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:

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 the performance management of staff; and
3. 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:

1. check that you are eligible by reading the enclosed Declaration of Eligibility Form and sign and return the declaration;
2. complete the nomination form enclosed, and return it to the Headteacher at the School;
3. have your nomination seconded by a parent who is eligible to vote in the election;
4. include a statement about yourself and why you would like to become a Governor (on the Nomination Form);
5. 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

Craig Woodward BSc (Hons) QTS, EMBA, CMgr

Headteacher / Returning Officer

Application Form Parent Governor

Could you become a parent governor? (pdf)

Could you become a parent governor? (Word document)

Declaration of eligibility (pdf)

Declaration of eligibility (Word document)

Good afternoon, 

Welcome back and it has been great to see everyone back after half term. It has been a busy week with Times Tables Rockstars day and it was lovely to see so many parents coming to the KS2 times tables workshops. It is nice to see so many people coming to toddler group on a Friday morning in Nursery. Our first parents and carers autism group was very well supported and thank you to Miss Graham who organised this. I was really proud of all of the pupils this morning during our Remembrance service and minutes silence at 11am. Thank you to Colin who joined us from Glossop band and played the last post and thank you to Mr Doyle for reading the poem ‘for the fallen’ by Laurence Binyon. 

The weather is starting to get colder and wetter. Please ensure your child comes to school with a coat and a hat and gloves as needed.

Have a great weekend.

Mr Woodward

Dates for W/C 13/11/2023

Thank you to everyone who was able to make the Ofsted feedback meeting last night. It was great to share the feedback from the inspectors and the next steps for our school. Life gets extremely busy and for those that couldn’t make it, please find the slides below. 

Parent Ofsted Feedback 23 10 23

Have a lovely evening.

Mr Woodward

As you are aware, we had our school Ofsted inspection in July and the report was published in September. We were graded as good in all areas and the report was very positive. The report was short but our school feedback was much more detailed. 

At the meeting, we will give feedback, next steps and answer any questions you may have. 

The governors and I look forward to seeing you there. 

Have a lovely evening.

Mr Woodward

Good afternoon, 

Thank you to everyone who took part in the Rotary Glossop Run last Sunday. It was great to see so many people running and enjoying the event.

Well done to the girl’s netball team who had a competition this week. 

A massive well done to the girl’s football team who came second in the final at the Silverlands stadium in Buxton. 

Dates for next week

Parent evening is next Tuesday 17th October (3:50pm – 7:00pm) and Thursday 19th (3:50pm – 5:30pm). If you haven’t signed up, please follow the instruction below. 

Making an appointment

• Please email Miss Horrocks on parentsevening@st-james.derbyshire.sch.uk
• Please write the name(s) of your child(ren).
• Please write the class name and / or teachers names.
• Please write the preferred day – Tuesday 17th October or Thursday 19th October.
• Please indicate the preferred times. 
• Miss Horrocks will email you back with your appointment day and time(s). 

OTIS Holiday club

Have a great weekend

Mr Woodward

Dear Parents and Carers, 

We will be having parents evening in school on Tuesday 17th October (3:50pm – 7pm) and Thursday 19th October (3:50pm – 5:30pm). 

Please note – Miss Graham will contact the parents of pupils in Bluebell and Sunflower classes so it is not necessary to make an appointment by email. 

Making an appointment

• Please email Miss Horrocks on parentsevening@st-james.derbyshire.sch.uk
• Please write the name(s) of your child(ren).
• Please write the class name and / or teachers names.
• Please write the preferred day – Tuesday 17th October or Thursday 19th October.
• Please indicate the preferred times. 
• Miss Horrocks will email you back with your appointment day and time(s). 

We look forward to seeing you in school.

Mr Woodward

Good afternoon, 

I hope you are well and ready for the weekend. Despite the rain now, the forecast looks good for the weekend. 

Glossop Jog

The Glossop jog is on Sunday at 11am on the redgra. It will be great to see you all there taking part. Please bring in any sponsor money on Monday morning and give it to the office. We will meet at 10:45am and please look for our school sign and either myself or Mr Hannan. It will be a lovely morning and all donation and sponsor money goes to Rotary and local causes. 

Parking near school

I know this is a topic that keeps getting mentioned but the safety and welfare or pupils, parents and staff is really important. 

The disabled bays are for pupils with a blue badge or the driver of the vehicle with a blue badge. We have a lot of children in school with blue badges and complex needs who for mobility and / or health and safety reasons need to park near school. Please don’t drive down Chadwick street if this doesn’t apply to you. 

The owners of the garages had complaints from garage owners about their garages being blocked with cars. They put up the bollards and chain to prevent this. The entrance to the garages must not be blocked. They will change the code regularly. 

I fully understand that parking is really difficult near school. However, some people are ignoring these guidelines and the law and are putting the safety of the children at risk. 

Event for week beginning 9th October

Have a lovely weekend.

Mr Woodward