Governor News

Issue No.4 December 2007

 

                               

 

School Website http://www.westernprimary.ik.org/home.ikml

                               

 

Chair of Governor’s Introduction

The Governors   Chair Mark Brown (Community governor)   Headteacher LorraineSmith   Foundation governors Rev Peter Seal Helen Brown Sarah Duck Andrew Strevens   Parent governors Isabel Hughes (vice chair)   Carla Zanetti Mark Phillips Chris Sermon Tim Woodland Philippa Cook   Community governors Sarah Pease   Staff governors Vicki Henderson Vivien McElroy   Local authority governors Libby Wallis Cllr Karen Barratt

This is the fourth in our series of Governors’ Newsletters intended to keep you up to date with some of the strategic developments at School. We hope that these short news items will give you a flavour of what’s happening now as well as an indication of some initiatives for the future.

Mark Brown

 

What do the governors do?

Our major role is supporting the Headteacher in the management of the school in both the immediate and long term interests of the pupils.

We fulfill this role by:

• providing a strategic overview
• acting as a critical friend
• ensuring accountability to parents and the community for our actions and the school’s overall performance

 

Interested in becoming a governor?

If you would like to support the school further and are interested in applying to become a governor at Western, please contact us via the school office (number below).

 

Building Matters

The Governors have been looking at a range of options to improve the premises both internally and externally. We are lucky at Western to have such a wonderful site, but its open spaces and the age and design of the buildings bring their own challenges. Over the last 2-3 years we have seen a steady stream of improvements, including the new library and DT space, the refurbishment of the Year 2 classrooms, new carpeting in Years 1, 3, 4 and 5B, and enclosing Years 1 and Year 3 to create distinct areas, and the installation of the fitness trail and the new climbing dome.  

 

Some of our more ambitious projects, such as the additional upper playground, the remodelling of the Y4 and 5B classrooms, and the extension of the school buildings to ease the bottleneck at the front entrance to the school, have had to be put to one side. The amount of money available to the school for developing premises is limited, and these projects are too costly for local fund-raising.  We are, however, committed to maintaining a sense of forward momentum in the improvement to grounds and premises.

 

Over the summer we took stock of our existing plans and aspirations and in September we agreed that we should concentrate on a number of smaller projects which would bring improvements to our environment, and also hopefully form part of a wider project at a later time. Internally we have identified the refurbishment of the children’s toilets and cloakrooms as a high priority, and plans are being drawn up which we hope will come to fruition during Easter next year.

 

School Grounds and Safety Matters

Externally, our attention is focused on improving safety. A full safety survey of the site was undertaken over the summer; this links to health and safety, disability access and our evolving Travel Plan. As a result, we are planning more demarcation of safe areas, the introduction of additional boundary fencing, and the management of cars, vans and minibuses within the school grounds. Work is currently going forward in all these areas.

 

We have a lot of knowledge and expertise within the parental body. If you feel you could help the school in any way with our work on the premises, please contact any of the Governors or the PTA.

 

 

 

 

Curriculum Matters

The Curriculum Team approach at Western gives us the potential to develop really exciting topic work which is designed around a lead subject and supported by link subjects. The Curriculum Committee monitors standards at Western and receives reports on the SATs results for Years 2 and 6. Recently the committee has been hearing about new initiatives in supporting progress in writing, to be implemented throughout the school following analysis of last year’s SATs results.

 

The Early Years Team has worked very hard since the end of the summer term to develop the learning experiences of all the children in Reception. The classes now work as a unit, using a team teaching approach. All the Early Years staff have embraced this approach with enthusiasm and energy and the children in Reception are thriving.

 

Western as a Church School

Peter Seal and Mary Copping visit the school on a regular basis; the children always enjoy their assemblies! The choir joined in the Family Communion Service at St Paul’s Church on Sunday 4^th November. As usual it was a memorable service, with lots of interest for the children. All are very welcome to come to these very child-friendly services; it is not just for the choir and their parents.

 

The School KS2 Carol Service will take place at St Paul’s on Thursday 13^th December at 6.30pm.

 

School Travel Plan

We will continue to send out regular updates about the Travel Plan and will submit the completed plan in January 2008.

Vicki Henderson and Tim Woodland

 

Modern Foreign Languages

Year 3 have been thoroughly enjoying the excellent French lessons they receive every Monday afternoon. They have learnt to give information about themselves, questions to ask other people, greetings, and numbers to 20.  The learning is very active and enjoyable and is reinforced with music (they are currently learning the song “Vive le Vent” (“Jingle Bells”). 

 

Year 6 are also benefiting from Spanish lessons which are provided by Miss Evans, a teacher from the Westgate School.

 

PTA Matters

We are extremely grateful to the PTA and a number of individual parents who have been supporting the school through fund raising, advice and in some cases direct labour! The PTA in particular has been tireless in their fundraising, and through their auspices improvements to the internal learning environment, including library provision, the purchase of interactive whiteboards and a portable CD recorder, are making their mark with the children and the staff.

 

Interactive whiteboards

Thanks to funding from the PTA the School has installed three more interactive whiteboards in Years 4, 5 and 6.

 

Achievements 

The school has been awarded a Geography Silver Award form the Geographical Association. Congratulations to Hilary Saunders and to all the staff for the high quality teaching and learning that has taken place in geography over the past few years.

 

School Profile

The school profile for this year was published in April and is available to view online at

http://schoolsfinder.direct.gov.uk/8503176/school-profile/

 

Parents feedback

As always, we would welcome and appreciate your feedback about this newsletter. Please let us know what areas you would like to be included in future issues.

 

Contact the governors: via the School Office 01962 852591

 

 

"The role of the school governor is to support the school, but not uncritically explain its policies to parents and the community, but not       blindly watch its standards, but with care, humility and an open mind help settle its disputes fairly and conscientiously oversee its policies and its use of the resources, but not in       tiresome detail   But you should do these things as a governing body, not as an individual governor, and in all such matters you should act with knowledge and understanding of the school." (From A Working Partnership by Joan Sallis, governor and regular contributor to the Times Educational Supplement)