Governors’ Charter

Reaffirmed by the Governing Board of Oak Tree Primary School November  2018

The governing body, Head Teacher, Senior Leaders and staff at Oak Tree Primary School are committed to helping our children achieve, aspire and grow.

Oak Tree governors in partnership with the school are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare and happiness of all its children, and expects all staff and volunteers to share in this commitment.

The governing board will:

• respect the professional expertise of the Headteacher, Senior leaders and staff, and the fact that responsibility for the day to day running of the school rests with the headteacher;
• work to support and strengthen the leadership team and hold them account for the day to day running of the school;
• ensure that sufficient notice of meetings are provided and distribute paperwork to all governors in timely manner;
• act fairly and without prejudice, and in so far as we have responsibility for staff, we will fulfil all that is expected of a model governing board;
• ensure that its decision-making processes are transparent.

The Chair of Governors / respective committee chairs will:

• ensure that meetings are chaired effectively, and that the chair:
  • effectively manages the agenda;
  • ensure meetings are paced in order that more important areas of business are afforded the required amount of time
  • seek to draw on all members for contribution;
  • keeps discussion to the items in hand.
• ensure that accurate minutes are produced promptly following meetings;
• encourage all governors to contribute equally;
• support the training and development needs of all governors;

Individual governors will:

• act with honesty, integrity and objectivity taking decisions that are in the best interests of the school and not those of self, individuals or groups;
• recognise that their role is a strategic one with a focus on holding the leadership team to account and to avoid routine involvement in operational matters;
• attend meetings, including full governing body meetings and relevant committee/working party meetings, and play an active part;
• be prepared to contribute personal skills through involving themselves in the work of appropriate committees and/or working parties;
• prepare for meetings so that they are well informed, having as a minimum read all the papers sent out with the agenda;
• respect the points of view of all governors even where these differ from their own;
• raise issues with the head teacher between meetings in a positive and constructive way;
• respect confidentiality and support corporate decisions even where they go against personal opinions;
• respect the guidelines laid down for governor visits to school;
• demonstrate their commitment by getting to know the school and becoming involved in school life and activities;
• support the school with parents and in the community;
• be proactive in their own training and development and respond positively to feedback;

The Head Teacher and Senior Leaders will:

• respect governors as volunteers who bring additional skills, experiences and perspectives, and value their contribution;
• work openly with the governing body and provide clear, concise and relevant information on which to base decisions, in a timely manner and with agreed deadlines;
• be approachable and accept governors’ role of a ‘critical friend’;
• enable all governors to become involved in the life of the school and actively seek out opportunities to support this engagement;

Seven Principles of Public Life:

Selflessness - Holders of public office should act solely in terms of the public interest. They should not do so in order to gain financial or other material benefits for themselves, their family, or their friends.

Integrity - Holders of public office should not place themselves under any financial or other obligation to outside individuals or organisations that might seek to influence them in the performance of their official duties.

Objectivity - In carrying out public business, including making public appointments, awarding contracts, or recommending individuals for rewards and benefits, holders of public office should make choices on merit.

Accountability - Holders of public office are accountable for their decisions and actions to the public and must submit themselves to whatever scrutiny is appropriate to their office.

Openness - Holders of public office should be as open as possible about all the decisions and actions that they take. They should give reasons for their decisions and restrict information only when the wider public interest clearly demands.

Honesty - Holders of public office have a duty to declare any private interests relating to their public duties and to take steps to resolve any conflicts arising in a way that protects the public interest.

Leadership - Holders of public office should promote and support these principles by leadership and example.

Oak Tree Governing Board is a member of the National Governors Association and as such has also adopted its Code of conduct 2016, a copy of which can be found at the bottom of this page.