Local Governing Body
Our Local Governing Body within the overall governance structure of the Alpha Trust. The Local Governing Body works with the school to ensure that it delivers good quality education. The Governing Body sets the strategic direction for the school, acts as a critical friend to the Headteacher, and ensures accountability. We have the following categories of Governor:
- Trustee appointed - who are appointed by the Board of Trustees of the Alpha Trustl;
- Parent - who are elected by parents of children attending the school;
- Co-opted - who are elected by the Governing Body;
- Staff - who are elected by the staff members;
- Associate - these are non-voting members who are appointed by the Governing Body.
You can contact the Governing Body through the school office or by email at governor@homefarm.essex.sch.uk. The members of Home Farm's Governing Body are listed below.
Annual Governance Statement
Our Governing Body publishes a statement each year to tell parents more about the work it has been doing over the previous year. You can read our annual governance statement here.
Register of interests
All of our Governors and staff members with significant financial responsibility or influence complete an entry in our register of interests. Entries are updated annually or more often if there are changes to report. A copy of our current register of interests for Governors can be accessed below.
Minutes of full Governing Body meetings
In March 2015, the Governing Body took a decision to publish the minutes of its meetings, in order to ensure that it was transparent in the work it is doing and to increase its engagement with parents. Some issues discussed by the Governing Body are confidential and these are recorded separately. You can read minutes of full Governing Body meetings from the previous two academic years below.
Full Governing Body meeting - 15 December 2020
Full Governing Body meeting - 9 February 2021
Full Governing Body meeting - 10 March 2021
Full Governing Body meeting - 11 May 2021
Full Governing Body meeting - 15 June 2021
Full Governing Body meeting - 13 July 2021
Full Governing Body meeting - 14 September 2021
Full Governing Body meeting - 12 October 2021
Full Governing Body meeting - 9 November 2021
Full Governing Body meeting - 14 December 2021
Full Governing Body meeting - 11 January 2022
Full Governing Body meeting - 8 February 2022
Full Governing Body meeting - 8 March 2022
Full Governing Body meeting - 10 May 2022
Full Governing Body meeting - 14 June 2022
Full Governing Body meeting - 12 July 2022
Full Governing Body meeting - 13 September 2022
Full Governing Body meeting - 18 October 2022
Full Governing Body meeting - 8 November 2022
Pupil Premium Grant - February 2019
Lear Class Project Week - December 2019
Standards meetings including impact of PPG - June 2019
Observation of lunchtimes - November 2018
Observation of lunchtimes - October 2019
Observation of lunchtimes - September 2020
Catch-up funding - November 2020
Local Governing Body Structure
Our Governing Body meets as a full Governing Body each month in term time (10 meetings per year). Work relating to pay and performance management is delegated to a Pay Committee which annually.
You can find details of the terms of reference of our Local Governing Body here.
What to expect if you are interested in becoming a Governor
School governors are volunteers who work with the school to ensure it delivers a good quality education. They are involved in decisions about all aspects of the school including running buildings and budgets, supporting staff, and agreeing school policies. They also help to make decisions about the school’s long-term goals. Governors support the Headteacher, but also ask questions and make sure that the Headteacher is taking the school in the right direction.
Anyone over the age of 18 with a child at the school can apply to be a school governor. People who apply have to sign a form to say that they are not disqualified for any reason. The school office can provide more information about the types of things that might disqualify someone from being a Governor.
The main things that you need to be a school governor are enthusiasm, commitment and an interest in education. It is also useful if you can bring skills from other areas of your life.
As a member of the Governing Body at Home Farm, you would need to attend a meeting of the full Governing Body for two hours once a month. These are generally held after 7:00pm on a Tuesday evening. You also need a bit of time before the meetings to read and digest the information you have been sent. Some Governors are also members of other committees or working groups, which look at specific issues and meet from time to time for about an hour. Those meetings are arranged at times to suit the Governors who are involved.
In between meetings, Governors carry out monitoring visits to school. This might involve you coming in to school for about an hour during the school day to meet with staff or see something in action. The frequency of this varies, but about once a term might be a good guide. Governors are also welcome at other school events, but attendance is not compulsory.
If the school goes through any big changes in the way it is organised or run, the time commitment needed by Governors may increase a little.
If you would like to find out more about being a Governor, you can speak to one of the existing parent Governors or contact the Chair of the Governing Body through the school office.
If you work and you are interested in being a Governor, it is worth speaking to your employer first, as some employers offer time off for Governor duties.