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Governors

by Michael Ford — last modified 10 Jun, 2022 10:11 AM
“Effective school governance is a driver of educational change: pushing up levels of achievement, participation and inclusion, defining the vision and values that a school or group of schools holds dear, holding the professional leadership team…to account, ensuring the probity of financial decision making, and strengthening the bridge and bond between a school and its community.” - ‘Who governs our schools?’ RSA Report published in September 2017.

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Governors and local board members have a vital role in supporting Church of England schools, preserving and developing their deeply Christian ethos. The Revd Philip Bromiley gives us his take on being a Foundation Governor, here.


The Church of England's vision for education “is deeply Christian, with Jesus' promise of 'life in all its fullness' at its heart. In line with the Church of England's role as the established Church, our vision is for the common good of the whole community.”  

The Diocesan Board of Education claims its role as servant leader, enabling the creation of an interdependent family of outstanding schools and academies. We want to empower, enable and encourage transformational leadership in schools and parishes which transforms the lives of children and young people. Schools and academies are aiming to be distinctive, effective and inclusive. Governors as leaders are key partners in this work. Schools need governors with the experiences, skills and understanding to work strategically alongside other school leaders.

Our developing Governance strategy intends to support governors at all levels in a continually changing educational environment.

 

  

For resources for the new foundation governor course, running on 9th November, 8th February and 3rd March, please click here.

 

Foundation Governors

For VA and VC church schools, the local Parochial Church Council (PCC) is responsible for making foundation governor nominations to the Board of Education. In single Academy Trusts (SATs) and multi Academy Trusts (MATs) the Salisbury Diocesan Board of Education (SDBE) Corporate Member is responsible for making nominations for the role of local Foundation Governor, Foundation Trustees and Foundation Members. The Board of Education is responsible for making the appointments.

The responsibilities of a foundation governor are the same of those of other governors. In addition, Salisbury Diocesan Board of Education describes the role of the Foundation Governor as a form of ministry. We believe that those who serve in this way are called by God to do so, and as such, their Christian faith is fundamental to their exercise of their role. The key function of foundation governors is to ‘explore, with their partners on the Governing Body, ways in which the Church’s role in the school may be more fully and positively implemented’.

So what does this mean? As representatives of the church’s role in the school, foundation governors must:

  • Fully support, cherish, preserve and develop the distinctive Anglican and Christian ethos of the school, ensuring that the school has a distinctive Anglican and Christian vision and values which lead to effective practice and outcomes
  • Preserve and strengthen the links between church, school and Diocese
  • Take an active role in the school’s self-evaluations of progress against the ‘Statutory Inspection of Anglican and Methodist Schools’ (SIAMS) schedule
  • Ensure that collective worship and religious education at the school follow the appropriate guidelines and/or syllabus
  • Ensure that collective worship at the school is in accordance with the tenets and practices of the Church of England
  • Encourage, support and challenge the school towards aspirations that are transformational
  • Ensure that collective worship and religious education at the school are appropriately monitored
  • Ensure that the distinctive Anglican and Christian ethos of the school is encouraged and supported throughout its local community and is reflected in its policies and protocols, its curriculum and activities 
  • Ensure that their own attitudes and behaviour in relation to the school reflect its distinctive Anglican and Christian ethos
  • Make sure that the School Improvement Plan includes strategy for the development of areas reflected in the school’s SIAMS self-evaluation document
  • Inform the SDBE when the Headteacher post becomes vacant and, in partnership with the Chair of Governors, invite a representative of the Diocesan Director of Education to advise and attend throughout the appointment procedure
  • Support and challenge the leadership within the school in their links with the wider parish(es) and community and to promote support for school activities and initiatives relating to its Christian distinctiveness and effectiveness

If you are interested in becoming a school governor, please contact your local school or:

Main contacts:

Dan supports foundation governors in their role and works with schools and parishes in governor recruitment, retention and training.

Marion handles data processing for governor body members, minutes of meetings and re-nominations. For all governor applications please e-mail - for all other queries please email Marion directly.

 

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