Cotherstone Primary School

Cotherstone, Barnard Castle, County Durham DL12 9QB

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Home / About Us / Our Governing Body

Our Governing Body

Governors work closely with headteachers, school staff and representatives from the local authority (LA).

Our Governors

The role of the Governing Body is to work with the school’s management team to provide strategic direction to raise standards, monitor progress, and ensure best use is made of school resources. We aim to ultimately achieve our mission of “high quality teaching and learning that challenges pupils to raise their expectations and standards in a safe environment through a creative, experimental and experiential curriculum for the development of the whole child in a secure, happy and nurturing school community”.

Our Governing Body is made up of 13 Governors from a combination of Parent Governors (parents of children at the school), Staff Governors (members of school staff), Local Authority Governors (nominated by Durham County Council) and Co-opted Governors (members of the local community). Each Governor (with the exception of the Teaching Staff Governor and Non-teaching Staff Governor) has allocated to them areas of special interest and acts as the curriculum Link Governor between the school and Full Governing Body.

Governor Committee Structure

Detailed below are the names of our Governors and their Special Interest Area(s):

NameRepresentingTerm
of
Office Started
Term
of
Office Ends
CommitteeResponsibilitiesRegister
of
Interests
Relationship
to
Staff
Rachel Atkinson Parent 25/2/201924/2/2023Finance & Premises
1st Pay Review
Head Teachers Performance
Strategic Direction
Early Years/Pre-school
Assemblies/Collective Worship
None declaredNone declared
Mrs Alison Butler -
Chair
Parent 12/10/201711/10/2021Finance & Premises (Chair)
Strategic Direction
Pupil Premium
Looked After Children
PHSCE
None declaredNone declared
Mrs Chris Matthewman - Headteacher Statutory 1/9/2019-Finance & Premises
Personnel & Pupil Discipline
-Head TeacherNone declared
Councillor Richard BellLocal Authority26/1/201625/01/2020Finance & Premises
1st Pay Review
History
Durham County CouncillorNone declared
Mrs Teresa WilcoxCo-opted Governor17/11/201716/11/2021Finance & PremisesMaths
RE
None declaredNone declared
Mrs Tamsin CoulsonCo-opted Governor6/12/20175/12/2021Strategic DirectionPE
More Able & Talented
None declaredNone declared
Mrs Alison Sabey Non-Teaching Staff Governor 12/10/201711/10/2021
Finance & Premises-School secretaryNone declared
Mr Richard BatchelorTeaching Staff Governor 24/11/201723/11/2021-Teacher. Wife is HLTAMarried to HLTA Mrs Jane Batchelor
Mr Daniel BlagdonCo-opted Governor1/09/201731/8/2022Geography
Design & Technology
None declaredNone declared
Mrs Louise Whitburn - Vice ChairParent17/04/1816/4/2022Health & Safety
Science
None declared

Statutory Guidance for Governing Bodies

Cotherstone Primary adhere to the statutory guidance from the Department for Education. This means that governing bodies must have regard to it when carrying out duties relating to the constitution of governing bodies in maintained schools. For further information about our Governors, please view or download the documents below.

The Constitution of Governing Bodies of Maintained Schools (2017)
Annual Governance Statement for the Governing Body 2015

How To Become A School Governor

If you require further information on the roles and responsibilities of School Governors or you are interested in becoming one, visit the Durham County Council website School Governor section.


Governor Attendance

Schools are required to display a record of Governor attendance at meetings for each school academic year.

KEY
✓   – Attended meeting
A/A   – Apologies sent and accepted by meeting
N   – Did not attend
X  – Not a member of the committee

Record of Governor Attendance 2020-2021

NameFinance Committee Meeting
6/10/20
Full Governing Body
Meeting
3/11/20
Meeting
[add date]
Mrs Alison Butler
Chair
✓✓
Mrs Chris Matthewman - Headteacher ✓✓
Councillor Richard Bell✓✓
Mrs Teresa Wilcox✓A/A
Mrs Rachel Atkinson
✓✓
Mrs Alison Sabey✓✓
Mr Richard Batchelor✓
Mrs Tamsin CoulsonA/A
Mr Daniel Blagdon✓
Mrs Louise Whitburn✓✓

Archived Attendance
You can also view previous years attendance on our website.


Committee Terms of Reference

The Finance and Premises Committee

Terms of Reference:

  • In conjunction with the Headteacher to draft the first formal budget plan of the financial year, for approval by the full Governing Body.
  • To establish and maintain an up to date 3 year financial plan.
  • To monitor income and expenditure, including virement decisions, significant anomalies from the anticipated position and report termly to the Governing Body.
  • To ensure the school operates within the financial regulations of the County Council and the requirements of the DfE Schools Financial Value Standard.
  •  To monitor expenditure of all voluntary funds kept on behalf of the Governing Body.
  •  To annually review charges and remissions policies and expenses policies.
  •  To make decisions in respect of service level agreements.
  •  To make decisions on expenditure following recommendations from other committees.
  •  To prepare financial statements for inclusion in any reports to parents.
  •  Ensure that buildings and the learning environment are maintained and fit for purpose.
  •  Oversee the use of the premises by outside users.
  •  Establish and keep under review an asset management /building development plan.
  •  Establish and keep under review an Accessibility Plan.
  •  Ensure that adequate provision is made to make the building safe and secure.
  •  To ensure as far as is practical that any Health and Safety (H&S) issues are appropriately funded in accordance with priorities.

Meetings: termly, or each half term, planned to coincide with Oracle.
Disqualifications: when there may be a conflict of interest; a fair hearing is required; or a pecuniary interest.

Record of Finance Committee Meeting Attendance 2017-2018 & 2018-2019

 29/11/1731/1/1821/3/1825/4/1820/6/187/11/186/3/1910/6/19  
Dr Rebecca JellisYYYYYYYY
Rachel AtkinsonYYYYA/AYA/AY
Alison ButlerYYYYYYYY
Michelle FergusonYA/AYYYYA/AY
Teresa WilcoxYYA/AYA/A/YYY
Alison SabeyYYA/AYYYYY
Richard BellYYA/AA/AYYYY
Jane AyreYA/AYA/A----
Alison Lamb-----Y--

First / Pay Review Committee

Terms of Reference:

  •  To act in accordance with the Teachers’ Pay Policy adopted by the Governing Body.
  •  To report to the Finance Committee on Pay Review-related expenditure.
  •  To make any decisions under the personnel procedures adopted by the Governing Body, e.g. disciplinary, grievance, ill health, capability etc where the Headteacher is the subject of the action, after delegation to the Chair.
  •  To make any decisions relating to a member of staff (other than the Headteacher) under the Personnel procedures adopted by the Governing Body, after delegation to the Headteacher.
  •  Staffing Reductions.

Meetings: as required
Disqualifications: when there may be a conflict of interest; a fair hearing is required; or a pecuniary interest. Staff members cannot take part in any salary decision.

Delegation to Headteacher: up to and including first written warning.

Personnel & Discipline Committee

Terms of Reference:

  •  To carry out an annual review of the staffing structure in consultation with the Headteacher and the Finance Committee.
  • Permanent appointments.
  • To establish and review a performance management policy for all staff.
  • To keep under review work/life balance, working conditions and well being, including the monitoring of absence.
  • To make recommendations to the Finance Committee on Personnel-related expenditure.
  • Exclusions.
  • General Complaints.

Meetings: as required
Disqualifications: when there may be a conflict of interest; a fair hearing is required; or a pecuniary interest.

Delegation to the Headteacher: School Staffing (England) Regulations 2009.

Appointments:
Delegated to the Headteacher

  • All temporary appointments (in consultation with the Chair)

Dismissals:

  • All dismissals remain with the Committee Structure.

Curriculum/Strategic Development Committee

Terms of Reference:

  • To make recommendations to the Governing Body and review the school’s curriculum statement and policies as required in the light of the LA curriculum statement and statutory obligations regarding the National Curriculum
  • In collaboration with the staff to provide information about how the curriculum is taught, evaluated and resourced
  • To review the policy and provision for sex education and to make recommendations where necessary
  • To review the policy and provision for collective worship and RE and to make recommendations where necessary
  • To monitor and review information about school performance and reporting to parents accordingly to statutory requirements
  • To contribute to the School Development Plan and SEF
  • Curriculum/performance review including target setting and monitoring mechanism.
  • To make recommendations to the Governing Body concerning the long term strategic development of the school in respect of links with other schools

Meetings: Termly or when required.

Appeals Committee

Terms of Reference:

  • To consider any appeal against a decision to dismiss a member of staff made by the First/Pay Review Committee.
  • To consider any appeal against a decision under the personnel procedures adopted by the Governing Body (e.g. disciplinary, pay review, capability for teachers etc).
  • To consider any appeal against selection for redundancy.

Meetings: As required
Disqualifications: when there may be a conflict of interest; a fair hearing is required; or a pecuniary interest. Staff members cannot take part in any salary decision.

Virement & Expenditure Limits

Virement LimitsExpenditure Limits
Limit set for Headteacher without prior written approval of Chair or Governing Body£1,000Any items of expenditure up to£1,000
Limit set for Headteacher with approval from Chair of Governors£1,001 to £5,000Above this limit if item was previously notified to the Governing Body.

Prior Finance Committee or Chair of Governors approval (whichever is the soonest) to be sought outside of this limit and reported at the earliest opportunity.
Prior Finance Committee or Chair of Governors approval (whichever is the soonest) to be sought outside of this limit and reported at the earliest opportunity.

NB: Any goods/services purchased and works to be carried out are subject to Durham County Council Contract Procedure Rules (January 2014) for quotations.

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Copyright © 2021 Cotherstone Primary School

Cotherstone

Barnard Castle

County Durham

DL12 9QB

Tel 01833 650 491 · Email cotherstone@durhamlearning.net


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