Annual Governance Statement

Annual Governance Statement for the Governing Board of

Nanpean Community Primary School

Tuesday 6th July, 2021

In accordance with the Government’s requirement for all governing boards, the 3 core strategic functions of the Governing Board of Nanpean Community Primary School are:

  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 for the performance management of the staff;
  3. Overseeing the financial performance of the school and making sure its money is well spent.

About Our School

Nanpean Primary School is a smaller than average primary school, serving a largely rural community in Cornwall. The Number on Roll is 169; the school has seen a 45% rise in pupils over the past three years. In February 2016, the school doubled in size as part of the Targeted Basic Need Programme, a DfE initiative to fund the provision of new, high quality school places in locations experiencing basic need pressures in order to prepare for future rises in pupil numbers. This provided 4 new classrooms and a new PE store; and internal restructuring to provide an extension of the kitchen, a larger staffroom, an intervention room and new changing rooms. The school also built a new conference room, developed a KS2 ‘classroom of the future’ and implemented an intensive refurbishment programme. The school now has 7 classes and is able to accommodate up to 210 pupils. There are currently 10 teaching staff and 9 teaching assistants.

At Nanpean Primary we provide every child with a safe and healthy environment in which to learn and develop the skills they need to be positive members of the community.  Ofsted rated the school as Good on 18th May 2016, a strength being that ‘Governors know the school well’ and ‘provide a strong challenge to leaders’.

Governing Board Constitution

The Governing Board was re-constituted on 20th June, 2017 and is now made up of 2 Staff Governors (including the Headteacher), 2 elected Parent Governors, 1 Local Authority Governor and 6 Co-opted Governors. 

Co-opted governors are appointed by the Governing Board and are people who, in the opinion of the Governing Board, have the skills required to contribute to the effective governance and success of the school:

On our Governing Board, 2 of the Co-opted Governors are parents, 1 is a staff member and 1 is a member of the local community.

The number of Governors on each of our committees and special responsibilities are detailed on our Governor Structure available on the school website.

Attendance

Governors’ attendance at meetings this year has been good overall and we have not needed to re-schedule any meetings because it was not “quorate” (the number of governors needed to ensure that legal decisions can be made).

You will be able to see the full list of governors on the school website.

Governing Board Structure

The Full Governing Board (FGB) meets each term, and we also have 3 committees that meet once each term. All of our meetings are clerked by an experienced clerk and minutes are on the school website.

Effectiveness and Impact of The Governing Board

The school requested an external Review of Governance which took place on 16th December 2013; all actions have been addressed and the governing board carry out regular internal reviews of governance. All governors are linked to specific areas of the school improvement plan. The quality of governor monitoring has improved considerably, with observations and comments now being more sharply focused on the school’s priorities for improvement. Governors now have a clearer understanding of their role in both supporting and challenging the Headteacher.

An interim chair of governors was appointed in January 2015 who provided guidance and support to the Headteacher, and acted as a coach and mentor to governing board members.  The substantive new chair started in June 2015 but resigned in March 2017; a new Chair and Vice Chair were elected in March 2017. This well managed succession planning has ensured continued improvement for the governing board. During the Ofsted inspection (18th May 2016) it was noted that ‘Governors are now effectively challenging school leaders about the attainment and progress of pupils, the quality of teaching, the spending of additional funds for pupils eligible for the pupil premium, and the funding for primary PE and sports.’ and ‘Governors now have a good understanding of their strategic role and contribute well to the overall leadership of the school. Their regular monitoring, which involves all governing body members, challenges the school’s work.’

Efficient management of financial resources has ensured effective deployment of staff and resources.

Governors are responsible for ensuring the safety of the children. They do this by overseeing the maintenance and development of the school premises, and make decisions about how the school should use the budget.  There is a Health and Safety Governor who carries out regular checks of the premises.

Another vital role for governors is ensuring the safety and well-being of the children and we have a nominated Safeguarding Governor who carries out monthly attendance monitoring, termly checks of the single central record, termly pupil conferencing, an annual Safeguarding check and is involved in the Section 175 annual return. This governor reports any safeguarding matters to the governing board on a termly basis.

Governors monitor our “vulnerable groups” of children and ensure the spending of Pupil Premium funding has a positive impact on pupils’ outcomes. Half termly pupil progress and provision mapping meetings ensures the pupil premium funding is used to provide effective intervention for pupils.

Primary Sport funding has been used for sport coaches to teach a PE lesson to each class each week which teachers observe for CPD. The sports coach also provides a wide variety of after school clubs and holiday clubs. Sports funding is improving the quality and breadth of PE and sport provision and has increased participation in PE and sport so that all pupils develop healthy lifestyles.

Governors review and agree key school policies.

Minutes of Governing Board meetings are public documents and are published on our school website.

Governance Action Plan/Key Objectives for the Future

1)      To continue to upskill the governors (as there has been much change on the Governing Board) on their knowledge of the school so they can support and challenge the Headteacher.

2)      To continue to increase communication within the governing board and wider community.

3)      To continue to conduct effective governor monitoring visits.

4)      To continue to thoroughly induct new governors, and succession plan.

Contact Us

We always welcome suggestions, feedback and ideas from parents. You can contact the Chair of Governors, Mrs Lee Watts, via the school office.