Governor Impact Statement 2023-2024

Welcome:

We are immensely proud to be school governors of The Beacon CE Primary School. The Local Governing Body is made up of a group of dedicated volunteers, who invest a huge amount of good will, hard work, and time for the purpose of improving the education of every child in our school.

Our school is a proud member of the Liverpool Diocesan Schools Trust (LDST). 

As a Local Governing Body (LGB), within the Multi Academy Trust (MAT), we have delegated powers under the LDST Scheme of Delegation to oversee the running of the school and have responsibility for day-to-day operational matters. Some of these powers have been delegated to committees or to the Executive Headteacher but with the understanding that the ultimate responsibility lies with the LGB. 

The school is accountable to us as the LGB, and we are accountable to the Board of Directors of the Trust. 

The role of the Local Governing Body is a core part of the leadership of the school.

This following impact statement is one way in which the Governing Body demonstrates their role in school leadership and the impact we have had on school improvement.

Governors Impact Statement 2023-2024

School Improvement Plan

The School Improvement Plan (SIP) is based on priorities identified from data analysis, school self-evaluation and LDST priorities. Governors work alongside the Executive Headteacher, Headteacher and senior leadership in agreeing and monitoring the School Improvement Plan. The SIP is set out with clear aims and the key tasks, with milestones, that will be completed to achieve these aims. This year Governors have worked alongside the SLT to include specific impact statements to support governors in analysing and questioning the success of the SIP priorities and the improvements they have made to the children and stakeholders of the school. Visits to school and Learning Walks have also enabled Governors to see and report the positive impact of the school SIP to all governors.

Impact of Full Governing Body Meetings

Governors attend two full governing body (LGB) meetings each term. We have three committees, and several Governors are linked to areas as specified in the LDST Scheme of Delegation. These Governors have regular visits and meetings with staff to support, ask important questions, but also to hold senior leaders to account.

Governor visit reports, which are supported by an agreed LDST report format, help Governors to have an appropriate focus and common reporting format. These reports are presented at full governing body meetings. The visits and reports impact greatly on the governing body’s ability to effectively monitor and challenge the school.

Governors provide dedicated support for and challenge to the school’s leadership. We have a strong senior leadership team leading high quality teaching and learning throughout the school. Training has been prioritised for all staff and this has resulted in many school staff gaining promotions within the school and Trust and the school being recognised by the DFE as a lead Hub school for Attendance and Behaviour.

LGB Committees

·Admissions

This year the Admissions Committee reviewed the Admission Arrangements for September 2025. These were agreed at the full board and after consultation fully adopted for September 2025. The Policy is now clearer for parents to understand when applying for a place.

The Admissions Committee also have responsibility for Reception and In-year admissions to the school. All decisions are fully minuted and presented to the LGB. We are a popular school and by the end of the school year expect to be full in all year groups.

·Christian Distinctiveness

In 2023 to 2024 the Vicar of St Georges acted as a Link Governor for Christian Distinctiveness, it is intended to restart the committee for the academic year 2024 -2025.

·Performance Management and Pay Committee

Governors are responsible for undertaking the Headteacher’s performance management review each year. The Chair of Governors, supported by the Trust Education Officer, set annual targets, which are reviewed at a midpoint and fully reviewed before December 31st.

The Headteacher completes an annual performance management report for the Pay Committee Governors evidencing that performance management has been completed for all staff and that staff have meet performance management targets. Governors scrutinise the report and use evidence to approve pay recommendations given by the Headteacher.

Pay Recommendations follow the LDST Pay Policy.

Link Governors

·Attendance

Our Link Governor for Attendance has been new to the role this year. He has attended training and has ensured that attendance has a high focus in LGB meetings. Governors see attendance as a strength of the school, but there is no complacency and as a DFE Attendance Hub Lead School the sharing of procedures will also strengthen our own practices.

·Christian Distinctiveness

This year the Christian Distinctiveness Link Governor supported the Senior Leadership team in reviewing and agreeing the Christian Vision for the school.

The School had a very successful SIAMS inspection, the result of this can be read on the school’s website.

·Finance

The school budget is scrutinised and reviewed in detail at these meetings. Our Link governor has strong financial skills and reviews end of year budgets, attends pre-budget meetings and questions deficit/surplus balances and debts owed to the school. He scrutinises the effect income and outgoings have on the budget and how these impacts on staffing and resources.  

Through working closely with the School Business Manager and Headteacher, the Finance Link Governor has supported the school and held it accountable to ensure effective budgeting. All visits and outcomes are reported to the LGB.

Careful monitoring and planning of the budget has impacted positively on subsequent years where budgets have enabled the school to have and maintain a strong and effective staffing structure to drive school improvements.

·Health and Safety

Governors undertook two Health and Safety walks around the school and also monitored policies and procedures, findings were reported to the LGB.

Following the monitoring further actions were taken by the school and Governors are confident that the school is a safe environment for pupils and staff.

Governors supported the SLT and staff in the refurbishment and reopening of an area in school adversely effected recently.    

·Pupil Premium Funding

In comparison to other schools, The Beacon CE Primary receives a high percentage of Pupil Premium (PP) Funding.

The LGB approved the planned spend of PP funding for the year and review the three-year plan regularly, challenging the Headteacher and the senior leader lead on the impact of the spending.

The Link Governor works closely with the senior leadership of the school to also ask relevant questions on this spend and its impact on the pupils.

Governors scrutinise evidence of impact on the outcomes for PP Children in both standards and other areas e.g. attendance. 

Details of the impact of Pupil Premium spending can be found on the website under ‘Key Information’ tab.

·Safeguarding and SEND

The monitoring of safeguarding practices is a key priority for governors and is ongoing throughout the year. The Link Governor for SEND and Safeguarding fulfils all statutory responsibilities required. She meets regularly with the relevant leadership, has visited classrooms, and met and questioned pupils. She has given detailed reports to the LGB on SEND and Safeguarding in school.

Along with the school's leadership, governors conduct an annual safeguarding audit and monitor the actions identified from the audit. Safeguarding reports presented at FGB meetings provide an opportunity to challenge the safeguarding culture of the school and ensure robust procedures and practises are in place. The impact of this challenge and monitoring is a confidence in the strong safeguarding ethos at The Beacon CE Primary.

Governors were involved in a recent Inclusion Award Assessment; the school was recommended to be a Centre of Excellence for Inclusion.

Governors are confident that the children of the school are safe, happy, have relevant support and that provision in SEND and Safeguarding are effective.

·Sports Premium Funding

Alongside the PP funding, the LGB monitors how the schools spend The Sports Premium Funding. The Primary PE and Sport Premium is ring-fenced and must only be spent on physical education and sport provision in schools. The funding aims to achieve improvement in all areas of PE, from the standard of physical education to introducing health focused physical activities and after school sports.

Details of the impact of Sports Premium spending can be found on the website under ‘Key Information’ tab.

Progress and Attainment

End of year data is presented to the governors at the full board meetings in the autumn term. Interim data is made available to governors through the Education Officers termly reports. Governors ask questions to ensure the schools standards and expectations are high. Governors challenge the Headteacher and Senior Leadership Team on the data, holding them to account, especially for pupils or groups of learners who may have lower attainment. Particular scrutiny is placed on pupil progress across all ability groups including vulnerable groups and on the effective use of the Pupil Premium Funding.

Recruitment

Members of the governing body have completed “safer recruitment” training and have contributed to the successful recruitment of a strong senior leadership and staff team. The governing body have, this year, supported the Headteachers of The Beacon and Bishop Martin in successfully recruiting and appointing an additional Deputy Headteacher, Assistant Headteachers and teaching staff to work across the two schools. With a strong leadership team and teaching and support staff, The Beacon CE has the skills to continue to raise standards and outcomes for pupils in our schools and across the Trust.

School Policies

Governors review and approve school specific and Trust Wide policies. This takes place throughout the year in LGB meetings. Policies are updated on the school website.

Training

All members of the Governing Body have relevant training, We have training provided through the LDST, School Improvement Liverpool and other providers e.g. NSPCC.

Training is whole LGB training e.g. Safeguarding, and a number are specific to Link Governor roles e.g. Health and Safety, Attendance, SEND.

The impact of this is that the Governing Body are aware of their responsibilities regarding the latest requirements and expectations and can support the SLT, for example in policy writing and asking challenging questions to the leadership of the school in Link Governor meetings and LGB meetings.