Structure and Remit

The Structure & Remit of Chessington School’s Governing Body

The Purpose of Governance

(1) The purpose of Governance is to provide a confident, strategic leadership and to create robust accountability, oversight and assurance for educational and financial performance.

(2) The Governing Body has three core functions:

  • Ensuring clarity of vision, ethos and strategic direction;
  • Holding executive leaders to account for the educational performance of the organisation and its pupils, and the performance management of staff; and
  • Overseeing the financial performance of the organisation and making sure its money is well spent.

The Governing Body works in close co-operation with the Headteacher to provide support and challenge to encourage and enable the highest possible standards for the School.

Meetings

The Local Governing Body (LGB) meets approximately six times a year. It is a strategic body, responsible for ensuring that the three core functions explained above are met. It also has the power to appoint members.

Working Parties. The Local Governing Body delegates responsibilities to Working Parties that have their own remit within the Governing Board. These meet throughout the year and update the LGB at each meeting.

The number of Working Parties and their designation and remit is kept under review by the LGB to reflect the changing needs of the School Development and School Evaluation Plans.

Commitees

These Committees do not meet per se, but each has a Chair and Vice Chair for oversight. Working Parties are allocated to a Committee, and will produce reports that are monitored by the Committee & that go out to all Governors.

The Committees are:

(a) Quality of Education (QE) Committee. It monitors and evaluates pupil achievement and the quality of teaching, ensuring the School provides a high quality learning experience and delivers a broad and balanced curriculum in keeping with the School’s vision, all pupil needs and within current legal requirements.

(b) Finance & Business (F&B) Committee. The purpose of the Finance and Business Working Party under this Committee is to advise on the financial management of the School. It monitors financial management issues and acts accordingly with sufficient authority to make its action effective.

Another function of the Finance and Business Working Party is to scrutinise and monitor the School’s accounts, in greater detail, as well as focusing on more Strategic Finance issues as well as specific topics.

(c) Behaviour & Attitudes and Personal Development (BAPD) Committee. Working Parties under this Committee support, monitor and challenge the School on all aspects of pupils’ personal development, welfare and behaviour as well as the wellbeing of staff. The Committee is also responsible for reviewing engagement with parents and collaborating with the School’s Student Council in relation to their community and student leadership activities.

A list of the members of Chessington School’s Governing Body, including their profile, attendance, responsibilities, terms of office and voting rights etc. can be found on other pages of the Governors’ section of the School website.

APRIL 2022