Governance
The Governing Board
Higham Lane has a skilled, active and approachable governing board which is made up of Parent Governors, Member-Appointed Governors and Staff Governors. We welcome the perspective and knowledge that this group of enthusiastic volunteers brings to our school.
Each governor is a member of one of our Sub Committees and also attends our termly Full Governors' meeting. We also value the contribution that governors make in their link areas. These cover a range of areas including teaching and learning, finance, health and safety and specific academic subject areas such as English, Maths and Science.
Governor training is important to our school. We hold an annual Governors’ Day every September where members of the Governing Board take part in professional development activities such as visits to lessons, meetings with students and training on a range of relevant topics, some of which governors lead themselves.
If you are interested in becoming a governor, please contact the School. We would love to hear from you.
The Structure and Remit of the Governing Body Sub Committees (GSCs)
Governor scrutiny is very strong, both at Full Governors and Sub Committee level.
Governors do not just nod things through. They analyse the details of the School’s work. This is supported by minutes and link reports. SLT members are assigned to a GSC and governors consider policies and proposals and question SLT on all aspects of the School’s performance.
| Areas of Focus | Governor Action |
|---|---|
| Full Governors’ meeting | Scrutiny of Leadership Team Report to Governors and School Development Plan (SDP) termly updates and actions. |
| At least half-termly Chair & Vice Chair meeting with Headteacher including regular email connection on all aspects of the School’s work | Consideration of all aspects of the organisation. (Policies, staffing, leadership, communication and idea sharing) |
| Curriculum & Standards GSC | Scrutiny on student progress, curriculum, performance of particular student groups and subjects- Subject Leaders of underachieving subjects are asked to attend and talk through how they are working to maximise progress. |
| Students, Parents, Community and Safeguarding GSC | Scrutiny and support with student voice, attendance, behaviour and safeguarding |
| Resources and Premises GSC | Scrutiny and support with budget, site and health & safety. |
| Commissioned External Reviews | Governors consider the findings and monitor the follow-up action plans. |
Governing Body Link Areas
Our Link Governors monitor particular aspects of the School’s work through their visits, discussions with staff and records of visit. They feed back to the Full Governors’ meeting each term.
| Link area | Governors | SLT/Staff link |
|---|---|---|
| Safeguarding | Jane Elmer, Chris Prees | Vanessa Domigan, Assistant Headteacher |
| Quality of education | Elaine Thornett, Jane Elmer, Nick Fussey, Sutish Kumar, Keith Hobbs | Kirstie Robinson, Deputy Headteacher |
| Careers education, guidance and personal development | Musaddika Ahmedabadi, Olufunke Awotunde | Emma Mitchell (Careers Middle Leader) |
| SEND | Claire Holland-Turner, | Sonia Taylor (SENDCO) |
| Sixth Form | Mark Williams, Nana Darko | Thomas Sears (Assistant Headteacher) |
| Behaviour and attendance | Gavin Wrigley, Rachael Treadwell | Adam Williams (Assistant Headteacher) |
HIGHAM LANE SCHOOL GOVERNING BOARD
| Parent Governors |
|---|
|
Musaddika Ahmedabadi |
|
Olufunke Awotunde |
|
Nick Fussey |
|
Nana Darko |
|
Claire Holland-Turner |
|
Sutish Kumar |
|
Chris Prees |
|
Elaine Thornett |
|
Racheal Treadwell |
|
Mark Williams |
|
Gavin Wrigley |
| Chair of Governors |
| Jane Elmer |
| Headteacher Governor |
|---|
| Michael Gannon |
| Staff Governors |
|---|
|
Leanne Connop (Progress Leader) |
|
Sarah Davis (Teacher) |
| Sam Wilson (Teacher) |
| LGB Appointed Governor |
|---|
| Keith Hobbs |
| Clerk to the Governors |
|---|
| Lisa Bromage |
Have you thought about becoming a Parent Governor?
Becoming a Parent Governor offers you the opportunity to make a real contribution to the life and work of our school. School governors play a key role in the leadership of the school and work together with staff and other agencies to make sure that our school provides a supportive, motivating and high-achieving environment for its students.
Don’t worry if you have no experience in education matters, as full training, support and induction are available and your fellow colleagues on the Governing Body will be welcoming and supportive.
Who can be a Parent Governor?
All parents and carers of registered pupils are eligible to become a Parent Governor. Every parent, whether or not you live with the student, is entitled to be nominated as a Parent Governor and to vote in a Parent Governor election. Someone who has parental responsibility or day-to-day care of a student is also eligible to serve and to vote.
How long does a Parent Governor serve for?
The usual term of office is four years from the date of appointment. If you choose to, you can complete your term of office, even if your child has since left the school.
Our Governing Body’s Commitment to Safeguarding and the Equalities Act
All of our governors are expected to demonstrate a responsibility for and a commitment to the safeguarding of our students and the goals of the Equalities Act. We will offer you regular, high-quality training to enable you to do this effectively. We welcome our duties under the Equality Act 2010 to eliminate discrimination, advance equality of opportunity and foster good relations in relation to age (as appropriate), disability, ethnicity, gender (including issues of transgender, and of maternity and pregnancy), religion and belief, and sexual identity. We are proud that our school has been recognised for its work in supporting equality and diversity in winning an Educate & Celebrate Best Practice Status Award. This important initiative is supported by the Department for Education and the Government Equalities Office. We were the first school in Warwickshire to have received such an award.
How is a Parent Governor nominated and elected?
When there is a vacancy, we write to all parents/carers. If you would like to put your name forward, we ask you to complete a nomination form. If more than one nomination is received, an election will be held and ballot papers for this will be sent to all parents and carers.
If you are interested in becoming a Parent Governor at some stage in the future and would like to find out more, then please contact the Headteacher for an informal chat. We look forward to hearing from you!
Governor attendance information can be found on the Central England Academy Trust website: https://centralengland.co.uk/