School governors are the largest volunteer workforce nationally with over 300,000 school governors in England.
The governing body carries out its functions with the aim of taking a largely strategic role in the running of the school. This includes:
School governors are members of their school's governing body which is a "corporate body". A corporate body has a legal identity that is separate from its members and as a result, individual governors are generally protected from personal liability as a result of the governing body's decisions and actions, provided they act honestly, reasonably and in good faith.
Individual governors have no power or right to act on behalf of the governing body except where the whole governing body has delegated a specific function to that individual or where regulations specify that a function is to be exercised in a particular way.
School governors are drawn from different parts of the community, such as parents, the Staff, the Local Authority, the Community and other groups. This helps to ensure that the governing body has sufficient diversity of views and experience but does not mean that governors of a particular category "represent" that group on the governing body. For example, Parent Governors do not act as a representative of the parents at the school and do not report back to them.
Responsibilities
The governing body has a range of duties and powers and a general responsibility for the conduct of the school with a view to promoting high standards of educational achievement.
The governing body has considerable discretion as to how to discharge its responsibilities but is required to constitute itself in line with the regulations and to appoint a chair and vice chair.
Find out all about our School Governors.
| Name: | Category: | Officer role: | Committee Member: | Chair Person of Committee: | Any particular responsibilities: | Date of appointment: | Date stepped down: | Appointed by: Governing Body | Governance in other educational establishments: | Material interests arising from relationship between Governor or school staff: | Term of office |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alison Tynan | Elected staff Governor | NA | Learning Committee | NA | NA | 25th November 2020
Re-elected 1st Dec 2016 | Staff | NA | 4 years
| ||
| Chris McDonald | Headteacher | Headteacher | Learning Committee Resources Committee | NA | 1st September 2013 | Governing Body | NA | NA | 2050 | ||
Kate Burnell | Co-Opt Governor | Chair of Governors 4th Nov 2020 | Resources Committee | NA | Safeguarding/Online Safety / English / PE link governor | 4th November 2020 | Parents | NA | 4 years | ||
| Bernie Olyott | Co-opt | NA | Learning Committee | NA | 5th October 2021 | Governing Body | NA | Parent of child in school | 4 Years | ||
| Lynnie Hinnigan | LA | Vice Chair of Governors 5th Oct 2017 | Resources Committee | NA | GDPR / RE / PHSE Link governor | 19th July 2017 | LA | NA | 4 Years | ||
| Ann Sidaway | Parent | NA | NA | 12th November 2018 | Parents | NA | 4 Years | ||||
| David Kirby | Associate | Deputy Head | Learning Committee Resource Committee | NA | 1st October 2018 | Staff | NA | 2050 | |||
| Dominic Gilvarry | Associate Changed to Co-opt Governor | NA | Resource Committee | NA | 27th February 2019 4th October 2021 | Other | NA | 4 Years | |||
| Claire Whitehurst | Parent | NA | Learning Committee | NA | 18th March 2021 | Parents | NA | ||||
| Dr Mick Walker | Co-opt | NA | Learning Committee | NA | 24th March 2021 | Governing Body |