Governors
Our Whole School Vision
At Regent Farm First School, we believe that learning is a lifelong journey filled with curiosity, adventure, and creativity. We want children to have a genuine passion for learning and develop a resilience to overcome challenge. As a whole school community, we aim for our children to be ambassadors for fairness and respect: to change the world with the knowledge, skills and confidence they have learnt here. Above all it is our vision that children are happy, confident individuals who can communicate effectively and thrive in anything they put their mind to – now and in the future.
This vision is reflected in our core values: respect, curiosity, teamwork and determination.
Regent Farm First School is a Foundation Trust School and a member of Gosforth Schools’ Trust.
We have thirteen governors in the following categories:
- Co-opted
- Foundation Trust
- Local Authority
- Parents
- Staff
The governing body recognises the value of a diverse board composed of people with the relevant blend of differing skills, life experiences, perspectives and characteristics and actively seeks to recruit members who reflect our school and our community.
Governors’ Role
The role of the Governing Body is an intrinsic part of the leadership of the school. The Governing Body is made up of a group of dedicated volunteers, who invest a huge amount of good will, hard work and time for the sole purpose of improving the education for every child in our school. Our Governing Body is a dynamic group of highly skilled individuals who focus on supporting the Headteacher and all the staff to shape the strategic direction of school.
As governors, we are very proud of our school; our children work very hard and are well-behaved, but they are also recognised as being individuals and given plenty of opportunities to have fun. We are also proud of our staff. The teaching staff put a huge number of hours into preparing and delivering lessons while also giving the children the pastoral care and attention they need. The Governing Body is responsible for the overall performance of the school. Governors have to ensure that the education provided - and the way in which the children, staff and parents are treated - are in accordance with the law and with the various regulations laid down by the authorities. This does not mean we try to interfere with the day-to-day running of the school: our role is that of a ‘critical friend’.
As Governors, we are measured by three core strategic functions:
- Ensuring clarity of vision, ethos, and strategic direction
- Holding the Headteacher to account for the educational performance of the school and its pupils
- Overseeing the financial performance of the school and making sure the money is spent well
What Governors Do
Each year we hold four full governing body meetings. Each governor has a clear and different skillset. This enables them to have the experience and expertise in order to ask challenging questions, and through this hold the school to account. The impact of this is that governors are in a position to understand the school’s strengths and the impact that their actions are having on children’s learning, personal development and safety.
We also have a variety of committee meetings throughout the year including curriculum, finance and staffing and the premises. We visit the school regularly, talking to children and sometimes enjoying their lessons along side them!
Governors work co-operatively with the Headteacher and senior management in the writing and monitoring the School Development Plan. We also write a three-year strategic plan focusing our aims and priorities for the years ahead which can be found below.
As a governing body we review key policies to ensure that they are current and up to date. We ensure any new policies are created as necessary ensuring the school is in compliance with all statutory requirements.
As with all schools’ educational funding is a real challenge for schools and it becomes harder each year. As governors, we monitor the school budget and oversee the strategic spending decisions of the school to ensure that these choices will give the school the best possible chance to offer children the highest quality of education.
Through all aspects of school life, the safeguarding of children is of paramount importance and real rigour is given to this. We attend regular training and hold the school to account to ensure there the ‘safeguarding culture’ is embedded throughout the school.
We work with staff to ensure the curriculum is driven by purposeful learning that ensures that their learning has real relevance to themselves and the wider world. It enables them to explore real life issues; develop respect and empathy; and prepares them for life in our every changing world. These ideas are fundamental to the way the curriculum has been designed and shaped and a key strength of the school. This approach to learning means that children are curious and take a real ownership for their own learning. We hope this will prepare them well for the next stage of education and future careers.
The school has worked hard to individualise support for Disadvantaged and SEND pupils, with an extensive range of provision both within and outside of typical lessons. We have ensured that potential barriers to learning are identified and that staff have identified how these might be overcome with time. One of our roles as Governors is to ensure additional money the school receives for Pupil Premium pupils impacts not only their learning, but also well-being and personal needs. We will also monitor the impact of the Sports Premium which school receives each year.