Local Governing Board
Welcome to our Governors’ section
Governors are responsible for overseeing the strategic management of the school, including its vision, policies, budgeting, staffing and overall effectiveness. They work alongside the Leadership Team to ensure the school runs effectively and that teachers are supported to provide an excellent education for all children.
The Local Governing Board (LGB) plays a vital role in providing strategic oversight, holding school leaders to account and ensuring that appropriate arrangements are in place to promote pupils’ welfare, safety and wellbeing. The governing body has overall responsibility for ensuring the effectiveness of the school’s leadership and management of safeguarding, including the implementation, oversight and regular review of safeguarding policies, procedures and practices. This includes ensuring that appropriate online safety filtering and monitoring arrangements are in place, are effective and are regularly reviewed, with any identified risks or concerns addressed promptly.
Being a school governor involves a commitment to attending LGB meetings, where governors consider key issues such as setting the school’s vision, mitigating financial risks, scrutinising educational outcomes and ensuring that safeguarding arrangements are effective. Governors also engage with the wider school community and act as critical friends to the headteacher, offering both support and appropriate challenge to ensure that the school continues to improve and that pupils remain safe.
Governors bring a wide range of skills, knowledge and professional expertise to the board. Schools benefit greatly from the contribution of skilled volunteers, particularly those with experience in areas such as finance, law, premises management, human resources and safeguarding. Through effective governance, governors help ensure that the school is well led, resources are used responsibly, and the safety, wellbeing and educational outcomes of every pupil remain central to decision-making.
Robin Taverner - Chair of the LGB and Safeguarding Governor (appointed September 2021)
Robin has worked as a teacher and leader in schools in England, Germany and Hong Kong. He has been a Deputy Headteacher in two schools and a successful Headteacher in three schools. In recent years, Robin has worked in a large number of schools in Essex, supporting them with all aspects of school improvement and helping them to prepare for successful inspections. Robin runs training courses for middle and senior leaders, including the National Professional Qualification for Senior Leaders and the Leadership Programme for Deputy Headteachers. Robin has also worked as a school inspector, on behalf of the Office for Standards in Education. Recently, Robin has supported EES for schools with the introduction of a major school improvement programme called School Effectiveness Plus. This has involved working with schools to pilot this initiative and also writing a development programme called, ‘From Data to Action’.