Coquet Park First School

Governing Body

Composition of Governing Body

Coquet Park’s governing body is a diverse group, with a wide range of experience and background. With a mixture of parent governors, co-opted governors and staff members, the composition of the governing body has been designed to support the leadership of the school in its key decision making.

Governors usually serve a four-year term, although many of the governing body have returned for several co-opted terms, reflecting their commitment to the school itself, and allowing them to build upon the relationships they have developed across their tenures.

Meetings and Attendance of the Governing Body

The governing body meet four times a year, in person, at the school itself. Meetings are always well attended, allowing the strategic direction and the decision making of the body to be thoroughly tested through active discussion.

Additionally, the governing body operates a series of sub-committees, which meet periodically throughout the year:

-        Finance;

-        Premises;

-        Health & Safety;

-        Staffing;

-        Curriculum and Standards.

Each of these sub-committees reports back to the full governing body on its discussions, and on any reports they have received from school staff.

The Work of the Governing Body

The governing body at Coquet Park works hard to provide strategic support, oversight, and challenge to the leadership of the school.

These activities can be broken down in to the following areas:

Policies

The governing body discuss policy implications across the school, considering the impact of new policy ideas, and the review of existing policies. This is always carried out through the lens of giving Coquet Park pupils the best experience possible, with the highest quality teaching of a broad and balanced curriculum.

Past example of policy changes made in governing body meetings include the number of Nursery places Coquet Park wish to offer and the future composition of the governing body.

Visits

Members of the governing body each have their own areas of curriculum focus – e.g. Literacy, Numeracy, STEM or Art. Each member visits the school, documents what they find, and reports back to the full governing body, with regard to their area of focus.

Governors are shown around the school by curriculum leads, and shown examples of pupil work. Visits to the school are carried out as frequently as is practicable for both the governors and the staff member involved, to see each of the specified curriculum areas in action.

Facilities

The governing body support the leadership of the school to improve the facilities of the school, if and when needed. In the past this has taken the form of supporting the head in her dealings with the school’s facilities management team, and providing strategic advice on accessing support to improve playground facilities for the Reception class.

Training

All governors have access to frequent training opportunities, and attend a full suite of induction training as part of their role. Additionally, most governors also elect to attend training courses on Safeguarding and the support of the school during Ofsted inspections.

Many governors also bring the benefit of the continuous professional development they have received in their own careers to the governing body.

Safeguarding

A key priority pf the governing body is Safeguarding: all decisions are made with the explicit intention of keeping pupils safe, and maintaining the headteacher’s exemplary standards of school Safeguarding. Decisions affecting Safeguarding at school – whether this be staffing or facilities – are prioritised by the governing body above all other considerations.

Oversight

In every governing body meeting the headteacher presents her termly report to the body. The floor is open for all questions, and scrutiny by governors is actively encouraged. Governor questions are responded to by the headteacher and deputy head, where appropriate.

This report covers all aspects of school activity, from the successes of the staff body in implementing new strategies, and leading a wide range of exciting pupil activities, to oversight of the academic performance of the pupils at the school, and any incidents which may have occurred that term.

 Structure of the Governing Body and Committees

Coquet Park Governing Body meet every half term.  The Chair of the Governing Body is Mrs L Wilson and Vice Chair is Ms C Wordsworth.

The Governing Body’s structure and membership is outlined in the table below and within that structure it has the following committees:

Governing Body Meetings

To view attendance of Governing Body meetings for the last academic year, please click below:

• 2023-24
• 2022-23