Governance Impact Statement 2020 -2021 

Impact of Governance Statement 2020-21

This is our annual report on the impact that we consider the Governing Board has had on Wolborough CE (VA) Primary and Nursery School during the past year. It covers our Statutory Duties and well as other actions associated with the development of the school over what can only be described as a tumultuous year.

Statement of Governance and Composition

Introduction

The Governing Board has three strategic functions, namely: 

• Responsibility for the strategic direction of the school;
• To hold the head teacher to account for the school’s performance; and
• To make sure that the school’s budget is well spent.

The board is composed of:

1. Two parent governors
2. One local authority governor
3. One staff governor
4. One headteacher
5. Seven foundation governors (one of whom shall be ex-offico

The total number of governors is twelve.

During the past year of pandemic, lockdown, school closure, partial reopening and finally full reopening, the governing body has continued to meet, albeit remotely, to support the school in managing the significant changes to its day-to-day running. We were also able to offer support and advice where needed to all the staff and the head in what has been an extremely difficult time for all in education.

Admissions

We worked closely with the Head teacher and the Devon County Admissions Team to ensure that our Admissions policy was updated in accordance with DFE guidelines. Admissions continues to be an area that we are all focussed on, recognising that Wolborough is a great place to learn and grow and that all children who want to, should have the opportunity to discover this.

Staffing

Throughout the year, we have supported the head in the various, necessary changes to the staffing structure of the school. It has been good to welcome some new members of staff to the school and sad to see others move on to new places. Throughout all of this we have worked with the head to ensure that, at all times, all the children at Wolborough have the best experience possible.

Finance

Within the Board of Governors, the Resources committee has worked closely with the head and school finance team to monitor income and costs against the budget which we approved at the start of the year, seeking to ensure that our financial resources were best utilised for the benefit of pupils. We have planned and reviewed capital expenditure to maintain and develop the school to enrich the children's education.

Premises and Health & Safety

Over the course of the year, there have been various changes to the buildings around school to maintain and improve the overall look and feel of the classrooms and buildings and to ensure a safe learning environment for all. The Governing Body has worked with the business manager bring these various projects together.

We have also worked with the head on the various risk assessments required for the school’s reopening in light of the Covid-19 pandemic and continue to monitor the school's arrangements in this respect

Christian Distinctiveness

We have supported and encouraged the Head in her care for the children and staff team, as she has been facing all the practical issues of addressing the multitude of Covid-19 challenges and the children have greatly benefited as a result. We have been working with the Head as she continues to lead the school in its core values embedding these into all aspects of day-to-day school life. This includes overseeing the implementation of a new RE curriculum.

Teaching and Learning

Nothing in education ever stays the same for long and we have consistently worked with the head and her staff in their plans and developments for the way that children are taught. The Teaching, Learning and Curriculum committee meets regularly to discuss and assess the different aspects of how the children are taught. We have reviewed and amended a variety of policies to ensure they deliver the quality of learning within the ethos of the school that we believe makes Wolborough the supportive school it is.

Safeguarding

Safeguarding is constantly on the mind of educators - are the children in their care safe? This covers not only health and safety in the classroom, but physical & emotional wellbeing in school, and at home. We are all aware of what can happen when safeguarding is not a priority, and so as Governors at Wolborough School this year, we have regularly monitored the various processes to ensure all school staff are safely recruited; made sure that training of staff is up to date and procedures followed to maintain a safe environment for our children. In the light of the Covid-19 pandemic, additional safeguarding policies and procedures were put in place.

Head Teacher Performance Management

We have worked with an external advisor to set new objectives for the head for the last year as well as reviewing performance in relation to the last set. Clearly some priorities for the head have been changed during the last year, but the head has continued to make strategic progress towards the continued development of the school.

GDPR 

We have liaised closely with the Data Protection Officer to establish robust data mapping and protection for all data that the school collects in accordance with the new data protection legislation. We have updated all school policies and documentation to reflect the changes and agreed that this responsibility now sits within the parent and community links terms of reference. 

Priorities for 2021/22

Values and Ethos of our church school

The values and ethos of Wolborough School are the central guiding principles on which the school will develop and grow. We will ensure that future planning supports and encourages the development of our values and that, as a governing body, we too will uphold and promote the school core values of Thankfulness, Courage, Hope, Respect, Peace, and Generosity.

Attendance

We all recognise the excellent work that all staff do at Wolborough and understand that the best place for children to benefit from this is for them to be in school. We want to be able to support the head and her staff to increase the numbers of children coming to Wolborough School to experience this and to help them do all that we can to support families who find coming to school more of a challenge.

Capital Expenditure

As a governing body, we will continue to monitor how the budget is allocated and continue to seek out ways that additional streams of funding can be sourced to enhance the projects already being planned.