Governor Terms of Reference - Updated April 26

Compliance Committee

Finance - budget setting and benchmarking, pay and staffing
Premises
Health & Safety inc risk management

Strategic Committee

Agenda setting for FGB and other committees/monitoring groups
Headteacher’s performance management
Responsive staffing

Governor Monitoring Groups

Inclusion

SEND 
Attendance and behaviour
Personal development and well-being
Pupil Premium

Standards

Whole School Action Plan
Curriculum and teaching
Achievement
 

Compliance Committee (Finance, Premises, Health and Safety)

Membership

The committee shall consist of four governors and the Headteacher.
The committee shall co-opt such non-governor members as deemed appropriate and shall determine their voting rights.

Quorum

The quorum should be three governors.  In the event of a vote the majority of those present must be governors.

Meetings

The committee shall meet once per term and otherwise as required.

Terms of Reference

Financial

• To determine and review financial policy including consideration of long term planning and resourcing.
• To develop the annual budget spending plan for presentation to the governing body taking into account Whole School Action Plan priorities.
• To act as advisers and consultants to the governing body on financial issues.  To be familiar with budget spending plans, formula funding structure and policies for financial delegation.
• To monitor the school budget expenditure (including specific purpose grants) with reference to the annual spending plan.  To make reports at least once a term to the governing body.
• To authorise virement from one area of budget spending to another in order to respond to unexpected expenditure needs up to an agreed limit approved by the governing body.
• To agree the level of delegation to the headteacher for the day-to-day financial management of the school.
• To review the school’s charging and remission policy on an annual basis and make recommendations to the governing body.
• To monitor school fund expenditure and ensure the audit of school funds for presentation to the governing body.
• To receive and where appropriate respond to periodic audit reports of delegated funds.
• To ensure that a register of pecuniary interests is maintained for all staff and governors.
• To receive and consider pay recommendations from the headteacher in accordance with the school’s Pay, Appraisal and Performance Management policies

Pay

• To draw up and review appropriately a governing body Pay Policy with due regard to the current School Teachers’ Pay and Conditions document and other appropriate guidance.
• To determine matters relating to the pay of all staff in the school.
• To ensure that, within budget constraints, the pay policy meets the needs of recruitment, retention and development of staff and to the resourcing of the school’s Whole School Action Plan.
• To take into account recommendations from the nominated Performance Management governors when determining the salary of the headteacher.

Premises

• To provide support and guidance for the headteacher on all matters relating to the school premises and grounds, including security and Health and Safety matters.
• Annually to ensure inspection of the premises and grounds and prepare a statement of priorities for maintenance and development linked to the Whole School Action Plan for the approval of the Governing Body.
• To propose and approve the costs and arrangements for maintenance, repairs and decoration within the budget allocation.
• To oversee the preparation of and to monitor premises services contacts (e.g. fuel/water, cleansing, grounds maintenance).
• To prepare a lettings and charging policy for the approval of the governing body.

Health and Safety

• To be familiar with National and Local Health and Safety legislation and guidelines.
• To provide support and guidance for the headteacher on all matters relating to the school Health and Safety and security.
• To participate in the development and review of school Health and Safety policies and to recommend them for adoption by the governing body.  This includes the approval of risk assessments and monitoring the risk management register.
• To monitor on behalf of the governing body that systems are in place to ensure that Health and Safety requirements and codes of practice are being implemented in the school and that activities and premises, materials and equipment used by the school do not present health and safety risks.
• To ensure inspection of the premises and grounds (annually) and prepare a report in respect of Health and Safety matters.
• To receive and consider any reports and audits completed by the School’s Health and Safety representatives or the headteacher/Senior Management arising from general inspection of the school, to identify issues that need to be addressed and to report at least once a year to the governing body.  This includes external audits conducted by approved third parties.
• To make recommendations when expenditure is deemed necessary.
• To act as advisers/consultants to the governing body on Health and Safety matters.

Strategic Committee Committee (Agendas, HT PM, Staffing)

Membership

Membership shall consist of four governors and the headteacher. 
The committee shall co-opt such non-governor members deemed necessary and determine their voting rights.

Quorum

The quorum should be three members.

Meetings 

The committee shall meet once per term and otherwise as required.

Terms of Reference

• To have an overview of all aspects of leadership and management including self evaluation.
• To be responsible for setting dates and agendas for the FGB, Compliance Committee and governor monitoring groups.
• To have an overview of the school’s staffing structure and all recruitment activities in line with the Safer Recruitment Procedures/Policy.
• To be responsible for the operation of the headteacher’s performance management, including the review of annual targets and mid-term meetings to discuss progress towards the targets.
   

Inclusion Monitoring Group

Membership

Membership shall consist of four governors and the headteacher.
Key members of staff will be invited to attend to discuss their areas of responsibility.

Meetings 

The monitoring group shall meet at least once per term.

Terms of Reference

The monitoring group will meet termly.

Personal Development and Well-being

• To monitor the promotion of healthy lifestyles across school
• To monitor the pupil and staff well being and workload
• To monitor the provision for SMSC across school and how this is evidenced both in school and the wider community
• To monitor relationships across school
• To monitor safeguarding procedures across school
• To monitor enrichment activities 
• To monitor how the sports premium funding is supporting pupils’ active lifestyles

Attendance and behaviour

• To monitor all aspects of attendance and punctuality 
• To monitor the school’s policies on discipline and behaviour so that pupil  attitudes and behaviour are conducive to learning

SEND and disadvantaged pupils

• To monitor the provision for pupils with SEND
• To monitor the impact of the Pupil Premium and how this enables disadvantaged pupils to make rapid progress.

Standards’ Monitoring Group

Membership

Membership shall consist of four governors and the headteacher.
Key members of staff will be invited to attend to discuss their areas of responsibility.

Meetings 

The monitoring group shall meet at least once per term.

Terms of Reference

• To monitoring the intent and implementation of the curriculum by looking at a range of teaching and learning activities across school, and by talking to staff and pupils
• To monitor the achievement of all pupils and groups 
• To compare achievement of different groups of pupils with local and national benchmark information, including key performance milestones
• To pay particular attention to provisions made for children in receipt of Pupil Premium funding and of the impact of this in closing any attainment gap.  
• To analyse attainment reports and any trends across school.
• To monitor data systems, assessment and processes in school
• To monitor staff development to ensure this has an impact on pupil outcomes

Complaints’ Committee

Membership

The Complaints’ Committee shall comprise of the first three available members drawn from the full Governing body.
The governors attending will decide the Chair at each meeting of the committee.

Quorum

The quorum of the committee shall be three governors.

Meetings

The committees will meet as and when required and within the timescale set down in the governing body’s Complaints’ Policy.

Terms of Reference

The Complaints Committee shall act on behalf of the governing body:

• To consider complaints submitted to the Chair of the governing body when other avenues for their resolution have been exhausted
• To investigate complaints in an appropriate manner, taking evidence from all relevant parties and utilising support available from sources as deemed appropriate
• To make recommendations arising from complaints
• To communicate the process and outcome of complaints to all concerned.

Members of Complaints’ Committee should be familiar with good practice and procedures to be followed in governing body hearings.

Notes:

• Decisions made by these Committees have the status of decision of the governing body
• ​​​​​​​An odd number of governors, at least three, should serve on any governors’ hearing..  
• The governors must have had no previous connection with the case and it must not have been discussed in their presence.
• Teacher and Staff governors may face difficult situations because of the nature of the business of Complaints Committees and are recommended to consider their involvement very carefully before joining.

Governor with a Particular Interest in Special Educational Needs/Disabled Pupils

The remit for this role should include:

• Developing an understanding of SEND needs and provision in the school
• Developing and maintaining a relationship with the SENCO
• Developing an understanding of SEND issues both locally and nationally

In order to do this the SEND governor will need to do the following:

• Keep in touch with the SENCO
• Question governing body which have implications for SEND
• Get to know about relevant documents and legislation.
• Report back regularly to the governing body (termly).
• Attend governor training events on SEND and relevant staff training sessions

The SEND governor could also:

• Seek training for the whole governing body or with other local schools
• Join SEND policy working party on behalf of governors
• Visit classrooms by arrangement with the SENCO and class teacher.

Theme Team Governors

Purpose

To keep the governing body informed of standards achieved and the resource needs of the relevant curriculum areas in order to maintain and raise standards.

Theme Team Remit

To attend termly meetings or receive termly theme team action plan updates/evaluations in order to:

• Be aware termly of the prescribed syllabus and how it is being implemented
• Become familiar with the relevant policies and how they are being implemented 
• Find out about the resource and training needs required to improve standards and to communicate these to the governing body.
• Contribute to the monitoring of Theme Team Action Plans.
• Review information from assessment statistics in order to contribute to the monitoring and evaluation of standards
• To be familiar with information from other sources (e.g. Learn Sheffield, OFSTED) relating to the curriculum area and standards of attainment

Safeguarding Governor

The remit of this role is as follows:

• To be familiar with guidance and school policy relating to Child Protection and to attend training for nominated Child Protection governors
• ​​​​​​​To liaise with the headteacher, the school’s designated safeguarding lead and the LA over matters regarding confidential child protection issues involving allegations against staff.
• In cases involving an allegation against the headteacher, the nominated governor would take a more active role with support provided by the LA.  This role would include:
• Consideration of an allegation in consultation with the LADO to decide whether the allegations warrant an investigation
• To ensure with LA support that appropriate action is taken in accordance with agreed procedures
• (Where a referral to child protection agencies may need to be made) to attend initial and subsequent strategy meetings as required.

(Pupil) Discipline Committee

This is a statutory committee as defined in the Education (School Government) (England) Regulations 1999.  These regulations determine the composition of such committees, the key functions and the arrangements for clerking.

The arrangements for and proceedings of this committee follow certain specific guidelines as specified in DfEE Circular 10/99.

Composition and Quorum

All Governors (other than staff) will form a pool from which three governors will meet when considering particular exclusions.  The quorum for a meeting is three. The headteacher may not be a member of this committee.

Terms of Reference

To review the use of exclusion within the school including the consideration of the exclusion of pupils for periods in excess of five school days or where a pupil would miss an opportunity to take a public examination.

Appointment of Chair

The governors attending will decide the Chair at each meeting of the committee.

Clerk

A clerk will be requested from the Governor Support Team as the Clerk of this Committee may not be a governor or member of the committee or the headteacher though there is provision for the committee to appoint one of its members for a meeting which the clerk is unable to attend.

Minutes

A written record of the meetings of the committee will be submitted to the following meeting of the full Governing Body.

Convening meetings

A meeting shall be convened at the request of the Chair or the Headteacher in line with guidance in DfEE Circular 10/99 and subsequent DfEE guidance.

Staff Dismissal and Dismissal Appeal Committees

(These committees are a statutory requirement*)

Staff Dismissal Committee

Composition

Not less than three governors drawn from the full Governing body who are not disqualified by being members of staff or by having an interest requiring them to withdraw.  The Headteacher may not be a member of this committee. The Chair of this Committee will be appointed on its first sitting and reviewed annually.

Quorum: Three governors

Terms of Reference

• To determine whether any person employed by the LA to work at the school should cease to do so.
• To hear representations about such decisions.

Minutes

A written record of the meeting will be circulated to all Governors other than staff.

Convening meetings

A meeting shall be convened at the request of the Chair, the Headteacher, or any two Governors.  Every member of the committee and the Headteacher shall be given at least 7 days clear notice of the meeting.

Staff Dismissal Appeal Committee 

Composition

• Not less than 3 governors who are not disqualified by being members of staff or by having an interest requiring them to withdraw.  The Headteacher may not be a member of this committee.
• The Chair shall be appointed annually by the governing body.
• Members of this committee shall not have formed the Staff Dismissal Committee.

Quorum

Not less than the number of governors who participated in the relevant staff dismissal committee hearing, with a minimum of three.

Terms of Reference

To hear any appeal in respect of a decision taken by the Staff Dismissal Committee.

• The Clerk to these committees may not be a governor or a member of the committee though, in the absence of the appointed Clerk, the committee may appoint one of their number for that meeting.

Performance Management Governors and Review Officer

The governing body will appoint a minimum of one governor, and preferably two, to:

• Meet with the Headteacher to review the Headteacher’s performance against previously agreed objectives
• Agree objectives for the forthcoming Performance Management Cycle relating to
• Pupil Progress
• Leadership and Management
• The Headteacher’s Professional Development
• Record the outcome of the review meeting and provide a copy for the chair of the Governing Body
• Make recommendations regarding the Headteacher’s salary
• Ensure that the person responsible for Training and Development is aware of the resourcing implications arising from agreed objectives
• Liaise with the independent external consultant and Executive Headteacher to help them with the above tasks.
• Be familiar with DfE guidance on the Governing Body’s role in Performance Management.

The Governing Body will appoint a Review Officer to deal with any complaints made by the Headteacher.  The Review Officer will be the Chair of the governing body where s/he has not been one of the Performance Management governors.

Teachers and other staff working at the school may not be the Performance Management governors or the Review Officer.

Training Coordinator Governor

The role of the Training Coordinator governor should be to take a lead responsibility for ensuring that governing body training and development takes place.

The remit for the Training Coordinator Governor should include:

• Developing an understanding of training available from the LA and other providers
• Ensuring that information about training is communicated to all governors
• Ensuring that training needs are discussed by the governing body
• Encouraging and supporting individual governors to identify training needs and attend training
• Negotiating whole governing body training with the LA governor support team
• Making bookings for training courses and other arrangements
• Ensuring that a suitable induction is provided for new members of the governing body
• Recommending the purchase of governor support materials
• ​​​​​​​Monitoring expenditure on governor training and support with the headteacher

Taking the lead on the development of school based resources for governors which may include:

• Distribution of information about school events
• ​​​​​​​Systems for sharing information that help governors to know the school.