Who’s Who?
Term of office
14/05/25 - 13/05/29
Responsibilities
Chair of Governing Board
Equality, Diversion & Inclusion; Parents & Carers Engagement Plan
Term of office
Responsibilities
All
Term of office
07/05/25 - 06/05/29
Responsibilities
Curriculum developments
Term of office
29/09/25 - 28/09/29
Responsibilities
Staff Engagement Plan
Term of office
10/12/25 - 09/12/29
Responsibilities
Term of office
27/09/22 - 26/09/26
Responsibilities
Child Protection/Safeguarding, incl. filtering & monitoring, & attendance; SEND; Pupil Premium
Term of office
07/11/23 - 06/11/27
Responsibilities
Community Engagement
Term of office
10/10/23 - 09/10/27
Responsibilities
Finance; GDPR; Website; Governor induction & development
Term of office
10/12/25 - 09/12/29
Responsibilities
Inspection readiness, Environment, Health & Safety and Premises, incl. sustainability and climate action
Term of office
19/06/26 - 18/06/30
Responsibilities
Term of office
01/09/26 - 31/08/30
Responsibilities
Term of office
01/09/26 - 31/08/30
Responsibilities
OUR PURPOSE
Although the Headteacher manages the school from day to day, it is the governors, as a corporate body, who are legally responsible for the school and who work together to make decisions which are in the best interest of the children. We are accountable to parents, the local community, the local education authority and the church for the performance of the school. We have three key roles:
- Provide a strategic view
- Be a critical friend
- Ensure accountability
OUR WORK
We work with the Headteacher and staff to:
- Establish the aims and policies of the school
- Draw up the School Improvement Plan and monitor it
- Appoint staff
- Prepare and set the budget plan and monitor the school budget
In practice this usually involves scrutiny and supervision of the Headteacher’s recommendations. However all the above are ultimately the responsibility of the governors.
Our Full Governing Body meetings take place at least once a term. We also have two main committees: School Improvement and Resources, which meet at least once a term. We plan how best to be a proactive presence. We also meet as Governors to consider special or urgent business.
All governors have a responsibility for particular areas within school life. This enables us to use our expertise in supporting the school, and if necessary to work more closely with staff. These special responsibilities include Safeguarding, Special Educational Needs (SEN), Health & Safety, Premises, Early Years, Performance Management, Community and the wider curriculum. Governors keep up to date with ongoing training.
There is certainly plenty to keep us occupied!
HOW GOVERNORS ARE APPOINTED
Cumnor School has five categories of governor:
- Foundation Three Foundation governors are nominated by St Michael’s PCC and approved by the Oxford Diocese
- Local Authority The Local Authority nominates one governor
- Staff There are two staff governors. The Headteacher, who reports to the governing body, is ex officio one of the staff governors
- Parent Three parent governors are elected by the parents
- Co-opted governors Co-Opted governors bring particular skills and experience to the Governing Body
All governors apart from the Headteacher serve a 4-year term, but they can be nominated or elected again when their term expires.
THREE COMMON MYTHS ABOUT GOVERNORS
- “Governors represent those who elect them or nominate them.” We don’t; we are not mandated
- “Governors have individual authority.” We don’t; we only have the collective authority of the governing body
- “Governors are responsible for the management of the school.” Not true; day to day management is the Headteacher’s responsibility, not the governors’
COMMITTEES
School governors don’t have individual authority: we work together and act as a body. To manage our workload we delegate some tasks but do not work in committees. Recommendations of working groups and individual governors are brought to the full Governing Body for ratification.
COMMUNICATION
A Governors’ newsletter is published at intervals through the school year. We also post photographs and names of the governors on a notice board at the front entrance. Parents are welcome to contact any of us. You will see some of us – the parent governors in particular – more often than others in and around the school. However each of us is committed to the well-being of the children, staff and school, and we frequently work behind the scenes.
Parents are welcome to contact any of us at governors@cumnor.oxon.sch.uk
WHAT’S THE COMMITMENT?
For the curious, and for anyone who might be interested in serving as a school governor, here is some idea of the scale of commitment. The Full Governing Body meets eleven times a year, once each months, usually for about two hours from 6:30pm to 8:30pm. From time to time there may need to be extra meetings.
There are individual responsibilities which will require liaison with the school such as premises, library, SEN, and Health & Safety. All governors also try to fit in one half day per year visiting the school to observe an aspect of the school, on which they report to the Headteacher. Governors are encouraged to attend “high days and holidays” at school, such as the Christmas Fair and Summer Fete and school services held at St. Michael’s Church.
Though we wouldn’t pretend that there isn’t a good deal of commitment as a governor, working for the common good of Cumnor School can be very rewarding voluntary service. Governor training is provided by the county and the diocese. New blood on the governing body is always welcome and the constitution tends to ensure that there is change. There are other ways to volunteer of course: the Cumnor School Parent Teacher Association is another huge support to the school and provides opportunities for parents to help in so many ways. Other parents and grandparents may help with initiatives such as reading. However, we are always on the lookout as vacancies emerge, for those who can add specific skills to our School Governing Body to ensure breadth of vision and expertise.
ANNUAL REPORT
Please see link to 2025/26 Governors’ Annual Report.
PARENT AND CARER SURVEY RESULTS
Please see link to 2024/25 Parent and Carer survey results.
Jonathan is also Clerk to a number of other schools In Oxfordshire through OCC Governor Services: Carterton Community College, Gateway PS Carterton, Clanfield PS, St Christopher’s Langford, Abbey Wood Academy Berinsfield, St Swithun’s PS Kennington, St Peter’s Cassington, Fritwell School OCC School Improvement Team
For a summary of Governor attendance, please see the Annual Report.
From 2023, the Department for Education encourage both maintained schools and academies to collect diversity data about their governing boards and publish it online. Whilst it is not a requirement to publish diversity data, just a recommendation, we at Cumnor School want to progressively work towards our Board of Governors becoming increasingly reflective of the community we serve.
As a school we recognise that a diversity of thought, voices and perspectives is essential to good governance and the effective running of any organisation. Diverse boards promote inclusive school environments and provide diverse role models for staff and children. We have followed the National Governance Association’s guidance on recommended diversity data and agreed as a Board that these types of personal data are suitable for our school to collect. Collectively† we gathered data on the diversity of our governors so that we can:
- inform recruitment and training needs;
- develop and adapt board practices to ensure full participation; and,
- ensure there is always a diverse range of perspectives around the table to support robust decision making.
Our 2024/25 Governing Board diversity data report is available upon request to the school. We do not release any diversity information that may disclose personal information about individual governors. This is due to our legal obligation to protect their personal data.
†Schools cannot insist on governors sharing their personal data, and all governors can individually opt out of sharing personal data, including data on any of the protected characteristics from the Equality Act, 2010.