The Governing Body

A Guide to the Governing Body

The Governors at Loreto College have the opportunity to make a significant contribution to the work of the Governing Body and the College’s role in the community.

The Governing Body has a total of 19 Governors each of whom brings to the Governing Body their own specific expertise and experience. All Governors give their time voluntarily and have always shown a high level of commitment to their colleagues and to the College…

The Composition of the Governing Body

The composition of the Governing Body is laid down by the College’s Instrument & Articles of Government. This is a legal document under the terms of the Further and Higher Education Act 1992 which incorporated the College and establishes the Governing Body as a legal entity and defines what the Governing Body and the College may do. The Governing Body comprises:

At least 8 Foundation Governors, who are appointed by its Trustees
Up to 6 co-opted Governors
1 elected Staff Governor
1 elected Parent Governor
2 elected Student Governors
The Principal

The Chair is Mary Heaney

The Governing Body employs a Clerk to facilitate all aspects of its work.

The Responsibilities of the Governing Body

The full Governing Body meets four times per year. It receives reports from the Principal or the Clerk and its own committees.

The key responsibilities of the Governing Body are:

to determine the educational character and Mission of the College and to ensure the College management is fulfilling the mission

to ensure the solvency of the College and the safeguarding of its assets
to approve the annual estimates of income and expenditure
to oversee the appointment, grading, suspension, dismissal and the determination of the pay and conditions of the Principal and Clerk
to set a framework for the pay and conditions of service for all staff
to contribute to the leadership of the College in ways which promote the quality of teaching, learning and assessment and raise student achievement

The Roles and Responsibilities of Individual Governors

In legal terms, the Governing Body has a corporate identity separate from its members. This means that responsibility for actions and decisions rests with the Governing Body as a whole and not with individual governors. Governors are expected to show the highest loyalty and to act collectively in the best interest of the College.

The Roles of Committees

Most of the detailed work is undertaken by the committees when they meet.  The committees are:

Audit: has legal powers to investigate all aspects of the internal control and financial systems of the College and employs two firms of auditors.
Finance & General Purposes: oversees the budget, monitors the duties of the Governing Body as the employer and manages the resources and the estate.
Standards: monitors and develops all aspects of student achievement, the quality of teaching and support and students’ experiences.
Remuneration: reviews salary structures of the Principal, the Vice Principal, the Finance Director and the Clerk.
Advisory: recruits new Governors with appropriate expertise and experience.

The Further and Higher Education Act 1992 requires minutes of meetings of the Governing Body to be published and accessible to the public. Below are the minutes of the meetings of the Governing Body for the preceding year in accordance with the College’s access to information policy.

Instruments and Articles of Governance

Report and Financial Statement 2017

Report and Financial Statement 2018

Minutes of the Meeting 30th March 2017

Minutes of the Meeting 4th July 2017

Minutes of the Meeting 12th October 2017

Minutes of the Meeting 14th December 2017

Minutes of the Meeting 26th March 2018

Minutes of the Meeting 4th July 2018

Minutes of the Meeting 31st October 2018

Minutes of the Meeting 13th December 2018

Minutes of the Meeting 25th March 2019