Parent governor election November 2023

Dear Parents / Carers,

The governors and I would like to thank Jason Allen and Damon Dolby for their time and commitment to our school as parent governors. They have been a big part of our school’s journey for many years and we are very grateful. Their tenure as governors has ended and it is time for two more parents to be elected to our governing body.

There are two Parent Governor vacancies on the School’s Governing Board. If you would like to stand for election please read the information sheet Could you become a Parent Governor? here (pdf) or here (Word document). Then complete and return the attached nomination form to the school office by 3:30pm on Friday 17^th November 2023. Another parent of a child at the school must sign the form in support of your nomination. The form is in the link below or a paper copy is available from the office.

Application Form Parent Governor

All personal statements need to be emailed to cwoodward@st-james.derbyshire.sch.uk so they can be published on the website should an election be needed.

All newly elected/appointed governors must hold an enhanced criminal record certificate. The Governing Board must apply for such a certificate within 21 days of election/appointment of a new governor.

Check that you are eligible for appointment as a School Governor by reading the Declaration of Eligibility here (pdf) or here (Word document).

The Declaration of Eligibility form requires a signature from you in Section A. By signing the form you agree that you have read the qualifications and disqualifications, and you declare that you are qualified for appointment and that none of the statutory disqualifications apply to you. Section C is for verifying proof of identity. Only the statutory disqualifications would automatically exclude you from becoming a Governor. Minor offences, not listed on the form, may not necessarily affect your eligibility to become a school Governor. If you are uncertain as to whether you are eligible, you may seek further advice from the Returning Officer or Governor Support on telephone number 01629 535769.

All governors are expected to abide by the Code of Practice adopted by the Governing Board.

A person is disqualified from election or appointment as a Parent Governor if they are an elected member of the LA or if they work at the school for more than 500 hours in any consecutive 12 month period.

Please give a statement about yourself on the nomination form. If a ballot is needed this statement will be copied and sent to the other parents at the school with the ballot papers on Friday 17^th November.

In all types of schools, governing boards should have a strong focus on three core strategic 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; and
Overseeing the financial performance of the school and making sure its money is well spent.

For further detailed information on the role of the governor, please see the Governors’ Handbook and Competency Framework:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/governance-handbook ,

There is an expectation that on election you will be willing to:

undertake appropriate induction training
prepare for and attend all meetings regularly (generally 3 full governing board meetings and 3 committee meetings over the course of the year)
be an active member of committees as required
be willing to undertake further training to develop your skills.

In the personal statement, candidates may wish to briefly set out:

evidence of the extent to which you possess the skills and experience the Governing Board desires or at least the capacity and willingness to develop them
your commitment to undertake training to acquire or develop the skills to be an effective governor
if seeking re-election, details of your contribution to the work of the Governing Board during your previous term of office, and
how you plan to contribute to the future work of the Governing Board.

If the number of nominations is the same as or smaller than the number of positions to be filled, then the people nominated will be deemed elected unopposed. If there are fewer nominations than vacancies, the Governing Board must appoint parent governors to fill the number of vacancies.

Only parents / carers of children registered at the school are entitled to stand or vote in the election. Each parent will be sent one ballot paper regardless of how many children they have at the school, and each parent will have one vote. The ballot will be secret and you will be notified of the result as soon as possible afterwards.

The Governing Board works together as a group. If you are thinking of standing as a Governor, remember that you will need to attend a minimum of three meetings a year, plus committee meetings during the term. The Governing Board sets the term of office for all Governors and the start date of the appointment will be from the date of election. If you are elected you may serve out your term of office even if your child leaves the school before your term of office finishes. You can, however, resign from the Governing Board at any time.

If you would like to be nominated to be a Parent Governor, you need to:

check that you are eligible by reading the enclosed Declaration of Eligibility Form and sign and return the declaration;
complete the nomination form enclosed, and return it to the Headteacher at the School;
have your nomination seconded by a parent who is eligible to vote in the election;
include a statement about yourself and why you would like to become a Governor (on the Nomination Form);
each nomination must be received at the school by 3:30pm noon on Friday 17^th November.

You are responsible for ensuring that your nomination form is received by the deadline. It may be delivered by hand, sent to school with your child, or sent by first class post, and should be sealed in an envelope marked ‘Nomination for Parent Governor’. A sealed ballot box will be available in the school for hand deliveries, details of the location will be found on a notice in the entrance to the school.

If you have any questions about whether or not you are eligible to stand or vote in the election or about anything else contained within this letter, please do not hesitate to contact me.

Yours sincerely