Governors

What is school governance?

In the UK, all maintained schools have a governing body to ensure strategic leadership and accountability.  The core functions of the governing board are:

• Ensuring clarity of the school’s vision, ethos and strategic direction
• Holding school leaders to account for educational performance, and the effective performance management of staff;
• Overseeing the financial performance of the school and making sure its money is well spent.

What do CHPS school governors do?

School governors make a valuable contribution to school life and children’s education.  They are volunteers, working co-operatively with school staff to oversee all aspects of education at CHPS.  Governors bring their own experience, knowledge and skills to support and challenge the school, so that it improves for pupils and staff.  Governors gain new insights and skills which can be useful for their own professional and personal development.

The core responsibilities of a CHPS school governor are to:

• Attend full governing body meetings, reading documents and preparing questions in advance (5-6 evening meetings per year, usually in person)
• Be a member of a committee and attend those committee meetings (3-5 daytime meetings per year, online or in person)
• Have at least one link governor area e.g. curriculum, SEND / Pupil Premium, collective worship, safeguarding, well-being, finance, premises. Governors carry out school visits to monitor their link area, reporting back to the governing body. (Usally 2 visits per year in school hours)
• Participate in ongoing training and governor development.

You can find out more about the role of school governors here: https://www.nga.org.uk/Governance-Recruitment/Be-a-school-governor-or-trustee.aspx

Who can become a school governor?

Anyone aged 18 or over can be a governor (with some exceptions). There is no requirement for you to be a parent or to have an understanding of the education system, just the necessary interest, skills and time to contribute. There is plenty of training available. Schools benefit from a range of professional knowledge and experience on their governing board including education, finance, human resources, marketing and public relations, property management, and organisational change. 

At CHPS we have five types of governors who work together on the governing board – staff governors, parent governors, local authority governor, co-opted governors and foundation governors.  Foundation governor appointments are approved by the Diocese of Ely and carry an additional responsibility to develop and uphold the Christian ethos and character of the school.

If you are interested in becoming a CHPS governor please contact Phil Cowans – Chair@cherryhinton.cambs.sch.uk

Governing Board Diversity statement

The Governing Body of Cherry Hinton Primary School recognises the importance of diversity in ensuring effective governance and informed decision-making. We are committed to recruiting and retaining governors with a broad range of backgrounds, experiences, skills and perspectives that reflect the community we serve.

Diversity encompasses many characteristics, including age, disability, ethnicity, gender, socioeconomic background, faith, sexual orientation and personal experience. A diverse governing board strengthens our ability to support, challenge and champion the school on behalf of all pupils.

In line with Department for Education recommendations, governors are invited to provide diversity information voluntarily. Any diversity data published is anonymised and presented in a way that protects the privacy of individual governors.

The Governing Body reviews its composition regularly and considers diversity as part of its succession planning and recruitment processes.

Structure and remit of the CHPS governing body and committees

Full Governing Body (FGB) – Chaired by Phil Cowans

FGB meets six times a year. It receives reports from the Headteacher and committee chairs, and monitoring reports from link governors. Governors discuss and approve the School Development Plan and policies that are reserved for the FGB, review school performance indicators, and discuss issues that affect the school's progress and how these issues will be managed.

FGB meetings are scheduled for the following dates: 6th Oct 2026, 8th Dec 2026, 9th March 2027, 11th May 2027 and 13th July 2027. Minutes of past meetings are available on request by contacting the school office.

 

Finance, Premises and Personnel Committee (FPP) – Chaired by Phil Cowans

FPP meets four times per year. This committee is responsible for financial oversight, and issues relating to the school's buildings and grounds. It is also concerned with key management issues, such as human resources, staff pay awards and legal compliance.

 

Teaching and Learning Committee (T&L) - Chaired by Lorna Torkington

T&L meets termly to look at matters related to the curriculum, teaching, children's attainment and the delivery of the school development plan.

 

Pay Committee - Chaired by Phil Cowans

The pay committee meets annually to approve the school's pay policy and ensure that all pay determinations are in accordance with the school’s pay policies and procedures.

 

Relevant business and pecuniary interests (as recorded in the register of interests) including:

• Governance roles in other educational institutions –
• Any material interests arising from relationships between governors or relationships between governors and school staff (including spouses, partners and close relatives -