Governing Body - Message from the Chair
I am extremely proud to lead the governing body of this wonderful school, one that is the sole remaining community secondary school in Stockton on Tees.
We have 14 volunteer governors at Northfield, all appointed for the excellent skills and experience that they bring to the governing body. Parent and staff governors are elected by their peers and when other positions become available those with the appropriate skills and ideally with connections to Northfield, are invited to apply. This means that all governors have strong links to our school- some are former pupils. Our governors know Northfield through and through; we act in the best interests of the school at all times and take decisions as a team. As a result we are a committed governing body deeply invested in the success of Northfield’s pupils and the school’s future.
Further information about our governors, their role and responsibilities and statutory information can be found in the menu on the right hand side of this page.
Miriam Stanton
Chair of Governors, Northfield School and Sports College
Strategic Leadership
Governors are responsible for the strategic leadership of the school which means appointing the headteacher and working with the senior leadership team (SLT) to ensure clarity of vision and priorities including setting and modelling the culture, values and ethos.
Our vision is:
- A school which inspires confident learners who will leave Northfield with a really good level of knowledge, skills and experience to thrive in an ever changing world
- A happy school and a happy community – one in which all staff and pupils feel safe, valued and motivated
- A school where every member of staff wants to be the best they can be
- A school where every member of staff has the highest expectations of every pupil
Our core values are:
Respect, Resilience and Honesty.
Monitoring Northfield's Performance
Each year governors, as part of the senior leadership team (SLT), set strategic priorities in the school improvement plan. The governing body then holds the SLT to account for the outcomes by monitoring the plan against the performance of the school, its pupils and the performance management of all staff. The quality of teaching is vital to the success of pupils and governors have high expectations for the standard of teaching and learning.
Many of the governors’ meetings focus on how well the school is meeting these expectations through the quality of its professional development and appraisal programmes. Governors approve the curriculum plan, including spiritual, moral, social and cultural development and in particular the extensive extracurricular offer which gives pupils the opportunity for personal achievement and success in preparation for progression to the next phase of their lives.
Financial Accountability
Governors are responsible for the financial performance of the school and for making sure that money is well spent. Using a combination of astute financial management and strategic planning, Northfield, supported by Stockton-on-Tees Borough Council, has been able to build the dedicated Year 7 School, to extend and upgrade the main building and to develop outstanding sports facilities serving both pupils and the wider community. By following their statutory duties and acting at all times within the law governors are protected from any financial liability for their decisions.