Thornham St James C.E. Primary School

Governors are one of the largest volunteer forces in the country and have an important part to play in raising standards in schools. The Governing Board is the vision setter and strategic decision maker for their schools. They play a vital role in ensuring the best possible education that takes every child’s talents as far as they can go.

The document ‘Maintained schools governance guide’ March 2024 sets out the core functions of the governing body in regulation 6 and include, but are not limited to ensuring:

• that the vision, ethos and strategic direction of the school are clearly defined

• that the headteacher performs their responsibilities for the educational performance of the school

• the sound, proper and effective use of the school’s financial resources

A governing body and its governors must, as required by The School Governance (Roles, Procedures and Allowances) (England) Regulations 2013, regulation 6(2):

• act with integrity, objectivity and honesty and in the best interests of the school

• be open about the decisions they make and the actions they take and shall be prepared to explain their decisions and actions to interested parties

The governing body also has legislative responsibility and strategic oversight for the school’s safeguarding arrangements.

As stated in The_constitution_of_governing_bodies_of_maintained_schools_2017.pdf, Governing bodies should be no bigger than they need to be to have all the skills necessary to carry out their functions. The size and structure of the governing body should be designed so that every member actively contributes relevant skills and experience.

The governing body must not be smaller than seven members, and must include:

• at least two parent governors;

• the headteacher unless the headteacher resigns as a governor;

• one, and only one, staff governor;

• one, and only one, local authority governor;

• where appropriate, Foundation Governors – appointed by the relevant Foundation or by the appropriate religious body (where the school has a religious character) or by parents to the local community and appointed by the board as specified in the regulations.

The governing body may appoint as many additional co-opted governors as they consider necessary. However, the number of co-opted governors who are eligible to be elected or appointed as staff governors under Schedule 2 must not, when counted with the one staff governor and the headteacher, exceed one-third of the total membership of the governing body. There is no upper limit but governing bodies should have regard to this statutory guidance in deciding their size.

Associate members are appointed by the governing body to serve on one or more governing body committee. They may also attend full governing body meetings. They are not governors and therefore do not have a vote in governing body decisions, but may be given a vote on decisions made by committees to which they are appointed. Associate members should be appointed because of the specific expertise and experience they can contribute to the effective governance and success of the school. Subject to the disqualifications set out in the 2012 Constitution Regulations, the governing body may appoint a pupil, school staff member, or any other person as an associate member so that they can contribute their specific expertise. This can help to address specific gaps identified in the skills of governing body members, and/or help the governing body respond to particular challenges that they may be facing.

Section 20 of the Education Act 2002 requires all maintained schools to have an instrument of government which determines the constitution of the governing body and other matters relating to the school.

All instruments of government must include:

• the name and category of school

• the name of the governing body

• the categories of governor

• the number of governors in each category

• the total number of governors

• the term of office of any category of governor, if less than four years

• the date the instrument of government takes effect.

Where a school has a foundation, the instrument of government must comply with the foundation’s governing documents.

Thornham St James current school governance constitution and structure: total of 14 governors 

There are no associate governors on the Governing Board at this time.

Governing Body 2023-2024 

Governance Committee Structure 

All governors sit in the Full Governing Board and meet three times per year. At Thornham St James, there are 4 committees of the Governing Board.

Core group of Governors to form a committee as and when required for Human Resources, Significant Change, Staff Discipline, Complains, Change Appeal &Staff Disciplinary Appeals. 

Attendance 2023-2024
Y = Attended, N = Apologies Accepted, NA = Apologies not Accepted, NS = No Apologies sent, ? = Attendance Not Marked, Blank = Not Required, CA = Consent for
absence, - = Not applicable