Governace Structure September 2024
RUSSELL LOWER SCHOOL
SUB-COMMITTEE TERMS OF REFERENCE
Finance & Resources
To consider matters relating to:
- Finance
- Personnel Matters
- Health and Safety
- Premises
Terms of reference
- To guide and assist the Head and the governing body in all budgeting, financial and personnel matters, and matters relating to grounds and premises and Health and Safety
- To review the school’s financial regulations, procedures and policies annually, including consideration of long-term planning and researching
- To oversee the drawing up of the annual budget, ensuring it takes into account the agreed priorities of the SDP.
- To approve the formal budget plan and the revised budget plan on behalf of the Governing Body.
- To approve the uncommitted revenue balance on behalf of the Governing Body.
- To monitor the budget over the year; report the financial situation and make recommendations where necessary
- To agree a level of delegation to the Head for the day-to-day financial management of the school
- To recommend virements between budget headings in excess of agreed level of delegation
- To liaise and consult with other committees where necessary
- To monitor the income and expenditure of all public funds; to receive and, where appropriate, respond to any audit reports of these. Also to receive and respond to audits of non-public funds • To review and approve the charging and remissions policy
- To review the Performance Management Policy, its implementation and to receive an annual report on Performance Management, including staff development and training
- To establish, publish and review the complaints procedure
- To review the staff pay policy on an annual basis
- When necessary, to draft and review, in consultation with staff, criteria for redundancy to be recommended for the approval of the governing body
- If necessary, dismiss the headteacher
- To review and set the overall staffing structure annually
- To determine dismissal payments/early retirement
- The committee will support the headteacher and provide oversight on:
- Absence management and monitoring
- Harassment and Bullying
- Competence
- Recruitment and Retention
- To consider any freedom of information issues
- To review the data protection policy at least every two years
- To inspect the premises and grounds annually and prepare a statement of priorities for maintenance and development (With reference to the Asset Management Plan)
- To approve the preparation and implementation of building and maintenance contracts
- To ensure any necessary liaison with the LA regarding premises issues
- To approve the Finance Manual
- To ensure a health and safety policy and procedures are in place
- To review the accessibility plan every three years
- To review the insurance policies and make recommendations to the FGB as necessary
- To ask relevant questions
STAFFING COMMITTEE ON PAY - TERMS OF REFERENCE
1. The Staffing Committee on Pay shall consider and decide upon all matters relating to staff pay as part of the annual review process in accordance with the whole school salary policy agreed by the Governing Body in respect of the following staff:-
(i) school teachers;
(ii) NJC Local Government Services Staff;
(iii) any other staff as determined by the Governing Body.
2. The Committee shall be called the Staffing Committee on Pay.
3. The Committee shall consist of three members of the Governing Body. It will be chaired by the Vice Chairperson of the Governors.
4. The Committee shall be quorate only when all three Governors nominated to serve on the Committee are in attendance.
5. The Committee will meet at least once each financial year, usually during the Autumn Term. Additional meetings may be arranged if deemed necessary by the Chairperson of the Committee or the Headteacher.
6. The headteacher has the right to attend all meetings of the Committee but will withdraw when the Committee consider the pay of the headteacher. (It may be necessary for the headteacher to withdraw if he or she has a pecuniary interest arising from the size of the differential between his or her pay and that of the deputy). The Committee will seek the advice of the headteacher in respect of the exercise of any discretionary payments and in particular:-
(a) for teaching staff, points awarded on the main pay scale;
(b) for teaching staff, the award of teaching and learning responsibility payments, special needs allowances and incentives for recruitment and retention;
(c) the award of any points resulting from performance review;
(d) for members of the leadership group, any points resulting from performance review, taking into account the advice of the headteacher in respect of deputy and assistant headteachers and the governors responsible for the performance review of the head;
(e) for all teachers, the award of any cost of living pay increase from 1 September;
(f) for NJC Local Government Services staff, the award of accelerated increments, honorarium payments and appropriate job evaluation.
7. In reaching decisions in respect of pay, the Committee shall have regard to:-
(a) the advice of the headteacher and/or the relevant appraiser;
(b) the advice of the Borough Council;
(c) salaries paid in other broadly equivalent schools;
(d) the implications of national pay decisions and the relevant legislation (Such as The Employment Relations Act 1999; The Equality Act 2010; the Part Time Workers (Prevention of Less Favourable Treatment) Regulations 2000; The Fixed Term Employees (Prevention of Less Favourable Treatment) Regulations 2002; and the standards for openness and objectivity in public life).
8. The Committee shall have executive powers within the staffing budget determined by the Governing Body and will take decisions with due regard to the School Teachers’ Pay and Conditions Document, the Conditions of Service for School Teachers in England and Wales, the Conditions of Service for Local Government Services staff, and any relevant employment legislation. As indicated in paragraph 1 above, the Committee shall determine pay matters arising as part of the annual review process. The pay of new staff appointed to the school will be determined by the appointment panel in accordance with the school pay policy.
9. Members of the Staffing Committee on Pay shall not serve on any committee appointed by the Governors to hear an appeal from a member of staff against the decisions made by the Committee.
10. The Committee shall review these terms of reference and the whole school salary policy on an annual basis.
Curriculum, Learning & Standards
To consider matters relating to:
- Curriculum
- Inclusion
- Pastoral Care
- Assessment
- Progress
- Transition
- Monitoring and Evaluation
Terms of Reference
- To monitor the school assessment targets and data in line with Local and National standards, for FS, KS1 and KS2
- To monitor progress made across the whole school in line with Local and National standards as well as monitoring identified groups e.g. LAC, Gender, FSM, SEN etc
- To ensure the school leadership has appropriate and rigorous systems for assessment throughout the school
- To monitor and review the information about school performance and reporting to parents according to statutory requirements
- To monitor and contribute to the School Development Plan
- To monitor and contribute to the school SEF
- To ensure the school leadership has appropriate systems for monitoring and evaluating the quality of teaching and learning in the school
- In collaboration with staff, to provide information about how the curriculum is taught, evaluated and resourced
- To review the policy and provision for collective worship and for RE and to make recommendations where necessary
- To review the policy and provision for sex and relationships education
- To ensure that the requirements of children with special needs are met, as laid out in the Code of Practice
- To monitor the pastoral care of pupils and review policies related to their pastoral care
- To monitor and oversee the impact of Pupil Premium and Sports premium funding
- When necessary to review the use of exclusion and to act as the review body for a permanent exclusion
- To Review equality objectives every three years and approve the annual publication of the ‘Equality Information and objectives statement’.
- To review the behaviour principles when necessary
- To ask relevant questions