Home Page

Meet the Governors

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.

The Governing Body

Chair : Jacob Walker Vice Chair: Felicity Somervell

LA (1)	End of Office
Vacancy
Parents (4)	End of Office
Stephanie Cross	14^th October 2025
Angela Dunnett	14^th October 2025
Marites Navarro	13^th June 2023
Jacob Walker	13^th June 2023
Head Teacher (1)	End of Office
Anthony James	Ex-Officio
Staff Governor (1)	End of Office
Dawn Lovett	12^th October 2023
Co-opted (5)	End of Office
Farooq Hussain	15^th September 2022
Pally Lashar	15^th September 2022
Nadia Nasim	3^rd December 2023
Felicity Somervell	15^th September 2022
Petra Stanaway	5^th December 2022

Meeting Dates 2021/22

Full Governing Board

Wednesday 15^th September 2021 at 6pm (set-up meeting)

Wednesday 8^th December 2021 at 6pm

Wednesday 6^th April 2022 at 6pm (budget ratification)

Wednesday 6^th July 2022 at 6pm

Finance & Personnel Committee

Wednesday 17^th November 2021 at 6.30pm

Wednesday 30^th March 2022 at 6pm

Wednesday 22^nd June 2022 at 6pm

Behaviour & Safety Committee

Thursday 21^st October 2021 at 6pm

Wednesday 19^th January 2022 at 6pm

Wednesday 11^th May 2022 at 6pm

Governors’ Statutory Responsibilities and Functions

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

Ensuring clarity of vision, ethos and strategic direction,

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

Overseeing the financial performance of the organisation and making sure its money is well spent. (Extract from Governance Handbook October 2020)

Governance Handbook/Competency Framework for Governance

Please refer to the Governance Handbook and Competency Framework for Governance published by the Department for Education. The latest versions are available online below:

Governance Handbook October 2020

Competency Framework for Governance January 2017

Review of committees and delegation

The governing board must review the committee structure, terms of reference for each committee and the membership of each committee on an annual basis.

Terms of Reference

The following committees established by the governing board comply with The School Governance (Role, Procedures and Allowances) (England) Regulations 2013.

The head teacher can attend all meetings of any committee established by the governing board but in some instances this may only be in an advisory capacity. When an issue is being discussed which directly affects the head teacher they must, as with any other governor in a similar position, declare an interest and physically withdraw from the meeting.

In maintained schools the quorum for a meeting of the full governing board and for any vote on any matter at such meeting, is one half (rounded up to a whole number) of the membership of the governing board at the time of the meeting not including any vacant positions. In the event of equal votes the chair has the casting vote.

Virtual meeting arrangements

The Governing Board has approved the use of “virtual attendance” at meetings (approved at FGB meeting on 15^th September 2021).

For full details, please refer to the Virtual Governance Policy.

Committees

The legal minimum quorum for committee meetings is three voting governors. The quorum for committees will not include associate members - despite any voting rights they may have been given.

The appointed clerk will undertake the clerking of the committees.

The committee minutes shall be included as an agenda item for consideration/information at the next meeting of the full governing board where appropriate.

All decisions made by committees with delegated powers should be reported to the next full meeting of the governing board. If the minutes are not finalised a brief statement of the conclusions reached should be given.

The chair of the committee will be appointed at the first full governing board/committee meeting of the academic year. Governors who are employed by the school are not eligible to be appointed as chair.

Committees will have delegated powers to approve policies as relevant to that committee.

The governing board cannot delegate any functions relating to:

The constitution of the governing board (unless otherwise provided by the constitution regulations),
The appointment or removal of the chair and vice chair/clerk,
The appointment or removal of governors,
The suspension of governors,
The delegation of functions and establishment of committees,
Change of school name or status,
Salary range for the head teacher & deputy.

Associate Members

In maintained schools the governing board can appoint associate members to serve on one or more committees of the board. Associate members can attend full board meetings but may be excluded from any part of a meeting where the business being considered concerns a member of school staff or an individual pupil. They can be appointed for a period of between one and four years and can be re-appointed at the end of their term. Associate members are not governors and they are not recorded in the instrument of government (Extracted from Governance Handbook October 2020 – Page 64, paragraph 53).

NB: Associate members are not governors and therefore do not have a vote in full governing board decisions, but may be given a vote on decisions made by committees to which they are appointed.

Finance & Personnel Committee

The committee has responsibility delegated by the governing board to:
Finance: Review/approve all policies relevant to finance and roles of the committee. Approve the annual budget and present it to the full governing board for ratification. Review the actual expenditure and monitoring statements at least once a term. Receive & review financial projections. Review Pupil Premium, PE & Sports Premium and COVID19 Catch-Up Premium and ensure impact statements are published on the school’s website. Approve expenditure and virements of sums over £20,000, sums below that amount are delegated to the Head Teacher. Conform to the Schools Financial Value Standards in Schools Assess the financial progress towards achieving the objectives in the school improvement plan. Review of leases and contracts – including traded services. Ensure Best Value principles apply. Review the financial implications on the budget of the pay and conditions document. Receive the annual accounts and certificate of audit of the school fund account and other voluntary funds held within school. Assess the schools insurance cover to ensure that it provides adequate protection against risks. Review and approve internal financial procedures and controls. Ensure LA/academy financial procedures are complied with. This is to include: A Cost Centre Group Report or Account Summary Report (or equivalent ) A Virement Report, A copy of the latest Suspense File ( non-cheque book and EPA schools only) A system report showing cumulative expenditure of £10,000 or more with an individual supplier. Note: This must not be restricted to an individual financial year and may cross a number of financial years Ensure requirements for the tendering process are followed and comply with the EU Procurement Threshold. The tender limit for the European Threshold currently being £189,330 for supplies and services, and £4,733,252 for works. Obtain quotations with a view to placing contracts/orders, once the relevant committee has drawn up a specification. Staffing: Review/approve all policies relevant to staffing and roles of the committee. Consider applications from staff for variation to contract (secondments, early retirements, leave of absence, reduced working hours etc). Refer to local policy guidance. Ensure all personnel records are held securely. Review the staffing structure of the school annually ensuring that it meets the requirements of the curriculum and is in line with the school improvement plan. Review staff work/life balance, working conditions and well-being, including the monitoring of absence. Implement the appraisal policy and monitor teacher appraisal process. Equal Opportunities. Establish and maintain rolling programme for Disclosure & Barring Service (DBS) Checks. Staff training and CPD. *Any item referred by the full governing board*
Membership
Stephanie Cross Farooq Hussain Tony James Felicity Somervell Petra Stanaway Jacob Walker *Minimum of three members required*
Chair of Committee	Petra Stanaway
Clerk	Julie Hayes

Behaviour & Safety Committee

The committee has responsibility delegated by the governing board to:
Behaviour and attendance: Review behaviour policy and written statement of behaviour principles. Review attendance policy. Monitor school behaviour. Review and monitor attendance data against school and national targets. Premises Health and Safety: Review the health and safety policy on an annual basis, amend, develop and review any other health and safety related polices or procedures. Establish and review an accessibility plan. Review e-safety policy and procedures. Receive Health and safety audit, and monitor any action plans that come out of the audit. Ensure where the school provides school lunches and/or other school food and milk, this meets DfE standards. Receive a regular report on accident statistics, near misses, incidents of violence or aggression and any RIDDOR incidents. Consider any reports provided by inspectors of the enforcing authority under Health and Safety at work Act or any other relevant enforcement authority. Comply with current fire safety legislation and regulations: ‘level one’ fire risk assessment should be carried out by the school on an annual basis; ‘level 2’ or technical fire risk assessment is reviewed bi-annually (Sandwell Specific). Ensure risk assessments are carried out and reviewed on a regular basis. Review and approve upcoming offsite activities, ensuring that health and safety planning and risk assessments have been undertaken for them. Ensure Fire risk assessment is carried out and reviewed annually, any recommendations identified will be transferred to an actions plan which will be monitored by governors to ensure completion. Ensure fire log book is maintained and updated. Inspect the school site and buildings to enable maintenance and improvement, including security (site visit). The inspection to be documented and any actions monitored. Ensure building related maintenance checks have been carried out at appropriate intervals and actions are monitored until completion. This will include but not limited to: Electronic testing – PAT testing Asbestos (where applicable) Annual gas service Glassing risk assessment Ladder log Playground equipment and gym inspection Lifting equipment Local exhaust ventilation (where applicable) Legionella risk assessment and relevant checks Ensure premise log book is being maintained by relevant site staff and have attended appropriate health and safety training. Governors need to be satisfied that contractors do not pose a health and safety risk whilst on the school premise and should therefore have a system in place to ensure contractors are managed whilst carrying out work on the school premise. The system should identify relevant health and safety information required prior to a contractor coming on site and the process to be followed whilst on site. There should be a procedure for commissioning contractors. Consideration should be given to any health, safety and welfare implications posed by new equipment or circumstances. Receive reports and audits from health and safety representatives (to include caretaking and cleaning), actions identified should be monitored to completion. Health and safety self-monitoring return. Monitor the health and safety training that staff and governors have undertaken and plan any future training required. Monitor all safeguarding procedures. Keep up to date on any changes in health and safety legislation that may have an impact for the school. Review communications and publicity relating to health and safety in the school and where necessary recommend any improvements or changes, how information is communicated and made available within the school. Receive minutes of school central safety committee (Sandwell only) *Any item referred by the full governing board*
Membership
Angela Dunnett Tony James Pally Lashar Dawn Lovett Felicity Somervell Jacob Walker *Minimum of three members required*
Chair of Committee	Felicity Somervell
Clerk	Julie Hayes

Staffing Committee

The committee has responsibility delegated by the governing board for hearing:
The committee will consider any issues pertaining to staffing and personnel, in line with HR policies and procedures. This includes but is not limited to; Staff grievance and discipline (in line with school policies) Staff dismissal, redundancy and redeployment Staff capability Management of absence Dignity at work
Membership
To be made up of members who have no awareness of the original incident and are not known personally to the member of staff *Minimum of three members required*
Chair of Committee	To be elected at each meeting
Clerk

Pupil Discipline Committee

The committee has responsibility delegated by the governing board to:
Review the use of exclusions within school, including exclusions of more than 15 school days and exclusions which would result in a pupil missing the opportunity to take a public exam Receive and consider any representations lodged by parents of pupils who have been excluded for a fixed term or permanently Comply with exclusion procedures in accordance with the LA & DfE guidance *Any item referred by the full governing board*
Membership
To be made up of members who have no awareness of the original incident and are not known personally to the appellant parents or pupils *Minimum of three members required*
Chair of Committee	To be elected at each meeting
Clerk

Complaints Committee

The committee has responsibility delegated by the governing board to:
At the relevant stage hear any complaint made under the school complaints procedures *Any item referred by the full governing board*
Membership
To be made up of members who have no awareness of the original incident and are not known personally to the complainant *Minimum of three members required*
Chair of Committee	To be elected at each meeting
Clerk

Appeals Committee

The committee has responsibility delegated by the governing board for hearing appeals with regard to:
Pay Redundancy Staff grievance Leave of absence – if appropriate Staff dismissal Dignity at work Any Item referred by the full governing board *When dealing with an appeal the committee should be equal to or greater than the original committee that made the decision*
Membership
To be made up of members who have no awareness of the original incident / hearing and are not known personally to the appellant. *Minimum of three members required*
Chair of Committee	To be elected at each meeting
Clerk

Pay Committee

The committee has responsibility delegated by the governing board to:
Undertake functions in relation to appraisal and pay progression as determined in the pay policy *Committee to meet once per year in the autumn term*
Membership
Felicity Somervell Petra Stanaway Jacob Walker Minimum of three members required. Cannot be Head Teacher or a governor employed by the school. Any representations made by staff following the initial decision of the Pay Committee must be heard in the first instance by the same members of the committee.
Chair of Committee	Petra Stanaway
Clerk	Julie Hayes

Head Teacher’s Appraisal

The committee has responsibility delegated by the governing board to:
Meet the external advisor to discuss the Head Teacher’s performance targets Decide whether targets have been met and set new targets annually Recommend pay progression to the relevant committee and in accordance with the pay policy Undertake mid-year monitoring of the Head Teacher’s performance against targets
Membership
Felicity Somervell Petra Stanaway Jacob Walker *Minimum of two members required*
Chair of Committee
Clerk

Selection Panel

The panel has responsibility delegated by the governing board for the:
Selection of the head teacher and deputy head teacher (Guidance on this process will be provided by your school improvement partner) *The appointment must always be ratified by the full governing board*
Membership
*Minimum number of members as per appointment of staff delegations. All members must be available at all stages of the process*
Chair of Committee	To be elected at each meeting
Clerk

Special Responsibility Governors

Safeguarding/Child Protection Governor *	Chair of Governors
SEND Governor	Farooq Hussain Petra Stanaway
Health and Safety Governor
Safer Recruitment Governor	Farooq Hussain Felicity Somervell Petra Stanaway
Pupil Premium	Farooq Hussain
EYFS Governor	Felicity Somervell
English Governor	Felicity Somervell
Maths Governor	Petra Stanaway
RE / PSHE Governor	Petra Stanaway Jacob Walker

*In accordance with Keeping Children Safe in Education 2021 ‘Governing bodies and proprietors should have a senior board level (or equivalent) lead to take leadership responsibility for their schools or college’s safeguarding arrangements.’ The DfE have confirmed that this can be a member of staff, but that person must be a member of the board as well (for example, the headteacher or a staff governor) and that this must be a separate person from the DSL, in order to ensure there is sufficient challenge to the organisation's safeguarding arrangements and performance.

Items Delegated to an Individual(s)

Delegation of expenditure and virements

That sums below £20,000 be delegated to the Head Teacher.

Disposal of surplus stock

Delegated to Head Teacher with the approval of the chair of the governing board.

Delegation of Suspension

That suspension be delegated to the chair in instances where the Head Teacher is the person in question or involved in the case. That the chair be given delegated powers to lift the suspension after taking advice from LA Human Resources or any other organisation providing the service to the school.

Approval for Expenditure

The chair of governors or chair of the Provisions Committee be given approval for expenditure above the set limit prior to the committee meeting – only in cases of emergency

Appointment of Staff (ensure no appointment is carried out by one person alone)

Lunchtime / Cleaning / Administration Support Staff	Head Teacher / Deputy Head Post Line Manager
Educational Support Staff	Head Teacher / Deputy Head 1 SLT
Business Manager	Head Teacher 2 Governors
Teaching Staff	Head Teacher 1 Governor
Senior Management Team* * Head Teacher and Deputy Head Teacher appointments must be ratified by the relevant body.	Head Teacher 2 Governors

Meet the Governors

Membership

Membership

Cookies

Cookies

Website CMS

Matomo

reCaptcha

Cookie notice