Annual Governance Statement

Thomasson Memorial School and Sensory Support Service

Annual Governance Impact Statement 2025-26

Who are the Governors?

• Parent governors elected by our parents, staff, people nominated by the local authority and members co-opted from the local community.
• Governors are passionate about education and are committed to continuous school improvement to ensure the best possible outcomes for all our children and students.
• Governors are all volunteers who give up their time to oversee the strategic direction of the school.

What do the Governors do?

• We work with school leaders and staff to make sure the school does everything possible to provide high-quality specialised education and offer equal opportunities to every child and student at Thomasson.
• We have a Finance committee and a Curriculum committee. Here we can ask lots of questions about how the children are taught, what they will learn and how their behaviour is managed. We monitor the school budget to make sure it is managed carefully and used effectively.
• We make sure safeguarding procedures, and risk assessments are rigorous, understood and fully used by all staff so pupils are kept safe and secure.
• There are lead governors for each subject and for areas such as safeguarding, health and safety, special educational needs, careers and cyber security.
• We attend meetings and training with Governors from other schools to keep in touch with developments in education.
• And very importantly, we talk to our children and students to see what they think about their school.

During the last school year, Governors have closely monitored plans for our new school building, looked at staff well-being, school visits, careers guidance and received reports on fire drills. We have overseen how pupil premium grants and sports grants have been spent. We have looked at special need provision, how the school evaluates its’ performance and the school development plan for the coming year.

Governors appreciate the support of our parents and welcome any suggestions. We can be contacted via the school office.