News from the Chair of Governors
All schools have governing bodies, and our purpose is to help the school to provide the best possible education for every pupil and help them reach the highest standards of achievement.
At Hall Orchard, the governing body comprises different types of appointed governors; Foundation (Church), Member and Co-opted appointed, Parent, Diocesan representative and the Head Teacher, but we all work together as one group in the best interests of the school. We are very proud of Hall Orchard and work hard to support pupils and staff to the best of our ability.
A school functions best when the governing body and the Head Teacher work together as a team in pursuit of common values. This certainly doesn’t mean that the governors are there just to rubber stamp decisions that are made by the Head Teacher. The governors’ relationship can best be described as a “critical friend”. Governors are volunteers, who work with senior leaders to push forward the strategic development of the school and raise standards of achievement. Governors bring a huge range of skills and expertise from their professional lives to the governing board.
All Governing boards have three core functions, whether in maintained school or academies:
- Ensuring clarity of vision, ethos and strategic direction
- Holding executive 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 financial performance of the organisation and making sure its money is well spent.
Governors monitor and evaluate the work of the school, offering constructive advice, a sounding board for ideas and a second opinion on proposals. We are not there to interfere in the operational day to day running of the school, or to comment on the quality or methods employed by the teaching staff – those are the responsibility of the Head Teacher.
Our vision is:
For our children to be confident, ambitious learners who demonstrate the personal values and skills necessary to make a positive contribution to the global community.
To be an excellent school where all children achieve their best.
Our school is a caring family where everyone is valued and encouraged to achieve their potential as well as to have respect for God and His world.
The governing board uses the Vision and Values of the school when creating the Strategy Document (which can be found on the website under Governance) to focus on how we challenge and support Hall Orchard to the best of our ability whilst upholding the values of our Church school.
The school is already working hard to deliver these targets with an ambitious and challenging development plan. We are proud that the school received a very positive SIAMS report in Autumn 2023 and although a large school, Hall Orchard maintains a caring, happy and family environment. We already have a great school, great staff and a strong and proud Governing Board which will continue to support the school in delivering its development plan and driving continuous improvement.
Governors’ work can be challenging and demanding at times but is also very rewarding. If you would like to know more or know someone in the community that would be interested, please don’t hesitate to contact the school office or speak to governors. More information about the Hall Orchard governors can be found on the Hall Orchard website.
Victoria Bowman
Chair of Governors | Hall Orchard CoE Primary School