Governing Board

The Role of the Governing Board

The Governing Board at Nower Hill is made up of a team of committed staff, parents and members of the local community who have responsibility for raising school standards through their three core functions, which are to:

• Ensure clarity of vision, ethos and strategic direction
• Hold executive leaders to account for the educational performance of the school and its students, and the performance management of staff
• Oversee the financial performance of the school and make sure money is well spent

Governors work closely with the Headteacher and the Senior Leadership Team at the school to promote continuous improvement in the education provided for all students attending our school. We work together to make decisions on the overall direction of the school and agree policies, targets and development plans. We also decide how to make the best use of the school budget for the benefit of education, including investment in our staff and premises.

As governors, we work as a team, deciding on things jointly and sharing responsibility for the decisions we make.  The Headteacher is responsible for the day to day management of the school and for driving the vision and strategy forward. The role of the Governing Board is to provide strategic oversight and to act as a “critical friend’, supporting the work of the Headteacher and staff.

The Way We Work

The Full Governing Board meet once a term and there are two main sub-committees, Student and Resources, that each meet once or twice a term. The Admissions Committee and the Performance Review Panel meet annually and the Chairs’ Group meets termly. There are a number of statutory duties that the Governing Board must monitor over the course of the year, paying attention to Health and Safety requirements, staff and student welfare and safeguarding.

Our Committees

Student Committee

This Committee focuses on the needs and achievements of the students and reviews teaching and learning standards.

Resources Committee

This Committee focuses on the budget and serves the financial needs of the other Committees. It provides guidance and assistance to the Governing Board on all financial and budgetary matters, including Premises which covers the physical resources of the site and Audit.

Performance Review Panel

In addition to the Committees, the Governing Board has delegated its pay powers to the Performance Review Panel (PRP) through the Pay Policy. Specifically, the PRP will review the performance of the Headteacher, recommend the salaries of the Headteacher and Senior Staff and agree salaries for all other staff within the agreed budget.

Admissions Committee 

This Committee reviews and coordinates all matters concerning admission to the school and works to ensure compliance with the terms, conditions and timeline of the agreed Local Authority Scheme for Co-ordination of Admissions.

Chairs’ Group 

This group addresses human resources and employment issues and helps to steer the strategic direction of the Governing Board. Public minutes for all Governing Board meetings are available upon request; these can also be provided as paper copies.

Nower Hill High School Governing Board