What do school Governors do?
The school Governors’ main role is to support the Senior Leadership Team, the staff and the parents and pupils of Riverside – the phrase often used to describe this role is a ‘critical friend’.
We help to set and reach targets and to strive for excellence across the whole range of school life. The key documents we have are the School Improvement Plan, the Self Evaluation Form and the Headteacher’s Report. They set out the plans for the school, with targets that everyone works towards and tells us how well the school is doing.
Our legal duties include:-
- setting strategic direction, policies and objectives
- approving the school budget
- reviewing progress against the school’s budget and objectives
- appointing and supporting the Headteacher and the Senior Leadership Team
The Governing Body meets once every term. We have set up sub-committees to look in detail about the issues that affect our school (Personnel & Curriculum; Finance & Premises). All governors are informed about what happens at these sub-committee meetings.
There are several categories of governor, appointed by different groups that have an interest in the school. There are Co-opted governors, Local Authority governors, Parent governors, and a Staff governor. All governors have equal status.
Parent governors are often in the playground each morning and evening – if you would like to speak to one of them, please do. If you wish to be introduced to a governor or request a meeting with a governor, please ask Jose or Helen.
The governing body of Riverside School are committed to providing an outstanding environment for your child to learn.
Riverside’s Governing Body
| Governor | Role |
|---|---|
| Cllr Peter John OBE | Chair/Local Authority Governor |
| Ms Helen Adams | Vice Chair/Co-opted Governor |
| Mr Dipesh Panchal | Clerk |
| Ms Moore Flannery | Parent Governor |
| Ms Susan Spinola | Parent Governor |
| Ms Kay Battiston | Parent Governor |
| Mrs Carol Castle | Co-opted Governor |
| Mr Lance Murray | Co-opted Governor |
| Ms Chandima Wijerathna | Co-opted Governor |
| Ms Tara Atkins | Staff Governor |
| Mrs Jose Lewis | Headteacher |
The Chair of Governors, Cllr Peter John OBE, can be contacted via the school or the Local Authority.
Associate Governors
The following personnel are Associate Governors who are available to advise the Governing Body:
| Ms H Baldry | Ms Gillian Stuart | ||
Additional information
COMMITTEE MEMBERSHIP AND LINK GOVERNORS
GOVERNORS MEMBERS AND VACANCIES
Vacancies
When a vacancy arises for a parent governor a letter will be sent out for you to nominate and vote for your choice of governor. So if you want to be more involved in school life, why not nominate yourself next time?