A Message from Our SJF Chair of Governors
21st Sep 2024
To those families returning for another school year - welcome back! To those joining us for the first time - a huge welcome from myself and the other governors on our Local Academy Committee. I am Dan Beever and the Chair of Governors at our school, as well as a parent.
As a governing body, we have a strategic role in supporting and challenging the leadership and direction of school. Whilst not intentional, our role can often be unseen (characterised by evening meetings in particular). We were therefore incredibly grateful for the parents that took the time to complete the survey circulated last year & flag that they would like to understand more about who our governors are and what they do. We will reflect on the feedback and address this over the school year.
I would like to request your help as we seek new voices and ideas in our team. Firstly, you will have seen the details of our Parent Governor vacancy and I would encourage anyone interested to put themselves forward, whether you have been part of our school community for years or only just joined us this month. The deadline for expressions of interest is 12 noon on Friday, 27th September 2024.
Alongside our Parent Governor vacancy, we are keen to recruit to other governor roles. As a Catholic school, the majority of our governors are required to be practising Catholics (Foundation Governors), so we are always on the lookout for more people fitting this description to join us. In addition, we are keen to welcome more Co-opted Governors - individuals who have no specific connection with our school or the Catholic faith, but want to support our school community.
Whether Parent, Foundation or Co-opted, all of our governor roles have the same responsibilities and are valued equally - we are a team that support each other and our school, with full training available.
If you are interested in applying to be a Parent Governor then please follow the steps outlined in the information circulated via ParentMail and in bags on Friday. If you are interested in the role of Foundation or Co-opted Governor then please get in touch directly - my email address is d.beever@st-johnfisher.org. Equally, if you know family members, friends or colleagues that might be interested then please let them know!
If you have any questions about the above or governance at our school more generally then please do get in touch.
Thank you,
Dan Beever