Meet the Governors

Sharmans Cross is fortunate to have a team of committed governors that work with the Headteacher and Senior Leadership on the strategic development of the school. The governing body is a group of individuals who are elected, nominated or co-opted from key stakeholder groups; parents, staff, the Local Authority, and the local community. The responsibilities of the Governing Body are outlined below on this page.

Our Chair of Governors is Kate Goode 

Our Vice-Chair of Governors is Deborah Fair

We are supported by Warwickshire Governor Services, who provide a School Governance Professional who is trained and supported by the team at their main office.

Contact with the governors is through our dedicated email address g45ggovernor@sharmans-cross.solihull.sch.uk

 Anyone interested in joining our team of governors can speak with the Headteacher or contact us directly for further information.

Role of the Governing Body

The governing body is bound by a statutory responsibility, overseen by the Department for Education and is accountable to parents and the public for the way in which the school is directed and managed.

Day to day running of the school is the responsibility of the Headteacher, but the Governing Body is responsible for overseeing all aspects of school life. 

They are the strategic leaders of our school, and have a vital role to plan in making sure every child gets the best possible education. For maintained schools, such as Sharmans Cross, this is reflected in the law, which states that the purpose of the Governing Body is to ‘conduct the school with a view to promoting high standards of educational achievement at the school’.

The Headteacher, leadership and staff report to the governing body on the school’s performance. The governing body has the right to discuss, question and refine proposals, while always respecting the professional roles of the Headteacher and other staff.

The Governing Body  meets throughout the school year, and we currently work in a whole board model with all members attending every meeting.

The Governing Body has three core functions: 

• Ensuring clarity of vision, ethos and strategic direction;
• Holding the headteacher to account for the educational performance of the school and its pupils, and the performance management of staff;
• Overseeing the financial performance of the school and making sure that its money is well spent, including the pupil premium

We also recognise the National Governance Association (NGA) recommended forth core function of governance

Ensuring that key players with a stake in the organisation get their voices heard by:

• Gathering the views of pupils, parents and staff and reporting on the results;
• Reaching out to the school’s wider community and inviting them to play their part;
• Using the views of stakeholders to shape the school’s culture and the underpinning strategy, policies and procedures.

It is the responsibility of the governing body to request information and seek assurances from the school leadership on statutory areas and ensure the school is compliant, meeting the requirements of our funding agreements. This includes reporting on the outcomes of pupils, how certain categories of funding are used, and what provision is in place for certain pupil groups.

The Governing Body

 The membership of the Governing Body is stipulated in a legal document, the Instrument of Government. 

This states that the Board of Governors for Sharmans Cross Junior School shall consist of:

3 Parent Governors (elected by a ballot of parents)

The Headteacher (ex officio)

1 Staff Governor (elected by a ballot of school staff)

1 Local Authority Governor (nominated by the Local Authority)

9 Co-opted Governors (nominated and elected by the Board)

Governors are normally appointed for a four year term initially, this can be renewed but we are seeking to actively manage our succession planning and ensure representation from our diverse and skilled community. While it is great to build experience, it is important to ensure our governing body remains vital and has the mixture of skills and experience to support ever changing demands and priorities.

Our official appointments of Chair and Vice Chair have a two year term and can only be reappointed once to each role. This approach supports the governing body to manage succession, develops the skills of all governors, and helps to prevent any individual governor becoming too influential or embedded in the school’s leadership.

Governors are assigned as links for key areas of responsibility, some of which are statutory, others reflect current school development priorities. 

Current key roles assigned are:

Governor Responsibilities

Governors are expected to abide by the code of conduct, which includes The Seven Principles of Public Life, established by the Nolan Committee. A copy of the current code of conduct can be found here: