How do we work?

The Governors at Hartsfield meet four times annually as a full governing body. The minutes of these meetings are available, once agreed, in the School Office on request. In addition to these Full Governing Body meetings we meet in smaller sub-committees focussing on specific areas such as:

• Finance
• Curriculum ( School Improvement )
• Premises
• Pay & Personnel
• Grievance and Welfare
• Critical Incident

In addition, individual governors have a responsibility for particular areas of the curriculum and regularly meet with the school staff who oversee the same subjects.

Working together

The governors act mainly in a strategic way with the day to day working of the school devolved to the Headteacher and her staff. The governors, with advice from the Headteacher, set aims and objectives for the school, define policies on matters such as racial discrimination, child protection, health and safety and behaviour. The governors monitor and evaluate the progress of the school over time, while the Headteacher manages the school. We act as a 'critical friend' by providing constructive advice and asking challenging questions to help refine and improve proposals for the development of the whole school.

The legislative responsibilities of the governors are defined such that most may be delegated to the Headteacher and some must be retained by the governors.

Here are some of our responsibilities:

• Approval of the school’s annual budget
• Recruitment and appointment of the Headteacher
• Appointment of teaching staff (delegated to the Headteacher)
• Drafting a curriculum policy (delegated to the Headteacher)
• Ensuring health and safety risks are avoided

As well as the formal legal role, the governors also support Headteacher and staff on a personal basis. We visit the school and see teaching in action so we can understand better the work that teachers do and develop personal connections with the staff. We attend school events whenever possible.

I hope our web pages have been helpful. We are always keen to hear from anyone who is interested in becoming a governor.

How can you contact us?

If you wish to contact us, please do so through the school office, or email the Chair of Governors at 

SChrimes.governor@hartsfield.herts.sch.uk