I am writing to let you know that there is a vacancy for a parent to join the Local Governing Body at our school and to invite parents/carers of current students who would like to take up this role to put their names forward.
The Local Governing Body is a committee answerable to the Bishop and the Directors of the St. Thomas Aquinas Multi Academy Trust. It has responsibility for ensuring the maintenance of the Catholic Life of the school and the maintenance and development of the curriculum and standards. It reviews decisions regarding Fixed Term and Permanent Exclusions. Governors are volunteers and Governors’ term of office is four years.
At English Martyrs’ the Local Governing Body currently consists of 8 Governors in the categories of Foundation Governors and Parent Governors.
Currently, full meetings of the Local Governing Body are held once or twice each term as well as occasional Local Governor Review meetings.
Other review panels are convened occasionally. This year, meetings normally take place in the afternoon between 4.00pm and 8.00pm. In addition to committee meetings, governors are expected to attend occasional meetings with school staff during the school day and to attend school functions such as Art Performances, Sports Events and Presentation Evenings. Governors’ performance is scrutinised and reported on by Ofsted Inspections. On appointment, all governors must complete an eligibility confirmation, DBS, code of conduct, skills audit and declaration of business interests. Furthermore, governors must read the Keep Children Safe Guide, Safeguarding Guide, and Prevent Duty Advice. Governors access these documents via a secure website available to all governors who will have confidential access to complete.
If you would like to stand for election or wish to nominate someone else, please email office@englishmartyrs.org to request a nomination form. Completed nomination forms must be returned by the end of the school day on Friday 17th January 2020. If there are more nominations that vacant posts, a ballot will be held and one voting paper per parent will be sent to you via your child.
If you would like further information on your eligibility to serve as a parent Local Governor, or on the role of a governor, please contact me. I hope you will give consideration to this important position of service to our Community should you be able to commit the time.
Yours sincerely
Marius Carney
Principal
Governor Confirmation of Eligibility
Ground for disqualification fall into three broad categories:
general grounds;
grounds that apply to particular categories of governor; and
grounds that arise because of particular failings or actions on the part of the governor
All the grounds for disqualification apply also to associate members except that associate members can be registered pupils at the school and can be under 18.
General grounds
Registered pupils cannot be governors
A governor must be aged 18 or over at the time of election or appointment
A person cannot hold more than one governor post at the same school at the same time
Grounds that apply to particular categories of governor
A person is disqualified from being a foundation governor if they are:
not a practising Catholic (unless granted special dispensation from the Bishop of Nottingham - arranged through the NRCDES);
an employee of the CMAT working at the school;
closely related to an employee of the CMAT working in a position of influence at the school (NRCDES will determine if this applies);
aged under 18 and/or are a registered pupil at the school
A person is disqualified from being a parent governor if they are:
an elected member of the LA or;
paid to work at the school for more than 500 hours (i.e. for more than one-third of the hours of a full-time equivalent) in any consecutive twelve month period (at the time of election or appointment)
Grounds that arise because of particular failings or actions on the part of the governor
A person is disqualified from being a governor of a particular school if they have failed to attend the meetings of the local governing body of that school for a continuous period of six months beginning with the date of the first meeting they failed to attend, without the consent of the local governing body. This does not apply to foundation governors appointed by virtue of their office (parish priests).
A foundation governor at the school who is disqualified for failing to attend meetings is only disqualified from being a governor of any category at the school during the twelve month period starting on the date on which they were disqualified.
A person is disqualified from holding or continuing to hold office if that person:
is the subject of a bankruptcy restrictions order or an interim order, debt relief restrictions order, an interim debt relief restrictions order or their estate has been sequestrated and the sequestration has not been discharged, annulled or reduced is subject to a disqualification order or disqualification undertaking under the Company Directors Disqualification Act 1986, a disqualification order under Part 2 of he Companies (Northern Ireland) Order 1989, a disqualification undertaking accepted under the Company Directors Disqualification (Northern Ireland) Order 2002, or an order made under section 429(2)(b) of the Insolvency Act 1986 (failure to pay under county court administration order);
has been removed from the office of charity trustee or trustee for a charity by the Charity Commission or Commissioners or High Court on grounds of any misconduct or mismanagement, or under section 34 of the Charities and Trustee Investment (Scotland) Act 2005 from being concerned in the management or control of any body;
is included in the list of teachers or workers considered by the Secretary of State as unsuitable to work with children or young people;
is barred from any regulated activity relating to children;
is disqualified from working with children or from registering for childminding or providing day care;
is disqualified from being an independent school proprietor, teacher or employee by the Secretary of State;
has been sentenced to three months or more in prison (without the option of a fine) in the five years before becoming a governor or since becoming a governor;
has received a prison sentence of two years or more in the 20 years before becoming a governor;
has at any time received a prison sentence of five years or more;
has been fined for causing a nuisance or disturbance on school premises during the five years prior to or since appointment or election as a a governor;
refuses a request by the clerk to make an application to the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) for a DBS Check
Anyone proposed or serving as a governor who is disqualified for one of these reasons must notify the clerk to the local governing body.
I declare none of the above circumstances will disqualify my eligibility to continue in the role of governor.