Governance

Welcome to Southbrook School, Exeter. We are a Local Authority Maintained Special School that welcomes pupils from this vast county! The focus of the governors has always been to direct the school’s strategies, promoting the best possible standards and outcomes for all needs of each student, and to ensure resources are used to maximum impact.

Within the framework of our Terms of Reference and the Board Membership, governors work as a team with the students, parents, staff and community. As we develop together and share skills and knowledge, we strive to create a curriculum and extra curriculum that provides confidence to flourish.

We are constantly striving to improve our own skills to strengthen the leadership of the school in order to fulfil the aims and obligations. We continue to monitor the work of the school with support and challenge. We want to know about behaviour, safety of pupils, expenditure and value for money. This is part of our current and ongoing Governors Development Plan.

Should you wish to correspond with the governors; please contact the Chair of Governors: Fiona Bowie: fbowie@southbrook.devon.sch.uk

Fee Bowie, Chair of Governors,

Southbrook School, Bishop Westhall Road, Exeter, Devon EX2 6JB

We are looking for a volunteer to join our lively, interested and experienced Governing Board.

Volunteers don't have to have a connection to the school or a background in education. In fact, it is better for us if you don’t. Co-opted governors have the skills required to contribute to the effective governance and success of the school. We would like someone who knows the local community. If you have a background in finance or business even better, but this is not essential.

School Governors are there to ensure clarity of vision, ethos and strategic direction for the school. Holding the Headteacher to account for the educational performance of the school and its pupils and overseeing the financial performance of the school, making sure its money is well spent. Governors are expected to adhere to the seven principles of public life, which are selflessness, integrity, objectivity, accountability, openness, honesty, and leadership.

We would love to have a chat with you about the role. Please contact the Clerk to Governors via email admin@southbrook.devon.sch.uk or by telephone on 01392 716900

Governing Board Minutes

Minutes are available on request from the Clerk to the Governors.

Full Governing Board Membership

full governing body membership 2022 23.pdf

Terms of Reference

Code of Conduct

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Register of Meeting Attendance

Board of Governors 2022/2023	28 Sep 22	7 Dec 22	18 Jan 23	22 Mar 23	17 May 23	12 Jul 23
Fee Bowie	P	P	C	P	P
Charlotte Callaway	P	B	C	P	M
Laurie Fentimen	B	P	C	P	P
Dr Paul Gray	P	P	C	P	P	**
Michelle Hewald	P	P	C	P	B
Alistair Macintosh	P	P	C	P	P	**
Geoff Wilkins	P	P	C	H	P
Amy Wills	P	P	C	P	P
Simon Winward	P	P	C	P	P
Nicola Younani	P	P	C	P	P
Gaynor Brierley (Associate Governor)	P	P	C	P	P

Key:
B = Business Commitment
F = Family/Personal Commitment
H = Holiday
NA = Not Applicable
P = Present
S = Unwell
U = Unspecified
** = Resigned

--- = Not on Governing Body
C = Meeting Cancelled
T= Technical issues with virtual link

M = Medical Appointment

Instrument of Governance

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Annual Governance Statement 2022 – 2023

March 2023

Title: Governors Annual Statement	Author: FB
Version number: 1	Status: Final
Date Approved: March 2023	Date of next review: March 2024

In accordance with the Government’s requirement for all governing bodies, the 3 Core strategic functions of Southbrook School Governing Body are:

Ensuring clarity of vision, ethos and strategic direction.
Holding the Headteacher to account for educational performance of the school and its students.
Overseeing the financial performance of the school and making sure its money is well spent.

Governance arrangements	The Governing body of Southbrook school (constituted March 2015) comprises of 2 Parent Governors, 1 Local Authority Governor, 1, Staff Governor, 1 Head teacher, 2 Foundation governors (appointed by SENtient Trust, 3 Co-opted Governors. Total of 10 governors. Co-opted governors are appointed by the Governing Body and have the skills required to contribute to effective governance and success of the school. In March 2023, the Governing Body voted in a new Chair of governors owing to a resignation of the previous. The new Chair has been a LA appointed governor on this board since 12/2021 and has previous Chair experience. The Full Governing Body meets between 6 and 9 times a year, depending on the need.
Attendance record of governors	Governors’ meetings are generally well attended, and since the appointment of the new Clerk on 12/22, a recording of this has been better (see school website – Governance - Attendance). Additionally, governors are clear about their new Terms of Reference’s to link and meet with staff within the school to create a closer working partnership for the development of the education and outcomes; and the care of the students at Southbrook. These meetings take place on top of Board Meetings. Further details of what portfolio’s each governor holds are on the website under “Governance”. A School Council’s meeting is attended by at least one governor.
Training Opportunities	A Skills Audit is used to identify any specific gaps that need to be filled in the skills, knowledge and experience of existing governors. This is key for making an impact through linking governors with areas of compliance, and challenging, supporting specific performance areas. Even though our Board would like to neatly fill each position with the right skills, knowledge and experience, it is not always possible. Volunteering for these roles is a chosen commitment that is respected. We offer various training courses, that are short and effective ways of learning new or enhancing present skills. There has recently been a good uptake in this.
Achievements	The governing body has over the past year: • Appointed a permanent Head Teacher with the skills and experience to lead the school into the future and inspire staff and students alike. • Recruitment and training of new Governors against Governing skills audit. Appointed 1 new governor • School capacity (growth in student numbers, complexity of need, efficient use of TA’s and pressures on physical space) and overseeing the removal of the library bus and development for new building. • Safeguarding and welfare of students and staff given the ever-increasing complexity of need in our student population. • Financial challenges to meet students' needs whilst readjusting budget to match LA funding.
Plans and priorities	To work towards our goals in a 4-year Action Plan. To Maintain a dynamic and flexible budget within the agreed deficit, providing appropriate resources which meet the complex needs of our students. To ensure student intakes comply with our Health and Safety risk assessment, constrained by the existing estate, whilst catering for complex educational and physical needs of students. To create an aspirational, visionary, costed curriculum to maximise efficient use of budget, staff resource, physical assets and accommodation, producing students at their personal capacity in ‘’personal independence and ‘communication’.

Full Governing Body Meeting Dates 2022 – 2023

FGB Calendar 2022 - 2023
Autumn Term
Wednesday 9.45am	28^th September 2022	FGB and Housekeeping
Wednesday 9.45am	7^th December 2022	FGB
Spring Term
Wednesday 9.45am	18^th January 2023	FGB
Wednesday 9.45am	22^nd March 2023	FGB
Summer Term
Wednesday 9.45am	17^th May 2023	Budget Setting
Wednesday 9.45am	12^th July 2023	FGB

Full Governing Body Meeting Dates 2023 – 2024

FGB Calendar 2023 - 2024
Autumn Term
Monday 5 to 7pm	18th September 2023		On-line (Housekeeping)
Monday 5 to 7pm	2^nd October 2023		FGB
Thursday 9.45 to 11.45am	30^th November 2023		FGB
Spring Term
Monday 5 to 7pm		22nd January 2024	FGB
Thursday 9.45 to 11.45am		21^st March 2024	FGB
Summer Term
Thursday 9.45 to 11.45am		2^nd May 2024	FGB (Budget Setting)
Monday 5 to 7pm		8^th July 2024	FGB{SECTION_MENU}

Governors are expected to have good attendance as set out in the code of conduct.

Diversity Data

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Equality Objectives

To follow shortly

GSO Test

Governance

Contact Southbrook School