At Burnside Primary School, our Governing Board plays a key role in the strategic leadership and accountability of our school. Governors act as "critical friends," working collaboratively with Miss Ramsay (Headteacher), our staff, and the Local Authority to support, challenge, and drive continuous school improvement.

Our governors are deeply proud of Burnside's achievements and are committed to helping the school deliver an exceptional education. We ensure every child gets the absolute best start in life within a community that actively lives our motto: Be Safe, Be Smart, Be Kind.

Our Core Roles and Responsibilities

While the Headteacher handles the day-to-day internal management and operational running of the school, the Governing Board maintains high-level strategic oversight of four core areas:

• Staffing and Recruitment: Ensuring the school is staffed by highly qualified primary and Early Years specialists.

• Curriculum and Learning: Monitoring educational performance, target setting, and the impact of teaching on pupil progress.

• Buildings and Resources: Overseeing the development of our spacious site, modern facilities, and expansive outdoor play classrooms.

• Financial Management: Ensuring the school budget is managed effectively, providing maximum value for our pupils while maintaining long-term financial health.

Committee Structure

To manage our statutory duties efficiently, the Governing Board meets regularly as a Full Governing Board (FGB) and across two specialised committees:

• Pupils and Achievement Committee: Focusses directly on the educational experience. This team reviews pupil progress data, monitors EYFS and National Curriculum frameworks, evaluates targeted interventions (including SEND and speech support), and reviews policies relating to behaviour, inclusion, and safeguarding.

• Resources Committee: Oversees the operational infrastructure of the school. This includes robust financial auditing, budget planning, health and safety monitoring of the estate, resource allocation, and workforce frameworks.

Constitution and Governor Categories

The Governing Board of Burnside Primary School is structured across statutory representative categories to ensure a balanced, highly skilled collective board:

• Parent Governors: Elected by the parent community to bring the vital perspective of families to school leadership.

• Staff Governor: Elected directly by the school workforce to represent our teaching and support teams.

• Headteacher Governor: Held by Miss Ramsay by virtue of her executive position, ensuring seamless cohesion between governance and daily management.

• Local Authority (LA) Governor: Nominated by Northumberland County Council and appointed by the board based on current skills requirements.

• Co-opted Governors: Appointed directly by the Governing Board to fill specific professional skills gaps (such as legal, financial, or premises expertise) from the local Cramlington community and beyond.

Statutory Compliance, Transparency, and Register of Interests

In accordance with Department for Education (DfE) regulations and the Equality Act 2010, our board operates with absolute transparency. Governors have a legal duty to act exclusively in the best interests of the school and must formally declare any personal or financial conflicts of interest at the start of every meeting.

Approved meeting minutes are available to stakeholders upon request through the main school business office.

To view our statutory governance data, terms of office, meeting attendance logs, and current register of pecuniary interests, please download the documentation below:

• Governing Body Membership & Term Dates (see attachment below)
• Register of Governor's Business Interests  
• Governor Meeting Attendance Log 
• Contact the Chair of Governors