St Michael’s C of E [Controlled] Infant School
Governing Body Impact Statement 2024-25
The core functions of the governing body are as set out in (regulation 6) and include, but are not limited to ensuring:
- that the vision, ethos and strategic direction of the school are clearly defined
- that the headteacher performs their responsibilities for the educational performance of the school
- the sound, proper and effective use of the school’s financial resources
A governing body and its governors must, as required by The School Governance (Roles, Procedures and Allowances) (England) Regulations 2013, regulation 6(2):
- act with integrity, objectivity and honesty and in the best interests of the school
- be open about the decisions they make and the actions they take and shall be prepared to explain their decisions and actions to interested parties
The governing body also has legislative responsibility and strategic oversight for the school’s safeguarding arrangements.
Each year the Governing Body conducts a full self-evaluation of its performance and reviews the impact that it has had in fulfilling its core duties.
- Strategic leadership
The Governing Body demonstrates a good understanding of the school vision and values, and this guides their conduct and the work that they do. This is shown in the support and challenge provided to the school and reflected in the minutes of Governor meetings. The school values underpin all monitoring visits, and the ethos and culture of the school is regularly reviewed through learning walks and focussed observations.
The Governing Body works with the head teacher and senior leaders to set the strategic direction of the school and agree school improvement priorities. This is achieved through regular interrogation of performance data and validated through monitoring visits, talking with pupils and professional discussions with staff. Governors are also proactive in seeking support and validation from external agencies to support its high ambition for the school.
The impact of the strategic leadership of the Governing Body is shown in the improvement in pupil outcomes and the continued drive for high quality education for all pupils. This has been validated by external advisors who are able to see the sustained impact of strategic leadership on the quality of education at St Michael’s. Governors have also fully supported the school in championing inclusion and has been rigorous in its oversight of provision for pupils with Special Educational Needs and English as an Additional Language. As a Body, we are proud of the school’s achievement in these areas, including a Silver Award from EMTAS for the work that it does to support pupils from ethnic minority groups.
- Accountability
The Governing Body aims to improve educational standards and financial performance by holding the school to account. It achieves this through having Governors with delegated responsibility for overseeing both the educational and financial performance of the school. This involves focussed monitoring visits, asking challenging questions and using local and national comparative data to benchmark the school performance. Outcomes of these accountability measures are reported to the Governing Body and detailed in the minutes of the Full Governing Body.
The impact of how Governors hold the school to account is shown in the effective use of the school budget to meet the strategic aims and objectives of the school. This includes the capacity to maintain a flexible and responsive approach to staffing and being able to meet the needs of all pupils, often in challenging circumstances. The investment in coaching and professional development opportunities for staff has also had a positive impact on well-being and capacity for professional growth. Governors recognise the importance of protecting the work/life balance and well-being of staff and work in collaboration with leaders to ensure accountability measures are reasonable, proportionate and relevant.
- People
To Govern effectively, it is essential to have the right people with the right skillset. The role of the Governor requires time commitment and a determination to support the school and wider community. The Governing Body has managed to increase the capacity of the Governing Body through pro-active recruitment and retention. The impact of this has been to secure Governors for core roles, whilst building on the skillset already in place. The Governing Body recognises that there is a need to continue to recruit and ensure the diversity of the community is fully represented.
- Governance Structure
St Michael’s operates with a ‘flat’ structure for Governance. This means that all Governors attend a full Governing Body meeting 8 times per year and all core work is considered at this full board level. However, each Governor has delegated responsibilities to oversee school improvement, finance, health and safety and safeguarding. The impact of this structure is that all decision making, questioning and reviews are strategically informed and sharply focussed on school improvement and the statutory responsibilities of the Governing Body. This academic year the roles and responsibilities within this structure have been reviewed and refined. The impact of this is that all Governors know and understand their responsibility both individually and as members of the full board.
- Compliance
The Governing Body is fully aware of its statutory and contractual requirements and is fully compliant with these. The Governing Body has a Clerk who assists with this and understands the importance of this role in ensuring compliance and effectiveness.
- Evaluation
The Governing Body completes a full self-evaluation each year and this is supported by regular impact reviews at full Governing Body meetings. This allows Governors to evaluate the work that it does to hold the school to account and support leaders to achieve strategic priorities and objectives. The impact of this is a defined development plan for the Governing Body that builds the capacity for continued growth and improvement.
