top of page

Annual Governance Statement

Annual Governance Statement for the Governing Body of Burnside Primary School – June 2019

  • Ensuring clarity of vision, ethos and strategic direction;

  • Holding the head teacher to account for the educational performance of the school and its pupils;

  • Overseeing the financial performance of the school and making sure its money is well spent.

Governance arrangements

The full Governing Body meets once each term, and we also have a number of committees to consider different aspects of the school in detail.

At Burnside Primary we have a Finance Committee and a Pay and Performance committee.

We also have committees that meet if required to consider pupil discipline and staffing.

Attendance record of governors

Governors attend our Full Governing Body meetings and we have never had to cancel a meeting because it was not “quorate” (the number of governors needed to ensure that legal decisions can be made).

Governing Body and Committee Work

The governing body has had a particularly busy year, focusing on continuous school improvement.

Governors meet termly to share school improvement (SATs results etc, safeguarding, curriculum developments and the school improvement plan, changes to the school vision, school self-evaluation form). When needed they also meet with the Senior Leadership Team on specific priorities.

The Finance Committee meets termly to monitor how the school is spending money. This includes staffing and maintenance and development of the school premises.

One of the roles of governors is reviewing and agreeing school policies and this year we have considered a number of key policies, including:

  • Safeguarding Policy

  • Dismissal Policy

  • Drugs Substance and Alcohol Misuse Policy

  • No Smoking Policy

In January 2017 we had an OFSTED inspection, where we were notified that we continue to be graded as Good.

Minutes of Governing Body and Committee meetings are public documents – you can ask at the school office if you would like to see any of the minutes of our meetings or send an email to burnside@durhamlearning.net.

How you can contact the governing body

We always welcome suggestions, feedback and ideas from parents and carers. Please contact the Chair of Governors, Mr Sam Laing, via the school office or by sending an email to burnside@durhamlearning.net

bottom of page