Monday 18th October 2021

Dear Parents and Carers,

Re: Parent Governor Election, Autumn 21

We have vacancies for 2 parent governors and will be holding an election during the week beginning Monday 8th November. All governors serve a four year term of office.

If you are interested in becoming a School Governor, and would like to find out more, you can email our Chair of Governors – Eleanor Fairford on: els_radford@hotmail.com or our current Parent Governor – Janine Green on: janine.green@yahoo.co.uk. More information about the role of a Parent Governor can be viewed on our school website via the following link: https://kelvingrove.lewisham.sch.uk/about-us/governors/ (scroll to the bottom of the page).

If you wish to nominate yourself of someone else, please complete the online nomination form below: PARENT GOVERNOR NOMINATION FORM

The Governing Body has the ultimate responsibility for overseeing the education and care of our pupils and working with the Headteacher and wider staff team to ensure that the school is well-managed and continues to develop. The Governing Body is comprised of parents, representatives appointed by Lewisham Council, staff and members of the community – fifteen people in total.

We are looking for 2 Parent Governors who can play an active role on the Governing Body, representing the views of all parents and working collaboratively with other Governors in the best interests of Kelvin Grove as a whole:

• Contributing to the governing body meetings – there are usually two meetings a term which take place in the evening from 18.00-20.00. These involve looking at different elements of the learning we provide and the way in which the school is operating, including examining the performance of the school, how we are meeting our legal responsibilities and our strategy for the coming years

• Contributing to a committee – either Resources, Achievement or Pupils, Parents & Community. These committees meet 1-2 times a term in the evening from 18.00-20.00 Visiting the school to observe school life. Governors are not expected to judge the quality of teaching but rather to get a sense of how the school is working as a whole, or a particular aspect of school life

• Engaging with other parents to ensure that views are represented

• Occasionally working with the leadership team on a specific element of managing the school, such as being involved in the recruitment of staff or looking at how we take forward a specific development.

This is a real opportunity to help Kelvin Grove thrive. We are keen to ensure that the governing body reflects the diversity of families that are part of the Kelvin Grove community. Therefore we would particularly like to welcome parents in BAME groups and of SEND children onto our Governing Body.. However anyone with the enthusiasm to help develop the school would find this a fulfilling role. We can also help cover the cost of childcare for meetings and other governor commitments.

Eligibility to stand

All parents and guardians of children at the school are eligible to stand as candidates in the election EXCEPT

• if s/he is an elected member of the local education authority; (local councillor)
• if s/he is paid to work at the school for more than 500 hours in any twelve month period beginning on 1 August and finishing on 31 July. (an academic year).

Eligibility to vote

Each parent will have one vote for every parent governor vacancy. Some people who are not parents but who act as parents and take care of a child at the school may also be able to take part. If you, or someone else living with you, look after a child in this way, please contact me to check if you will be able to take part in the election.

The important dates are:

Fri 22nd October	If you decide to stand as a candidate you complete the online nomination form by the end of the school day on this date. You can nominate yourself to stand. If you want to nominate another parent, please check with them first that they are willing to stand and ask them to sign the nomination form in the space provided. The nomination form is also available on our school website.
Tues 2nd November	Statements to be submitted by candidates – if you need help with your statement, please contact Eleanor Fairford or Janine Green on the contact details above.
Thurs 4th November	Notification sent to parents and carers with names of candidates, where to find out more about each candidate and voting procedures.
Mon 8th – Fri 12th November (12 noon)	Voting will take place from 8th – 12th November, an electronic ballot paper will be sent to you by text and email, a separate text and email will be sent containing a password. This is to make it easier for working parents or those unable to get to school to vote and of course to improve social distancing.
Mon 15th November	RESULT NOTIFICATION – sent by text and email

Please note that all new governors are required by law to undergo a check on their suitability to serve. This will be through:

• a Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check and a check against the barred list, the DfE list of people whose employment has been barred or restricted either on grounds of misconduct or for medical reasons.
• A Section 128 check which prohibits or restricts a person from taking part in the management of a school by looking at the parts of someone’s history that may not necessarily be criminal, but would still be worrying.

Parent governors are very important to the life of the school and I hope very much that you will vote and also consider being a candidate.