Board of Governors

Lord Nash expects “every school to have a dynamic governing body that is ruthlessly focused on what really matters - raising standards.  This means having a body that leaves the day to day running of the school to the head and instead focuses tightly on its core functions: setting strategy and vision, holding the head to account for pupil attainment and staff performance, and making sure money is well spent.”

So, it’s clear what the work of the governing body is:

  • Ensuring clarity of vision, ethos and strategic direction;
  • Holding the Principal to account for the educational performance of the Academy and its pupils, and the performance management of staff; and
  • Overseeing the financial performance of the school and securing value for money.

The White Paper, The Importance of Teaching, published in autumn 2010, suggested the following 10 key questions governors should ask.

What are the school’s values? Are they reflected in our long term development plans?

  1. How are we going to raise standards for all children, including the most and least able, those with Special Educational Needs, boys and girls, and any who are currently underachieving?
  2. Have we got the right staff and the right development and reward arrangements?
  3. Do we have a sound financial strategy, get good value for money and have robust procurement and financial systems?
  4. Do we keep our buildings and other assets in good condition and are they well used?
  5. How well does the curriculum provide for and stretch all pupils?
  6. How well do we keep parents informed and take account of their views?
  7. Do we keep children safe and meet the statutory health and safety requirements?
  8. How is pupil behaviour? Do we tackle the root causes of poor behaviour?
  9. Do we offer a wide range of extra-curricular activities which engage all pupils?

How we work together

There are some general principles which inform the work of governing bodies.  These are incorporated formally into our Code of Conduct, which all governors have signed. Governors of The Business Academy Bexley are bound by this code and by the general notion of collective accountability.

Constitution of the Governing Body

The Memorandum and Articles of Association are the documents used to establish an academy trust. The Memorandum is a short document that records who originally agreed to form the company. The Articles set out the company’s constitution and provide a framework for its governance arrangements. The Articles form an annex to a trust’s signed and published funding agreement.

The Funding Agreement for The Business Academy Bexley can be accessed via the schools and colleges performance tables page for the Academy. Click here.

The full governing body (FGB) meets once per term.  Dates are set out in advance and are also published here.  Additional ‘special’ meetings can be called if necessary.  In the case of an emergency and in the absence of the ability to call a full FGB meeting the chair or vice-chair has emergency powers to act and must report any actions taken to the FGB at the earliest opportunity.

The work of the governing body is wide-ranging. It includes responsibility for constitutional matters and decisions  coupled  with  a  range  of  strategic  responsibilities  related  to  the  curriculum,  school improvement, legislation, finance, human resource management and discipline.

It is not practical for all business to be undertaken through the FGB. There are, therefore, a number of committees which have specific areas of work delegated to them. These committees meet termly during the year and report back to the FGB.  The FGB approves the membership of each committee, which is usually reviewed at the autumn term meeting. Changes to membership can only be made at a meeting of the full governing body.

The Committee structure is detailed in the Standing Orders of the governing body.

The monitoring role of the governor bodies is undertaken through the work of link or named governors. The roles of these governors are decided on according to the school’s improvement priorities and other important aspects of the school’s work.  Link or named governors work with academy staff; visit the academy and report back to a committee or FGB on progress.