Scarborough UTC Trust Board of Governors

The Role of the Governing Board

The role of the governing board is absolutely key to the effectiveness of a school.  School governors and trustees provide strategic leadership and accountability in schools. They appoint the principal and deputy principal.  Governors/trustees hold the main responsibility for finance in schools, and it is governors and trustees who work with the principal to make the tough decisions about balancing resources.

Each individual governor is a member of a governing board, which is established in law as a corporate body. Individual governors may not act independently of the rest of the governing board and decisions are the joint responsibility of the governing board.

The role of the governing board is a strategic one with three key functions:

• Ensuring clarity of vision, ethos and strategic direction
• Holding the head teacher to account for the educational performance of the school and its pupils
• Overseeing the financial performance of the school and making sure its money is well spent

The Board is supported by a Resources Management Committee, which meets at least three times a year, to assist the decision making of the board of governors, by maintaining oversight of the Trust’s financial operation (including value for money), governance, risk management, internal control and external audit findings. It reports outcomes to the Governing Body including but not limited to external audit outcomes (annual year end audit, interim audit and Responsible Officer outcomes).

The Curriculum & Standards Committee meets at least 3 times a year to monitor and review school performance and educational standards in all curriculum areas.

Scarborough UTC Full Governing Board Meeting Dates 2019-20

Autumn First Half Term
2nd October 2019	Curriculum & Standards Committee Meeting
9th October 2019	Resources Management Committee Meeting
23rd October 2019	Full Governing Board Meeting
Autumn Second Half Term
27th November 2019	Curriculum & Standards Committee Meeting
04th December 2019	Resources Management Committee Meeting
18th December 2019	Full Governing Board Meeting
Spring Second Half Term
18th March 2020	Curriculum & Standards Committee Meeting
25th March 2020	Resources Management Committee Meeting
01st April 2020	Full Governing Board Meeting
Summer Second Half Term
03rd June 2020	Governing Board Review Meeting
17th June 2020	Curriculum & Standards Committee Meeting
24th June 2020	Resources Management Committee Meeting
08th July 2020	Full Governing Board Meeting

Constitution

The UTC Trust is a company limited by guarantee and an exempt charity. The trustees of Scarborough UTC Trust are also the directors of the Charitable Company for the purposes of company law. The Charitable Company’s memorandum and articles of association are the primary governing documents of the UTC Trust. The governing body has its own code of conduct that links to legal duties and the specifics of the articles of association.

Governors

The Board of Governors is made up of people from the community who have business, management or education experience, alongside staff and parents; A full list of governors can be found in a separate document below.

The Co-Chairs of the Governors are: Chris White and Peter Wilkinson.
Contact address: Scarborough UTC, 1 Ashburn Road, Yo11 2JW

The Clerk to the Governors is: Sian Henderson. Her email address is sian.henderson@northyorks.gov.uk.

Governance Structure

2019-20 Governance Structure

Full Governance Scheme of Delegation

Curriculum Committee Terms of Reference

Resource Management Committee Terms of Reference

Governors Declaration of Interest and Attendance Record

How to become a governor

All governors are unpaid volunteers who give their time and enthusiasm freely.  If you have an interest in children’s education and welfare you could become a school governor.  Governors are drawn from all walks of life and no formal qualifications are necessary.  As long as you meet the eligibility criteria described in the next two pages, can provide skills that would help the Governing Body in its work and have the time to use your skills, we would be pleased for you to register your interest in becoming a governor at Scarborough UTC.

At Scarborough UTC, we have 4 types of governor drawn from different parts of the community.  This helps to ensure the Governing Body has diversity of views and experience.  Governors from each category bring their group’s perspective to the Governing Body although this does not mean that they represent that group on the Governing Body.  Altogether, Scarborough UTC has 15 governor positions.

Governors serve for a period of 4 years and at the end of their term can stand for re-election or be re-appointed.  The Chair and Vice-Chair are elected by the Governing Body on an annual basis at the first Full Governing Body meeting of the academic year.  The 4 types of governors are described below.

 

Staff governors

Scarborough UTC Governing Body has one staff governor who is paid to work at the school and they are elected by the college staff.  At the end of their 4 year term of office, staff governors can put themselves forward for re-election by the staff.  In addition, the Principal is an ex officio member of the Governing Body – there because they are the Principal.

 

Parent governors

Scarborough UTC Governing Body has 2 elected parent governors who are elected by parents and carers of children at the school.  When a vacancy for an elected parent governor arises, the college will send a letter home letting parents/carers know of the vacancy and asking parents/carers to nominate themselves or other parents/carers for the role.  If there are more nominations than vacancies, there will be a ballot when all parents/carers will be asked to vote for the candidate of their choice. At the end of their 4 year term of office, elected parent governors can put themselves forward for re-election by parents and carers.

Co-opted governors

Co-opted governors are drawn from the local community and appointed by the Governing Body. Scarborough UTC Governing Body has 8 co-opted governors. At the end of their 4 year term of office, co-opted governors can be re-appointed by the Governing Body. If you would like to find out more about becoming a co-opted governor at Scarborough UTC, contact our Co-Chair of Governors, Chris White, by emailing enquiries@scarboroughutc.co.uk

 

It would be helpful when making contact with the Chair of Governors to provide brief background information about your reasons for wishing to be a governor at Scarborough UTC. This should include any particular knowledge and skills you could bring to the role in areas such as finance, health & safety, safeguarding, premises management, law, human resources, policy formulation & implementation, data analysis and education. The Governing Body will also need to establish that you are either a local resident or have an involvement in the community served by the college or that you have suitable reasons for your interest in Scarborough UTC and its surrounding area. Note, parents of children in the college can become co-opted governors provided they bring essential knowledge and skills to the Governing Body and that fewer than half of the college’s total governors have children attending the school. Finally, we will request a copy of your CV.

 

Member appointed governors

Scarborough UTC Governing Body has 3 Member appointed governors who are nominated by the Board of Members.  At the end of their 4 year term of office, LA governors can either be re-appointed by the. . If you would like to find out more about becoming a co-opted governor at Scarborough UTC, contact our Co-Chair of Governors, Peter Wilkinson, by emailing enquiries@scarboroughutc.co.uk

 

Qualifications and disqualifications for being a school governor

A governor must be aged 18 or over at the time of their election or appointment, unless they are an associate member.

A person is disqualified from being a governor or associate member of a particular school if he/she:

• has failed to attend the meetings of the governing body of that school for a continuous period of six months, beginning with the date of the first meeting they failed to attend, without the consent of the governing body (this does not apply to the Principal (ex officio governors);
• is subject to a bankruptcy restrictions order, an interim bankruptcy restrictions or an interim bankruptcy restrictions order, a debt relief restrictions order, an interim debt relief restrictions order; or their estate has been sequestrated and the sequestration order has not been discharged, annulled or reduced;
• is subject to a disqualification order or disqualification undertaking under the Company Directors Disqualification Act 1986; a disqualification order under the Companies (Northern Ireland) Order 2002; a disqualification undertaking accepted under the Company Directors Disqualification (Northern Ireland) Order 2002; or an order made under Section 429(2)(b) of the Insolvency Act 1986 (failure to pay under a County Court administration order);
• has been removed from the office of trustee for a charity by an order made by the Charity Commission or Commissioners or High Court on grounds of any misconduct or mismanagement in the administration of the charity; or under Section 34 of the Charities and Trustees Investment (Scotland) Act 2005 from participating in the management or control of any body;
• is included in the list of people considered by the Secretary of State as unsuitable to work with children or young people;
• is barred from any regulated activity relating to children;
• is subject to a direction of the Secretary of State under section 142 of the Education Act 2002 or section 128 of the Education and Skills Act 2008;
• is disqualified from working with children or from registering for childminding or providing day care;
• is disqualified from being an independent school proprietor, teacher or employee by the Secretary of State;
• is subject to certain exceptions for overseas offences that do not correlate with a UK offence, have been sentenced to three months or more in prison (without the option of a fine) in the five years ending with the date preceding the date of appointment/election as a governor or since becoming a governor;
• is subject to certain exceptions for overseas offences that do not correlate with a UK offence, has received a prison sentence of two and a half years or more in the 20 years ending with the date preceding the date of appointment/election as a governor;
• is subject to certain exceptions for overseas offences that do not correlate with a UK offence, has at any time received a prison sentence of five years or more;
• has been convicted and fined for causing a nuisance or disturbance on school or educational premises during the five years ending with the date immediately preceding appointment/election or since appointment or election as a governor;
• refuses a request by the clerk (or others) to make an application to the Disclosure and Barring Service for a criminal records certificate (DBS check).