Welcome to our Governors’ section

Please find below details of how our Governing body is structured, including the names, categories, responsibilities and terms of appointment for each Governor.

All schools in England have a Governing Body, made up of individual Governors, which is responsible for overseeing many of the strategic decisions of the school. The Governing Body sets the vision, aims and objectives for the school. It sets the policies and targets for achieving these aims and objectives. The Governing Body also monitor and evaluate the progress the school is making towards the achievement of the vision, aims and objectives. The Governors appoint the Headteacher and Assistant Headteacher. They hold the main responsibility for finance, and work with the Headteacher to make decisions about balancing resources needed against the budget allocated by the Local Authority. The Governors act as a ‘critical friend’: to support, to challenge, to ask questions, and ultimately to represent the school community.

The Headteacher is responsible for the internal organisation, management and control of the school and the implementation of the strategic framework established by the Governing Body.

The Governing Body of Glastonbury Thorn is made up of volunteers who are interested in the continued progress of the school and in ensuring the best possible education for the children in our care. The Governors work in close partnership with the Headteacher, Staff and the Local Authority.

The Full Governing Body meets at least 5 times a year, some will have a focus on Finance, Personnel, Facilities & Safety and some will focus on Quality of Education.

COULD YOU BE A SCHOOL GOVERNOR?

Glastonbury Thorn School has been serving its local community for 30 years. We are an infant school with a strong track record of providing excellent education and a caring, supportive environment for pupils and their parents.

We are seeking volunteers to increase the breadth and depth of experience of our governing body.

We currently have a vacancies for Parent Governors, Partnership Governors and Co-Opted Governors.

We are especially keen to recruit:

• Those with skills that can contribute to the effective governance and success of the school, e.g. experience running meetings or committees or a background in finance, commercial management, HR, facilities management
• Those with a background in education and early years, whether through working in a school, academy or nursery or in a governance role
• Those with strong links to the local community, either through work (e.g. police, fire, local businesses) or personal life (e.g. community or faith groups).

The role

All school governors contribute to the work of the governing body in ensuring high standards of achievement for all children and young people in the school by:

• Setting the school’s 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
• Ensuring the voices of stakeholders are heard.

In practice, this means you will have to:

• Support the aims of the school
• Make yourself aware of the school’s vision and development plan
• Visit and get to know the school (at least one visit per term during the school day)
• Work co-operatively with the headteacher, senior leadership team and other governors to raise standards and improve outcomes for all children
• Prepare for meetings by reading papers beforehand. Attend meetings (three full governing board meetings each year held in the evenings, plus attendance at one of the board’s subcommittees which also meet termly)
• Take responsibility for your own learning and development as a governor including attending training (ideally three courses per year, either in person or on line)
• Promote the interests of the school in the wider community
• Respect the confidentiality of governing body affairs
• Declare an interest and withdraw from any meeting where you, a partner or close relative or associate stands to gain, or where you are so close to a matter discussed it is difficult to be impartial
• Have regard to the broader responsibilities as a governor of a public institution in regard to promoting accountability for the actions and performance of the governing body.

What are the benefits for you?

• Make a meaningful impact in your local community
• Gain valuable experience of governance and decision making
• Free training and development opportunities.

Please get in touch if you are interested: office@glastonburythorn.co.uk

Glastonbury Thorn Governing Body  -  2024/25 Academic Year 

Relevant business and pecuniary interests of the Governing Board - October 2024

Committee Meetings 2024/25

Attendance at Committee Meetings

Academic year 2023/24

Academic Year 2022/2023