SCHOOL STATUTE · FULL TEXT
The foundations of our shared school.
How the school is organised, the roles of its governing bodies and how decisions are made — in one document.
General provisions
The Polish Saturday School in South Croydon was founded by a group of teachers and parents comprising: Ms Angelika Garczyńska Ms Bożena Kołodyńska Ms Irena Kukuła Ms Elżbieta Siółkowska Ms Grażyna Smith Ms Marta Zubrzycka hereinafter referred to as the School Founders. The Polish Saturday School in South Croydon is a charitable, financially independent institution, funded by fees paid by the parents whose children attend the school, by funds raised independently and by subsidies from local authorities.
The fundamental legal instrument in force within the school is this Statute. The provisions of the Statute and the decisions taken in connection with the school’s activities comply with the law in force in Great Britain concerning the operation of Polish Saturday schools. During Saturday classes, the school is based in the building of an English school, which is made available for a fee.
The following are entitled to vote at the
General Meeting of the School Council
the Parents’ Circle – every parent/legal guardian of a child attending the school, who automatically becomes a member of the Parents’ Circle upon payment of the fee for at least one term; the Teaching Staff Council of the School; the School Founders. The supreme body of the school responsible for its management is the School Board.
General Meeting of the School Council: The General Meeting of the School Council must be held by 15 October of each school year. All members of the School Council have the right and the duty to attend the General Meeting of the School. Members of the Council must be notified of the meeting 2 weeks in advance.
The date must be made public on the school website, at the school assembly and in a written notice for parents distributed to all pupils of the school. The quorum of the General Meeting is 20 members. Voting takes place in person only. A General Meeting of the School Council may be convened as a matter of urgency by the School Board at any time with two weeks’ notice.
Members of the Council must be notified of such a meeting two weeks in advance. The date must be made public on the school website, at the school assembly and in written notices for parents distributed to pupils. At the General Meeting of the School Council: The School Board reads the minutes of the last General Meeting.
The Headteacher reads the report on the activities of the Teaching Staff Council. The Treasurer presents the annual financial statement. The Administrator presents a report on their activities. The Chair of the Parents’ Committee presents a report on the activities of the Parents’ Committee. The Audit Committee reads the report on its inspection of the documents.
The School Council grants a discharge to the outgoing School Board. The Parents’ Circle elects members of the Parents’ Committee from among its members (+2 reserve members). Only one parent/legal guardian of each pupil of the school may stand as a candidate. Nominations may be made in person, or a person may be nominated by another member of the Parents’ Circle, but in that case the nominee must confirm in person their willingness to stand.
The Parents’ Circle approves the members of the Committee by acclamation. If any member of the Parents’ Circle objects, an open vote is held, as a result of which the candidate may be accepted or rejected by a simple majority of the votes of the members of the Parents’ Circle present at the meeting.
The Parents’ Circle elects two members of the Audit Committee (+ 2 reserve members). The election procedure is the same as for the Parents’ Committee. At least one parent of each pupil is required to carry out duties during school classes, in the number specified by the School Regulations. Failure to fulfil this obligation results in a financial penalty in the amount specified in the School Regulations.
School Board
The School Board works without remuneration for the benefit of all pupils. The School Board consists of: Three representatives of the Parents’ Committee The Headteacher The Deputy Headteacher The Administrator The Treasurer Three representatives of the Teaching Staff Council The Audit Committee The Board meets at least 3 times in each school year.
The quorum of a Board meeting is a number equal to half the members of the Board +1. All decisions are taken by vote. A decision requires a number of votes equal to half the members present at the meeting +1. Every member of the School Board is required to sign a confidentiality clause immediately upon appointment to a position on the School Board.
The Headteacher, the Deputy Headteacher, the Teaching Staff Council, the Administrator and the Treasurer are required to sign this clause immediately upon appointment to their position, and thereafter at the beginning of each school year. The Board is responsible for managing the school’s funds. The Board sets the level of school fees and teachers’ salaries.
The Board has the right to exempt parents from paying fees in exceptional circumstances; such an exemption may not extend beyond the end of the Board’s term of office. The Board prepares school events. The Board deals with matters requiring resolution by vote. The Board appoints representatives to sign the school’s lease agreement.
It appoints the persons responsible for fire safety and first aid. The Board approves the need to employ additional teachers (as previously reported by the Headteacher). The Board establishes the school’s internal rules, such as the School Regulations, the duties and rights of pupils, etc. In the event of a clear breach of children’s safety, a breach of the provisions of the Statute or a failure to fulfil their duties, the Board has the right to dismiss the Headteacher with immediate effect by a majority of ¾ of the votes.
At the request of the School Board, the Headteacher has the right to remove from the Board a member who has clearly breached confidentiality or fails to fulfil their duties (the rule of two written warnings applies, a third being equivalent to immediate exclusion from the Board). Members of the Board have the right, for personal reasons, to suspend their role for a maximum of 3 months.
All applications for suspension or resignation must be made in writing and submitted to the School Administrator.
Parents' Committee
The Parents’ Committee consists of: the Chair, the Vice-Chair, the Treasurer, the Secretary and Members of the Parents’ Committee (where there are up to 100 pupils, 7 members are elected; for every further 50 pupils, 2 additional members are elected). The Parents’ Committee holds office for one school year, after which a Committee with a new membership is elected (members of the outgoing Committee may stand again).
The Parents’ Committee elects the Chair, the Vice-Chair, the Treasurer and the Secretary from among its members. The Parents’ Committee appoints three of its members to represent the Parents’ Committee at Board meetings. The Parents’ Committee is responsible for: managing the additional funds it raises for the school; organising events supporting the school’s activities (prizes and materials for the school are purchased in consultation with the Teaching Staff Council); cooperation with local authorities and pupils’ families.
The Parents’ Committee appoints the persons who organise the parent duty rota during breaks to ensure the safety of children on the school premises, and enforces financial penalties against parents who fail to carry out their duties. At the end of their term of office, the Chair of the Parents’ Committee prepares a detailed report on the Parents’ Committee’s activities during the year.
The Parents’ Committee convenes meetings of its members as often as the school’s situation requires, and then informs the Headteacher of the decisions it has taken.
Headteacher
The Headteacher is selected through a competitive process from among candidates from the School’s teaching staff, once the candidate has worked for at least one year at The Frederic Chopin Polish Saturday School. If there is no candidate from the School’s teaching staff, the Headteacher is selected through a competitive process from among external candidates.
The Headteacher must be accepted by the Board and presented for approval by a simple majority of the votes of the members of the School Council at the General Meeting. The Headteacher’s term of office is 2 years and may be extended by the Board for a further 2 years. A candidate for the post of Headteacher: must hold a higher education qualification in teaching and have at least 5 years’ experience in the teaching profession; is required to submit to the Board an application, a CV and references (the Board is required to appoint 3 of its members to interview the candidates and check their references); The Headteacher’s duty is to appoint and dismiss the Deputy Headteacher, subject to prior approval of that decision by the Teaching Staff Council.
The Headteacher exercises educational supervision over the school. The Headteacher submits to the Board for approval the need to employ additional teachers. The Headteacher recruits and employs teaching candidates (the Headteacher has a duty to check the references and qualifications of applicants for teaching posts before employing them).
The Headteacher has the right to dismiss teachers who have seriously infringed pupils’ rights or are not properly fulfilling their duties. The Headteacher organises the work of the Teaching Staff Council. The Headteacher is required to observe lessons taught by each teacher at least once in each school year.
The Headteacher reports to the School Board the need for any teaching and learning resources necessary for effective work with the children. The Headteacher delegates staff to attend necessary teaching, administrative or other courses. The Headteacher has the right to propose to the Teaching Staff Council and the School Board changes that will improve the running of the school.
The Headteacher approves applications for grants and donations prepared by the School Board. The Headteacher is responsible for signing the school’s insurance policy. The Headteacher is both the Headteacher and the manager of the school (and must seek grants and subsidies for the school). The Headteacher is one of the two persons with direct access to the school’s bank account.
Within the scope of their authority, the Headteacher represents the school and is responsible for its public image. The Headteacher may resign from their post after giving 3 months’ written notice. In that case, until the end of the school year or until a new Headteacher is selected, their functions are taken over by the Deputy Headteacher.
Deputy Headteacher
In the absence of the Headteacher, the Deputy Headteacher exercises authority and takes over the Headteacher’s duties. The Deputy Headteacher must have at least 2 years’ experience in the teaching profession. The Deputy Headteacher approves or rejects the school textbooks proposed by the teachers teaching the individual classes.
Within the scope of their authority, the Deputy Headteacher represents the school and is responsible for its public image.
Teaching Staff Council
All teachers employed at the school form the Teaching Staff Council, which is headed by the Headteacher. Teachers are recruited and employed by the Headteacher and are accountable to the Headteacher. The Teaching Staff Council appoints three of its members to represent the Teaching Staff Council at Board meetings.
Teachers who have children at our school are exempt from paying fees. Minimum qualifications required of teachers: Pre-school – a teaching qualification in pre-school or early primary education Classes A, B, C – a teaching qualification in early primary education, teaching classes 1–3 Classes D, E, F – a teaching qualification in Polish, history or geography, depending on the school’s needs.
If there are no candidates with the required qualifications, the Headteacher may employ a person with a teaching qualification only. GCSE, AS and A2 classes – a teaching qualification; experience of teaching the above classes in the U.K. is essential. The Teaching Staff Council carries out the teaching, pastoral and care tasks proposed by the Headteacher.
Teachers hold three meetings or prepare reports for parents on pupils’ progress (one in each term). The Teaching Staff Council takes part in meetings of the School Board. The Teaching Staff Council has the right to meet as often as is necessary to establish all the teaching and subject-related principles required for the proper functioning of the school.
School Administrator
The Administrator deals with the school’s administrative matters: The Administrator’s duty is to keep and maintain the school’s records. The Administrator ensures that the school’s insurance policy remains valid. The Administrator ensures that the CRB Checks of both teachers and volunteers remain valid.
The Administrator enrols pupils at the school. The Administrator is chosen from among the members of the Parents’ Circle. The Administrator is appointed by the Board for an indefinite term. The Administrator may be dismissed with immediate effect by the School Board. The Administrator is accountable to the School Board.
The Administrator prepares and presents at the General Meeting a report on their activities throughout the year. The Administrator works for the school without remuneration. The Administrator may resign from the post after giving 2 months’ written notice.
School Treasurer
The Treasurer deals with the school’s accounting matters: The Treasurer’s duty is to keep and reconcile the school’s books of income and expenditure. The Treasurer is responsible for paying the rent for the use of the English school’s premises from the school’s funds. The Treasurer collects school fees from pupils’ parents.
The Treasurer prepares and pays teachers’ salaries on the basis of the teachers’ attendance register. The Treasurer prepares quarterly financial statements for meetings of the School Board. The Treasurer is chosen from among the members of the Parents’ Circle. The Treasurer is appointed by the Board for an indefinite term.
The Treasurer may be dismissed with immediate effect by the School Board. The Treasurer is accountable to the School Board. The Treasurer is one of the two persons with direct access to the school’s bank account. The Treasurer works for the school without remuneration. The Treasurer may resign from the post by giving at least 2 months’ written notice.
Audit Committee
The duty of the Audit Committee is to examine reports on the school’s finances and management. The Audit Committee has access to all school documents and prepares an annual report on its inspection, which it reads at the General Meeting of the School. In each term, the Audit Committee prepares a report for the School Board on its inspection of the school’s documents.
The Audit Committee is elected from among the parents attending the General Meeting of the School Council and consists of two persons, elected independently, who may not be members of the Parents’ Committee or of the school’s Teaching Staff Council. The Audit Committee is an independent body and is not accountable to anyone.
The Audit Committee receives no remuneration for its work. In the event of a breach of the confidentiality clause, the School Board may dismiss a member of the Audit Committee with immediate effect. Members of the Audit Committee may resign from their posts by giving at least one month’s written notice.
Dissolution and closure of the school
The School Council may, at the General Meeting, put to the vote a motion to dissolve the school. A motion to close the school may be carried by at least ¾ of the votes of all members of the Council present at the General Meeting. The School Council is responsible for appointing a Liquidation Committee, which is required to realise the school’s assets and discharge all of the school’s liabilities, and to transfer any remaining assets to another Polish community organisation concerned with the education of Polish children in Great Britain.
All school documents must remain with the last School Administrator for a period of 5 years from the date of the school’s dissolution.
Amendments to the statute
Amendments to the Statute may be approved only by the School Council, at a meeting convened specifically for that purpose, by a simple majority of votes. Members of the Council must be notified of such a meeting at least 2 weeks in advance. The date must be made public on the school website, at the school assembly and in written notices for parents distributed to pupils.
The Statute, together with the proposed amendments, must be available for inspection by interested parties on the school website and from the Administrator. Amendments to the Statute take effect on the day following their approval at the General Meeting of the School Council.