Annual Governance Statement
Annual Governance Statement for the Governing Body of Burnside Primary School – June 2019
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Ensuring clarity of vision, ethos and strategic direction;
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Holding the head teacher to account for the educational performance of the school and its pupils;
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Overseeing the financial performance of the school and making sure its money is well spent.
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Governance arrangements
The full Governing Body meets once each term, and we also have a number of committees to consider different aspects of the school in detail.
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At Burnside Primary we have a Finance Committee and a Pay and Performance committee.
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We also have committees that meet if required to consider pupil discipline and staffing.
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Attendance record of governors
Governors attend our Full Governing Body meetings and we have never had to cancel a meeting because it was not “quorate” (the number of governors needed to ensure that legal decisions can be made).
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Governing Body and Committee Work
The governing body has had a particularly busy year, focusing on continuous school improvement.
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Governors meet termly to share school improvement (SATs results etc, safeguarding, curriculum developments and the school improvement plan, changes to the school vision, school self-evaluation form). When needed they also meet with the Senior Leadership Team on specific priorities.
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The Finance Committee meets termly to monitor how the school is spending money. This includes staffing and maintenance and development of the school premises.
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One of the roles of governors is reviewing and agreeing school policies and this year we have considered a number of key policies, including:
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Safeguarding Policy
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Dismissal Policy
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Drugs Substance and Alcohol Misuse Policy
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No Smoking Policy
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In January 2017 we had an OFSTED inspection, where we were notified that we continue to be graded as Good.
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Minutes of Governing Body and Committee meetings are public documents – you can ask at the school office if you would like to see any of the minutes of our meetings or send an email to burnside@durhamlearning.net.
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How you can contact the governing body
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We always welcome suggestions, feedback and ideas from parents and carers. Please contact the Chair of Governors, Mr Sam Laing, via the school office or by sending an email to burnside@durhamlearning.net