Governor Roles

• Work with schools health and safety representative to make three focused health and safety inspections of the premises per year and report back to the governing body.
• Attend appropriate training (and INSET days on invitation).
• Keep governing body informed of health and safety issues.
• Keep up to date with current legislation relating to health and safety matters received in school or other publications.
• Assist in monitoring and review of health and safety policy and ensure this is completed annually.
• Ensure suitable risk assessments are carried out as set out in health and safety policy that these are reviewed annually and suitable procedures put in place to manage risks.
• Ensure procedures such as fire drills are carried out.
• Ensure regular reports on health and safety matters are received by governing body such as accident statistics, results of health and safety checks.
• Ensure local authority annual health and safety audit is carried out.
• Be aware of health and safety implications of matters under consideration by governing body and ensure these are understood before a decision is taken.

The Children’s Act 2004 places a duty on agencies to ensure that their functions are discharged having regard for the need to safeguard children and promote their welfare.By safeguarding and promoting welfare we mean:

• Protecting children from abuse or neglect
• Preventing impairment of the child’s health or development
• Ensuring children’s are growing up in circumstances consistent with the provision of safe and effective care
• Creating opportunities to enable children to have optimum life changes in adulthood

As the governor responsible for safeguarding children, you will play an essential role in ensuring children in education are kept safe from harm.

Although there is no official restrictions on who may be a link governor, some LA’s recommend that the Safeguarding and Child Protection Governor should not be a parent governor or teacher governor as this could lead to them being compromised.

How to Fulfil Your Responsibilities

• To champion safeguarding and child protection issues within the school
• Support the governing body to have a greater understanding of child protection/safeguarding procedures.
• Attend relevant training – including enhanced safeguarding.
• Ensure school has up to date and robust child protection policies and procedures consistent with Local Authority Safeguarding Board and that these are reviewed annually by governing body.
• Ensure parents and volunteers are aware of procedures in place.
• Assist in the preparation/review of the LA Safeguarding Audit Toolkit Ensure that the governing body receives an annual report on:
  • changes to policy/procedures o training undertaken within school, o incidents of bullying and racial incidents o number of looked after on roll o number of exclusions
  • number of children on child protection register
  • the implementation of the school’s safeguarding and child protection policy and procedures including arrangements for ensuring that the school’s safeguarding and child protection policy is communicated to, and implemented by, all staff, volunteers and governors
• Ensure all staff are aware of relevant policies in place and are familiar with referral process.
• Ensure all staff and people working in the school receive induction training on child protection appropriate to their role and responsibilities.
• Ensure Headteacher and one other governor has undertaken NCSL safer recruitment training to strengthen safeguards against employing unsuitable people.
• Ensure appropriate reporting and recording procedures are in place and staff are familiar with these.
• Ensure that a deputy designated teacher for safeguarding and child protection is identified
• Ensure that the Designated Teacher for Safeguarding and Child Protection and his/her deputy receive training every two years
• Ensure that training in Child Protection is undertaken by ALL staff, including Lunch Time Supervisors, clerical staff and other ancillary staff, every three years
• Ensure that arrangements are in place for appropriate checks on new staff, volunteers and governors.
• Ensure relevant school policies have an appropriate link to safeguarding such as: o Anti bullying o Behaviour & Discipline o Safeguarding & Child Protection o Complaints Procedure o Drugs guidance o Health and safety o First aid
  • E-safety o PSHE
  • Equality o Recruitment and selection o Educational visits o Sex education & Relationships o Whistle blowing

The Role of the SEN Governor – Special Educational Needs and DisabilitiesThe governor with responsibility for SEND meets with the SENCo three times a year.

The three meetings could cover current attainments, targets, progress, resources and
staffing.

Topics could be divided between the three meetings, or there could be a brief to include all of them each time.

It must be remembered that pupils should not be identified in the meeting, that a count of the pupils on the SEND register retains the anonymity of the pupils.

It is useful to:-

• Record how many pupils are on the SEND register – why, what is the nature of the
  SEND, what are the entry criteria
• Review the previous year – what were the attainments, were targets met?
• Ask what strategies were used, did they work, will they be repeated?
• Ask about the timetabling of additional support – is inclusion the guiding principle?
• Ask how are parents informed/kept up to date
• Ask about the frequency and nature of reviews
• Ensure that the policy up to date and on the website
• Have the training needs of teaching and support staff been identified to raise the
  performance of SEN?
• Find out what training has been undertaken, by TAs as well
• Ensure that the local offer is on the website
• Find out how the Pupil Premium is being used
• How does the school’s SEN policy link with its other policies, such as those for
  behaviour and health and safety?

And finally, to:-

Discover how many pupils were deemed to be no longer in need of additional provision – a
mark of the success of the intervention.