walks and fulfilling their link roles, Governors will build a collective knowledge of the school and be able to share this knowledge with other members of the LGB, drawing on it to  support the LGB in making informed decisions.

Governors are encouraged to seek feedback from staff and pupils during their time in school to ensure their experience of school life is multi-faceted. They will also be invited to attend any/all open events and shows.

 Whilst regular attendance and involvement in the school is the only minimum requirement, our Governors are challenged to:

•  Attend all Local Governing Body meetings – currently one meeting per half term

• Take ownership for a link role – working hard to understand the remit of that activity, visiting your link at least once per term and reporting back using templated visit reports at each LGB meeting

• Be available to sit on HR and pupil panels dealing with recruitment, behaviour and/or performance issues

• Undertake learning walks – attending site during the school day to see first-hand how the school operates and how pupils engage

• Attend school events – concerts, parent evenings, open events

• Undertake training to ensure you can execute your role and understand the data and results you are presented with

• Be available and willing to receive contact from parents or staff with concerns about school or pupil performance