The Governing Body at St Mary’s Primary School provides strategic leadership and oversight, working in close partnership with school leaders to ensure a high-quality, inclusive education for all pupils. Governors uphold the school’s ethos, set a clear vision for improvement and hold leaders to account for the educational performance of the school.

Our governing body is drawn from the wider school and parish community and includes parents, staff, and representatives from local churches. In addition, governors are appointed by the Southwark Diocesan Board of Education and the Local Authority. This breadth of representation ensures a diverse range of skills, experience and perspectives, enabling effective support and constructive challenge. The governing body operates a circle model of governance, with no separate committees; instead, individual governors take on key roles and responsibilities within the full governing body.

Governors regularly review all aspects of the school’s work, including the quality of education, pupils’ achievement, behaviour and attitudes, personal development and safeguarding. They ensure that priorities are sharply focused on improving outcomes for all pupils, including those who are disadvantaged or have Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND). Governors also ensure that safeguarding arrangements are effective and that there is a strong culture of vigilance throughout the school.

In line with Department for Education guidance, the governing body fulfils its three core strategic functions:

• ensuring clarity of vision, ethos and strategic direction;
• holding the School Leadership to account for the educational performance of the school and its pupils, including staff performance
• overseeing the financial performance of the school and ensuring that resources are used effectively.

The Full Governing Body meets at least twice a term and details of our governing body for 2025/26, including the Register of Interests, committee membership and attendance, are available on the school website.

Governors are committed to transparency and regularly review their own effectiveness, including auditing skills and identifying training needs. This ensures that the governing body continues to develop its capacity to support and challenge school leaders effectively.

At the heart of governance at St Mary’s is a clear focus on impact. Governors routinely evaluate their work by asking: ‘What difference has our work made to improving outcomes for pupils in line with our Christian Vision?’ Full Governing Body meetings are open to observers, including staff, parents, carers and pupils of the school. If you would like to attend, please contact the Clerk to Governors at least one week in advance so that relevant papers can be shared. Attendance is as an observer only and contributions during meetings are not permitted unless agreed in advance. Any matters relating to the school or its governance can be raised at any time via the Headteacher or the Chair of Governors, who can be contacted through the Clerk.

Governors’ Fund

As a Church Voluntary Aided school, St Mary’s is required to contribute 10% towards building and maintenance costs. The Governors’ Fund has been established to support this contribution and to enable continued investment in the school’s facilities and environment.

The fund is supported by contributions from the church and school community. In recent years, it has enabled significant improvements, including building works, outdoor provision, playground equipment and the Multi-Use Games Area (MUGA), all of which enhance pupils’ experiences and opportunities.

Governors are committed to ensuring that all pupils benefit from high-quality facilities, and the Governors’ Fund plays a key role in supporting ongoing development and improvement. Please click here to find out more about our Governors' Fund and how it is used in our school. 

Governors’ Business Interests

Governors are required to act with integrity and transparency. A register of business and pecuniary interests is maintained and published on the school website to ensure that any potential conflicts of interest are identified and managed appropriately. Please click here to see the Register of Interests for our Governors. 

Become a Governor

We welcome interest from individuals who would like to contribute to the strategic leadership of the school. If you are interested in becoming a governor at St Mary’s Primary School, please contact the Clerk to Governors for further information.