Hebrews 10: Verse 24: Let us consider how we spur one another on toward love and good deeds

LGB Terms of Reference

A summary of the role of the Local Governing Body is outlined below, however, full Terms of Reference can be found in the Trust’s Scheme of Delegation.

• Seek to understand and question how the school is led and managed, acting as a critical friend.
• Monitor and challenge how the school is fulfilling the Trust’s ethos, vision, and strategy.
• Determine and review of the educational targets of the schools, including but without limitation, determination of the School’s Development Plan
• Monitor and challenge educational standards, reporting on concerns from the Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) to the Trustees of the Educational Standards Committee.
• Assist in overseeing the Health and Safety of all students, staff and visitors; and ensure safeguarding for all students.
• Act as the panel when reviewing the school Headteacher/Head of School’s decisions on exclusions, and other committees as required e.g. salaries, complaints and pupil and staff disciplinary/dismissal committees.
• To ensure the School is complying with Trust policies in respect of safeguarding, health and safety and GDPR risk management.
• Represent the school’s stakeholders and be their consultative body.
• Forge links with the community and provide a vehicle for Trust board engagement with the school, its parents and local community, to help ensure that the Academy Trustees stay connected.
• Act as an ambassador for the school.
• Bring any issues and risks to the attention of the Trust Board.
• Provide constructive feedback to the Board where a policy may not be effective in the local context, and suggest alternative approaches.
• Help ensure the Trust works as one entity, in the interests of all its schools equally.
• Deal with any other matters which the Board of Trustees may refer from time to time.
• Report to the Board of Trustees annually on members contribution and the impact of the LGB.
• Ensure value for money is being achieved from school budgets. (This does not include formal financial accountability which is delegated to the Director of Finance).
• Provide a consultative forum for the school for the implementation of new policies and procedures.
• For church schools, to monitor and support the Christian distinctiveness and church ethos of the school.
• Assist in the effective and efficient performance management of teaching staff, making recommendations to the Trust board on pay progression.
• Monitor and evaluate the quality and impact of governance.

Every school within the Marches Academy Trust has a Local Governing Body.

At each of our meetings we pause for a moment to pray our Governor prayer: 
 

Our Heavenly Father,
Be with us as we meet
Guide us as we talk
Stay with us as we plan
Open our ears as we listen
Open our eyes to your vision
In Jesus' name 
Amen 

This helps us to focus as we lead our Church School forward. 

The Local Governing Body is composed of the following Governors:

Parent Governors – two per Local Governing Body

Parent Governor elections are carried out when the term for the current Parent Governor(s) expires / if a Parent Governor resigns / when a school joins the Marches Academy Trust.

More information on the role of Parent Governor can be found in the Governance Handbook.

When the number of nominations for Parent Governors exceeds the number of vacancies, a ballot will take place.

Parent Governor Ballot Process

Staff Governors – one per Local Governing Body

Staff Governor elections are carried out when the term for the current Staff Governor expires / if a Staff Governor resigns / when a school joins the Marches Academy Trust.

Staff Governors are just the same as any other Governor, although it is important to note that they are representative of staff, not staff representatives.

If you would be interested in joining the Local Governing Body, or have any questions regarding any of the above, please contact Bee Lopez Bloor, Clerk to the Trust’s Boards, in the first instance: belen.lopezbloor@mmat.co.uk

Chair of Governors

Mrs Elizabeth Edwards

Co-opted Governor

Meet our Governors

Elizabeth Edwards 

I have lived in Cockshutt since 2004, when my husband and I decided to settle and raise our family. My children have both attended Cockshutt CE Primary and I have been a Governor since 2017. I am a qualified Solicitor working for The Ministry of Justice, advising on family law. I enjoy using my legal training to assist in all aspects of compliance. I am a Member of the Marches Academy Trust. I am committed to securing educational opportunities for children within an enriched nurturing environment.

John Dickin

I have lived in Cockshutt all my life and attended Cockshutt CE Primary School as a child.   I am proud to be part of our Federation due to my interest in the community and its heritage.   I love to talk to the children and support the schools in any way I can.   I have been a governor for a long time and have been privileged to be part of the change when we established our Federation, I am proud of all we have achieved together for the good of our schools. 

Dominica Kunz

"My name is Dominica but most people know me as Minnie. A Cockshutt resident since 2011, I have always seen the village school as a vital cog in the life of our community. The first time I entered the school I was impressed by its happy atmosphere and by how confident and articulate the children were. In January 2014 I decided to offer my services as a volunteer reader/helper and I consider this to be one of the best things I have ever done.

I take an active part in village life - the regular community coffee mornings, the W.I., the annual horticultural show, CADS, and the church - and I would love to encourage even more interaction between the school and some of these diverse groups as I feel it can only benefit all involved, young and old.

During my working years I was initially involved in manufacturing, working mainly in production planning and scheduling, then as PCs were becoming more widely used within the workplace I changed direction and worked first as a programmer and then as an IT trainer teaching computing skills to adults. My main subjects were spreadsheet and database at all levels from basic up to and including programming."

Harriet Beresford

“I’m Hattie Beresford, I attended Cockshutt school as a child and have lived locally all my life, my eldest child attends Cockshutt school now and my youngest will be attending in due course, I feel very proud to be supporting our school as parent governor as i feel it is a wonderful place with fantastic children! The community aspect for me is one I think is extremely important and is what makes our school so special, i look forward to supporting this and watching it go from strength to strength! “