Governance

Shalford Infant & Nursery School is governed by a local governing body, which is a committee of the board of trustees of Learning Partnership Academy Trust, who have overall responsibility for governance of the school.  The committee comprises a group of volunteers who give their time and expertise freely to support the school by 

• Ensuring clarity of vision, ethos and strategic direction of the school; 

• Holding school leaders to account for the educational performance of the organisation and its pupils, and the effective and efficient performance management of staff; and 

• Overseeing the school’s financial performance of the organisation and make sure its money is well spent. 

The specific responsibilities of the governing body are detailed within the trust’s scheme of delegation and Local Governing Body terms of reference.   

Governors meet regularly through the term to discuss all main aspects of the school and visit the school regularly to understand, support and monitor school life. We follow government guidance, are supported by the trust and adhere to a code of conduct in all that we do.  For further information please contact: 

• Chair of Governors: Sarah Hardcastle chair@shalford.surrey.sch.uk c/o Shalford Infant & Nursery School, Station Row, Shalford GU4 8BY 

• Clerk: Natasha Brown clerk@shalford.surrey.sch.uk  c/o Shalford Infant & Nursery School, Station Row, Shalford GU4 8BY 

How we make decisions?

Membership 

Our Local Governing Body is based on a stakeholder model, with representatives of parents, staff, and the local community.  Members are recruited for a three-to-four-year term on a skillset basis and/or through parental election. 

School Visits

As governors we conduct school visits to observe how they operate, how the curriculum is delivered and to learn about the organisation and its ethos. We consider that strong strategic leaders have a good understanding of its school(s) and the organisation that they support, and that they actively contribute to improving the learning and outcomes for all children.  

Our visits serve a number of purposes including:  

• Improving knowledge of the school, its staff, needs, priorities, strengths and areas for development. 

• Observing children’s behaviour and their engagement in the school’s activities.  

• Acquiring knowledge to enable governors to act as critical friends.  

• Monitoring and evaluating plans, budgets, and achievement.  

• Observing the condition of the school’s buildings, facilities, its grounds and its security arrangements.  

• Monitoring and assessing how the school’s and trust’s priorities are being delivered.  

• Helping the local governing body and the trust to fulfil their various statutory duties.

Code of Conduct

As governors we follow the trust’s code of conduct, of which are few highlights are below: 

• We will encourage open governance and will act appropriately.  

• We will actively support and challenge the school and executive leaders.  

• We will accept and respect the difference between strategic and operational leadership, ensuring that we work collectively for the benefit of the organisation.  

• We will consider carefully how our decisions may affect the school and local community, as well as other schools.  

• We have a duty to act fairly and without prejudice, and in so far as we have responsibility for staff, we will fulfil all that is expected of a good employer.  

• We accept collective responsibility for all decisions made. This means that we will not speak against majority decisions outside meetings.  

• We agree to adhere to any rules, policies and procedures agreed within the trust or as required by the law.  

• We will always be mindful of our responsibility to maintain and develop the ethos and reputation of the trust and its schools.

Registers of Interest

We manage personal relationships with related parties to avoid both real and perceived conflicts of interest, promoting integrity and openness in accordance with the seven principles of public life.  

We publish this information on our trust and school websites.  Please find below our most recent register of interests for the local governing body at the bottom of the page.

Becoming a Governor

Becoming a governor is an incredibly rewarding experience.  You will be joining a movement of over 250,000 people nationwide and team of over 100 Learning Partners’ governors, all skilled individuals who give their time freely to support children and young people in their community. 

Please consult our trust website page on becoming a governor and contact our Chair of Governors for more information. 

In our own words…….