A WELCOME AND INTRODUCTION FROM THE CHAIR OF GOVERNORS,
IAN FEATHERSTONE

As Chair of the School's Governing Body I am pleased to be able to welcome you to the School's web site and to tell you something about the governing body and its work here at Priesthorpe.

The Governing Body draws together people from different backgrounds who provide a real mixture of talent, skills and experience all with one common purpose: to share those qualities for the well being of the Priesthorpe School community, its students, staff and parents.

The Governors include parents, members of staff - both teaching and non-teaching, governors appointed by the local authority to reflect the political complexion of the area served by the School and members drawn from the wider community interested in offering their professional and other skills for the benefit of the School.

The Governing Body meets once each half-term to receive reports from its committees and from the Headteacher. It considers the School's achievements, particularly the results of GCSE, A level and other post-16 exams and the Key Stage 3 tests. It reviews and formally approves the framework of policies within which the Headteacher and his Senior Leadership Team manage the School and it sets the School's multi-million pound budget.

Much of the governors' work is undertaken by its committees which also meet once every half-term. There are four committees: curriculum, finance and site, pastoral and staffing.

In addition, individual governors also assume particular responsibilities, for example for literacy, for special educational needs provision and for health and safety.

Each governor also has a link with a department. My own link, for example, is with the History department.

The curriculum committee studies in detail the wide ranging data now available on students' progress and achievements and receives presentations from Heads of Department and supports them in the development of the courses offered to students.

The finance and site committee considers in detail the School's finances, always seeking to provide both the resources needed by the School and value for money. The committee receives reports every half-term from the School Administration Manager and from the Site Manager.

Its work in the coming months will include supporting the School in bringing the Building Schools for the Future (BSF) project to a satisfactory conclusion: new buildings and 21st century resources for the benefit of staff and students here in school as well as for the wider community.

The pastoral committee considers matters of student welfare: for example attendance, behaviour and school uniform. Its members also comprise the panels which hear cases where students have been excluded from school.

The staffing committee oversees the appointment of staff, taking an active role in the appointment of professional staff and assuming overall responsibility in the appointment of the Headteacher and Deputy Headteacher. The committee includes in its number the governors with the responsibility for performance management and for setting the Headteacher's targets.

The School's governors work hard, both individually and as a group, and I was particularly pleased that the recent Ofsted report recognised our contribution:
"Governance is good. Governors are committed, supportive and appropriately challenging: they know their school well."

Thank you for taking an interest in our work.

Ian Featherstone, Chair