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About the Governors
Governors Information with effect from 1st September 2011
School governing bodies are established by law as corporate bodies.
Download minutes from the Governors meetings here.
School governing bodies are established by law as corporate bodies.
The College has a governing body made up as follows:
6 Parent Governors – elected from parents/guardians of students
1 Authority Governor – appointed by the Local Authority
1 Trust Governor – appointed by CfBT Trust
4 Staff Governors – the Principal plus 3 elected by College staff
5 Community Governors – drawn from the local community, having skills of benefit to the College
1 Sponsorship Governor – nominated by the sponsors of our specialist status
Currently there is 1 Associate Governor, appointed by the Governing Body to add specialist expertise to their existing skills set.
What do the Governors do?
Their main responsibility is to determine the aims and overall conduct of the College with a view to promoting high standards of educational achievement. To do this the governors must be supportive of the Principal yet challenging when appropriate.
The Governing Body sets policy and has strategic responsibility for planning within the College, but management and implementation is the role of the Principal and staff, although these duties are regularly monitored by governors.
Specific duties of governing bodies include:
- setting staffing levels;
- appointing the Principal;
- setting and agreeing the College budget;
- keeping an overview of health and safety in general and within the management of premises in particular;
- encouraging community cohesion/education;
- and ensuring that a broad and balanced curriculum is being delivered.
This may seem to be a daunting prospect, but you would be part of a team and provided the governors operate in a sensible and considered way then, as a body corporate, they are not personally liable for genuine mistakes that they make. It is only if they act irresponsibly that individuals can find themselves in difficulties.
Who should be a Governor?
The principle underpinning the work of governors is a fundamental desire to provide the best opportunity for each and every one of our young people to progress and make the most of their time at the College. To do this a governing body seeks a range of skills, expertise and abilities to cover the demands made upon it to deal with, for example, finance, staffing, legislation and community issues. However, there is professional advice and assistance available in all areas whenever it is needed, so commitment and common sense can often more than make up for a lack of specialist knowledge. If in doubt, speak to the Principal or Chair of Governors for reassurance.
What are the demands on a governor’s time?
Governors at the Ely College are expected to attend each term’s meeting of the Full Governing Body, which starts at 7.00pm and lasts for about 2 hours. Additionally, individual governors usually belong to 2 committees which also meet on a termly basis, once again starting at 7.00pm but, hopefully, ending after 1½ hours. Further commitment would be dependent upon personal circumstances, but help is often needed with recruitment and disciplinary panels, visits to help raise standards in the College and miscellaneous meetings.
What’s in it for the Governors?
The opportunity to help make a difference to the education and life chances of around 1250 students. This is a one-off opportunity unless, of course, you want to re-train as a teacher!
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