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At St Chad’s, we have a real passion for teaching and learning and providing opportunities so that every child can learn and thrive. Our lessons are fun and exciting, and they provide challenge and support for all children. We promote a growth mindset where children learn from mistakes and are confident and open to new ways of thinking and learning. We value the whole curriculum and make it our mission to give children opportunities to shine in different curriculum areas and develop their individual gifts and talents.
We have a happy school, where children are safe and enjoy learning. Our aim is to make sure that our school is one where everyone feels valued and included and where we can all be the best that we can be. St Chad’s children are incredibly well behaved- they are respectful, polite and caring and they value their friendships and the social side of school. We nurture our children and care deeply about their happiness and well-being. St Chad’s is a school where everyone is welcome.
With our strong links in the parish, we try to ensure our children receive the exceptional education that they deserve in a distinctively Christian setting. We are proud to be a church school and hold our Christian values at the heart of all we do.
About Poulton St Chad’s School from Rev. Martin Keighley.
Foundation Governors form a majority on the Governing Body of a Church School. They are appointed by The Diocese of Blackburn on the recommendation of the local church.
In addition to the responsibilities shared by all governors, they have a particular duty to uphold the Church of England foundation of the school, and its continued Christian ethos.
For that reason, expressions of interest and enquiries should be addressed to the Vicar, who will happily put you in touch with the Chair of Governors and the Headteacher, who can explain the commitment and expectations involved from their perspective.
What is the role of a Governor at St Chad’s School?
We are a ‘Voluntary Aided’ Church of England school provided initially by the Church Trustees. Governors have strategic responsibility for areas such as admissions, safeguarding, curriculum, staffing, resources and financial management. The Governing Body meets regularly (twice a term) and much of the basic work of the Governors takes place
through its committees, most commonly the Curriculum Committee (includes pupil welfare/online safety) and Resources Committee (includes staffing/finances/buildings).
The purpose of the Governing Board is to help the school provide the best possible education for all its pupils, ensuring that the school is held accountable to those it serves. Our Governors also get involved in a wide range of activities in school in their role of both support and challenge to the school community.
How much time do I need to committee to?
There are 2 meetings per term, a full governor meeting plus a committee meeting. Each meeting aims to last for 2 hours. You are expected to attend both, unless in exceptional circumstances. In addition, governors are asked to attend school trips, church services and school events where possible. As part of your role on the board, you will have responsibility for subject areas which will require meeting with teachers and attending a class lesson twice a year.
We want our governors to grow in their roles and be confident with the right skills and knowledge, it is therefore important training courses are attended, mainly online. However, there will be the occasional requirement to attend in person.
You need to be able to access emails and respond in a timely manner as well as have the time to read various documents to prepare questions for meetings.
As much as this sounds like a big role, spread out over the school year and with meeting dates shared at the start of the academic year, we are only asking for on average a few hours per week.
What skills do I need?
The skill set need changes depending on what skills we currently have on the board. To help us understand if your skills will fit into our board, we ask that you please complete the attached document and hand it to Rev. Martin Keighley.
Want to know more about St Chad’s School?
The best place to get a good feel about the school is the website. www.poultonstchadsce.lancs.sch.uk or through our social media pages on Facebook or Instagram.
You can see our strong Christian values and our motto which is shared throughout
LOVE LEARNING, LOVE GOD, LOVE ONE ANOTHER
Still interested?
Register your interest and have a chat with Rev. Martin Keighley.
Don’t forget to take along your skills audit!
Thank you.
Skills Audit – Complete the grid to the best of your ability.
Insert the number that best fits the statement.
1 = Describes you. 2 = Partially describes you. 3 = Does not describe you.
1 Governance - previously been a governor in another school
2 Chair - experienced as a Chair of governors or other Board
3 Board - experience of being on board of another organisation (Director, trustee, etc)
4 Church - Part of a local Church maybe with a leadership role
5 Faith - used to discussing or thinking about the interface of faith and social issues such as education
6 Listener - not quick to express opinions
7 Patient - especially when dealing with people
8 Strategic thinker - can see the way forward
9 Activist - prefer to do rather than wait
10 Connector - natural networker who wins people over to the cause
11 Leader - can take control and when necessary, confront
12 Focussed - reliable and enjoys goals and structures
13 Responsible - loyal and determined to fulfil any promise or duty
14 Analytical - detailed thinker, likes order and may have interest in data analysis
15 Deliberative - enjoys thinking about pros and cons
16 Learner - likes discovering new things and exploring subjects
17 Communicator - gets a message across to small and/or larger audiences
18 Believer - having understood and reached a conclusion will be passionate about it
19 Activator - has a sense of urgency and a desire to get on with new things (potentially impatient with others!)
20 Financial - experience in handling business accounts, budgeting etc
21 Legal - experience in handling contracts, employment law and conflict
22 HR - experience in selection and recruitment (interviewing)
23 Marketing - experience in sales, promotion and/or advertising
24 Social media - proficient at making use of contemporary means of communication
25 Safeguarding - used to working with vulnerable groups and/or understanding of special needs
26 Church - strong links with a local church and/or Diocese
27 Community - other good links with community activity / organisations
28 Locality - good working knowledge of the area in which the school is situated
29 Education - some understanding of education having or have worked in schools
30 Policy - fairly or well up to date with education policy and issues
31 Commitment - understand the commitment of time and to attend all meetings (expect in exceptional circumstances)
32 Training - willing to undergo Induction training and other courses
33 Confidentiality - recognise the principles of collective responsibility and that some matters must not be disclosed outside meetings
34 Parents - believe that the role of the governor is for the good of all children and not take advantage of the role for personal reasons