Governors

Governors

We are a Voluntary Aided school which means we are state-funded , but one in which a foundation or trust (in our case the Salisbury Diocesan Board of Education) owns the school buildings, contributes to building costs and has a substantial influence in the running of our school. V.A. schools such as ours, have more autonomy than Voluntary Controlled schools, which are entirely funded by the state.

Governing bodies of Voluntary Aided schools are a combination of appointed and elected members. Foundation governors, are appointed by the local church and the Board of Education to preserve and develop the religious character of schools and to secure compliance with the Trust Deed, also to represent the interests of the church, and the foundation and include parents. Foundation governors in all VA schools make up the majority on governing bodies Foundation governors provide the visible link between the school, local community and church.

We have a duty to ensure that the character of the school reflects its Christian foundation We also ensure Religious Education is provided in accordance with the Trust Deed and decide in consultation with the Headteacher, the arrangements for Collective Worship As a VA school we also have a denominational inspection of the school ethos, worship and Religious Education, which is called a Statutory Inspection of Anglican and Methodist Schools (SIAMS).

All Governors and the Headteacher are responsible for the Safeguarding of all children and staff, something taken very seriously at Milton The whole Governing body is responsible for the appointment of staff, however, Foundation Governors ensure that all teaching and non-teaching staff are made aware of the Christian character and foundation of the school. The Governing body is made up of various members of the community and can be between nine and twenty members working closely with the Headteacher, who is responsible for the day to day management of the school. There are fourteen governors at Milton and as well as the Foundation, include Parents, Teachers, Staff, and a Local Authority representative. The Headteacher and the Parish Priest are Ex Officio members. The term Ex Officio means someone who is part of it by virtue of holding another office. In our case that of Headteacher & Priest (from the latin –by right of office).

The governing board is part of the school leadership team, responsible for:

-        overseeing the financial performance of the school and making sure its money is well spent.

-        Holding the Headteacher to account for the educational performance of the school and its pupils.

-        Ensuring clarity of vision, ethos and strategic direction strategic planning and policy development.

We also operate a Foundation Values working group, plus a group of governors who oversee the Performance Management of the Headteacher.

The Full Governing Board meets once a month and Governors with a link role visit the school once a term and then feedback to the board.  Governors receive no remuneration for the time they spend on governance at the school or for the part we play in school life. Our reward is seeing the smiling faces that greet us and the satisfaction of knowing that everyone has had the ‘Milton Experience’.

To contact the Governors, email our temporary Clerk to Governors, at clerk@milton.dorset.sch.uk. There may be a delay in response as we are currently without a permanent Clerk.

Attendance and Interests

All governing bodies are required to publish their members attendance at meetings along with a register of any business or pecuniary interests individual members may have.