Governors

Governors’ Newsletter

December 2009

Dear Parents,

It is over a year since my last letter, for which I apologise.  Illness in my family has taken up so much of my time and energy.  In the interim we have said farewells to Mr Marples, Mrs White, Mrs Tyldsley and Mrs Fleet with our best wishes for their future happiness and welcomed Mr Hirst and four new young teachers, many new pupils and their parents to our community.

In view of these changes I thought you might appreciate some explanation about how the governors work.  All fifteen of them give generously of their time and are volunteers.

Types of Governor:

• 3 Local Authority Governors are appointed in consultation with the Local Authority.  These governors link us with Oxfordshire by reporting on our work and relaying information back to our meetings.
• 3 Community Governors are appointed from the local area.
• 5 parent Governors are elected by you.
• 4 staff governors are chosen by the school staff.
• The Headteacher is a Governor in addition and our officer in the school who reports to the full Governing body.
• The Clerk to the Governors is our school administrator, Mrs Matthews.

All the Governors meet six times a year.  In between our work is done by committees which report back to every full meeting.

Committees:

• The Finance Committee, chaired by Mrs Outram, has the vital job of setting and monitoring the budget.
• The Environment Committee, chaired by Mrs Williams, is responsible for the school buildings, grounds and Health and Safety.
• The Personnel Committee, chaired by Mrs Young, appoints staff and monitors staffing issues such as performance management.
• The Curriculum Committee, chaired by Mrs Million, liaises with staff to monitor the delivery of the curriculum and to ensure high quality teaching and learning.  It monitors target setting and outcomes.
• The Strategy Committee chaired by Mr Lovell, oversees the drawing up and monitoring of the School Development Plan.  It promotes the school, oversees good communications and strategic planning.

Every governor serves on at least two of these committees.  Every governor is responsible for liaising with two curriculum coordinators from the teaching staff and reporting to meetings of the full governing body.  Every committee monitors areas of the School Development Plan.

The Governors also liaise with those of Bishopswood School and with the governors of other schools in the local partnership – Peppard, Kidmore End and Chiltern Edge.

You will therefore understand when I say that we are very busy.  Being a governor is a wide, challenging and very rewarding thing to do.

2009 Retrospective:

It would take forever to mention all the wonderful work accomplished by Sonning Common Primary School in the last year of which the Governors are so proud.  I am therefore picking out a few to mention and apologise for those I don’t include this time.

• Big congratulations from the Governors to Mr Lovegrove for his remarkable work with Mr Hirst to re equip the Computer Room and to provide laptops for the classrooms.  Many thanks to the PTA for their help with this.  Some of you will also know that Mr Lovegrove’s work on the website is considered outstanding nationally.
• The new reading resources for the Junior children which Ms Offer has been showing the Governors.  Again many thanks to the PTA for their help.
• The development of the Forest School by Ms Byrne is also outstanding.
• The weekly newsletters from the school are helping to improve communications.
• The very hard work of the PTA is on going.  Congratulations to you all for the recent enjoyable Christmas Fair.
• The Governors would like to thank Mr Hirst and our devoted staff for their very hard work.

We are so lucky that the school continues to attract such excellent teachers, teaching assistants and support staff to form a hard working and effective team.

Contacting the Governors:

The Governors are here for all of you.  Should you wish to contact any one of us please do so through the School Office.

Thank you all for your support.

On behalf of your Governors I would like to wish our children, parents and staff a very Happy Christmas and prosperous 2010.

Love to you all from

Jackie Million

Chairman of Governors

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