What are the Governors for?
We all have a stake in how our school is run. We want our children to be safe, well-educated and happy. We want the children at Crofton Hammond to become confident young people, ready to move on to the next stage in their education. And we want a school that makes good use of taxpayer’s money.
Crofton Hammond Infant School’s Governing Body exists to represent all those interests. So while many of us are current parents, we also have people from the local community and representatives of the local authority (Hampshire County Council). Together we all work with the school staff to make decisions on how and what to teach, how best to utilise the school’s budget and how to deal with the challenges of running a sizeable organisation in order to succeed with our important mission.
What do we do?
We meet regularly as an entire body and as smaller committees (Curriculum, Performance Management, Personnel & Pay Review, Resources) to discuss issues such as:
- Is the quality of teaching and learning where it should be?
- Where can we make improvements to continue as an outstanding school?
- Do staff have the support and resources they need to give their best?
- Are we doing everything the local authority and central government requires?
- Are we representing the best interests of all of our children?
How we do this varies greatly. One meeting might be spent discussing the value of a performing arts trip, while another works out whether we have enough fire alarms and extinguishers to comply with current Health & Safety regulations. Mostly we listen to, and explore, ideas about how to ensure the school continues to provide a safe and happy learning environment for the children. As a Governing Body we offer support to the school’s staff by listening and offering advice based on a range of experience and skills, as well as listening to what the children and parents have to say about the school. In order to provide this support, we must also challenge the staff, and we do that by:
- Setting ambitious – but achievable – goals for improvement.
- Looking for evidence that progress is being made against these goals.
- Questioning whether resources – time, staff or money – are being used effectively.
What don’t we do?
The Governing Body does not deal with the day-to-day running of the school. For example, we monitor issues like attendance and bullying closely, but we look at aggregated, anonymised information, not individual cases; you should always speak to your child’s teacher, or a member of the senior staff, if you have a concern about your child. Similarly we don’t decide exactly what will be taught, though we work with staff to understand how their plans will benefit the children and fit with the national curriculum.
Who are we?
Parent Governors
Mrs Tanya Dasgupta Hudson (Wellbeing) Curriculum, Performance Management, Personnel & Pay Review (HT Performance Management) (until October 2023) |
Mr Phil Hodges (Chair) Performance Management, Personnel & Pay Review, Resources (until October 2023) |
Local Education Authority (LEA) Governors
|
Mrs Stefanie Read (Safeguarding) – Curriculum (until October 2023) |
Co-opted
Mr Steve Green (Service) Performance Management, Personnel & Pay Review (Pay Review), Resources (until May 2025) |
Mrs Sam Higginbottom Resources (until November 2026) |
Mrs Margaret Hyde (Health & Safety) Curriculum, Resources (until November 2026) |
Mrs Janet Pearce Curriculum (until November 2026) |
Mrs Sowmya Menon
(until January 2027) |
Mrs Julie Syms (SEN) Curriculum, Performance Management, Personnel & Pay Review (HT Performance Management) (until November 2026) |
Mr Wayne Shirley (Vice Chair, Development & Training) Performance Management, Personnel & Pay Review (Pay Review), Resources (until June 2023) |
Staff Governors
Mrs Sian Hosmer (Headteacher) Curriculum, Performance Management, Personnel & Pay Review (Pay Review), Resources |
Mrs Ruth Halbauer Curriculum (until September 2026) |
Associate Governors
|
Mrs Kirstin Westover Resources, Pay Review |
Clerk to Governors
|
Mrs Kirstin Westover |
Should I join?
In our biased opinion, yes! It’s not an easy job – there’s a lot to learn and every year brings changes and challenges, but it’s really rewarding to make a difference to 180+ children every year. If you’re interested, speak to Mrs Westover in the office, or email adminoffice@croftonhammond-inf.hants.sch.uk for more information.
We currently have 3 vacancies on our Governing Board, for more details, please contact the Clerk or Chair if you are interested in finding out more, or joining.
Useful Information
Register of Pecuniary Interests – As of the latest meeting of the full governing body, Wednesday 17th MaY 2023, no governor reported a relevant pecuniary interest.
- Governing Body & Committee Members
- Governing Body & Committee Meeting Schedule
- Governing Body & Committee Meeting Attendance
- Governing Body Skills Matrix
The Governors can be contacted through the Clerk to the Governors, Mrs Kirstin Westover, via the school office.
The minutes from the latest Full Governing Body meeting are always available at the school office.