Overview and Core Values

The governing body make strategic decisions to support the head teacher and senior leaders in setting the vision, direction and policy framework they need to lead the school effectively. The governing body, staff, pupils and parents subscribe to a shared vision and shared values.

Core functions of the Governing Body are to ensure:

• The school has effective leadership and high calibre staff
• Teaching and learning is consistently good or better
• The school has clear Goals and a Development Plan
• Good progress and outcomes of pupils
• Required policies and procedures are in place
• The school has good financial management

The expectation is that governors should work with the school leaders to ensure there is a strategic and pragmatic approach to delivering good outcomes for all the young people in the school.

A professional approach to governance is taken. Governors have an overview of the achievement of pupils and the quality of teaching in the school. They ensure that the best staff are appointed and retained. In addition, the governors support staff development through the appraisal process.

Governors keep up-to-date with their own development and they receive regular training in line with statutory guidance.  This training includes safeguarding and safer recruitment.  Governors also access Haringey Education Partnership’s (HEP) comprehensive programme of governor training.

Frequency of Meetings

Our governing body is an extremely important element of our Gladesmore family.  Five full governing body meetings are scheduled in the year and these are supplemented by meetings of the Site, Finance & Personnel Committee. Please visit the Attendance & Minutes page to see a full list of all meetings that have been held by the governing body.

Key Personnel 

• Chair of Governors – Mr Alex Sweet
• Vice Chair of Governors – Ms Maureen Black
• Chair of Site, Finance & Personnel Committee – Ms Annabel Schaafsma
• SEND & Safeguarding Governor – Ms Maureen Black

A full list of current governors is listed in the Governor Details and you can learn more about each governor in the Governor Profiles.  

The Chair of Governors, Alex Sweet, can be contacted through the school at admin@gladesmore.com.  

Governing Body: Ways of working

The governing body sets its own agenda for the year with a regular cycle of investigations and updates into different aspects of the school’s work.  Senior leaders regularly present to the governing body and the governing body scrutinises the work of the school.  The governing body systematically reviews its own work and uses these reviews to devise an annual programme for meetings.

For maximum efficiency, the Governing body uses committees for particular tasks.  To find out more about the remit and ways of working of these committees, please click on the link.  

To support the governing body in its work, experienced educational consultants assist the governors to fulfil their duties, provide advice, and interrogate the work of the school. For instance, conducting interviews of pupils and staff, or doing lesson observations to compile reports for the governing body on particular aspects they might wish to know more about. Examples of areas which have been the subject of investigation include provision for more able pupils, compliance with the national curriculum and the implementation and effectiveness of agreed policies. They routinely keep an overview of the performance and provision provided including safeguarding and SEND.

Voting Rights

Governors meetings have a standing item whereby governors declare any items that they may have a pecuniary interest in. Such would preclude governors from voting on specified items, and in addition, they would not be attendance for items that might present a conflict of interest.

Otherwise, on the rare occasion of a governing body vote, all governors have an entitlement to vote on matters that are put to a vote when in attendance at a meeting.

Financial Benchmarking

The School can compare its decisions relating to financial spending with others nationally and to similar schools using the Government's Financial Benchmarking tool.