Crawley Green
Infant School
Valuing the individual and celebrating achievement
Governing Body
Governing Body Vision Statement
The Governing Body at Crawley Green Infant School CARE for each and every member of the school community. They lead the school with openness, trust, perseverance and having high expectations for all.
Governors will be an ongoing critical friend who will work with school leaders to be Curious through challenge, questioning and support when developing a high quality curriculum and ensuring financial stability.
All stakeholders will be Articulate and honest in modelling the values and ethos of the school. Children, staff and governors will be Resilient in their learning and feel valued and respected within a fully inclusive and positive environment.
We work relentlessly to create a safe and thriving school community who Enjoy working collaboratively to support everyone to succeed together, ensuring that Crawley Green is the school of choice within the local community.
Welcome to our Governing Body
The Governors of Crawley Green Infant School are very proud to take an active part in school life. Our aim is to ensure that the children at Crawley Green are able to achieve to the best of their ability, and have a wonderful experience of the school.
The Governing Body works with the senior leaders in the strategic development of the school. They support the Headteacher and staff as well as offering constructive challenge ensuring that the school achieves the very best it can for all pupils.
The four core functions of the Governors are:
Ensuring clarity of vision, ethos and strategic direction.
Holding executive leaders to account for the educational performance of the organisation and its pupils and the performance management of staff.
Overseeing the financial performance of the organisation and making sure its money is well spent.
Ensuring the voices of stakeholders are heard.
Many Governors have had children attend the school or still have children attending; we therefore can understand parental viewpoints. We are very approachable and more than happy to hear from you about any matters you may wish to discuss.
Governance Role
As Governors, a critical part of our role is to ensure we develop and maintain strong links with parents, staff and pupils. To support this, we can often be found in and around school, attending meetings and experiencing the many different activities that take place in school. We also try to attend as many school functions as we are able.
Governor Benefits
The role of Governor is carried out on a voluntary basis. As a Governor, you can:
- Gain experience in strategic and financial planning.
- Learn to set aims and objectives to reach your goals.
- Work within a team and learn how to debate and challenge in a supportive way
- Discover more about the UK education system.
You don't need to be an experienced professional - it's about attitude as well as expertise. The Governing Body needs skilled people to help them run effectively, but hard and soft skills are needed around the table, such as, problem solving or negotiation as much as specific expertise.
If you would like to join our Governing Body, please contact Michelle Francis-Joseph, Governance Professional or Laura Forgham, Governance Clerk - clerk@crawleygreeninfant.co.uk
Governance Monitoring
The Governing Body will monitor in detail areas such as Finance, Personnel, Premises (which includes Health & Safety) and the Curriculum. We also ensure that legally required policies and documents are held and are available for Staff, Pupils, Governors, Parents and Carers and any visitors to school when and where relevant.
We receive a report from the Headteacher once a term which keeps us up to date with pupil’s academic achievements, staffing, attendance, special projects, school life in general and other legally required reports. We support and challenge the Headteacher and make crucial decisions about the school in our Governing Body meetings.
The Department of Education requires the Governing Body to have a number of statutory policies in place at the school. The Governing Body regularly ensures that all relevant school policies are kept up to date and in line with the latest local and national guidance.
A list of all DFE statutory school policies can be found at:
We also ensure that we are aware of what is taking place within the ever changing world of Education and Governance. We do this by attending courses held by the Local Authority and other educational organisations, and by being affiliated to the National Governors Association, The Key for School Leaders and The Key for School Governors.
Governance Links
Through the Headteacher and Staff, we are kept informed of all aspects of school life. Each Governor is linked to a subject and/or school development area. We have meetings with Key Stage and Subject Leaders to discuss how the National Curriculum is being followed and adapted to meet the needs of our pupils. We meet with the Senior Leadership Team to discuss areas of school development for the future. Link Governors provide feedback from these meetings at the Governing Body meetings. The Link Governor role are ratified in the autumn term, annually, in line with the School Development Plan.
Governance Membership
Our focus is very much the future of the school for the benefit of the pupils. The Governing Body membership is currently 10 Governors and we aim for our governance membership to grow to 15 Governors.
Paul Munn is our elected Chair of Governing Body and he brings a wealth of corporate experience to our Governing Body. If you would like to contact our Chair, please email chair@crawleygreeninfant.co.uk
Governance Structure
The Instrument of Government outlines the constitution of the Governing Body. The Local Authority considers whether it complies with the relevant legal requirements.
The Instrument of Government for Crawley Green Infant School Governing Body was ratified by the Local Authority and it became effective from 1st September 2015.
The Governing Body reviews the document annually to ensure the constitution of the Governing Body remains relevant and meets the needs of the school's governance.
Governance Terms of Reference
The Governing Body must agree the Terms of Reference for the Governing Body and its Committees annually. The Terms of Reference outlines the tasks and decision-making powers assigned to a Committee. The Terms of Reference documents were recently updated. The Full Governing Body ratified the documents at the meeting held on 22nd September 2022.
Governance Committees and Meetings
The Governing Body meets at least six times per an academic year to consider the strategic aspects impacting the school and the pupils.
Governance Committees
The Governing Body has delegated duties to four main sub-committees. They are:
- Resources and Finance Committee
- Curriculum and Standards Committee
- Pay Committee
- Headteacher's Appraisal Panel
The Resources and Finance Committee meets three times per academic year. The core functions are to oversee and monitor compliance with statutory obligations under School Governance, DfE, Luton Borough Council and Data Protection. This includes the financial performance (value for money) of the school, human resources issues (efficient, effective employment/deployment), premises, health and safety and, general organisation and administration of the school including GDPR, data protection and freedom of information. The Resources, Premises and Finance Committee is granted delegated authority to authorise in-year amendments /revisions to the school budget plan, virements between budgetary headings, purchases and contracts in line with the scheme of delegation. The Chair of the Resources and Finance Committee is Paul Munn.
The Curriculum and Standards Committee three times per academic year. The core functions are to oversee the educational performance of the school, including matters relating to pupil progress and achievement, the quality of teaching and learning, teaching staff further development, and the development and delivery of the school curriculum offer. The Chair of the Curriculum and Standards Committee is Jason Hunt.
The Pay Committee meets once per academic year, in the autumn term, to assist in setting the school's pay policy, determine staff remuneration and review the targets for performance related pay. The Chair of the Pay Committee is Paul Munn.
The Headteacher's Appraisal Panel meets once per academic year, in the autumn term, to set objectives for the Headteacher, appraise the performance of the Headteacher and assess their performance in the role against the Headteacher Standards and their performance objectives. The Chair of the Headteacher's Appraisal Panel is Paul Munn.
There are four Committees that meet on an adhoc basis linked to discipline and appeals for both pupils and staff. At Crawley Green Infant School, these Committees rarely meet but form part of the governance structure.
Governance Attendance Register
The Governing Body keeps track of all governors who attend or are absent from Governance meetings. It is important for the development of the Governing Body that governor absence from meetings is kept to a minimum.
Governance Register of Pecuniary Interests
Governors are forbidden from being involved in decision making relating to the purchases by the school of goods and services from themselves, their relatives or any organisation in which they or those close to them have significant interest. The Governance Clerk is required to maintain a register of such interests.
A Declaration of Interests Form is completed annually by all Governors to declare such interests. If interests change, a new form is completed.
At every governance meeting, Governors declare as to whether they have any pecuniary interests related to the agenda items listed for the governance meeting.
The Register of Pecuniary Interests was last updated after the FGB Meeting held on 10th March 2022.
Governance Diversity Data
The Governing Body has agreed to opt out of collecting and publishing diversity data for the Governing Body. A further reviewed will be carried out in the autumn term 2023.
Governance Contact Details
If you would like to contact a member of our Governing Body, please do so by sending your written correspondence to: Vice Chair of Governing Body, Louise Williams, C/o Crawley Green Infant School, Beaconsfield, Luton, England, LU2 0RW
Alternatively, you may wish to email:
Louise Williams, Vice Chair of Governing Body at chair@crawleygreeninfant.co.uk
Michelle Devine, Governance Professional at clerk@crawleygreeninfant.co.uk
Governance Vacancies
The Governing Body currently has Local Authority Governor and Co-opted Governor vacancies. If you would like to obtain further information on how you can support the school by joining the Governing Body, please contact the Governance Professional, Michelle Francis-Joseph at clerk@crawleygreeninfant.co.uk