Committee Structure

 

GOVERNING BODY COMMITTEE MEMBERSHIP

Primary Committees

  • Performance Management and Pay Review (Meet termly)

      Kerry Holl, Kate McKeown and Nick Donnelly (External Advisor – Sarah-Jane Smith)

 

Secondary Committees (Meet only when required)

  • Appointments Committee (Governors to be nominated by the Chair)
  • Statutory Committee (responsibility for Complaints, Personnel Appeals & Pupil Discipline)

 

 

COMMITTEE TERMS OF REFERENCE

Performance Management and Pay Review Committee

Membership

3 Governors plus the Headteacher in an advisory capacity (except when discussing the Headteacher’s pay)

Chair

The Chair of the Committee will be the Chair of the full Governing Body or in his/her absence another member of the Committee appointed at the meeting

Quorum

The quorum is 3 Governors: all Governors present should not be employed at the school

Clerk

Meetings will be clerked by any person appointed by the full Governing Body except for the Headteacher.

Overall Purpose of the Committee

The overall purpose of the Committee is to:

 Review the pay of staff, award performance related pay as appropriate and advise them of the outcome accordingly, in accordance with the school’s procedure and consider any changes to contracts for staff.

  • To achieve the aims of the whole school pay policy in a fair and equal manner.
  • To review the Appraisal Policy and Capability Policy as appropriate.
  • To carry out the Performance Management of the Headteacher.
  • To work with the External Adviser who will assist the committee in carrying out their responsibilities effectively within the budget set by the Governing Body.
  • To agree the Headteacher’s Performance Objectives and monitor progress towards them over the year.
  • Review progress against the objectives on an annual basis.
  • Where pay progression for the Headteacher is possible within the relevant legislation recommend whether such progression should take place.
  • To work with the Headteacher in ensuring that the Governing Body complies with the Performance Management Regulations.
  • To formally acknowledge and apply the criteria set by the whole school pay policy in determining the performance related pay of each member of staff at the annual review, in accordance with the STPCD.
  • To keep up to date with relevant developments and any legal changes and to advise the Governing Body when the school’s pay policy needs to be revised.
  • To advise teachers accordingly of the outcomes; including the right to appeal against the committee decisions.
  • To minute clearly giving the reasons for all decisions and report these decisions to the next full Governing Body meeting as a confidential item to be received.
  • To seek professional advice as necessary.
  • To attend relevant training as appropriate. 

Appointments Committee 

Membership

Membership is determined by the vacancy and recommendations are below. Membership of each selection panel will be determined by the Chair, however every attempt will be made to rotate all Governors. 

Leadership Group 

Headteacher

Up to 5 Governors, including the Chair. (Quorum - 3 Governors) 

Deputy Headteacher

Up to 5 Governors, including the Chair and the Headteacher. (Quorum - 3 Governors including the Headteacher) 

Other Positions in the Leadership Group

Up to 3 Governors, including the Headteacher. (Quorum - 1 Governors including the Headteacher) 

Non-Leadership Group 

Teaching Staff (Teachers)

Up to 2 Governors, plus the Headteacher. (Quorum - 1 Governors plus the Headteacher)

Teaching Staff (Teaching Assistants etc.)

Up to 2 Governors, plus the Headteacher. (Quorum - 1 Governor plus the Headteacher)

Non-teaching Staff (Lunchtime Supervisors etc.)

1 Governor, plus the Headteacher. (Quorum - 1 Governor plus the Headteacher)

Clerk

Meetings will be clerked by any person nominated by the Governing Body, or the Appointments Committee, who does not have a personal interest in the proceedings.

Overall Purpose of the Committee:

The overall purpose of the Committee is to make all appointments to the school.

Staffing

  • Agree the staffing establishment and structure (teaching and non-teaching) at least annually in relation to the budget and the school development plan; and present any changes to the full Governing Body. Any agreed changes requiring recruitment to be passed to the Appointments Committee.
  • Recommend to the Governing Body the annual budget needed for pay, bearing in mind the need to ensure the availability of resources to support any discretionary decisions; and to recommend that the Governing Body makes application for any additional funding available to support this process.
  • Keep under review appropriate staffing policies and procedures - including grievance, discipline, redundancy, sickness absence, whistle blowing - and ensure staff are consulted and informed appropriately.
  • Recommend to the Governing Body the procedure for filling vacancies and making staff appointments.
  • Ensure that the school complies with the General and Specific Equality Duties in relation to staff.
  • Ensure the school complies with the latest requirements in relation to safe recruitment and safeguarding procedures including the Safer Recruitment Policy
  • Consider any issues referred by the Headteacher outside any scheme or policy adopted by the Governing Body.

Appointments

  • To carry out its responsibilities in accordance with the policies and procedures agreed by the Governing Body.
  • To liaise (as appropriate) with the LA.
  • To decide on selection criteria for the post, consulting (as appropriate) the Governing Body and the LA.
  • To make the necessary arrangements for advertising the post and providing information for candidates.
  • To make the necessary arrangements for long-listing candidates.
  • To shortlist candidates for interview.
  • To interview candidates and to make an appointment informing the Governing Body of all decisions. (With the exception of the appointment of the Headteacher which must be ratified by the full Board).

 

Statutory Committees

Responsibility for Complaints, Personnel Appeals & Pupil Discipline

Membership

3 Governors chosen by the Chair of the full Governing Body or in his/her absence on the basis of alphabetical rotation subject to eligibility and availability.

  • It is recommended that at least one Parent Governor is included in the membership when considering a complaint.
  • Governors with detailed knowledge of the case to be considered should not be selected as members of the Committee.
  • When considering Personnel Appeals, members of the Committee which made the decision being appealed against cannot be selected as members of the committee.
  • When considering Pupil Discipline, no Governor, including the Chair or Vice Chair, should be a member of this committee when it is considering individual exclusions cases if he/she has been involved in prior meetings with parents as part of formal school procedures to modify a pupil’s behaviour.
  • The Headteacher should not be a member of the Committee, although he/she may attend meetings to give advice/present his/her case to the Committee.
  • Employees at the school should not be members of this Committee.

Chair

The Chair of the Committee may be appointed by the full Governing Body, or elected by the Committee, as determined by the Governing Body.

Quorum

3 Governors; or for Personnel Appeals, equal in size to the committee which made the decision against which the appeal is being made.

Clerk

The Governing Body will appoint a Clerk to the Committee or delegate this responsibility to the Committee.

  • Meetings may be clerked by any person, except someone who is seen not to be impartial (for example by the complainant, the parents of the excluded pupil or the staff member making an appeal).
  • The Clerk should not be a member of the Committee unless the nominated Clerk is unable to attend.
  • The Headteacher will not act as Clerk as they are prevented by legislation from being appointed.
  • Any person employed at the school will not Clerk a Personnel Appeals meeting.
  • When considering Personnel Appeals the nominated Clerk will not be a member of the Committee that made the decision against which the appeal is made.
  • If the Committee is considering whether a member of staff should cease to work at the school and the LA is advising the Committee, a LA officer will act as Clerk.

Overall Purpose of the Committee:

The overall purpose of the Committee is to:

  • hear personnel appeals;
  • consider complaints;
  • review pupil exclusions; and
  • take appropriate action on any other relevant matter referred by the Governing Body.

Personnel Appeals

  • Hear appeals from members of staff against decisions made by the Resources Committee which relate to them as individuals (such as pay, discipline, grievance and dismissal), as set out in the Governing Body’s personnel policies and procedures (including the Pay Policy).

 

Complaints

  • Consider complaints from parents and members of the public in accordance with the Complaints Procedure of the Governing Body.

 

Pupil Discipline

  • Carry out the Governing Body’s statutory duty to review fixed-term and permanent exclusion cases, as required by legislation and in accordance with DfE advice and LA advice.

Reviews will involve:

  • considering the case presented by the Headteacher;
  • considering the views of parents of the excluded pupil;
  • considering the views of the LA (including such agencies as the Educational Psychology Service, the Primary Behaviour Support Team, the School Exclusion Team, the SEN Service or the Education Welfare Service);
  • having regard to DfE and LA guidance and the policy of the Governing Body;
  • deciding whether to uphold the exclusion, or not, (where the pupil is still excluded);
  • ensuring that a note of the Committee’s views on the exclusion is placed on the pupil’s record with a copy of the Headteacher’s exclusion letter, where appropriate; and
  • ensuring that the parents, Headteacher and LA are informed of the Committee’s decision in writing, within the required timescale.

Appeals to the Independent Appeals Panel (set up by the Council) made by parents against decisions of the committee to uphold a permanent exclusion 

  • To prepare the statement of the Governing Body for such an appeal and to liaise with the Clerk to the Appeals Panel with regard to other information required.
  • Represent the Governing Body at the hearing of the case by the Appeals Panel.

Training and Development

  • Ensure that members of the Committee develop and maintain an up-to-date understanding of pupil behaviour and discipline issues locally and nationally, for example by attending relevant governor training courses and reading relevant DfE and LA guidance.