Headteacher Clare Cranham
The Local Governing Body (LGB) plays a vital role in ensuring that the college continues to thrive and succeed – by meeting the aspirations of all its pupils; working closely with parents and the local community and providing an inspirational environment for all the staff who work there.
The Local Governing Body is charged by the Government with three principal responsibilities – to ensure clarity of vision, ethos and strategic direction; to hold the Headteacher to account for the educational performance of the college and its pupils; and to support Trust in ensuring its money is well spent.
As volunteers, governors are not paid for their work and will be expected to adhere to a formal code of conduct. Terms of office are normally four years.
Making decisions collectively, governors support and challenge the college leadership team, monitor the quality of teaching and the progress of college improvement, and oversee behaviour and safety.
Acting as “critical friends,” governors should not involve themselves directly in operational matters, which are the responsibility of the Senior Leadership Team. The governors’ role is primarily strategic.
In a Multi Academy Trust (MAT) there are three layers of governance. Trustees who work most closely with the school in developing the strategy and ensuring the schools within the Trust meet their statutory duties and are legal and financially accountable.
A smaller group is defined as the members of the MAT (a charitable company limited by guarantee) and carry particular legal responsibilities. They are similar to the shareholders in a company.
Academies are publicly funded independent schools that are not managed by a local authority. With academy status come freedoms such as the ability to set pay and conditions for staff, change the length of school terms or vary our curriculum offer from the national curriculum.
The Local Governing Body supports the work of the Trustees by scrutinising the work of the leadership team and ensuring that they meet best educational outcomes for the pupils in their care.
To be effective, our LGB needs collectively to be able to draw on the skills and experience of a wide range of people. This includes individuals with professional experience of the world of education – including the Headteacher, of course – but extends to members who have a background in a variety of careers and roles in business, commerce and public service. Parents are strongly represented and we also have staff members. In addition, we benefit from having members with a variety of links to the local communities the school serves.
To assist in performing their duties, governors need to attend relevant training courses – the majority of these are run by the local authority and are designed to be governor-need specific. Safeguarding is a priority for our work and all governors need to take part in training in this area and to comply with high standards while using Internet and email communication.
New governors will be supported through an induction period by the existing Governing Board members to facilitate their integration.The Clerk to the Governing Body offers professional administrative support and advice to members.
Being a governor can be a highly rewarding experience but is not a responsibility to be taken lightly.
We review the mix of skills and experience offered by the LGB on a regular basis with the aim of making sure we are able to respond to the developing challenges faced by the college.
In addition to the meetings of the Governing Body and its committees, members have particular links with specific areas of the school and are regular visitors to these departments and areas of activity. They represent the college at external and community events and support the college staff at a wide range of college activities, including open days and consultations.
Although there may not be immediate vacancies on the LGB we are always interested in identifying individuals who are interested in contributing to our work. If you are interested in finding out more please contact the school office.
The chair for our LGB is Richard McIntosh
Kensington Avenue Primary School
Kensington Avenue
Thornton Heath
CR7 8BT
For more information on our Governing Body please click on the link below…
Headteacher Clare Cranham