Woodland View Primary School

 Nominations for parent governors

The governing body of your school has a vacancy for a parent governor and is looking for parents who have children at the school. The term ‘parent’ relates to any person who has ‘parental responsibility’ as defined by the Section 576 of the Education Act 1996. If you have any queries about your eligibility as a parent, please contact the Headteacher for further advice.

We are looking for parents who have the skills required to contribute to effective governance and the success of the school. Your skills may include personal attributes, qualities and capabilities, such as the ability and willingness to learn and develop new skills.

Governing bodies are responsible for a wide range of matters, which come under three main headings:

Ensuring clarity of vision, ethos and strategic direction;

Holding the Headteacher to account for the educational performance of the school and its pupils, and the performance management of staff; and

Overseeing the financial performance of the school and making sure its money is well spent.

Governors need a strong commitment to the role and to improving outcomes for children, the inquisitiveness to question and analyse, and the willingness to learn.

The governing body of Woodland View School would specifically welcome nomination from parents with the following skills Health & Safety and local business knowledge.

As an effective governing body, we seek to secure or develop within our membership as a whole, expertise and experience in

• Analysing performance data,
• Budgeting and driving financial efficiency,
• Performance management and employment issues, including grievances.

We seek to recruit and/or develop governors with the skills to work constructively in committees, chair meetings and to lead the governing body.

Our parent governors serve a four-year term of office (even if your child leaves the school during this time). We meet once a month as a whole governing body. There is an expectation within our code of conduct (copy attached) that each governor will become a member of a committee and will take on additional responsibilities as a link governor. All governors are expected to abide by the Code of Conduct adopted by the governing body.

We offer a full induction package, a mentoring system and availability of in-house, central and on-line training packages. We also offer the opportunity for prospective governors to meet the chair/vice chair/other governors to discuss the role/attend a governing body meeting as an observer before completing a nomination form.

Parents/carers from Black and Minority Ethnic backgrounds, from the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender community, and with disabilities, are usually under-represented on governing bodies and in the County. The school would like to encourage nominations from under-represented groups in our community.

All new and re-appointed school governors are required to complete a declaration of eligibility form.

If you wish to complete a nomination form to become a parent governor, you need to:

1. Check that you are eligible by reading the enclosed qualifications and disqualifications criteria. Sign the declaration of eligibility form and return this with your completed nomination form.
2. Complete the nomination form (once you are satisfied that you are eligible to become a governor).
3. Include a statement, up to 80 words, about yourself, the skills and commitment you can bring to the governing body and why you would like to become a governor.
4. You do not have to complete this section, but if you don’t you may put yourself at a disadvantage if there is an election. All words over 80 will be deleted and not used in the election process. d.  
5. Each nomination must be received at the school by 10.00 am on Wednesday, 26th September 2018.           
6. A sealed ballot box will be available in the school for hand deliveries, details of its location will be found on a notice in the entrance to the school.
7. The onus is on you to ensure that the nomination form is put in the box either by personal delivery or by sending it with your child.
8. Your nomination should be acknowledged by the Headteacher/returning officer within two working days of the closing date. If you do not receive this acknowledgement, please contact the school.
9. In accordance with the School Governance (Constitution) (England) Regulations 2012, an elected member of the Local Authority (LA) or school staff who are paid to work at the school for more than 500 hours in any consecutive twelve month period are not eligible for election or appointment as parent governors. However, they can vote in parent governor elections if they are parents of children attending the school and can be governors at another school.
10. An election will be held if more nominations are received than the number of vacancies.
11. For the purpose of the election, ballot papers will be sent to all parents or carers with children at the school, together with any details that you and other nominees have provided. This procedure will be explained to you by the Headteacher should an election be necessary.
12. If you have any further queries about the role of parent governor, please contact the Headteacher of the school, other members of the school governing body or Nottinghamshire County Council Governor Services on telephone number 0115 9772672.
13. It should be sealed in an envelope marked ‘Nomination for Parent Governor’ and may be delivered by hand, sent with your child, or by post to the school. Electronic nominations must be returned to Mrs Bye at sbye@woodlandview.notts.sch.uk

 Yours sincerely

Mrs. Grey