Welcome to the Governors' section. In this section you will find details of:

• the roles of the governors as stated by the Department for Education
• some links to useful websites to give more details of the generic role of being a governor
• how to contact the governors
• who the governors are
• the code of conduct that the governors follow
• governor roles specific to Gilded Hollins and the attendance record of governors at meetings of the full governing body and subcommittee meetings

The three core strategic functions of the Governing body:

• ensuring clarity of vision, ethos and strategic direction
• holding the head teacher to account for the educational performance of the school and its pupils, and the performance management of staff
• overseeing the financial performance of the school and making sure its money is well spent

More information on the role of the Governors can be found on the DfE website.

The Governor's Handbook can be found here

The roles and responsibilities of the Governors can be found here 

Contact the Governors

To contact the governors please contact the school office.

Governor Code of Conduct

The Code of Conduct sets out the expectations of and commitment required from

Governors’ in order for the Governing Board to properly carry out its work within the school and the community. The Governing Board can amend the Code to include reference to the aims and ethos of the school.

The Governing Board has the following three strategic functions:

· Ensuring clarity of vision, ethos and strategic direction;

· Holding the executive leaders to account for the educational performance of the school and its pupils, and the performance management of staff; and

· Overseeing the financial performance of the organisation and making sure its money is well spent.

As individuals on the board we agree to the following:

Role and Responsibilities

1. We understand the purpose of the board and the role of the Headteacher and will ensure that the work of the board remains focused on the three strategic functions.

2. We accept that we have no legal authority to act individually, except when the board has given us delegated authority to do so, and therefore we will only speak on behalf of the governing board when we have been specifically authorised to do so.

3. We accept collective responsibility for all decisions made by the board or its delegated agents. This means that we will not speak against majority decisions outside the governing board meeting.

4. We have a duty to act fairly and without prejudice, and in so far as we have responsibility for staff, we will fulfil all that is expected of a good employer.

5. We will encourage open government and will act appropriately.

6. We will consider carefully how our decisions may affect the community and other schools.

7. We will always be mindful of our responsibility to maintain and develop the ethos and reputation of our school and ensure that the fundamental British Values of democracy, the rule of law, individual liberty, mutual respect, and tolerance of those with different faiths and beliefs are upheld within the school. Our actions within the school and the local community will reflect this.

8. In making or responding to criticism or complaints affecting the school we will follow the procedures established by the governing board.

9. We will actively support and challenge the headteacher.

Commitment

10. We acknowledge that accepting office as a governor involves the commitment of significant amounts of time and energy.

11. We will each involve ourselves actively in the work of the governing board, and accept our fair share of responsibilities, including service on committees or working groups.

12. We will make full efforts to attend all meetings and where we cannot attend explain in advance why we are unable to.

13. We will get to know the school well and respond to opportunities to involve ourselves in school activities.

14. We will visit the school, with all visits to school arranged in advance with the staff and undertaken within the framework established by the governing board and agreed with the headteacher.

15. We will consider seriously our individual and collective needs for training and development, and will undertake relevant training.

16. We accept that in the interests of open government, our names, terms of office, roles on the governing board, category of governor and the body responsible for appointing us and the register of interests will be published on the school’s website.

Relationships

17. We will strive to work as a team in which constructive working relationships are actively promoted.

18. We will express views openly, courteously and respectfully in all our communications with other governors.

19. We will support the chair in their role of ensuring appropriate conduct both at meetings and at all times.

20. We are prepared to answer queries from other governors in relation to delegated functions and take into account any concerns expressed, and we will acknowledge the time, effort and skills that have been committed to the delegated function by those involved.

21. We will seek to develop effective working relationships with the headteacher, staff and parents, the local authority and other relevant agencies and the community.

Confidentiality

22. We will observe confidentiality regarding proceedings of the governing board in meetings and from our visits to school as governors.

23. We will observe complete confidentiality when required or asked to do so by the governing board, especially regarding matters concerning individual staff or students.

24. We will exercise the greatest prudence if a discussion of a potentially contentious issue affecting the school arises outside the governing board.

25. We will not reveal the details of any governing board vote.

Conflicts of Interest

26. We will record any pecuniary interest (including those related to people we are connected with) that we have in connection with the governing board’s business in the Register of Interests, and in any such conflicted matter arises in a meeting we will offer to leave the meeting for the appropriate length of time.

27. We will also declare any conflict of loyalty at the start of any meeting should the situation arise.

28. We will act in the best interests of the school as a whole and not as a representative of any group, even if elected to the governing board.

Social Media

29. We will not identify ourselves as governors of the school at which we are a governor on any social medium.

30. We will not engage in activities involving social media which might bring the school at which we are governors into disrepute.

31. We will not represent our personal views as those of the school at which we are a governor on any social medium.

Breach of this code

If we believe this code has been breached, we will raise this issue with the chair and the chair will investigate; the governing board will only use suspension or removal as a last resort after seeking to resolve any difficulties or disputes in more constructive ways.

Should it be the chair that we believe has breached this code; another governor such as the vice-chair will investigate.

All governors will sign to say they have read and understand the Code of Conduct at the first governing board meeting each school year.

Governor roles

The Governing Body is responsible for:

• Ensuring clarity of vision, ethos and strategic direction
• Holding the headteacher to account for the educational performance of the school and its pupils, and the performance management of staff
• Overseeing the financial performance of the school and making sure its money is well spent

Subcommittees:

Pay Committee: Delegated by the Full Governing body to make decisions related to pay should a meeting be needed.

Any committees required on an ad-hoc basis, to deal with issues such as complaints, will be drawn from those governors available at the time who have no relevant prior knowledge or personal interest in the situation being looked at

Ten governors in total.                                                                                                                                               

The reconstitution came into effect from 7^th March 2019

Details about the Governors

All terms of office are 4 years, except for the Headteacher and staff governor, but governors can remain on the governing body for consecutive terms of office if reappointed.

Meetings also attended by Mrs Amy Appleton, Clerk to the Governors

The School Business Manager, attends the first part of each meeting if required, to report on financial matters

Register of Interests

Attendance Record

YES = attended

APOLS = apologies offered and accepted

NO = didn’t attend and no apologies offered prior to meeting / apologies offered but not accepted

N.A = Not applicable e.g. not a governor at that time

Annual Governors Statement

2024 - 2025

This year has seen some changes in the membership of the Governing Body with three new Governors joining the board and I am pleased to report that we remain a diverse and committed team. Our governors bring a broad range of professional and life experience, with a good balance of skills, backgrounds, and gender representation. We continue to meet face-to-face, which supports our ability to work collaboratively and effectively.

A recent skills audit confirmed that the Governing Body has the capacity and knowledge required to fulfil our core responsibilities. All governors have completed mandatory safeguarding training, and many have engaged in further development via the local authority or the National Governance Association’s e-learning platform.

Training undertaken this year has included:

• Being Strategic
• Safer Recruitment
• Recruiting a Senior Leader
• Handling Complaints
• Schools Financial Value Standard
• New to Governance
• Succession Planning
• Pupil Premium

In the autumn term, governors met with teaching staff and senior leaders to explore their link roles. Following these visits, detailed reports were submitted outlining how subjects are delivered and monitored in school, how progress is measured, how pupils experience learning, and what developments have taken place since the previous year.

The Governing Body also led the recruitment process for a new Deputy Headteacher, which included a thorough two-day assessment and interview process. We are confident in the appointment and look forward to welcoming our new Deputy Head in the next academic year. We wish Mrs Malley a very happy retirement. 

During the Spring and Summer term we completed our annual formal visits programme firstly Governors Day where we undertook Learning Walks involving classroom and assembly visits, followed by the Governor Marketplace, where the children in each year group present a detailed programme of activities and events that illustrated their engagement and learning across a varied and challenging curriculum.  These events provide a valuable opportunity to observe the school’s strategic priorities in action and to meet with staff and pupils.  In addition, Governors also undertook informal visits to assemblies, school trips and site surveys of the school. The visit programme and learning walks undertaken during the year are vital for governors as they enable us to see the impact of our decisions and better understand the lived experience of pupils and staff.

The governors remain fully committed to working closely with Mrs Burns and her staff to support the school to continue to produce the very good performance and importantly the broad quality education for all our pupils.  

We are also delighted to welcome a further two new Governors to the board for the coming academic year, who bring a wealth of knowledge and experience from an educational and strategic public sector background to further enhance the capacity and capability of the group.

It has been a privilege to work with such a dedicated and skilled Governing Body this year. As I prepare to step down as Chair at the end of the academic year, I am confident that the Governing Body will continue to provide strong support and challenge in its strategic role, and that the school is well placed for the future.

Mr R Hampson

Historical Governing Body Attendance / Registration of Interest

Register of Interests

Attendance Record

YES = attended

APOLS = apologies offered and accepted

NO = didn’t attend and no apologies offered prior to meeting / apologies offered but not accepted

N.A = Not applicable e.g. not a governor at that time

Register of Interests

Attendance Record

YES = attended

APOLS = apologies offered and accepted

NO = didn’t attend and no apologies offered prior to meeting / apologies offered but not accepted

N.A = Not applicable e.g. not a governor at that time

Governor  Attendance 2021 to 2022

Attendance Record

YES = attended

APOLS = apologies offered and accepted

NO = didn’t attend and no apologies offered prior to meeting / apologies offered but not accepted

N.A = Not applicable e.g. not a governor at that time

Governor  Attendance, 2020 to 2021 

Attendance Record

YES = attended

APOLS = apologies offered and accepted

NO = didn’t attend and no apologies offered prior to meeting / apologies offered but not accepted

N.A = Not applicable e.g. not a governor at that time