Our Governing Body
Our two schools have one Governing Body, which helps us share knowledge and maintain best practice. It also stimulates ideas and drives improvement. The Governing Body has overall responsibility for ensuring the highest standards of education are provided in both schools, and for setting the strategy for future development.
On this page:
- What the Governing Body does
- Who's who
- Instrument of Government
- How governance works
- Transparency
- Approved minutes of meetings
What the Governing Body does
Governors work in close collaboration with the staff and parents to ensure high-quality education and care in a welcoming environment. To do this, the Governing Body formulates relevant policies and sets aims and objectives which are addressed in the annual School Development Plan for the two schools which you can read on the Vision and plans page of this website. Governors' scrutiny at Church Hill and Low Hall covers these areas:
- planning and development of the educational curriculum and extended services
- children’s learning progress and all-round development
- policy-making and review
- the staff teams, and professional training
- the school budgets and fund-raising
- maintenance and improvements to the buildings and school grounds.
Governors are always happy to meet with families to talk about their role and how the shared vision for young children is being put into practice, and to follow up on suggestions, ideas and comments they contribute.
Who's who
Our Governing Body is made up of:
- the Executive Headteacher and 1 member of staff who is voted for by all staff at both schools
- 2 parent governors
- 1 Local Authority governor, proposed by the London Borough of Waltham Forest
- 5 co-opted governors: people from our local community, chosen for their particular expertise
- Occasionally, an associate governor is appointed.
This combination of volunteers is designed to bring a range of expertise and engagement which can understand and challenge the school operations in a supportive yet critical way.
Our current governors and their responsibilities are:
Name | Governor Type | Term From | Term To | Roles |
---|---|---|---|---|
Mr Mark Brown | Co-opted governor | 6 May 2021 | 5 May 2025 | Vice Chair of Governors, Premises, Safeguarding, Filtering & Children's Welfare Link Governor |
Mrs Helen Currie | Executive Headteacher |
n/a | n/a | all committees |
Ms Sally Davey | Co-opted governor |
3 Oct 2022 | 3 Oct 2026 | Chair of CLD, Link for PSED & SEND |
Ms Pauline France | Local Authority governor |
1 Feb 2023 | 1 Feb 2027 | Chair of FPP, Premises, Children's Play & Learning |
Mr Abrar Malik | Co-opted governor | 5 May 2021 | 4 May 2025 | Chair of Governors, CLD |
Mr Jana Mills | Co-opted governor |
4 Sep 2022 | 4 Sep 2026 | Vice Chair of FPP, Link for Sustainability & Equalities |
Paula Vaz Cudna | Co-opted governor | 25 February 2023 | 24 February 2027 | FPP |
Mrs Caroline Russell | Clerk |
n/a | Clerk |
Former governors who have stepped down during the past 12 months:
Name | Appointed by | Term of office | Date of appointment | Date they stepped down |
---|---|---|---|---|
Ms Aalia Chaudhary | Parent governor | 3 years | 1 September 2021 | 31 August 2024 |
Ms Katy Thompson | Parent governor | 3 years | 1 September 2021 | 31 August 2024 |
Mr Peter Dawe | Co-opted Governor | At least 35 as a governor in Waltham Forest Schools, the last 9 at the FANS Federation | Peter was a founding governor of the FANS Federation, having served as a governor at Low Hall Nursery School for some time previously. We are most grateful for his service and his support. | 1 February 2023 |
Instrument of Government
How governance works
There are four ways the governors and schools meet:
- Link Governors take responsibility for specific areas. They make visits to the schools, usually once a term and during school hours, to have in-depth discussions with staff and observe how their area of interest is working. After the visit, they write a report which is circulated to all governors.
- Three sub-committees meet every term: Finance, Pay, and Personnel, Children's Learning and Development, and Premises. These meetings have detailed discussion and make recommendations to the Full Governing Body. As the need arises, governors sit on recruitment boards, disciplinary committees, and complaints panels.
- Full Governing Body meetings of all governors are held once a term. Parents who are interested can attend as observers.
- From time to time, some governors also join working parties with staff leaders to draw up new policies or guidance, or to work on a particular matter.
You can see which governor does which role in the 'who's who' section of this page.
Transparency
We pay the Local Authority to clerk our meetings; we don't write our own minutes. These minutes (confidential items excepted) are made public on this page.
The clerk records governors' attendance at meetings, who is on which committee, and who the link governors are for particular subjects. Governors declare at the start of each year and at the start of each meeting whether they have any financial (pecuniary) or personal interest in any agenda item, and their Declarations of Pecuniary Interest are minuted by the clerk. Below are the latest summaries:
Approved minutes of meetings
Minutes are signed off at the meeting after they are taken. The minuted acceptance is available the term after that. As meetings are termly, ratified minutes are always posted here two terms in arears. As minutes are now signed off digitally, minutes no longer show handwritten signatures or initials.
23-24
- Autumn 23-24: Full Governing Body
- Autumn 23-24: Finance, Pay and Personnel - non-confidential
- Autumn 23-24: Premises
- Spring 23-24: Full Governing Body
- Spring 23-24: Finance, Pay, and Personnel
- Spring 23-24: Children's Learning and Development
- Spring 23-24: Premises
22-23
- Autumn 22-23: Full Governing Body
- Autumn 22-23: Finance, Pay and Personnel
- Autumn 22-23: Children's Learning and Development
- Autumn 22-23: Premises
- Spring 22-23: Full Governing Body
- Spring 22-23: Finance, Pay and Personnel
- Spring 22-23: Premises
- Summer 22-23: Full Governing Body
- Summer 22-23: Finance, Pay and Personnel
- Summer 22-23: Children's Learning and Development
- Summer 22-23: Premises
21-22
- Autumn 21-22: Full Governing Body 30 November 2021
- Autumn 21-22: Full Governing Body 16 November 2021
- Autumn 21-22: Full Governing Body September 2021
- Autumn 21-22: Finance, Pay and Personnel
- Autumn 21-22: Children's Learning and Development
- Autumn 21-22: Premises
- Spring 21-22: Full Governing Body
- Spring 21-22: Finance, Pay and Personnel
- Spring 21-22: Children's Learning and Development
- Spring 21-22: Premises
- Summer 21-22: Full Governing Body
- Summer 21-22: Finance Pay and Personnel: all minutes marked confidential, so not posted here
- Summer 21-22: Children's Learning and Development
- Summer 21-22: Premises
20-21
- Autumn 20-21: Finance, Pay and Personnel
- Autumn 20-21: Full Governing Body
- Autumn 20-21: Children's Learning and Development: this meeting didn't take place due to COVID-19 restrictions
- Autumn 20-21: Premises
- Spring 20-21: Full Governing Body
- Spring: Finance Pay and Personnel: all minutes marked confidential, so not posted here
- Spring: Children's Learning and Development: this meeting hasn't happened for some time due to COVID restrictions, however the Chair did a learning walk at both schools, the notes from which are here.
- Spring 20-21: Premises
- Summer 20-21: Full Governing Body
- Summer 20-21: Finance, Pay and Personnel non-confidential
- Summer 20-21: Premises Committee
- Summer 20-21: Safeguarding link governor learning walk report
19-20
- Autumn 19-20: Finance, Pay and Personnel
- Autumn 19-20: Full Governing Body
- Autumn 19-20: Children's Learning and Development
- Autumn 19-20: Premises
- Spring 19-20: Finance Pay and Personnel: all minutes marked confidential, so not posted here
- Spring 19-20: Full Governing Body
- Spring 19-20: Children's Learning and Development
- Spring 19-20: Premises: this meeting didn't take place due to COVID-19 restrictions
- Summer 19-20: Finance, Pay and Personnel: this meeting didn't take place due to COVID-19 restrictions
- Summer 19-20: Full Governing Body
- Summer 19-20: Children's Learning and Development: this meeting didn't take place due to COVID-19 restrictions
- Summer 19-20: Premises Summer
18-19
- Autumn 18-19: Finance, Pay and Personnel
- Autumn 18-19: Children's Learning and Development
- Autumn 18-19: Premises
- Autumn 18-19: Full Governing Body
- Spring 18-19: Finance, Pay and Personnel
- Spring 18-19: Children's Learning and Development
- Spring 18-19: Premises
- Spring 18-19: Full Governing Body
- Summer 18-19: Finance, Pay and Personnel
- Summer 18-19: Full Governing Body
- Summer 18-19: Children's Learning and Development
- Summer 18-19: Premises