Governance
Welcome to our Governors’ section.
Welcome to the website of the Farnham Common Village Schools, a federation of the Farnham Common Infant School, and the Farnham Common Junior School, led by the Executive Headteacher, Mr David Masters. The two schools work closely together but each continues to have their particular emphasis and focus.
Ofsted described both schools in their recent inspections as Good schools with several outstanding features which contribute to pupils high attainments in reading, writing and maths. The Executive Headteacher's passion for, and deep understanding of how children learn and thrive, and the support of an enthusiastic and committed team of leaders are key factors in enabling all pupils to benefit from exceptional educational opportunities.
We value parent support and views and in a recent parent survey Parents told us that they felt the schools were well led and managed, that teaching was good, that their children enjoyed coming to school and were being well-prepared for the future. Parents also feel comfortable approaching the school.
The Governing Body is charged with the overall management of the schools to ensure that every child has the best possible learning environment to help them achieve their full potential, both at the Farnham Common Village Schools and also in the wider world as they move on.
If you have any questions, or would like to know more about the work of the Governing Body, please contact me through the School Office.
- Caroline Clewley and Valerie Harffey
- Co Chair of Governors
- Farnham Common Village Schools
Please find below details of how our Governing body is structured, including the names, categories, responsibilities and terms of appointment for each Governor.
Summary of Roles, Committees, Attendance and Declarations of Interests
FCVS Governors: Annual Plan
The role of the Governing Body, as defined by the Department of Education, is to:
- Ensure clarity of vision, ethos and strategic direction;
- Hold executive leaders to account for the educational performance of the schools and its pupils, and the effective and efficient performance management of staff; and
- Oversee the financial performance of the organisation and making sure its money is well spent.
The Governing Body must also ensure the safety of all members of the school community in accordance with the ‘Keeping Children Safe in Education’ Act (2022).
We aim to engage strategically in a way that promotes and develops our shared vision for the federated schools. We monitor the schools’ performances and ensure accountability to the parents and community it serves.
The Governors’ Annual Plan sets out the key activities and areas of interest of the committees reporting to the main Governing Body. The intention is to ensure that all governors’ activities are closely coordinated and aligned to the School Improvement Plan.
Our main work is carried out in committee. Our two core committees are:
- Education
- Resources
The Chairs of these committees meet regularly with the Headteacher, Senior Leadership Team Members, Chair and Vice-Chair of Governors to review progress in various areas.
Many governors have specialist oversight responsibilities, for example for Curriculum Subjects, including Maths, English, Humanities, Science, for SEND, Pupil Premium, More Able, Health and Safety and Child Protection. All our governors aim to meet with their subject links regularly through the year and report to the relevant committee and/or to the full Governing Body.
We have two associate governors, one who assists in our Health and Safety responsibilities and another, with an interest in MFL, who has expressed an interest in becoming a governor. Neither of our associate governors have voting rights.
All governors attend regular training and update sessions.
The membership of Staff Grievance/Dismissal, Staff Dismissal and Pupil Discipline committees will be formed from a pool of eligible governors.
FCVS Annual Plan and Meeting Dates
| Category of Governor | Appointed or elected onto Governing Body |
| 11 x Co-opted Governors | Appointed by governing body (incl. 2 DHT / AHT co-opted staff members) |
| 2 x Parent Governors | Elected on to the governing body by parents of pupils at the school |
| 1 x Headteacher | Governor by virtue of employment by the school |
| 1 x Staff Governor | Elected on to the governing body by all staff employed by the school |
| 1 x Local Authority Governor | Nominated by the Local Authority and appointed by the governing body |
| Total number of governors = 16 |