Duchess School

The Governors' Role

The Governing Body of the Hard Federation is composed of twenty-four individuals representing the major stakeholders. Apart from the headteachers, all governors serve for a period of four years. Governors can be re-elected to continue for further service thus giving a degree of continuity to the activities of the Governing body. The Governing Body elects a Chairman and a vice Chairman from its membership. They have extra duties over and above those of other governors.

The Governing Body is responsible for agreeing the strategic direction of the Hard Federation and the policies within which it operates. They also have the responsibility of agreeing the school budgets and then the monitoring of the financial performance against those budgets. Governors are there to help and support. They provide advice but can also act as watchdogs in their role as ‘critical friends’. Governors are involved in the recruitment and appointment of staff and also in the performance management of the headteachers.