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Foundation governor vacancy

St James Church of England Primary Academy has a vacancy for a foundation governor. While the whole governing body has agreed to uphold the Christian foundation of the school, a foundation governor has a special responsibility to ensure the Christian ethos, vision and principles are supported and developed in all aspects of school governance and life. Foundation governors are likely to be part of their church community. No experience of the education sector is required.

Become a governor at St James Church of England Primary Academy
“There are immediate and lasting benefits to becoming a school governor. In volunteering your time, you are making a positive contribution to the success of your school and are therefore having an impact on the lives of its pupils, staff and the local community.”
 

About the school

St James Church of England Primary Academy is part of the Vale Academy Trust, a family of state funded primary and secondary schools, all located in south Oxfordshire. The Trust is a ‘Multi-Academy Trust’ and as such provides non-selective education for children in the catchment areas served by its schools.

St James Primary is located between East and West Hanney and provides education for up to 210 pupils from age 4 to 11 plus a nursery. It was last inspected by Ofsted in 2018 when it received a ‘Good’ rating and it received a positive Church (SIAMS) inspection in 2023.
The Local Governing Body

The Local Governing Body (LGB) of St James is comprised of 2 foundation governors appointed by the Oxford Diocese, 1 staff governor, 2 parent governor places, and 3 director-appointed governors. The term ‘director-appointed’ refers to governors that are officially appointed by the Board of the Trust, rather than through parent or staff elections. Regardless of type, all governors have exactly the same powers.

What does the LGB do?

The LGB has three core functions:

1. Ensuring clarity of vision, ethos and strategic direction for the school

2. Holding the Headteacher to account for both the educational performance of the school and the performance management of staff

3. Overseeing the financial performance of the school and making sure its money is well spent

The Headteacher is responsible for the internal organisation, management and control of the school and the implementation of the strategic plan agreed with the LGB.

Do I need education sector experience or have children at the school to be a governor?

Absolutely not. You do need to be committed to your school, willing to ask questions and offer appropriate support and challenge to the Headteacher. As well as the support you’ll get from fellow governors, the Trust runs a full programme of induction, training and tools, and provides ongoing assistance from our dedicated governance team, all designed to help make being a governor as straightforward as possible.

How much time would I have to commit?

Governors are expected to attend circa 6 evening meetings of the LGB each year. These typically last around 2 hours each. In addition, the Trust runs governance development sessions on about 4 evenings each year, and encourages all governors to attend as many as possible. These events are a great way to network with governors from other schools, learn about new ideas and receive training in governance matters. Other time commitments will depend on whether you step up to additional roles on the LGB, which could, for example, see you visiting the school on a normal school day to monitor activity and meet with school leaders.

OK, I’m interested. What next?

Further information and an application form can be found on the Oxford Diocese Board of Education website:

Appointing Governors - Oxford Diocesan Board of Education (odbe.org.uk)

Alternatively contact the school to arrange a conversation: office@stjamesce.vale-academy.org

Well done to those pupils who volunteered to perform as part of the Vale Academy Trust 10th Birthday celebrations! An event enjoyed by all! And Happy Birthday to our wonderful Trust!

Well done to Inkpen (Reception) & Rosen (Year 1) classes for such a wonderful performance of the Christmas Nativity! A beautiful performance with wonderful singing, acting and narration! Thank you to everyone who worked so hard on this, to the Helping Hands for providing refreshments and to all the families who supported it by coming along! It was AMAZING!!

Year 6 pupils of St James and St Nicholas CE Primary Schools were so lucky to have the most amazing adventure in Exmoor! The children were all brilliant, showing kindness, courage and determination! An unforgettable experience - and yes we did surf in November!!

I’m so pleased to share with you our fantastic SIAMs report and say a massive thank you to the amazing pupils, staff, parents, Governors and members of the VAT central team, who supported the process so brilliantly. We have received a judgement 1 - which celebrates ‘that St. James Church of England Primary School is living up to its foundation as a Church school’

Highlights from the report include:

“The vision underpins the decision making of leaders. This inspires and supports all pupils, enabling them to feel cherished and successful.”

“ There are strong partnerships which enhance the vision of the school, supporting the wellbeing of children and adults. These provide a secure foundation for leaders when making courageous decisions”

“It is clear there is a shared determination to ensure the vision has an impact on pupils’ abilities and character.

“In line with the vision, all leaders consider the wellbeing of pupils and adults as a matter of great importance”

“Such care is an example of the vision at work, helping all reach their potential.”

“Individual pupils who require specialist activities are guided to learn and are valued for their uniqueness. Leaders promote inclusion and equality for all pupils, reinforcing the vision of all being part of ‘the one body.”

“The school benefits from the strong relationship with the parish of St. James the Great. The clergy team provides weekly ’Open the Book’ inclusive worship that shares a variety of Bible stories. As a result, pupils are able to name their favourite stories and how they relate to being kind.”

“Through engagement in the trust’s Character and Citizen Award, pupils develop a knowledge of themselves and how they can be courageous advocates. Pupil leadership is strongly encouraged, which develops kindness between ages. For example, new reception children delight in seeing their ‘Year 6 Buddy."

“St.James Church of England Primary is clearly a place where all are cherished to enable them to flourish. The vision of ‘being one body’ provides all with the strongest possible foundation.”

St James' 'Ultimate Frisbee' team recently represented the school in flying fashion at a local tournament. Pupils came back full of excitement after the event, having shown some real courage as in some cases this was their first time playing! We were so proud to hear what a supportive team they were and securing second place was amazing! Well done team!