Role of the Governing Body

Governors meet twice a term, but a substantial amount of business is carried out by the subcommittees.  Governors serve on these subcommittees and non-confidential minutes of the most recent Governing Body meetings are available in school.

They are the strategic leaders of our schools and have a vital role to play in making sure every child gets the best possible education. For maintained schools, this is reflected in the law, which states that the purpose of maintained school governing bodies is to ‘conduct the school with a view to promoting high standards of educational achievement at the school’.

In all types of schools, governing bodies should have a strong focus on three core functions:

To provide a strategic view – The governing body has important duties but limited time and resources.  So it should focus on where it can add most value - that is in helping to decide the school's strategy for improvement so that the pupils are learning most effectively and achieve the highest standards.

To act as a critical friend – Ensuring the governing body provides the head teacher and staff with support, advice and information, drawing on its members’ knowledge and experience, thus acting as a critical friend to the school.

To ensure accountability - Governors are not inspectors, and it is not their role to assess the quality or method of teaching or extent of learning. They are also not school managers and should make sure they do not interfere in the day-to-day running of the school. Both are the role of the head teacher. However, the governing body is responsible for ensuring good quality education in the school.  The head teacher and staff report to the governing body on the school’s performance.  The governing body has the right to discuss, question and refine proposals – while always respecting the professional roles of the head teacher and other staff.  In turn, the governing body answers for its actions to parents and the wider local community for the school’s overall performance.

Subcommittees of the Grimsdyke School Governing Body are :-

• Leadership & Management - deals with Personnel, Premises, Admin & Safeguarding matters.
• Quality of Education - looks at curriculum matters and children's progress
• Pastoral and Wellbeing - ensures policies are regularly updated, looks at attendance, wellbeing, behaviour etc.

To contact the school governors, please email sbm@grimsdyke.harrow.sch.uk and the school will forward this to the Chair of Governors. 

If you are interested in becoming a School Governor, then please contact the Local Authority regarding this process.