Governance at BHA

Governance Information at Birches Head Academy

Resigned:

Governing Body Meeting Dates – (2024-25)
Governing Body Meeting Attendance – (2023-2024)
Governing Body Meeting Attendance – (2024-2025)
Register of Interests – (2024-2025)
Governor Pen Portraits – (2024-2025)

Name and address of the chair of the governing body: Suzanne Finlay. To contact the Chair of Governors, please email info@bircheshead.org.uk or write to: Chair of Governors, c/o Birches Head Road, Stoke on Trent ST2 8DD

What does the Governing Body do?

The Governing Body’s overarching purpose is to:

work with the Head teacher and staff to ensure the school provides the best education possible for all its students
have a positive impact on learning & teaching and of raising standards & achievement
promote community cohesion.

Governors are not expected to make day-to-day decisions about how the school is run, that’s the responsibility of the Head teacher and senior staff. Governors have three key roles in discharging their duties. These are:

setting the school’s vision and strategic aims through agreeing plans and policies and making creative use of available resources
monitoring and evaluating performance and acting as a critical friend to the Head teacher, to support and challenge them in managing the school
ensuring that the school is accountable to the learners and parents it serves, to its local community, to the staff it employs and to those who fund and maintain it.

This means that Governors are involved in deciding how the budget should be spent, making sure the school buildings are welcoming and safe, setting and monitoring the school’s aims and policies, agreeing the curriculum and as a Foundation/Trust school appointing and employing its staff.

How does the Governing Body work?

The Governing Body work as a team for the benefit of the school. They respect each other’s points of view but always act as a corporate body and accept the decisions reached by the majority. A large portion of Governors work is undertaken through various committees by delegation from the Governing Body. A good and effective working relationship with the Head teacher and other staff at the school is paramount and all Governors are committed to maintaining this as an essential part of their success.

How is the Governing Body made up?

The Governing Body has representatives from various sections of the school and community. The groups from which Governors are drawn are:

Parents
School Staff
People from the community
Appointees of the Local Authority
Trust appointees

This mix helps Governing Bodies reflect the communities they serve. What’s really important is that they work as part of a team, giving commitment to the school and is an opportunity to make a difference and to put something back into the community.

Can I be a school Governor?

The Governing Body is always looking for individuals that have energy, enthusiasm, time and a real desire to help provide children with the best possible education. What’s really important is that the School has a good mix of people from their local community and from all walks of life, who can bring different viewpoints, experience, skills and fresh ideas.

You’ll need to be able to give some time to attend meetings and read the paperwork. The school has a Full Governing Body meeting once a term and you would also join a committee, which usually meets once per half term.

Being a school Governor is an opportunity to put something back into your community and to make a difference. It is widely recognised that good governance has a positive impact on standards of attainment, quality of leaning & teaching and student behaviour.

School governors can really make a difference in improving standards throughout the school

Please see the Vacancies page for any current Parent-Governor vacancy