Role purpose

To provide leadership to the Governing Body, ensuring that it fulfils its functions well, and to work closely with the headteacher to support, advise and help shape proposals to be discussed at Governing Body meetings, ensuring the focus is strategic.

Leading Governance

• Ensure the Governing Body, working with the headteacher, sets a clear vision and strategy for the school.
• Lead the governing body in monitoring the implementation of the strategy and ensuring that the school is financially sound and legally compliant.
• Set the culture and tone of the governing body ensuring governors offer appropriate levels of support and challenge to the leadership team, take collective ownership of decisions and act in the long-term interests of the school.
• Periodically review the governance structure and ensure it is fit for purpose.
• Where required, represent the governing body in its dealings with external partners and be an advocate for the school.
• Be a member of the school as defined by the school’s articles of association.

Leading and Developing the Governing Body

• Ensure Sheldon has a diverse governing body which reflects the communities the school serves and the required skills and commitment to govern well.
• Ensure all members of the governing body have a thorough understanding of their role, receive appropriate induction and take up opportunities for ongoing training and personal development.
• Delegate where appropriate, ensuring that governors feel valued and have the confidence to contribute across a broad range of issues.
• Encourage the governing body, and individual governing body members, to conduct annual self-evaluation (and model this approach to others through a chair’s 360 review)
• Carry out periodic performance reviews with each governing body member.
• Model and reinforce the governing body’s agreed code of conduct.
• Develop a good working relationship with the vice chair and committee chairs, ensuring they are kept fully informed, delegating tasks as necessary.
• Ensure that there is a plan for succession for the chair, vice chair and any committee chairs.

Working with the Headteacher

• Provide effective line management of the headteacher, meeting regularly to build a professional, honest and open working relationship; oversee and participate in their annual performance review; set objectives; and support their continuing professional development.
• Maintain transparent and effective processes for the recruitment and induction of the headteacher and appropriate governor/ trustee involvement in recruiting members of the senior leadership team.
• Ensure that school leaders provide information that allows the governing body to fulfil its function and that governors are well informed about developments at Sheldon.
• Monitor the workload and wellbeing of the headteacher and the wider leadership team.
• Ensure the headteacher provides staff with an understanding of the role of the governing body and wider governance arrangements and that the headteacher along with the wider leadership team acts as link between the two.

Leading Improvement

• Involve the governing body at a strategic level in the school’s self-evaluation process which feeds into its key priorities.
• Maintain the focus of the governing body’s business on strategic priorities.
• Ensure the governing body has the information it needs to monitor the progress of pupils and consider appropriate actions to improve outcomes.
• Establish and maintain good mechanisms for listening to the views of parents, pupils and staff.

Leading Governing Body Business

• Ensure the governing body appoints a governance professional capable of advising the governing body on its functions and relevant procedure.
• Collaborate with the governance professional, committee chairs, headteacher and leadership team to establish efficient and effective working procedures, to plan for governing body and committee meetings and to ensure that agendas focus on the governing body’s key responsibilities and strategic priorities.
• Chair meetings effectively, promoting an open culture that allows ideas and discussion to thrive while ensuring clear decisions are reached as quickly as possible.
• Ensure that decisions taken at the meetings of the governing body are implemented.
• Ensure that effective arrangements are in place for dealing with complaints made to the governing body under the adopted complaints procedure.
• Ensure that effective arrangements are in place for dealing with employment matters, (for example, grievance, disciplinary, capability) under the adopted procedures of the school.

How to apply

We recognise that a rigid recruitment timeline with fixed dates may not meet the other commitments of interested candidates. As such, we will consider applications on a rolling basis. All applications will be acknowledged and we reserve the right to close the process at any time. The process will be as follows:

• Applications should be via CV (no more than 3 sides of A4) and an accompanying letter (no more than 2 sides of A4) summarising your motivations for making an application along with the relevant experience the you will bring to the role.
• Applications will be considered by a panel of Governors and the Headteacher.
• Shortlisted applicants will be invited to visit the school at a mutually convenient date to meet the Headteacher and members of the Leadership team to find out more about school life, our opportunities and challenges. Where diaries permit, this visit will include an opportunity to meet with either our current Chair, Vice-Chair or Chair of one of our sub-committees (where this is not possible, the opportunity will be provided to meet virtually at an alternative time).
• Candidates invited to interview will meet with a panel of Governors, including the Headteacher. The successful candidate will be required to safeguard and promote the welfare of all pupils in the school. The appointment will be dependent on a successful enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service check. In line with KCSIE 2024 and safer recruitment practices, the school will conduct an online search for all shortlisted candidates. The online search is part of our safeguarding checks and will seek publicly available information on candidates’ suitability to work with children.

To apply, please send a CV and supporting letter as set out above to our HR Advisor, Sarah Hill at hr@sheldonschool.co.uk.