Ashdon Primary School Governors

Governors' Roles and Responsibilities

Governors are volunteers from the school’s parent and local community who, as a Governing Body, work to support the school to provide the best possible education for its pupils.

The Governing Body is the key strategic decision-making body in the school, setting the strategic framework and ensuring it meets all its statutory duties. Raising achievement is at the heart of a governing body’s strategic role; every child has the right to attend a good school.”

“In law, the Governing Body is a corporate body which means:

  • No governor can act on his/her own without proper authority from the full Governing Body.
  • All governors carry equal responsibility for decisions made.

Although appointed through different routes, the overriding concern of all governors has to be the welfare of the school as a whole. Governing bodies should be alert to the risk of becoming dominated by one particular mind-set or strand of opinion.”

Extracts from ‘EES for Schools Code of Conduct for the Governing Body

Contacting the Governing Body

Should you wish to contact our Chair of Governors (Rev. Brenda Brundritt) please leave a message at the school office; email admin@ashdon.essex.sch.uk or call 01799584219. Letters to th Chair of Governors should be addressed ‘Private and Confidential’ and can also be left at the reception desk with our admin team for collection.

Ashdon Primary School’s Governing Body 2023-2024

Our Instrument of Government (dated 06/01/2021) states that 9 positions are available on Ashdon School’s Governing Body plus a clerk. The positions are split as follows:

2 x Parent governors 

Mr Kevin Henry

Mr Corey Vost

 

1 x Local Authority governor

Rev. Brenda Brundritt

3 x Co-opted governors (members of the local community appointed by the governing body)

Mr Charlie Saville

Mr Peter Wiles

Mrs Sarah Hegarty

1 x Co-opted governor vacancy

2 x Staff governors (including the Headteacher)

Ms Marne Reynecke (by virtue of office)

Mrs Sam Dowding

Individual governor responsibilities

Name
Type of governor
Responsibility
Date appointed
Term ends

Reverend Brenda Brundritt

Local Authority Governor

Chair of Governors 

Early Years Foundation Stage 

Headteacher Performance and Pay 

12/10/2023

 

12/10/2027

 

Corey Vost

Parent Governor

Vice Chair of Governors

Special Educational Needs and Disability (SEND)

Behaviour

Communication (including website) & Community

21/03/2022

21/03/2026

Kevin Henry

Parent Governor

Disadvantaged Champion (Pupil Premium and PE & Sport Premium)

Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI)

19/10/2021

21/10/2025

Charlie Saville

Co-opted Governor

Training

Health & Safety

Headteacher Performance and Pay

08/07/2013

08/07/2025

Peter Wiles

Co-opted Governor

Mathematics

Science 

Safer Recruitment

Headteacher Performance and Pay

21/10/2021

20/10/2025

Sarah Hegarty

Co-opted Governor

English

12/10/2023

12/10/2027

Marne Reynecke

Headteacher

All areas

17/05/2023

Ex-Officio

Sam Dowding

Staff Governor

N/A

12/10/2023

12/10/2027

Governor attendance 2023 – 2024

Governor attendance 2022 – 2023

Governor attendance 2021 – 2022

Governor attendance 2020 – 2021

Governor attendance 2019 – 2020

Governor attendance 2018 – 2019

  • Together with the Headteacher, we set the future direction for the school and decide how the school’s budget should be spent.
  • As a governing body, we make decisions collectively on matters such as school policies, performance targets and the school’s development plan.
  • We help monitor performance and progress and identify improvement strategies.
  • We monitor expenditure, ensure value for money is obtained and risks are managed and budgets met.
  • We engage with parents and pupils and represent their views.
  • We report to parents on the school’s achievements and respond to inspection recommendations
  • We hear appeals from pupils and staff, and consider any complaints that may arise.
  • We provide the Headteacher with support and advice, drawing on our own knowledge and experience
  • We ask searching questions and respect the Headteacher’s position as the professional leader of the school. This role is often called ‘being a critical friend’.

Level of involvement

As governors, we have individual responsibilities within areas of the school, for example: certain subjects in the curriculum, specific areas of monitoring.

The full Governing Body (FGB) meets twice every term, each meeting lasting two hours. In a typical school term, we expect to spend approximately 6 to 8 hours on our duties.

As governors, we visit the school regularly to provide support and representation at organised events (such as Fridays’ Sharing Assemblies and open mornings for new parents), on an ad-hoc basis to speak to staff, parents and pupils and to monitor the implementation of the School Development Plan (SDP) and the effectiveness of policies.

Training and support

All our governors are volunteers and are not paid to perform the role.  Even though we may have experience in other areas of work, we all need some training.  The governor responsible for co-ordinating training encourages new and existing governors to attend courses which will help them undertake their roles more effectively.  Courses are usually held in the evenings or on Saturdays in local primary or secondary schools and last a couple of hours.

Going forwards

Our latest Ofsted Inspection (December 2022) highlighted a great many of our strengths and the school and the members of the governing body were happy with the ‘Good’ outcome. However, we are all striving for ‘outstanding’ and have excellent plans in place to take the school forward.

How to become a governor

Anyone over 18 can be a school governor – you do not have to be a parent with a child at the school.

The most important qualities for being a governor are enthusiasm, commitment and an interest in education.  You don’t need teaching experience, but it’s useful to bring skills from areas of your life

“For governing bodies to carry out their roles effectively, governors must be:

  • prepared and equipped to take their responsibilities seriously
  • acknowledged as the accountable body by the lead professionals
  • supported by the appropriate authorities in that task
  • willing and able to monitor and review their own performance.”

EES for Schools Code of Conduct for the Governing Body

If you would like to find out more about being a school governor, please speak with any of the current school governors who will be more than happy to talk through what is involved.  Alternatively, please visit www.essexcc.govuk/governors or leave your name and number with the School Office and a governor will contact you.

Business Interests

As of the 1st September 2015 the school is required to publish information about its governors and any person at the school who has financial responsibility. This information is detailed below;

Governor Register of Interests 2023

Previous governors

Below are details of governors have left the governing body within the last 12 months, along with the committees and positions they held on the Governing Body:

  • Lynn Nuttall, co-opted governor, left July 2022.
  • Liz Lunn, staff governor, resigned as governor July 2022.
  • Simon Rance, Headteacher, left April 2023.
  • Margaret Hartley, co-opted governor, left May 2023.

The minutes of the governors’ meetings are available in the school office for viewing.