Governance
The Governing Board
Higham Lane has a skilled, active and approachable governing board which is made up of Parent Governors, Member-Appointed Governors and Staff Governors. We welcome the perspective and knowledge that this group of enthusiastic volunteers brings to our school.
Each governor is a member of one of our Sub Committees and also attends our termly Full Governors' meeting. We also value the contribution that governors make in their link areas. These cover a range of areas including teaching and learning, finance, health and safety and specific academic subject areas such as English, Maths and Science.
Governor training is important to our school. We hold an annual Governors’ Day every September where members of the Governing Board take part in professional development activities such as visits to lessons, meetings with students and training on a range of relevant topics, some of which governors lead themselves.
If you are interested in becoming a governor, please contact the School. We would love to hear from you.
The Structure and Remit of the Governing Body Sub Committees (GSCs)
Governor scrutiny is very strong, both at Full Governors and Sub Committee level.
Governors do not just nod things through. They analyse the details of the School’s work. This is supported by minutes and link reports. Each SLT member is assigned to a GSC and governors consider policies and proposals and question SLT on all aspects of the School’s performance.
| Areas of Focus | Governor Action |
|---|---|
|
Full Governors’ meeting (Chaired by David Buckle) |
Scrutiny of Leadership Team Report To Governors and School Development Plan (SDP) termly updates and actions. |
|
At least half-termly Chair & Vice Chair meeting with Headteacher including regular email connection on all aspects of the School’s work. |
Consideration of all aspects of the organisation. (Policies, staffing, leadership, communication and idea sharing) |
| Curriculum & Standards GSC (Chaired by Keith Hobbs) |
Scrutiny on student progress, curriculum, performance of particular student groups and subjects- Subject Leaders of underachieving subjects are asked to attend and talk through how they are working to maximise progress. |
| Students, Parents, Community and Safeguarding GSC (Chaired by James Littlehales) |
Scrutiny and support with student voice, attendance, behaviour and safeguarding. |
| Resources and Premises GSC (Chaired by Steve Bibby) | Scrutiny and support with budget, site and health & safety. |
| Pay & Audit GSC (Chaired by David Buckle) |
Headteacher and Director of Corporate Services are questioned re pay decisions, staff attendance and other audit matters. |
| Commissioned External Reviews |
Governors consider the findings and monitor the follow-up action plans. |
| Strategy GSC (chaired by David Buckle) | Discussion of and planning towards the School’s strategic direction and consideration of local and national developments |
Governing Body Link Areas 2020-21
Our Link Governors monitor particular aspects of the School’s work through their visits, discussions with staff and records of visit. They feed back to the Full Governors’ meeting each term.
| Area | Sub-Area | Governors | SLT/Staff Link |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Leadership and management and Overall effectiveness |
Leadership and Management and Overall Effectiveness |
David Buckle |
Phil Kelly |
| Governance | David Buckle | Phil Kelly | |
| Resources Management, including Performance Management | Roger Brown |
Ben Elliott
|
|
| Safeguarding | Safeguarding, including Prevent |
James Littlehales |
Vanessa Domigan |
| Premises | Steve Bibby |
Martin McCracken |
|
| Health and safety | Gareth Edwards |
Martin McCracken |
|
| Single Central Record | Roger Brown | Torz Reynolds | |
| Pupil voice and parental engagement | TBC | Vanessa Domigan | |
|
The quality of education |
Quality of teaching, learning and assessment | David Buckle |
Kirstie Robinson |
| Literacy intervention | Lisa Greer | Tom Ind | |
| Special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) | Jackie Brooks | Donna Greenfield | |
| Disadvantaged students | Keith Hobbs | Michelle Meacham | |
| Outcomes for Pupils | Achievement and attainment | David Buckle |
KS3-4: Ian Naisbitt KS5: Hanif Ladha |
| More able students | Nafees Khan |
Ian Bottrill |
|
| Behaviour and attitudes |
Behaviour and attendance |
James Littlehales |
Steve Emery |
| Personal development | Mental health | Jackie Brooks | Vanessa Domigan |
| Area | Sub-Area | Governors | SLT/Staff Link |
|---|---|---|---|
| CPSHEEd, SMSC and British Values | David Cleaver | Emma Mitchell | |
| Careers Education and Independent Advice and Guidance | Jaime Swift-Banks | Emma Mitchell | |
| Sixth form provision | Steve Bibby | Hanif Ladha | |
| Other: | |||
| EBAC Subject: English | David Buckle | Kally Somel | |
| EBAC Subject: Maths | David Buckle | Natalie Charnell | |
| EBAC Subject: Science | Jane Elmer | Emma Huxley | |
| EBAC Subject: Geography | Joel Nason | Jack Coughlin (Acting Subject Leader) | |
| EBAC Subject: History | Kate Cooke | Hayley Doyne- Ditmas | |
| EBAC Subject: MFL | Jeffrey Davenport | Natacha Finley | |
| Priority Subject: Drama | David Cleaver | Helen White | |
| Priority Subject: Music | Clare Holland-Turner | Carolyn Davenport | |
|
Priority Subject: ICT/Computing |
TBC | Judith Dixon | |
| Priority Subject: Design & Technology | TBC | Adam Temple | |
| PE and Sport | Mike Duncan | Charlie Chinn | |
| Modern Ethics, Health and Social Care and Sociology | Farhana Ahmedabadi-Patel | Romayne Charles | |
| Art and Photography | Sutish Badhan | Sarah Beaumont | |
| Business and Economics | Na Darko | Sharon McKernan |
HIGHAM LANE SCHOOL GOVERNING BOARD 2020-21
| Parent Governors |
|---|
| Jackie Brooks |
| David Cleaver |
| Joel Nason |
| Claire Holland-Turner |
| Farhana Ahmedabadi-Patel |
| Kate Cooke |
| Jeffrey Davenport |
| Nafees Khan |
| Michael Duncan |
| Nana Darko |
| Gareth Edwards |
| Jane Elmer |
| Sajeev Nakra |
| Lisa Greer |
| (14) |
| Headteacher Governor |
|---|
| Phil Kelly |
| (1) |
| Member-Appointed Governors |
|---|
| Keith Hobbs |
| David Buckle– Chair of Governors |
| Roger Brown |
| James Littlehales |
| Steve Bibby- Vice Chair of Governors |
| Jame Swift-Danks |
| (6) |
| Staff Governors |
|---|
| Karen Bowers (Learning Support Assistant) |
| Hayley Doyne-Ditmas (Teacher) |
| Romayne Charles (Teacher) |
| Nicole Hemmings (Teacher) |
| Torz Reynolds (Support Staff) |
| (5) |
| Clerk to the Governors |
|---|
| Lisa Bromage |
| (1) |
Register of Interests
Please note: the relevant business and pecuniary interests of members, trustees and senior employees can be found in the Register of Interests in the Annual Reports and Accounts section of our website here:
Have you thought about becoming a Parent Governor?
Becoming a Parent Governor offers you the opportunity to make a real contribution to the life and work of our school. School governors play a key role in the leadership of the school and work together with staff and other agencies to make sure that our school provides a supportive, motivating and high-achieving environment for its students.
Don’t worry if you have no experience in education matters, as full training, support and induction are available and your fellow colleagues on the Governing Body will be welcoming and supportive.
Who can be a Parent Governor?
All parents and carers of registered pupils are eligible to become a Parent Governor. Every parent, whether or not you live with the student, is entitled to be nominated as a Parent Governor and to vote in a Parent Governor election. Someone who has parental responsibility or day-to-day care of a student is also eligible to serve and to vote.
How long does a Parent Governor serve for?
The usual term of office is four years from the date of appointment. If you choose to, you can complete your term of office, even if your child has since left the school.
Our Governing Body’s Commitment to Safeguarding and the Equalities Act
All of our governors are expected to demonstrate a responsibility for and a commitment to the safeguarding of our students and the goals of the Equalities Act. We will offer you regular, high-quality training to enable you to do this effectively. We welcome our duties under the Equality Act 2010 to eliminate discrimination, advance equality of opportunity and foster good relations in relation to age (as appropriate), disability, ethnicity, gender (including issues of transgender, and of maternity and pregnancy), religion and belief, and sexual identity. We are proud that our school has been recognised for its work in supporting equality and diversity in winning an Educate & Celebrate Best Practice Status Award. This important initiative is supported by the Department for Education and the Government Equalities Office. We were the first school in Warwickshire to have received such an award.
How is a Parent Governor nominated and elected?
When there is a vacancy, we write to all parents/carers. If you would like to put your name forward, we ask you to complete a nomination form. If more than one nomination is received, an election will be held and ballot papers for this will be sent to all parents and carers.
If you are interested in becoming a Parent Governor at some stage in the future and would like to find out more, then please contact the Headteacher for an informal chat. We look forward to hearing from you!