On the premise 'if it ain't broke, why fix it?' why is ++ Nichols so keen to impose his choice of four Governers on the School Board, headed by his own Head of Education, Paul Barber?
Here is what the Westminster Diocesan Guidelines specifiy when it comes to appointing a Governor of a School. The bold insets are mine:
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| Paul Barber (left) Nick Gibb MP and ++ George Stack (right) |
Governors: Election of Chair and Vice Chair
The governing body (not the Archbishop) must elect a chair and vice chair. The regulations do not prescribe the process, which is left to governors to organise. It is good practice though to agree on the procedure for the election at the meeting before. It is usual that the election takes place at the first meeting of the Autumn Term. The head teacher and or other school employees are disqualified from standing for these offices. For those governing bodies that are in the process of electing chairs and vice chairs it is timely to remind them that the chair has a vital role in ensuring that the governors share with the staff and parents the school’s aims and objectives and that these are at the forefront of all that they undertake. (falls under the category of overstating the b******g obvious)There is an expectation that the chair will be a foundation governor: the importance of the chair being a Catholic cannot be overestimated if due regard is to be given to promoting the Catholic ethos in all aspects of school life. It is to be hoped, therefore, that foundation governors will prepare themselves to stand for election as chair. Once a new chair and vice-chair have been elected this must be notified immediately by the clerk to Monica Fuller:monicafuller@rcdow.org.uk. This ensures that our database is correct and saves much time and convenience.
The governing body (not the Archbishop) must elect a chair and vice chair. The regulations do not prescribe the process, which is left to governors to organise. It is good practice though to agree on the procedure for the election at the meeting before. It is usual that the election takes place at the first meeting of the Autumn Term. The head teacher and or other school employees are disqualified from standing for these offices. For those governing bodies that are in the process of electing chairs and vice chairs it is timely to remind them that the chair has a vital role in ensuring that the governors share with the staff and parents the school’s aims and objectives and that these are at the forefront of all that they undertake. (falls under the category of overstating the b******g obvious)There is an expectation that the chair will be a foundation governor: the importance of the chair being a Catholic cannot be overestimated if due regard is to be given to promoting the Catholic ethos in all aspects of school life. It is to be hoped, therefore, that foundation governors will prepare themselves to stand for election as chair. Once a new chair and vice-chair have been elected this must be notified immediately by the clerk to Monica Fuller:monicafuller@rcdow.org.uk. This ensures that our database is correct and saves much time and convenience.
Not a word about the Diocese having powers to appoint Governors over the head of the Head (and other Board Members).
