Annual Governance Statement for the Governing Board of Morton Primary School
September 2020
In accordance with the Government’s requirement for all governing boards, the three core strategic functions of the Governing Board of Morton Primary School are:
- Ensuring clarity of vision, ethos and strategic direction.
- Holding the Headteacher to account for the educational performance of the school and its pupils
- Overseeing the financial performance of the school and making sure its money is well spent
Governance Arrangements
The Governing Board of Morton Primary School was reconstituted in June 2019 and is now made up of 8 Governors:
- LEA Representatives: 1
- Parents: 2
- Co-Opted Governors: 3
- Staff: 1
- Headteacher: 1
Skills and knowledge required that contribute to effective Governance and the success to the school:
- Knowledge of the school and local area
- Finance
- Personnel H/R
- Health and Safety
- Information Technology
- Buildings
- Communication
- Leadership and Decision Making
How to contact your Governors:
Information about the school’s governing board to be made available on the governors’ page of the school’s website. Governors can be contacted by the following methods:
Telephone: 01773 872360
Letter: Chair of Governors, Morton Primary, Main Road, Morton, Alfreton, Derbyshire. DE55 6HH
E-mail: info@morton.derbyshire.sch.uk
Morton Primary School Governing Board current membership
Governor |
Category |
Date of appointment |
Term of office expiry date |
Committee |
Specific Area of Responsibility |
Kevin Flint |
Headteacher |
01/09/17 |
|
Resources & School Improvement |
All |
Sam Watson (Chair) |
Authority |
16/10/16 |
15/10/24 |
Resources |
Health and Safety |
Lisa Baines (Vice Chair) |
Co-opted |
29/04/19 |
28/04/23 |
Resources |
Pupil Premium/ SEND |
Tina Chipp |
Co-opted |
25/09/19 |
03/03/23 |
School Improvement |
Safeguarding/Safer Recruitment |
Nick Morrissy |
Parent |
12/02/19 |
11/02/23 |
School Improvement |
Safer Recruitment |
Hayley Bramley |
Parent |
06/06/19 |
22/02/23 |
School Improvement |
Safeguarding/Sports Premium |
Jo Forest |
Teacher |
23/01/19 |
23/01/20 |
School Improvement |
|
Cllr Ben England |
Co-opted |
06/10/20 |
06/10/24 |
Resources |
|
Appointing Bodies
- Headteacher - by virtue of their position
- Staff - elected by school staff
- Parent - elected by parents
- Local Authority - nominated by the local authority
- Co-opted - appointed by the GB
Named Governors with specific responsibilities
- Safeguarding – TC/HB
- Pupil Premium - LB
- Sports Premium - HB
- SEND – LB
- Safer Recruitment - TC/NM
Governor Visits
The governors visit the school as part of their monitoring of the SIP and specific issues. Governors with specific responsibilities meet for regular reviews and updates and then present a report to the Full Governing Board. Governors regularly attend school open evenings, assemblies, presentations and information evenings including sports and musical events in order to engage with parents and seek their feedback. Furthermore, they actively seek opportunities for our children to be ambassadors for the school both within our community and further afield.
Governors visits into school for 2019/20:
- Safeguarding S175 Audit and reviews of action plan
- Evidencing the Impact of Primary Sports Premium
- Pupil Premium review
- The Schools Financial Value Standard and Assurance (SFVS) and budget approval
- Head Teacher Performance Management
- Monitoring administration for SATs
- Curriculum Development Day
Declaration of Pecuniary & Personal Interest 2018/19
Governor |
Pecuniary |
Personal |
Kevin Flint |
None |
None |
Sam Watson (Chair) |
None |
None |
Lisa Baines (Vice Chair) |
None |
None |
Tina Chipp |
None |
None |
Nick Morrisy |
None |
None |
Hayley Bramley |
None |
None |
Jo Forest |
None |
None |
Cllr Wes Bramley |
None |
None |
Declaration of Pecuniary & Personal Interest 2019/20
Governor |
Pecuniary |
Personal |
Kevin Flint |
None |
None |
Sam Watson (Chair) |
None |
None |
Lisa Baines (Vice Chair) |
None |
None |
Tina Chipp |
None |
None |
Nick Morrisy |
None |
None |
Hayley Bramley |
None |
None |
Jo Forest |
None |
None |
Cllr Wes Bramley |
None |
None |
The Governing Board have a programme of meetings throughout the school year, and a committee structure that focuses on specific areas of governance.
Suggested Dates of Meetings for the academic year 2019/20
Full Governing Board Start 6.00pm |
School Improvement Committee Start 6.00pm |
Resources Committee Start 6.00pm |
18th September 2019 |
28th November 2019 (Including SIP update) |
17th December 2019 Midyear monitoring visit with patch officer 10:00 am |
15th January 2020 Present RC minutes from 17/12 |
05th March 2020 (Including SIP update) |
06th February 2020 (Budget review and any other resources) |
17th March 2020 (Including SFVS) |
25th June 2020 (Including SIP update) |
4th March 2020 (Budget setting Annex 1 and 5 with patch officer during day) |
14th July 2020 (Including end of year data analysis and setting next SIP for next year) |
|
11th June (provisional if needed) |
Governor Training 2018/19
New Governors attended new governor training in the summer term.
Attendance of meetings
A record is kept, by the clerk to the governing board, of governors’ attendance at meetings. Apologies for absence are presented to meetings for acceptance. Attendance by Governors to all meetings is reviewed annually. All meetings for the academic year 2018-2019 were quorate.
Governor |
Full Governing Board |
Resources Committee |
Kevin Flint |
100% (3/3) |
100% (2/2) |
Sam Watson (Chair) |
100% (3/3) |
100% (2/2) |
Lisa Baines (Vice Chair) |
100% (3/3) |
100% (2/2) |
Tina Chipp |
100% (3/3) |
|
Nick Morrissy |
100% (1/1) |
|
Hayley Bramley |
100% (1/1) |
|
Jo Forest |
100% (3/3) |
|
Cllr Wes Bramley |
100% (1/1) |
|
Vanessa Garcin |
10% (2/2) term of office expired |
|
Data Analysis
Data is made available to governors through the Headteacher Report with verbal and written presentations followed by question and answer sessions with the Headteacher which includes scrutiny of the data from all year groups in order to heighten their awareness of focus groups and vulnerable areas, whilst maintaining governor knowledge.
Policies
Governors review all relevant policies on a scheduled basis to ensure that all guidance is current, relevant and up to date. Specific attention is paid to ensure that the school complies with the Department of Education mandatory policy list
Staff Recruitment
The Headteacher and a number of governors are trained in Safer Recruitment. Governors are involved in the recruitment and selection of all teaching staff and use the appointment process to ensure that high quality staff, who share the schools’ vision statement and aims, are appointed. Governors work hard to recruit quality teachers and leaders. They have considered a wide range of strategies to ensure that the right staff are appointed to drive forward the actions that are necessary to improve the school.
Financial Management
The governing body has been trained in School Finance management. The governors work with school staff to achieve 'The Schools Financial Value Standard and Assurance' (SFVS) on an annual basis. The impact of the governors’ role in the school ensures that the budget is well managed and improvements are effective and continuous. External audits confirm that finances are well managed.
Safeguarding
Governors take responsibility for ensuring that safeguarding arrangements meet current statutory requirements. They evaluate and review the annual safeguarding audit.
Strategic Planning for the future
Governors work co-operatively with the Headteacher and senior leaders in the writing and monitoring of the School Improvement Plan (SIP). The SIP details aims for the forthcoming year and is based on priorities identified from data, school self-evaluation and Ofsted priorities. The SIP lays out clear strategies and tasks, details who is responsible for carrying these out and the resources required. Monitoring procedures and tasks for the governing body are also included.
School Improvement Priorities (SIP) for 2019/20 based on Self Evaluation Summary (SES)
Quality of Education
Provisional Priorities |
Why has this priority been identified? |
|
|
Behaviour and Attitudes
Provisional Priorities |
Why has this priority been identified? |
|
|
Personal Development
Provisional Priorities |
Why has this priority been identified? |
|
|
Leadership and Management
Provisional Priorities |
Why has this priority been identified? |
|
|
Quality of Education in Early Years
Provisional Priorities |
Why has this priority been identified? |
|
|
Wider Contribution of the Governing Board
The wider contribution of the Governing Board to the leadership and management of the school this year has involved:
- Monitoring Safeguarding and attending safeguarding briefings.
- Monitoring the current budget and approving the budget for 2018 -2019 including the allocation of Pupil Premium funding, Sports Premium funding and monitoring its impact.
- Reviewing a wide range of existing and new policies.
- Undertaking the performance management of the Headteacher.
- Monitoring regular updates on behaviour, attendance and SEND
- Monitoring new developments within the curriculum such as the continued development of Guided Reading
- Analysing a range of data sources and agreeing targets
- Monitoring the condition of the school building
- Approving various educational visits
- Being actively engaged in the Five Pits Partnership collaboration with all the schools that feed into Tibshelf Community School including the secondary school itself
- Engaging in Governor training
- Engagement in Curriculum Development Day