About School Governance at Sandfield Close Primary School

At Sandfield Close Primary School, the Governing Body plays a vital role in supporting and challenging the school to ensure the best possible outcomes for all pupils.

Who Are the Governors?

Governors are volunteers from a range of backgrounds, including parents, professionals, and local community members. They bring a wealth of skills and experience to the role and work closely with the Headteacher and Senior Leadership Team to help shape the strategic direction of the school.

Core Functions of the Governing Body

The Governing Body has three core statutory responsibilities:

1. Setting the school’s vision, ethos, and strategic direction
2. Holding the Headteacher to account for the educational performance of the school and the effective management of staff
3. Overseeing the financial performance of the school and ensuring value for money

Key Responsibilities

Governors work as a corporate body—no single governor acts alone. Together, they:

• Set and monitor the strategic vision for the school
• Appoint and performance-manage the Headteacher
• Ensure high standards of teaching, learning and pupil achievement
• Review the delivery of an inclusive, broad, and balanced curriculum
• Support and celebrate the school’s successes
• Approve and review school policies
• Monitor the school’s budget and financial performance
• Help decide on priorities such as staffing or site improvements

How the Governing Body Operates

The Governing Body meets regularly throughout the academic year, with dedicated focus on areas such as:

• Safeguarding
• Finance and budget monitoring
• Learning and teaching
• Pupil outcomes and school standards
• Leadership and management

Each term, they receive a detailed Headteacher’s report outlining the school’s progress in key areas aligned to the School Improvement Plan. This typically covers:

• Teaching and learning
• Curriculum development
• Assessment and attainment data
• SEND provision
• Pupil Premium and support for disadvantaged pupils
• Early Years and Foundation Stage progress
• PE and Sport
• Staffing updates

Visible in School Life

Governors also play an active role in the wider school community. They carry out monitoring visits on specific areas of focus, so staff, parents, and pupils may see them in and around school throughout the year.

Their ongoing priority is to ensure that children at Sandfield Close Primary School are safe, happy, and achieving their full potential.

Governor Details

Name	Role	Category of Governor	Term of Office	Appointed By	Responsibilities	Register of Interests	Relationship to Staff
Mr Paresh Ruparel	Chair of Governors	Parent Governor	24 Nov 2022 – 23 Nov 2026	Parent Election	Safeguarding	None	None
Mr Stephen Thompson	Vice Chair of Governors	Authority Governor	13 Jul 2024 – 12 Jul 2028	Local Authority	Health and Safety (swimming)	None (Member of Leicester SACRE Board)	None
Mrs Smita Lad	Headteacher	Ex-Officio	Ongoing	By Role		None	None
Mrs Preena Tailor	Governor	Parent Governor	16 May 2024 – 15 May 2028	Parent Election	Compliance and Equalities Duties	None	None
Mrs Roopa Rahman	Governor	Parent Governor	16 May 2024 – 15 May 2028	Parent Election	Health and Safety (swimming)	None	None
Mr Gus Jakhu	Governor	Co-opted Governor	13 Jun 2024 – 12 Jun 2028	Governing Body	SEND	None	None
Mrs Dakshaben Daudia	Governor	Co-opted Governor	23 Mar 2022 – 22 Mar 2026	Governing Body	Maths	None	None
Mrs Sarah Vernon	Staff Governor	Staff Governor	17 May 2024 – 16 May 2028	Staff Election	Pupil Premium	None	None
Mrs Lilian Reading	Co-opted Governor	Co-opted Governor	23 January 2025- 22 01 2029	Governing Body	Compliance and Equalities Duties	None	None