The Governing Body of Great Horwood Church of England School

Welcome from the Governors.....  

The role of the Governing Body is to act as a critical friend to the school and to ensure that it carries out its statutory responsibilities.  The Governing Body is responsible for setting the school budget, for approving policies and, along with the Head Teacher, for setting the strategic direction of the school.  
 
Governors are appointed by the School Trustees (ODBST), by the Church (Foundation Governors) and can also be members of the local community.  A number of staff and parents are elected onto the Governing Body for a period of four years, after which time they can stand for re-election.  Please see below a link for the Oxford Diocese Bucks School Trust Governance page where you can find information about the Governance structure within ODBST. 

Oxford Diocesan Bucks Schools Trust - Local Governors (odbst.org.uk)

If you wish to contact a Governor, please contact the school office by email to office@ghw.odbst.org and your email will be passed onto the appropriate member of the Governing Body.
 
Alternatively, you may write to the Governing Body via the school office, marking it for the attention of the Chair of Governors and labelled 'confidential'. 
​
Tom Williams
Chair of Governors  

Information about the Governing body

The Governing Body is made up of 12 members.  The body is made up of three Parent Governors elected by the parents of the pupils, four Foundation Governors nominated by the Diocese, three Skills/Trust Governors drawn from the school catchment area who are selected because of their skills and interests, one Staff Governor elected by staff members, and the Head Teacher.  They all hold office for a period of four years, although they may be invited to stay for further terms of office. 
 
The Governing Body meets six times during the year (either virtually or face to face) and more frequently if there is urgent business that cannot wait until the next meeting.  The minutes of Governing Body meetings are available for anyone to look at in reception at school.  

As part of the Local Governing Body, Governors are responsible for the following:

1. Preparing, with the Headteacher, the School Development Plan.
2. Setting, with the Headteacher, the targets for the future achievement of pupils at the end of appropriate Key Stages.
3. Improving the school and developing its capacity for sustained improvement by developing high quality teaching, leadership capacity and high professional standards among all staff.
4. Ensuring all teaching staff benefit from appropriate professional development and that performance is rigorously managed.
5. Contributing to an accurate evaluation of the school’s strengths and weaknesses and using the findings to promote improvement.
6. Managing the school’s finances, setting the school budget and reviewing the school’s financial performance against this budget.  The committee also reviews major capital projects and makes recommendations on these to the Governing Body.   
7. Looking after any staffing matters such as recruitment and retention of staff as well as recommending staffing levels to the Governing Body in conjunction with the Head Teacher.
8. Reviewing regularly the condition of the school buildings and preparing an appropriate annual maintenance plan to ensure they are kept in good order. 
9. The committee also ensures that all governors and staff have access to health and safety policies, codes of practice, risk assessments and other health and safety procedures issued by the local authority.