Governance

The Governing Body meets four times each year. There are four governor committees which carry out delegated functions and report back to the Governing Body. These are the Resources Committee, the Students Committee, the Audit Committee and the Headteacher’s Performance Management Committee. There are also governor panels convened as needed for Student Discipline, Complaints, Pay and Staff Discipline.

Scheme of Delegation

Resources Committee

The Resources Committee oversees matters relating to finance, staffing and the school’s premises.

Resources Terms of Reference

Students Committee

The Students Committee oversees matters relating to curriculum, achievement, admissions, SEND, safeguarding and behaviour.

Students Terms of Reference

Audit Committee

The Audit Committee oversees external audit, internal audit and the risk management process.

Audit Terms of Reference

Governors are volunteers who make a positive contribution to the school by giving both their skills and time. They attend around 11 Full Governing Body and Committee meetings each year. Governors also regularly visit the school for other purposes, such as taking part in staff interviews, attending student events and productions, and attending open days. There are four Lead Governors for particular school priorities who hold regular meetings with staff and report back to the rest of the governors.

All Governors complete an induction process and take part in ongoing training to ensure they are well equipped for their role. Governors are subject to safeguarding checks and govern in line with a code of conduct and the Department for Education’s Governance Handbook.

The 2019 Ofsted report noted that at Bishops’ “Governors bring a range of skills and knowledge to their roles. They support and challenge leaders well.”

Vacancies for Bishops’ governors arise regularly as existing governors complete their terms of office. As an Academy school, our governors are charity trustees, and sit on our Trust Board, which we call our Governing Body. We are currently seeking two new governors. The application deadline for these roles is 30th June 2021 and the new governors will start their terms of office in September.

Being a governor can be hugely rewarding. You can make a real difference to the school and the lives of our students. You will gain valuable skills and board level experience as well as having the opportunity to shape the priorities and direction of Bishops’ into the future.

Anyone over the age of 18 can be governor, so long as you do not have certain financial disqualifications or criminal convictions. You do not need to be a parent of a student for most categories of governor.

Governors do not need to be experts in education, and a wide range of professional skills and ‘soft skills’, such as working as part of a team, are valuable for the governing body.

Our two current vacancies are for governors who will be appointed by the Chester Blue Coat Church of England Educational Foundation. As such, the individuals should ideally be practising Christians, preferably C of E. We are always working to increase the diversity of our board, and would especially welcome applications from women and other under-represented groups on the board. One of the new governors will join the Students Committee and the other will join either the Students Committee or the Resources Committee.

For the Students Committee we are seeking someone with knowledge of, or a keen willingness to learn about, achievement, curriculum, safeguarding and special educational needs and disability (SEND). For the Resources Committee we are looking for someone with knowledge of, or a keen willingness to learn about, school finance, staffing and premises. For either role, questioning skills and creative thinking are important, and experience of strategic governance (not necessarily in education) would be valuable but is not essential.

Being a governor requires commitment and enthusiasm. Governors are expected to attend approximately eleven meetings each year, usually held from 4.30pm to 6.30pm on Mondays. You will need to read paperwork ahead of the meetings and contribute constructively to the discussions and decisions taken. Some governors take on ‘Lead Governor’ roles for priority areas of the school’s work, and many take part in occasional ad hoc panels such as Discipline and Complaints, or interview panels for staff. Governors are also expected, and supported, to complete ongoing training after their induction period, including safeguarding training and relevant checks.

If you have any questions and would like an informal discussion about becoming a governor, please contact the Chair of Governors, David Walsh, via email on clerk@bishopschester.co.uk

To apply for one of the two vacancies, please email the Clerk to the Governors on clerk@bishopschester.co.uk with the following information:
– Your name and date of birth;
– A brief outline of your relevant experience, skills and attributes. This could cover current and previous employment and volunteering roles, personal interests, your available time to commit to the role and whether you can bring a perspective that will contribute to the diversity of the board. Please also include anything else you would like to add about why you would like to be a Bishops’ governor. As a guide, between 150-300 words is suggested.

Applications should be received by 30th June 2021. Informal interviews will be held in July and new governors will start their roles in September.