Governors
All schools have governing bodies and our purpose is to help the school to provide the best possible education for every pupil and help them reach the highest standards of achievement. School governors come in a variety of types. At Hathern we have four governors who are parents or carers, and are elected by all parents and carers. We have one governor who represents the teaching and support staff in the school, and that is also an elected post. Three governors represent the wider school community and are elected by the other governors. There are two foundation governors representing our local church as we are a voluntary controlled school and one governor who is appointed by the local authority. The Headteacher also serves on the governing body. The term of office for all governors, except the Headteacher, is 4 years.
Governors are any age – young and old - with qualifications and experience from many walks of life including commercial and business activities, teaching and education and the church with a wide variety of outside interests. Our broad experience makes us a strong and balanced governing body and enables us to carry out our strategic role. So what precisely do we do? We meet as a full governing body at least once a term, however much of the business is delegated to sub-committees. We have Finance, Personnel and Premises, School Improvement and Safeguarding and Foundation Governor sub-committees. We develop the strategic framework within which the school operates and determine the character, aims, ethos and values of the school. We govern by developing policies against which the school operates. A school functions best when the governing body and the Head Teacher work together as a team in pursuit of common values. This certainly doesn’t mean that the governors are there just to rubber stamp decisions that are made by the Head Teacher. The governors’ relationship can best be described as a “critical friend”. We monitor and evaluate the work of the school, offering constructive advice, a sounding board for ideas and a second opinion on proposals. We are not there to interfere in the day to day running of the school, or to comment on the quality or methods employed by the teaching staff – those are the responsibility of the Head Teacher. The fabric of the buildings and the school finances take up a lot of our time. Most of the funding provided by the government comes directly to the school which means we have tough decisions to make about the priorities for spending to achieve the best we can for Hathern pupils. There is never enough! Governors’ work can be challenging and demanding at times but is also very rewarding. It’s never boring! If you would like to know more, perhaps with a view to becoming a governor yourself, please don’t hesitate to approach any of the governors or the school directly. |
Governors provide a good level of support and challenge for school leaders. They are regular visitors to the school and are very familiar with its workings. Governors hold school leaders to account effectively and have high aspirations for the school’s future. |
Name
Mr Tim Farthing Mr Graham Spencer Miss Sophie Candlin Ms Annette Harper Mrs Cara Tatterton Revd Peter Yorkstone Mrs Claire Elliott Mrs Nannette Kirkman-Graham Mrs Penny De Kock Mrs Anna Kalawsky Mr Stuart Bailey Ms Cath Watson |
Category
Chair of Governors, Co-opted Governor Parent Governor Parent Governor Local Authority Governor Foundation Governor Foundation Governor Vice-Chair, Parent Governor Parent Governor Co-opted Governor Co-opted Governor Headteacher Clerk to Governors |
Committee membership
Finance, Personnel & Premises School Improvement & Safeguarding (Chair) Finance, Personnel & Premises Finance, Personnel & Premises (Chair) School Improvement & Safeguarding, Foundation Foundation (Chair) School Improvement & Safeguarding School Improvement & Safeguarding Finance, Personnel & Premises School Improvement & Safeguarding All committees All committees |
Appointed
28th August 2021 30th September 2021 12th May 2021 29th October 2020 17th June 2021 14th October 2020 12th May 2021 25th September 2018 1st February 2020 1st May 2021 1st November 2010 |