Terms of Reference for Governors’ Standards and Effectiveness

Chaucer Primary School

Governors’ Standards and Effectiveness Committee

Terms of Reference

The Standards and Effectiveness Committee will consist of at least 8 members including the head teacher. The quorum will be four members as long as staff members do not outnumber non-staff members. Non-voting participants may be invited to meetings by the committee as and when required. The membership of the committee shall be reviewed and determined annually by the governing body.

Rationale:

• Increased autonomy for school
• High levels of accountability
• Clear structure for monitoring the quality of provision and standards of achievement and attainment
• Empowerment of the governing body to inform the strategic direction of the school

Responsibilities:

• To review the performance of the school through detailed analysis of available performance data including end of key stage results and class and year group teacher assessments.

• To review the quality of teaching and learning.

• To review the impact of leadership and management at all levels on raising standards of achievement.

• To monitor and evaluate the implementation and impact of the school improvement plan.

• To review pupil behaviour including overall attendance and persistent absence.

• To identify the priorities for school improvement.

These responsibilities will be fulfilled through various activities and tasks which over a period of time will include:

• ensuring that the curriculum provided meets the statutory requirements, including those for assessment, recording and reporting.

• regularly reviewing the school’s implementation of the national curriculum including Religious Education, Collective Worship and Sex Education in relation to current legislation and guidance

• monitoring and evaluating governor involvement in all aspects of school improvement including the School Development/Improvement Plan.

• reviewing and evaluating new and existing policies and arrangements that impact upon standards, attainment and achievement with special reference to teaching, learning and assessment.

• regularly reviewing all the available formal and informal data provided by the school, LEA and external agencies and thereby continually monitoring and evaluating pupil progress in relation to targets set and national expectations and benchmarks. Reviews will consider attainment and progress of particular groups e.g. SEN, AGT, ethnic minorities, disadvantaged.

• establishing a timetable to invite staff with particular responsibilities to provide regular written and verbal reports upon areas of for which they have a responsibility and which have a direct bearing upon academic standards of attainment and achievement. Staff include:

– school assessment leader who has a responsibility for the assessment policy and the collating and distributing of data for interpretation and use of colleagues.

– English subject leader who has a responsibility for the monitoring and evaluation of English attainment and progress data throughout the school and a key role in implementing responses to the data including the evaluation of the impact and effectiveness of intervention programmes.

– mathematics subject leader who has a responsibility for the monitoring and evaluation of mathematics attainment and progress data throughout the school and a key role in implementing responses to the data including the evaluation of the impact and effectiveness of intervention programmes.

– SENCO who has a responsibility for the monitoring and evaluation of attainment and progress data relating to pupils on the school’s SEN register and a key role in implementing responses to the data.

– AGT leader who has a responsibility for the monitoring and evaluation of attainment and progress data relating to able, gifted and talented pupils on the school’s AGT register and a key role in implementing responses to the data.

– team leaders who have a responsibility for the monitoring and evaluation of attainment and progress data relating to the pupils within the team they lead and a key role in implementing responses to the data.

– phase leaders (assistant head teachers) who have a responsibility for the monitoring and evaluation of attainment and progress data relating to the pupils within the phase they lead and a key role in implementing responses to the data.

– The head teacher who has a responsibility for providing support, advice, professional development and resources to allow the designated staff to undertake their role effectively. Additionally the head teacher has the responsibility to report upon those areas of school improvement that do not fall within the remit of other staff.

Staff will be invited to report to the Standards and Effectiveness Committee at least annually, however, the frequency may be more often if there are particular priority areas for school improvement.

The Standards and Effectiveness Committee will, additionally, invite other staff with foundation subject responsibilities at less frequent intervals (usually once every two years) to report on their subject unless that area is a special focus for school improvement when the intervals may be less.

• setting and publishing targets within the statutory time frames.

• receiving reports from the nominated governors, as decided by the whole governing body.

• considering the school’s procedures and responses to Child Protection issues and the education of young people in public care.

• considering the school’s policy, procedures and responses regarding Equal Opportunities
– sex (gender)
– race
– disability
– sexual orientation
– religion or belief

• at least annually evaluating the Behaviour for Learning Policy, termly receiving reports from the head teacher on pupil behaviour and anti-bullying matters and making recommendations to the governing body.

• reviewing the effectiveness of any extended school provision and extra-curricular activities.

• considering proposed large scale expenditure with a view to evaluating impact on teaching, learning and standards and make value for money judgements.

Meetings:

The chair of the committee and head teacher shall be responsible for convening any meetings of the committee and establishing an agenda. Procedures of any meetings held must be minuted and these minutes circulated amongst committee members as soon as possible after the meeting. A copy will be sent to the Chair of Governors and the Clerk to the Governors at White Cross so that they may be formally presented for the next full meeting of the governing body.

The committee shall meet at least termly and otherwise as required.

Reviewed 20th February 2017