Governance at St. Margaret's Infant School
The Governors of St Margaret’s Infant School welcome all parents and pupils to our school. We believe that education is a partnership between us all and that happy children are successful children. We are very fortunate to be part of a well-established school in the community and, along with our Headteacher and dedicated and experienced staff team, aim to provide a secure, stimulating and caring environment for all our children.
The Governing body are extremely proud of our Headteacher, her Senior Leadership Team (SLT) and the whole staff, who work tirelessly to ensure the best possible outcomes for the children at St Margaret’s Infants.
The Governors are interested in the views of the school community and if you wish to contact us this can be done through the school office, see ‘How to contact the Governors’ below.
The Governing Body has been recently re-constituted in accordance with revised regulations regarding composition.
The following documentation is available from the school office upon request:
- the agenda for every meeting of the Local Governing Body and Committees
- the approved minutes of each meeting
- any report, document or other paper considered at each meeting.
To find out more about our Governors and their role, please click >>HERE<<.
How to contact the Governing body
The Governors may be contacted by writing to:
Chair of Governors
St Margaret’s Infants School,
Orchard Street,
Rainham,
Kent ME8 9AE
Email: stmargaretsinfantoffice@thewestbrooktrust.org
Please use the subject ‘FAO Chair of Governors’ in your correspondence.
Documents
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How our Governing Body is organised
As a full governing body we meet at least three times a year.
We also have a number of sub committees with specific responsibilities to give further consideration to issues relevant to the effective operation of the school. These committees meet additionally to the full governing body on a regular basis between full governing body meetings.
The Terms of Reference (ToR) for the Governing Body and it’s sub committees are published below.
The Governors also have roles and responsibilities in specific areas. Below is a list of our Governors specific roles and responsibilities.
Governor’s attendance record: Please see document link at the top of this page.
Governor’s business interests: Please see document link at the top of this page.
We have a qualified clerk to the governing body who ensures that governance rules and procedures are followed and ensures an accurate and impartial record of governing body and committee meetings is recorded and kept.
One of the important jobs the Governing Body has to undertake is the safeguarding of public money. It is our responsibility to ensure that public money is spent according to certain rules, regulations and policies. We are required to complete annually a financial self-assessment called the ‘Schools Financial Value Standard’ (SFVS) which has to be submitted to the Local Authority. The most recent SFVS is published below.
The Governors are responsible for the overall operation of the school, levels of staffing, the buildings and grounds, financial management and the school’s curriculum.
Our Headteacher is responsible for the day to day management of the school including internal organisation, management and control of the school, and is the governing body’s principal adviser who assists with the formulation and implementation of its aims, objectives, policies and plans.
The governing body self-evaluates annually to ensure it has the required skills and experience, from this we produce a Governing Body Development Action Plan to help us ensure we constantly improve and develop.
Finer detail about the service of our School Governors:
Below you will find a list of our current governors:-
Corinne Kerbey - Chair of Governors July 2020
Paula Fewtrell- Headteacher Sept 2011 - While in post
Mike Collis- Staff Governor Sept 2018 - Sept 2022
Lesley Dennis- Vice Chair of Governors(Co-opted Governor) Sept 2018 - Sept 2022
Craig Beer- (Parent Governor) Sept 2016 - Sept 2020
Mark Butterfield- (Parent Governor) April 2018- April 2022
Governors who have served in the past 12 months:
Jane Heyes - Chair of Governors Sept 2019
Steven Marsden- (Parent Governor) Sept 2016 - Sept 2020
Jemena Glover- Chair of Governors (Co-opted Governor) Nov 2014 - July 2019
Governors are appointed for a term of four years and can be re-appointed at the end of the four year term.
Governor responsibilities
The governing body of our school plays an important role in the strategic management of the school and is made up of people who are passionate about the education of the children at our school. School governors are drawn from different parts of the community and can be parents and staff or from the LA, the community and other groups. This helps ensure the governing body has sufficient diversity of views and experience but does not mean governors of a particular category represent that group on the governing body. For example, parent governors do not represent the parents at the school and do not report back to them. We are bound by the Governors Code of Conduct which is published below.
School governors help our school provide the best possible education for their pupils by:
- Helping to establish the aims and policies of the school.
- Working strategically to help raise standards.
- Monitoring and evaluating progress towards the school's priorities and targets, including setting targets for pupil attainment.
- Supporting the Head Teacher and staff.
- Ensuring that there are clear lines of accountability and these are understood by the whole school community.
- Accounting for the school's overall performance and for the decisions they have made.
- Setting the school's budget plan and monitoring expenditure.
- Plan for the long term future of the school.
What to do if you have any concerns
For a summary of our complaints procedures, please contact the office for a copy of the leaflet entitled "What can you do if you have any concerns?" Refer to our complaints procedure policy on the schools website or request a copy from the school office.