Our Governing Body

The governing body comprises the headteacher, two elected staff governors, two elected parent governors and nine or more member appointed governors.  The governing body can also co-opt up to two governors, who are non-voting.  A CSPA governor's term is for a maximum of 4 years.

If you would like to contact the governing body, please email chairofgovernors@cspacademy.org.uk

The current composition of the governing body can be found in the table below:                     

Our strategic vision for CSPA

The governing body has a strategic vision for CSPA which we review each year.  In line with this vision and in response to both government and school level factors, we set ourselves medium term strategic priorities which guide our work.  A document describing the governing body’s strategic vision can be found here.

How do we organise ourselves to carry out our duties?

There are four Full Governing Body (FGB) meetings per year; one in each term with two in the Autumn term.  The FGB is supported by an external Governance Professional.  The FGB delegates some work to committees and working parties.  There are four committees: HR & Operations, Curriculum & Ethos, Finance and Audit & Risk.  HR & Operations and Curriculum & Ethos meet three times per year, Audit & Risk committee meets four times per year, and Finance meets six times a year.  In addition, working parties are formed when necessary to carry out specific projects such as Premises Development and Admissions.  Further, the FGB delegates some responsibilities to individual governors such as Safeguarding, SEND, Health & Safety and Equalities.  

All governors are members of at least one committee.  Governors also commit to undertaking induction training as well as ongoing training to support their delegated roles.  All governors undertake a monitoring role, which is carried out through focussed school visits and meetings with different members of staff across the school year.  

To review the current composition of committees and working parties, please refer to the committee grid attached below.

Structure of our Governing Body and Register of Interests

Governance Structure

Chalfont St Peter Church of England Academy as an Academy Trust is a charitable company limited by guarantee. The Trust has two layers of governance:

• the Members, who operate at a strategic level with ultimate control over the direction of the Academy Trust, and
• the Governors (often referred to as the Directors or Trustees) with responsibility for day-to-day management and operation of the Academy Trust.

The Members

The functions of the Members of the Academy Trust include: overseeing the achievement of the objectives of the company, taking part in Annual and Extraordinary General Meetings, appointing some of the governors and signing off the company’s financial accounts and annual report. They have the power to amend the Articles of the company and, ultimately, to remove the governors.

Overall, Members usually have much more limited practical involvement in the management of the academy than the governors.

• The Members are:
• The Bishop of Oxford 
• The Archdeacon of Buckingham
• The Oxford Diocesan Board of Education
• The Chair of Governors

The Governors

The Governing Body is responsible for setting general policy, adopting an annual plan and budget, monitoring the Academy’s expenditure of budgets, making decisions about the direction of the Academy, capital expenditure and staff appointments. The Governors have delegated components of their responsibility to three main committees: Administration, Curriculum & Ethos, and Finance. The Full Governing Body meets four times a year.

The HR & Operations Committee is responsible for admissions, appeals, personnel matters, health & safety, building matters and general administration. The Committee meets three times a year.

The Curriculum & Ethos Committee makes decisions on matters relating to the educational provision at the Academy including monitoring/reporting progress. It also ensures that as a designated Church of England education provider, the religious character of a broad and balanced curriculum is maintained in accordance with the principles, practices and tenets of the Church of England. The Committee meets three times a year.

The Finance Committee is responsible for contributing to the formulation of the Academy’s development plan, monitoring the annual budgets, forecasts and variance of expenditure. It also ensures all external reporting is adhered to for bodies such as HMRC, Companies House, Department of Education, Educational and Skills Funding Agency, Teachers Pension, Local Government Pension Scheme, etc. The Committee meets six times a year.

In addition, the Audit and Risk Committee meets termly to carry out and report on internal scrutiny of the Academy's processes and procedures. The Committee meets four times a year.

Details of the Governors who have served in the last 12 months are as follows:

Attendance at meetings in the last academic year
(1 Sept 2023 – 31 August 2024)

Full Governing Body