We LOVE our school!
Having founded the school in February 1864(!) right up until today, we enjoy great links with Christ Church school. We lead weekly Assemblies and Bible Clubs, support RE Lessons and host both educational and worshipful events at church. The annual Reception Fun Morning is a great time getting to know new community members. A number of our congregation are also involved in leadership level at the school, including the Governing Body.
For more information about our school, please use the buttons below to navigate to their website.
SCHOOL GOVERNOR INFORMATION
Christ Church Surbiton Hill have the privilege of helping to shape the Christian voice within our local Church of England School, Christ Church School Surbiton. One of the key ways we do this is by having church family members as school governors. The Below page explains what a school governor does and why you should consider being one. Please take some time to read this page and pray over whether this would be a way in which you can serve our Lord in this community…
Why volunteer to be a school governor?
School governors make a valuable contribution to children’s education, opportunities and futures.
Being a school governor is a challenging but hugely rewarding role. It will give you the chance to make a real difference to young people, give something back to your local community and use and develop your skills in a board-level environment. You will also be joining the largest volunteer force in the country: there are over a quarter of a million volunteers governing state funded schools in England.
Schools need governing boards that have a balance and diversity of knowledge, skills and experience to enable it to be effective. Ofsted (the national inspection body for schools) has repeatedly noted that the most effective schools demonstrate effective leadership and management – which includes the governing board.
Who can become a school governor?
Anyone aged 18 or over can be a governor (but there are some exceptions) and you do not need to be a parent. There is no requirement for you to have an understanding of the education system, just the necessary skills, character and time to contribute. There is plenty of training available to help you learn about education. Schools needs and benefit from a range of professional knowledge on their governing board including education, finance, human resources, legal, marketing and public relations, property and estates management, and organisational change.
As a governor, you will be able to:
use your own experience of education and life beyond school to inform conversations
develop and utilise your skills in a board-level environment
make a valuable contribution to education and your community
support and challenge the school so that it improves for pupils and staff
bring your unique experiences, perspectives and insights into decision-making in the interests of the school community
What are the various types of Governors?
There are also different categories of governor including parent, foundation (appointed by the church), staff and local authority. If you do not have a connection of this nature to the school or church, you will be a co-opted governor invited to join the board for the skills you can contribute. The type of governor you will become depends on your situation.
What do governors do?
The governing board provides strategic leadership and accountability in schools. It has three key functions:
Overseeing the financial performance of the school and making sure its money is well spent
Holding the headteacher to account for the educational performance of the school and its pupils
Ensuring clarity of vision, ethos and strategic direction
Governors set the aims and objectives for the school and set the policies and targets for achieving those aims and objectives. They monitor and evaluate the progress the school is making and act as a source of challenge and support to the headteacher. In action, this means:
Appointing and performance reviewing the head teacher and senior leaders, including making decisions about pay
Managing budgets and deciding how money is spent
Engaging with pupils, staff, parents and the school community
Sitting on committees and making decisions about things like pupil exclusions and staff disciplinary
Addressing a range of education issues within the school including disadvantaged pupils, pupils with special needs, staff workload and teacher recruitment
Looking at data and evidence to ask questions and have challenging conversations about the school
Governors and trustees must be prepared to adopt the Nolan principles of public life: selflessness, integrity, objectivity, accountability, openness, honesty and leadership.
Governors should also be committed to their role and to young people; confident in having courageous conversations; curious with an enquiring mind; able to challenge the status quo to improve things; collaborative to build strong relationships; critical to improve their own work and that of the board; and creative in problem solving and being innovative.
What will be expected of me?
The average time commitment is five to eight hours per month, although it will vary depending on the needs of the school and the role. This includes meetings, background reading and school visits. As well as full governing board meetings, many schools have various committees and link governor roles which you may like to contribute to – this depends on each individual school.
Like magistrates or members of a jury, school governors have a right to reasonable time off work for their public duties, although this may be unpaid. Your company’s HR department will be able to tell you about its policy.
Each school sets a term of office for its governors – this is normally four years. Many people choose to serve multiple terms, however as a volunteer you can resign before your term is finished if your circumstances change.
Each individual governor is a member of a governing board, which is established in law as a corporate body. Individual governors may not act independently of the rest of the governing board; decisions are the joint responsibility of the governing board.
Governance is a voluntary role and therefore it is not paid.
Ready to get involved?
To find out more, or to Sign up as a school governor or trustee contact the school directly: office@ccp.rbksch.org
