Governors

Dawn Laverick-Brown: Chair of Governors

Welcome to the Governors’ section of the Batchwood School website which I hope you will find interesting and informative.  This section gives a broad outline of the role of the Governors, how we go about fulfilling our responsibilities and who we are.

Role of the Governing Body

The Department for Education states that Governing Bodies -

“….are the strategic leaders of our schools and have a vital role to play in making sure every child gets the best possible education. For maintained schools this is reflected in the law, which states that the purpose of maintained school governing bodies is to ‘conduct the school with a view to promoting high standards of educational achievement at the school’.

In all types of schools, governing bodies should have a strong focus on three core strategic functions:

a. Ensuring clarity of vision, ethos and strategic direction;
b. Holding the Headteacher to account for the educational performance of the school and its students; and
c. Overseeing the financial performance of the school and making sure its money is well spent.

These functions are reflected in regulations for maintained schools that came into force in September 2013.”

We have a strategic role in the development of the school but are not involved in the day-to-day management - that is the role of the Headteacher.  We are accountable to the wider community for the conduct of the school and in turn hold the school leadership group to account for raising standards and ensuring every child fulfills their potential.  We are a diverse group of people with a wide variety of skills and experience which, coupled with our knowledge of the school, we use to challenge and support the leadership group in their work.

The Governing Body

The Local Governing Body consists of 12 Governors:

• 1 Staff Governor elected from the Batchwood staff
• 2 Parent Governors elected from the community of parents, or individuals exercising parental responsibility, at Batchwood School
• 7 Co-opted Local Governors appointed from within the local community,
• 1 Local Authority Governor who is a representative of the Local Authority. They are not a delegate of the Local Authority and, as such, cannot be mandated to take any particular course of action or vote in a specific way at meetings.
• The Headteacher is also an ex officio Governor

The Full Governing Body meets 6 times a year. At each meeting we receive a report from the Headteacher and minutes from the various committees. Other items are discussed or approved at specific times of the year for example exam results, plan for school improvement and budget.

The Local Governing Body is supported by three main committees which also meet once each term:

• The Resources Committee is concerned with budget and finance, premises and health and safety as well as staffing, appraisal and training.
• The Curriculum, Achievement and Well-being committee (CAW) deals with standards, curriculum, pastoral care and student well-being, SEND and Pupil Premium.

All Governors are members of at least one of the committee. We also attend public events such as secondary transfer evening, music concerts, the annual Awards Evening, prize-giving assemblies and PTCs. Please come and talk with Governors while you are at these events.

In addition, each Governor is linked to a curriculum or specific area of school such as Child Protection, Safeguarding, Core provision, Reading areas. In this role Governors regularly come into school to meet with staff and students.

Governing Body membership list (2023-2024)

Clerk to the Governors: Mr R Blythe

Batchwood Governing Body Attendance
Governor Attendance (2022-23)

Link Governors Curriculum Areas
Link Governors curriculum areas (2023-2024)