Welcome to the Governing Board for The Windmills Junior School

Who are the Governors and what do we offer ?

We come from a range of backgrounds and experiences including engineering, the health service, public service and running businesses. Many of us currently work full or part time.

We attend training courses provided by the local authority. We read many documents published by The Department of Education, Ofsted and other agencies that give us the legislation, theories, and good practice to guide us. We research and seek out information from many sources including from other schools and from other governors. We learn from one another, discuss and share information. Our job is to put the guidance into practice so that we can strengthen and improve our Governance.

We receive no financial remuneration for the time we spend but we do develop ourselves personally and professionally, learning new skills and knowledge and working in collaboration with one another and with the school staff. We all have a passion for the importance of a broad education and we derive a huge sense of satisfaction in knowing we have contributed to increasing the life chances of the children at this school.

What do we do as Governors?

Our Governing Board has 3 core functions which are determined by the Department of Education

1. Ensuring clarity of vision, ethos and strategic direction;
2. Holding the headteacher to account for the educational performance of the school and its pupils, and the performance management of staff; and
3. Overseeing the financial performance of the school and making sure its money is well spent.

One of our roles is to recruit the senior leaders. We set the strategic direction with them and monitor the plans that they then put in place to achieve the vision which needs to be regularly reviewed. We have developed the vision for the school over the next 3 to 5 years in connection with the staff and parents.   We are also mindful of the changes that are taking place politically and within our community of Hassocks and in the wider locality.

We meet as a Full Governing Board at least twice each term  Each meeting has a theme on which to focus, for example budget setting in the spring term Within the meetings we receive reports on educational performance, standards and the curriculum, health and safety and staffing issue.  We also monitor expenditure to ensure funds are used to the best advantage to the children in the school.  

We work in close partnership with the Head Teacher and Deputy Head acting as a support and critical friend and also by asking the probing questions. We visit classes to discover how well children are engaged in their own learning and we discuss how the wide ranging curriculum is being implemented through the teachers who take a lead on each of the curriculum or subject areas. We also get involved in the life of the school by attending open mornings and assemblies and being actively involved in Sports Day and The Christmas Fayre. Through these events we get to meet parents but in a more formal sense we send a parent survey out each year and try and update you with the work we have been doing through termly newsletters.

Whilst of course wanting high standards in numeracy, literacy and a varied and exciting range of subjects, we want every child here to have joyful experiences of being at The Windmills, to have fun, to be well rounded individuals and to learn how to learn.

If you would like more information or are thinking about wanting to be part of the Governing Board in the future we would be pleased to hear from you. Please do contact me via the school office.

Katherine Crisp

Chair of Governors