The Governing Body – What is it and What Does it Do?
The Governing Body (GB) at Christ Church is composed of staff and parents, representatives of the Diocese and other elected members, all of whom have freely volunteered their time to support the school. The GB has a general responsibility for the management of the school. However, it is the Headteacher (who is also a governor) who makes the day-to-day decisions about the running of the school. In simple terms, the GB provides the services of a “critical friend” to the school and to fulfil this role we have responsibilities for: Agreeing the budget; Driving strategic improvement; Overseeing how the curriculum is taught; Staffing and personnel; Buildings; School policies; Dealing with formal complaints and finally, some Disciplinary matters. To manage all of these tasks we have several formal committee meetings in each term: The Full GB and two sub-committees – Curriculum and Resources & Welfare. All governors attend the FGB and sit on one or more of the sub-committees. In addition, governors are linked to areas in our School Improvement Plan i.e. Maths and English, Science, Foreign Languages, History and Geography, Art, IT, PE, Music and Religious Education. Governors are expected to meet regularly with the subject leader(s) and other staff to find out how well each area is progressing towards our school goals and to see if we can assist them in any way. Governors also focus on the performance of different groups of pupils e.g. boys/girls, gifted and talented pupils, pupils with special needs etc. to ensure that all pupils are making the maximum progress possible during their time at the school. Although there are two elected parent governors, we welcome all contacts with and comments from parents and you will usually find at least one governor at all of the meetings and social events that parents attend – look for the badge! Our details are on this website and our photos are located in the school foyer. We do like to talk to you! If you wish to contact the Chair of Governors, Ms Lesley Johnson, you can leave a letter or request a meeting via the school office or email her directly at: chairofgovernors@christ-church-ramsgate.kent.sch.uk Our main concern is the optimum education and welfare of your children within a Christian environment. Your active support and feedback (whether positive or not) will help us and the school to carry out our role to the best of our abilities and to the benefit your children.
Would you Like to be a Governor at our School?
School governors are appointed for a four year period and must then be re-elected or stand down. Parent governors, once their child has left the school, may only remain members until the end of their 4 year term. This means that we are looking for at least one volunteer to serve on the GB almost every year. You do not have to have any specific experience, although parents with a background in the law, finance or buildings maintenance are especially welcome to apply! The most important thing is that you are keen to help all of our children gain the maximum benefit from their time at Christ Church. Enthusiasm and commitment are the most important assets. You will be helped to “learn the ropes” by an experienced governor mentor and there are also training courses in the evenings provided by the LA . Some of these may be held at our school and others locally. Thus, although we are volunteers, there is a time commitment expected of every governor. Indeed, in order to support the school, it is essential that you are prepared to commit some of your free time to learning to be a governor and keeping up-to-date. The formal governor meetings each term have an agenda and the documents for the meeting are sent out at least a week in advance. You will be expected to have read these before the meeting and to come prepared to discuss the issues raised along with any questions that you may have. Does this sound like hard work? Well, to fulfil the role properly does involve some work. But the satisfaction of knowing that you have helped all our children gain maximum benefit from their schooling is a your reward. If you are now unsure whether to apply or not, do contact the school who will arrange for you to chat to one of the governors. This way, you can get the pros and cons of becoming a governor directly from “the horse’s mouth”!