Days Lane Primary School

What do we do?

The role of school governors is increasing in importance over time.  Our governors are also directors of the Academy Company and are registered as such at Companies House. They bring different strengths and skills to the governing body, supporting the school in a number of ways and we hope the following information provides you with an insight into our role.

• We provide support to the Head Teacher and the leadership team in deciding the future direction of the school
• We make decisions on how the school’s budget is best spent to improve the outcomes for your children
• We monitor and evaluate the school’s performance & effectiveness in raising educational standards and ensure that it strives for continuous improvement
  We offer support and challenge to the senior leadership team when necessary, to ensure that our school provides the best educational experience for your children

How do we do it?

• The full governing body operates a 'circle model' of governance, where all members and trustees will meet 6 times annually to discuss all school matters. Within this framework, certain responsibilities will be assigned to particular governors, especially regarding learning walks and exploring the curriculum impact at school.
• In addition to working with the circle model of governance, there is also a Finance, Audit and Risk Commitee who aim to meet before each full governing body meeting. Their scope is more refined and they will report to the full governing body on their relevant discussions, reviews and findings throughout the year. - these reports will review the school's financial performance, internal scrutiny reports and the school's risk management. This committee is currently chaired co-chaired by Ms Larkins and Ms Lancett, with other members being Ms Ward, Ms Self and Ms Martin. The committee met 2 times during 2020-21 with full member attendance.
• The full governing body meets at the end of each term. An overview regarding the work of the school for each term is discussed, along with the work of the committees
  Regular visits are made to meet the children to share their learning experiences and to the staff, to gain a better understanding of the teaching and learning environment
• All governors attend training provided by Bexley Governor Services, or use on line training, to ensure we have the right skills and knowledge to carry out our role.
• We attend new parent talks, open evenings, assemblies, school productions and other celebratory events
• Governors support the Days Lane Parents' Association and take up their position for ‘Gate Duty’ for our annual Inflatable Day, Fireworks Display & Fun Day
• Visiting the school gives us a valuable insight into the day-to-day life and activities of the pupils and staff, we see the effects of the decisions that we make which enables a more informed decision to be taken at the various committee meetings regarding your children and their education.