Introduction

What's a governing body for?

A school governing body is made up of around 12 governors - parents, staff, community members and people chosen by the local authority. We meet once a term to look at how school is progressing towards it's targets and to agree important decisions. We also make regular visits to school, to find out for ourselves how well things are progressing.

We have two committees looking in more detail at how well pupils are learning and progressing, plus budget stuff, building maintenance and staffing. Governors also take on responsibility for keeping an eye on specific areas of school life such as equalities, special educational needs, outdoor play and so on. 

What we've done in the last 2 years

Building strong leadership 

• appointed a fantastic Headteacher after looking for the right person for 2 years... it was worth the wait!

• appointed two leaders from outstanding schools to job share the deputy head role. 

Monitoring school improvement

• carried out around 20 monitoring visits to check that school’s up to scratch.  

• reported our findings to the Headteacher and made sure changes we recommended were carried out.

Monitoring value for money 

• regularly checked the budget and spending plans to make sure that every penny is well spent.

Making a school fit for the future 

• helped to make sure that plans for our new buildings are right for Glenfrome

• helped to secure nearly £1million extra funding for our new build

• contributed to the school’s 3 year development plan

Aiming for excellence 

• wrote, reviewed and implemented over 50 school policies to make sure they fit our school’s needs

• the local authority recently said we are one of the most effective governing bodies they have worked with

What we plan to do this year

Challenge school to continue improving

• monitor school’s plan to keep improving achievement in reading, writing and maths, and support staff all the way

Build a school fit for the future 

• we will continue monitoring the plans and building work to ensure Glenfrome School gets the building we need

Communicate better

• by making sure that parents know what we’re up to – we aim to share minutes of meetings and policies on the school website

• if you want us to, we’ll hold regular governor surgeries at school for parents to meet and speak to governors

Make strong partnerships 

• we’ll strengthen links with other local schools to share knowledge and skills

Achieve our vision 

• we’re determined to make sure that everyone in school lives and believes our vision and values, every day

If you would like to know more about the role of parent governor or the appointment process why not speak to Mrs O'Callaghan, Jon Symonds or Kelly Paterson (Co-Chairs of Governors), or the Governor Development Service at Bristol Education Centre (Tel 0117 9031396, or e-mail GDS@bristol.gov.uk)

Or, if you know someone who would be a brilliant governor, please pass our details on, as we are always looking for people with commitment and enthusiasm to contribute to our school!