Governing Body
Categories of Governors
In brief, the different categories are:
- Parent Governors: selected by election or appointment if insufficient people stand for election and drawn from parents and carers of children at the school
- Staff Governors: selected by election from the teaching and support staff paid to work at the school
- Co-opted Governors: appointed by the Governing Body to represent community interests or because of specific skills / experience they bring
- Local Authority Governors: appointed or nominated by the Local Authority
Tenure is usually for 4 years.
Responsibilities of the Governors
Governing bodies are responsible for the strategic management of a school and will make decisions about a wide range of issues.
The core responsibilities involved are:
- Ensuring accountability
- Acting as a `critical friend’ to the headteacher
- Monitoring and evaluating the school’s progress
- Budgetary allocation and control
- Planning for the long term future of the school
- Setting the school’s aims and values
- Appointing senior members of staff including the headteacher
Membership
All Governing Bodies of community schools can agree on a model for the size and membership of their Governing Body based on what best suits the circumstances of that school.
The Governing Body of Viking Primary School has the following members.
Last updated: July 2020
2 Parent Governors
Parents (including guardians/carers) of registered pupils at the school are eligible to stand for election for parent governorship at the school. Parent Governors are elected by other parents at the school.
Maliha Bajwa
Elda Cardoso-Ake
1 Staff Governor
Both teaching and support staff paid to work in the school are eligible for staff governorship. One Staff Governor is elected by the school staff and must be paid to work at the school; volunteers are not eligible.
Jane Dawes
The Head teacher is a member of the Governing Body by virtue of her position.
Amie Norris
1 Local Authority (LA) Governor
The LA Governor is nominated by the Local Authority (LA). The Governing Body may agree to appoint (or not) the LA nominee, and can also submit eligibility criteria by which a nominee should be selected.
Deirdre Costigan, Chair
4 Co-opted Governors
Co-opted Governors are appointed by the Governing Body often to meet the need for a specific set of skills, knowledge or experience. Co-opted Governors can be people who live or work in the community served by the school, or people who do not work or live close to the school, but are committed to the good governance and success of the school.
George Lafford
Leonard Macauley
Samar Kidwai
Sheela Yadav