Roles and Responsibilities

Governor Responsibilities and Membership

Foundation governors

Have responsibility for: 

• preserving the religious character of the school;
• sustaining and developing the school as a Catholic educating community in accordance with Canon (Church) law and the teaching of the Catholic Church;
• giving clear witness, as individuals, and as a team, to the Gospel message and to the Church’s teaching.

Foundation governors also have a specific mandate from Bishop Philip of the Catholic Diocese of Portsmouth: 

• to ensure that the religious education curriculum is in accordance with his diocesan policy, based on the Bishops’ Conference Curriculum Director;
• to represent him on the governing body with particular reference to the admission of pupils, employment of all staff and the religious and secular education curriculum, and convey this to the other governors;
• to consider not only the interests of the school where they are a foundation governor, along with its pupils, staff and parents, but to have regard for the interests of other Catholic schools in the vicinity and of Catholic education throughout the Catholic Diocese of Portsmouth;
• to have regard to the needs of the Catholic community as a whole.

To be eligible for appointment as a foundation governor, applicants must be practising and committed Catholics and confirm they are willing to serve in accordance with the mandate from the Bishop.

Parent Governors

Elected by and from among the parents of registered pupils at the school. They should be parents of pupils currently at the school at the time of their election. Parent governors are entitled to serve out their term of office even if their child has left the school.

Local Authority Governors

Appointed by the local authority which maintains the school. In Hampshire such governors are primarily appointed with a view to their commitment to high quality education and their ability to bring an independent perspective to school decision-making.

Staff Governors

Elected by and from among the teaching and non-teaching staff at the school. They may be staff employed under a contract of employment or a contract for services, and so could include caterers and grounds maintenance staff working at the school as well as school administrators. Staff governors may not continue to be governors if they cease to be employed by the school.  Head Teachers become staff governors when they take up their post unless they tell the clerk they do not want to do so and they remain as a governor while they are Head Teacher.