Hertford Junior School

Hertford Infant School and Hertford Junior School are governed by a federated body known as the Hertford Federation Governing Board. They are a dedicated team of people who all work hard to offer their skills and expertise on a voluntary basis across both schools.

Governors work with the Acting Headteacher and senior leadership team in the strategic development of the school and in raising standards of achievement.  They are essential for the running of the schools and are legally responsible for it but are not involved in the day to day running of the schools, which is managed by the senior leadership team.  This leaves governors free to focus on their core functions of ensuring:

• that the vision, ethos and strategic direction of the school are clearly defined;
• that the headteacher performs their responsibilities for the educational performance of the school;
• the sound, proper and effective use of the school's financial resources.

A governing body and its governors must, as required by The School Governance (Roles, Procedures and Allowances) (England) Regulations 2013, regulation 6(2):

• act with integrity, objectivity and honesty and in the best interests of the school
• be open about the decisions they make and the actions they take and shall be prepared to explain their decisions and actions to interested parties

The governing body also has legislative responsibility and strategic oversight for the school’s safeguarding arrangements.

They must be able to support and challenge the headteacher, so need to gain a good understanding of the schools.  They do this by attending regular meetings, carrying out school visits and meeting with senior leaders. They also attend training in order to keep up to date with the requirements of their role.  There are different categories of governor but they are all equal, work as a team and make collective decisions.  All abide by the governing board code of conduct.  The categories of governor in the Hertford Federation Governing Board are: co-opted and local authority (both appointed by the governing board, the latter also having been approved by the local authority); parent governors and staff governor (elected by the parent/staffing body) and headteacher staff governor (who can choose to take up the position).  Associate members, who do not have a vote a full board meetings, may also be appointed by the board.  An in-depth handbook about the important work of school governors is available here:  https://www.gov.uk/guidance/governance-in-maintained-schools .  The notes, minutes, from the formal meetings held are posted on the governing board meeting webpage.