From the Chair of Governors:

Whether your child already attends, or you may be choosing New Milton Infant School for your child, a very warm welcome from the governors!

During your child’s time at New Milton Infant School you are likely to have the opportunity to stand for election as a parent governor, which is a voluntary role and an ideal opportunity to be involved in important decisions. Governors are appointed for four years and can be reappointed after that time, depending on whether others have come forward.

Our Governors: what do they do? Who are they?

The Governing Body (GB), together with the Headteacher and senior staff, forms the School Leadership and Management Team. The GB works closely with the school staff to ensure that high standards are maintained in all aspects of school life. Although the governors’ role is a voluntary one, it has an important purpose in holding the school to account for standards of teaching, learning, behaviour and welfare and for the management of the school’s finances, staffing and buildings. The GB appoints the Headteacher to whom the operational responsibility for the school is delegated.

The GB is therefore a key part of the system for school accountability, offering challenge and support to school staff. Governors help to form the School Improvement Plan and are responsible for monitoring its effectiveness.

Governors come from the school and its wider community, with diverse professional backgrounds: they can be co-opted governors, staff governors, parent governors, a local authority (LA) governor and the Headteacher. New Milton Infant School is constituted to have 12 governors. The “Meet the Governors” document below identifies each governor’s specific roles and includes a short bio.

The Full Governing Body meets together eight times a year. Individual governors are linked to specific subjects and sections of the School Improvement Plan so that they can closely monitor performance against the objectives which have been agreed, working alongside members of staff and with children on visits to the school. This is how governors can really get to know the school and be constructive in challenging and supporting staff. Governors also attend school events, when they welcome the opportunity to talk to parents, staff and children.

I hope to have the opportunity of meeting you at a school event.

With best wishes

Carole Coomber

Chair of Governors