Who are the governors?

Welcome:

We are very proud to be school governors of The Beacon CE Primary School, an outstanding school, recognised by OFSTED as such in 2014 and SIAMS in 2016.

As school governors we are volunteers who give our time for the benefit of the children and school. Apart from the Headteacher and the Vicar we are all appointed, are independent and have equal status to each other.

Our role is to act as a critical friend to the school ensuring we challenge and support in the best interests of the children and the school.

The 3 core responsibilities of The Beacon C E Primary School Governing Body are:

• Ensuring clarity of vision, ethos and strategic direction;

• Holding the Head Teacher to account for the educational performance of the school and its pupils;

• Overseeing the financial performance of the school and making sure its money is well spent.

Governance arrangements

The school’s Instrument of Government 2013 states the Governing Body shall consist of 16 governors:

• 1 Staff governor – elected by staff

• 3 Foundation governors, 2 appointed by the Diocese, 1 Ex-Officio Principal Officiating Minister of St George’s CE Parish Church

• 4 Parent governors – elected by parents

• 1 Local Authority governor – appointed by governing body

• 6 Co-opted governors – appointed by governing body

• Headteacher - Ex-Officio member

A Chair and Vice Chair are elected annually by the Governing Body and work closely with the Head Teacher. The Chair in 2016-2017 was Mr Neil Lockwood and the Vice Chair was Rev. Kate Wharton. Rev. Kate Wharton had a sabbatical during the year and the Vice Chair position was covered by Mrs Margaret Rowlands.

The Clerk to the Governors, Mr Terry Brown, is employed through a Service Level Agreement with the Local Authority. The Clerk works closely with the Headteacher and Chair, arranges the agendas for the meetings, takes and distributes minutes and advises on procedural matters.

Committees 2016-2017

The Governing Body also has a number of committees who meet to consider different aspects of the school in detail. These committees have delegated powers agreed annually.

The Finance Committee - The Finance Committee is responsible for operating the school’s finance policies, for determining the school’s budget and for holding regular monitoring meetings.

Chair of Committee 2016-2017: Mrs Margaret Rowlands

The Staffing Committee – The Staffing Committee is responsible for setting the overall staffing structure and agreeing and monitoring of staffing policies.

Chair of Committee 2016 -2017: Mr Neil John Lockwood

The Pay Committee – The Pay Committee is responsible for agreeing and monitoring the Pay Policy and deciding pay discretions for teaching staff in line with the Policy and other legal requirements.

Chair of Committee 2016 -2017: Mrs Margaret Rowlands

The Discipline Committee - The Committee is the formal discipline committee which deals with matters of pupil exclusion. The Headteacher is not a member of this committee.

Chair of Committee 2016 -2017: Mr Neil John Lockwood

The Head Teacher’s Appraisal Committee appraises the performance of the Head Teacher annually and within pay limits decides on pay discretions based on this appraisal. The Head Teacher’s Appraisal Committee is supported by an external advisor.

In addition we also have an Appeals Committee which meets when necessary.

Governing Body Structure 2017-2018 – To be finalised at the first meeting on 9/9/17

Governing Body Structure as of July 2017

Name	Category of Governor	Appointed By	Term of Office	Roles & Committees	Declaration of Interest
Mr Neil John Lockwood	Co-opted	Governing Body	4 Years	Chair of Governors	None
				Ex Officio member of all committees
				Maths Link
Mrs Sally Aspinwall	Headteacher	Governing Body	N/A	Ex Officio member of all committees (except discipline and grievance)	Employee of the school
Mrs Irene Linda Sutter	Foundation	Diocese / St Georges PCC	4 Years		None
Miss Jennifer Anne Jarman	Foundation	Diocese / St Georges PCC	4 Years		None
Miss Cynthia Margaret Carmichael	Co-opted	Governing Body	4 Years	Pay, Finance Committees	None
Mrs Ann Nicola Charters	Co-opted	Governing Body	4 Years		Employee of the school
Ms Suzanne Romano	Co-opted	Governing Body	4 Years	Pay, Staffing, Discipline Committee, Appeals committee	None
Mrs Margaret Rowlands	Local Authority	Governing Body	4 Years	Vice Chair of Governors Pay, Finance, Staffing, Discipline committees	None
				Pupil Premium Link
Miss Jo-Anne Cashmore	Parent	Parent Election	4 Years	Curriculum Link	None
Ms Gemma Budgen	Parent	Parent Election	4 Years	SEN Link	None
Mr Simon Mark Till	Parent	Parent Election	4 Years	Staffing Committee	None
Mrs Jacqueline Donoghue	Staff	Staff Election	4 Years		Employee of the school

 

Individual governors have been appointed to closely monitor: To be confirmed at full meeting 9/9/17

• Health and Safety

• Pupil Premium

• Special Educational Needs

• Safeguarding

 

We have link governors for:

• Curriculum

• Maths

• Right’s Respecting School

The school’s links with St George’s CE Church

As a voluntary controlled Church of England school, foundation governors, together with other governors, have a responsibility to preserve and develop the school’s religious character in accordance with the principles of the Church of England.

The SIAMS INSPECTION in March 2016 judged the school to be outstanding in all areas.

Our close links with St George’s Parish Church are a crucial part of maintaining, delivering and developing our Christian ethos and identity and ensuring that the school’s Mission Statement, Christian Values and Aims are embedded in all aspects of school life.

Governance Review for 2016-2017.

Autumn Term

• A full analysis of the school’s results enabled the Governors to agree the School’s Improvement Plan.

• In September we were asked by the Local Authority and the Dioceses’ and agreed to support another Diocese school (Bishop Martin C of E Primary). This has enabled both staff and governors to work collaboratively to share good practice and ensure the staff, governors and children of both schools benefit from working together.

• The Governors were involved in discussions to be involved as a school in the first Liverpool Diocese’s MAT (Multi Academy Trust).

• We discussed raising our admission numbers with the Local Authority.

• Plans were drawn for the construction of new classrooms

• Staffing and Pay Governors met to monitor the school’s performance management and appraisal of teachers and agreed any pay progressions.

• Headteacher’s appraisal was completed with advice from a Local Authority School Improvement Partner.

• Safeguarding Governors met with the Senior leadership team

• Pupil Premium Governor met with the Assistant Headteacher to discuss the Pupil Premium Strategy and impact from previous year.

Spring Term

• The Governing Body agreed to be involved in the first wave of the Liverpool Diocesan Multi Academy trust (DMAT).

• Governors met parents to discuss the proposed acadamisation.

• Parent views on the school were sought via a questionnaire and forum meeting. A full response to parental views was sent to all parents, identifying any actions to be taken. This letter is available on the school’s website under the parents tab.

• Governors completed the Headteacher’s half termly appraisal.

• The staffing structure for 2017-18 was agreed. A governor attended interviews for new staff and Teaching and Learning responsibility appointments.

• The School’s Financial Value Standard (SFVS) was completed and submitted to the LA – this standard helps us in ensuring we have secure financial management systems in place.

• Pupil Premium Governor met with the Assistant Headteacher to discuss progress on the strategy

• SENDCo and Sports Lead reported to Finance Governors on the impact of the funding received.

Summer term

• One of the roles of the Governing Body is reviewing and agreeing school policies and the Governing Body has ensured that all statutory policies have been or will be reviewed within the next year and that the webpage is compliant.

• A three year budget was agreed and submitted to the LA

• The plans for the new extension were submitted to planning

• At the end of the school year the Governing Body began the process of analysing assessment data for 2017 and agreeing the priorities for the 2017/18 School Improvement Plan.

• Governors continued to be fully involved and informed on the developments in the Liverpool Diocese Multi Academy Trust.

• Governors completed a skills audit, this identified the skills and knowledge across the Governing Body as well as identifying any skills gaps which might require further training to be put in place.

• Governors attended and presented awards at the end of year Awards Celebration.

Governors’ future plans

• In addition to the established monitoring and evaluation schedule the Governing Body will also:

• Continue to focus on our pupils’ attainment and well-being.

• Support and challenge on the school’s improvement plan

• Continue to be involved in the establishment of The DMAT

• Continue to develop and strengthen the working relationship with our partner school

• Look to increase our admission numbers

• Plan for further extension to the school building to accommodate increasing pupil numbers.

How you can contact the Governing Body

We always welcome suggestions, feedback and ideas from parents – please contact the Chair of Governors, Neil Lockwood, via the school office.

a.mcgurk@beacon.liverpool.sch.uk

Information on Governors 2016 -2017

Name	Category of Governor	Business and Pecuniary Interest		Full Governors	Finance	Pay	Staffing	Discipline	HT Performance Management
Number of Meetings in Year				6	5	1	2	2	2
Mr Neil John Lockwood	Co-opted	None declared		6/6	5/5	1/1	2/2	2/2	2/2
Mrs Sally Aspinwall	Headteacher	Employee of school Executive Headteacher Bishop Martin CE		6/6	5/5	1/1	2/2	2/2	2/2
Rev. Canon Kate Wharton	Foundation	None declared	Resigned 3/7/17	2/5
Mrs Irene Linda Sutter	Foundation	None declared		6/6
Miss Cynthia Margaret Carmichael	Co-opted	None declared		6/6	5/5	1/1
Mrs Ann Nicola Charters	Co-opted	Employee of school		6/6
Miss Lynsey Gobin	Co-opted	Employee of NLA	Resigned 3/7/17	3/5
Ms Suzanne Romano	Co-opted	None declared		6/6		1/1	2/2	1/2
Mrs Margaret Rowlands	Local Authority	None declared		5/6	5/5	1/1	2/2	2/2	2/2
Miss Jo-Anne Cashmore	Parent	None declared		5/6
Ms Gemma Budgen	Parent	None declared		3/6
Mr Simon Mark Till	Parent	None declared		6/6			2/2
Mrs Jacqueline Donoghue	Staff	Employee of school		6/6
Miss Jennifer Anne Jarman	Foundation	None declared	Appointed 20/3/17	5/6 3 as observer
Rev. Ashley Ross	Associate	None declared	Resigned 15/5/17	0/3

 

Reverend Kate Wharton left St George’s at the end of the academic year. Kate has been an excellent Chair of Governors, has supported the school and led the Governors in too many ways to list. We wish her well in her new Parish but she will be sorely missed by the whole school community and by all the Governors.