Governors
The Governing Body of The Aspire Learning Federation
Welcome to the section of the website where you can find out more about the federation’s governors, and the work that they do.
What is a federation?
A federation of schools is a legal process which enables between two or more schools to work together through a formal structured process by sharing governance arrangements and a single governing body that will make decisions in the best interest of all the schools, staff and pupils within that federation.
The Aspire Learning Federation brings together Elm Park Primary School and The RJ Mitchell Primary School to share expertise from collaborative working, sharing best practice and to reinforce the common vision of inclusivity.
Role
The role of the governing body is critical to the effectiveness of the schools within the federation, we focus on the core strategic functions, as set out by the Department for Education:
- setting vision, ethos and strategic direction
- holding the executive head teacher to account for the educational performance of the schools and its pupils
- overseeing the financial performance of the schools and making sure its money is well spent
It is our role to provide both support and challenge, and ensure accountability in all areas, whilst remembering that the day to day management of the school is the responsibility of the executive head teacher and heads of school. The governing body is answerable and accountable to pupils, parents, the wider community, the Local Authority and Department for Education.
How does the governing body operate?
Each individual governor is a member of the governing body, which is established in law as a corporate body. Individual governors may not act independently of the rest of the governing body and decisions are the joint responsibility of the governing body.
The governing body meet at least two times a term, usually on a Tuesday in the early evening. At these full governing body meetings, we discuss any areas of concern, take any required actions, and monitor the outcomes of any previous or ongoing activities. We set aims and objectives, and agree, monitor and review policies, targets, priorities and ongoing progress of the federation as a whole.
We also meet twice a year on a Saturday to review the performance and development of the governing body.
There are also committees for executive head teacher performance management and staff pay, although these committees meet less frequently.
As well as regularly attending full governing body and committee meetings, governors take time to visit the school at least three a year and get to know its staff, pupils and parents both formally and informally.
Each governor also has responsibilities for specific areas within the federation such as safeguarding, inclusion, health and safety and will work more closely with school staff involved in these areas.
Who are the school governors?
In March 2022 Elm Park Primary School’s governing board and The RJ Mitchell Primary School’s governing board decided to federate under the 2012 School Governance Federation Regulations. Governors maybe elected or co-opted for the skills they could bring.
As a result, the governing body of The Aspire Learning Federation consists of:
- two head teachers
- one staff governor, elected by the staff
- one appointed local authority governor
- two parent governors, elected by parents of the federation schools
- eight co-opted governors, appointed by the governing body
The standard term of office for a governor is four years. The chair and vice-chair are elected annually at the first meeting of the academic year. Our current constitution permits up to 14 members of the governing body plus any number of Associate members who do not have voting rights. It is not the purpose of those elected to act as lobby groups for their constituency (eg parents or staff); instead all governors contribute equally to the strategic oversight of the governing body.
If you are interested in becoming a school governor, please contact the Chair of Governors; Lorraine Earle, via your school office or by email chairofgovernors@theaspirelearningfederation.co.uk
Minutes - to be requested via your school office
Contact: Lorraine Earle, Chair of Governors via email on: chairofgovernors@theaspirelearningfederation.co.uk
or via post marked:
Private and Confidential, Lorraine Earle c/o Elm Park Primary School, South End Road, Elm Park, Hornchurch, Essex, RM12 5UA
or
Private and Confidential, Lorraine Earle c/o The RJ Mitchell Primary School, Tangmere Crescent, Hornchurch, Essex RM12
