Cathcart Street Primary School
Dover Close
Birkenhead
Wirral
CH41 3JY
Tel: 0151 647 7349
Fax: 0151 647 2325
e-mail: [email protected]
“Learn today, aspire for life”
Headteacher: Deborah Richards B.Ed
5th December, 2016
Dear Parents/carers,
ELECTION OF PARENT GOVERNORS TO THE GOVERNING BOARD OF
CATHCART STREET PRIMARY SCHOOL
Would you like to be a Governor of your child’s school? If so, then vacancies have arisen on
our governing board for two Parent Governors. I hope that you will take the time to consider
standing as a Parent Governor.
The Governing Board is responsible for both the conduct of the school and for promoting
high standards. The Governing Board carries out its role by setting the vision for the school
and then ensuring that the school works efficiently and effectively towards achieving its
vision. It does this by building a thorough knowledge of the school and its community, by
both supporting and constructively challenging the school and by ensuring accountability and
compliance. The Governing Board of our school is made up of Parent Governors, Local
Authority Governors, Co-opted Governors, teaching and Non-teaching staff Governors.
Training will be available to help you to understand your role as a Parent Governor of
Cathcart Street Primary School. The Governing Board is asking you to consider applying or
to nominate someone with parental responsibility for a child at the school.
 If there are more nominations than vacancies, an election is held. Should an election
take place, candidates will be required to submit a written statement, outlining the
reasons for standing as a Governor and the qualities or life experiences you could
bring to the role.
 The election will be organised by the Headteacher of the school and every parent of
a pupil in the school will receive a voting paper and will have the opportunity to vole.
Parents can vote by sending in their vote to the school.
Before you decide to nominate someone, or indeed stand yourself, you may want to know
more about what is involved. Governors need not be experts in the field of education.
What they do need is an interest in the school and in the welfare of our children and the time
and willingness to get involved.
Governors need to have a range of ‘soft skills’: - the ability to be able to build relationships
with a range to people; to be able to work as part of a term; to be able to question and to
make connections between different types of information. All Governors are expected to be
able to read straightforward budget reports and data on school standards.
Our Governing Board expects Governors to: Attend seven meetings per annum of the full Governing Board, one per half term. (Two
during the Autumn Term).
 Visit the school formally for monitoring purposes at least twice a year.
 Visit the school informally at least once a year.
 Commit to attend training courses, perform additional research as required and take part in
monitoring areas within the school
In return, our Governing Board commits to: Provide you with a structured induction.
 Provide access to quality training via the Local Authority.
 Provide you with an experienced Governor as a mentor.
 Give you the opportunity to use your current skills to develop and increase your
understanding of how a successful school operates, providing the best educational
outcomes for children.
If you would like to find out more about how you can contribute to governance at our school,
please email with your contact details and I will arrange a time for a conversation with one of
our current Governors. Simply fill in the attached form and turn it to Mrs H. Tickell, Business
Manager via the School Office.
Closing date for nominations is: Friday 16th December, 2016 at 12:00 Noon. The election
will be held on Wednesday 18th January, 2017 at 12:00 Noon.
Deborah Richards (Mrs)
Headteacher
DECLARATION OF ELIGIBILITY
I declare that I am not disqualified from serving as a school Governor and that:
 I am aged 18 or over at the date of this election or appointment;
 I do not already hold a Governorship of the same school;
 I am not a person who is detained under the Mental Health Act 1983;
 I am not the subject of a bankruptcy restrictions order or an interim order;
 I have not had my estate sequestrated and the sequestration has not been
discharged, annulled or reduced;
 I have not been removed from the office of a charity trustee or trustee for a charity
by an order made by the Charity Commissioners or the High Court on the grounds of
any misconduct or mismanagement or, under Section 7 of the Law Reform
(Miscellaneous Provisions) (Scotland) Act 1990, from being concerned in the
management or control of any Board;
 I am not included in the list (List 99) of teachers and workers with children or young
persons whose employment is prohibited or restricted;
 I am not disqualified from being the proprietor of any independent school or for being
a teacher or other employee in any school;
 I am not disqualified from working with children;
 I have not, in the five years prior to becoming a Governor, received a sentence of
imprisonment, suspended or otherwise, for a period of not less than three months
without the option of a fine;
 I have not, in the twenty years prior to becoming a governor, been convicted as
aforesaid of any offence and had passed on me a sentence of imprisonment for a
period of not less than two and a half years;
 I have not, at any time, had passed on me a sentence of imprisonment for a period
of net less than five years;
 I have not been fined, in the five years prior to becoming a Governor, for causing a
nuisance or disturbance on education premises:
 I am not subject to a disqualification order under the Criminal Justice and Court
Services Act 2000.
I am willing to serve as a Parent Governor should I be elected. I am not disqualified from
serving as a School Governor and agree that the information I give on this form can be
recorded and used by the Governor Development Team. I give permission for an application
to be made to the Criminal Records Bureau for a Criminal Records Certificate. If I become
disqualified, I will notify the Clerk to the Governing Board.
Signed
_________________________________________
Print Name
_________________________________________
Date
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