WHO ARE THEY?

WHAT DO THEY DO?

The purpose of this page is to introduce you to the Governors of Corpus Christi, and tell you about their role and responsibilities.

“In a Catholic school or college, the governors are the ‘Keepers of the Catholic Vision’, supporting and collaborating with teachers and chaplains in cultivating an authentic Catholic ethos……….Being a governor is not an inspectorial, or simply administrative role, but involves an attentive, committed monitoring of the life of the school” (Fit for Mission?Schools.  Bishop of Lancaster)

ROLE OF GOVERNORS

The Governing Body has a strategic role in the leadership and management of the school.  This means that it sets out:

• the vision and mission of the school, ensuring that the Catholic ethos is upheld
• the school’s aims and objectives
• policies and procedures by which the aims and objectives will be achieved
• criteria by which success in achieving the aims and objectives will be measured

Governors’ responsibilities include ensuring effective recruitment and staffing, robust delivery of the curriculum; upkeep of the premises, ensuring the health and safety of pupils and staff and setting and monitoring of the budget.

COMPOSITION OF GOVERNING BODY

The governing Body is made up of:

• The Head Teacher
• 7 Foundation Governors  appointed by the Archbishop of Southwark
• 1 Staff Governor elected by the teaching and non-teaching staff
• 2 Parent Governors elected by the parents
• 1 Local Authority Governor appointed by the Local Authority
• Associate Members appointed by the Governing Body

Governors serve for a term of 4 years.  At the end of their term of office they may be re-elected or re- appointed, provided they still meet the relevant criteria (e.g. Parent Governor still has a child at the school).

COMMITTEES

There are 3 governors committees which meet on a regular basis:

The Curriculum Committee:  ensures that all matters relating to the school’s curriculum, including with regard to statutory requirements and the school’s curriculum policies are met, with the aim of raising standards of achievement for all children at the school.

The Resources Committee: sets draft budgets for approval by the Governing Body; monitors the revenue budget and capital expenditure; ensures the

premises are properly maintained; oversees building development projects; is a  responsible for recruitment and staffing and sets out and monitors health and safety procedures.

The Faith, Families and Community Committee: plays a significant role in ensuring that the Catholic ethos permeates all aspects of school life and that it is accountable to the children, parents, staff and local community that it serves.

Other committees ( e.g. Admissions Committee, Pay Committee) meet as and when required.

In addition to committee membership, each governor has responsibility for an area of the curriculum or of school life.  Governors visit the school regularly to keep themselves informed of developments in their area of responsibility, and report back to the Governing Body.

Responsibility for discharging the functions of governors rests with the governing body as a whole, and governors cannot act as individuals.  If you have any concerns relating to school matters you should therefore raise them with the Head Teacher or school staff.

However if you would like to talk to any of the governors about their role, the school office staff will be happy to put you in touch.