Governor Messages

Governor Impact Report: September 2023.
In order to keep you up-to-date with the work of the Governing Body, we produce this update each term on the school website and in Parent Mail.
 

e have three key roles as governors:

• to ensure clarity of vision, ethos and strategic direction;

• to hold leaders to account for the educational performance of the school; and

• to oversee the financial performance of the school and make sure its money is well spent.

It is my great pleasure as Chair of Governors to welcome new parents and carers to our school. You will already be quite familiar with the school and its routines and I am confident that your children will quickly settle into their new surroundings.  I trust, too, that ‘old’ parents have had a restful time (?) occupying their children over the summer holiday, transporting them hither and thither, looking forward to the beginning of the new term and thinking “aren’t teachers wonderful”!  As indeed they are.

Interestingly, my youngest grandchild, aged 6, declared just last week that “governors are wonderful;”  somewhat to my surprise.  When asked what he thought that governors do, he was very clear: the governors at his school decided that, on Fridays, school meals would include tomato ketchup.  On reflection, I think he meant the School Council: I trust that governors have a much more important role, though ketchup on Fridays might make us popular – food for thought.

You will see at the top of this letter a box which describes our key roles.  We undertake these through meetings, questions, discussions and monitoring.  This lasts role of monitoring usually involves governors going into school and seeing first-hand how the agreed policies are being implemented and how the school development plan is progressing.  This is a very fulfilling part of our work, and often gives us the opportunity to speak to children and staff directly, to gain further insight into the work of the school.

If that sounds like an advertisement for becoming a governor, it is! We currently have a vacancy for a second Parent Governor, as Mrs Helen Kay has come to the end of her four-year term; though she is not leaving us, but rather is staying as a Co-opted Governor.  Mr Martin Hewitt also joined us recently as a Parent Governor and I am sure that he would be very willing to talk to any of you about the role and what it involves.  I very much hope that you will give serious consideration to putting your name forward. The details will be sent out to all of you shortly from the school.

However, your role as parents and carers is vital in supporting the school and your children.  There are many more ways for you to engage with us and I look forward to your taking advantage of these.  It is by working together, parents, carers, staff and governors, that your child has the greatest chance of success.


Sue Bryars 
Chair of Governors

Governor Impact Report: April 2023.

In order to keep you up-to-date with the work of the Governing Body, we produce this update each term on the school website and in Parent Mail.

We have three key roles as governors:

• to ensure clarity of vision, ethos and strategic direction;

• to hold leaders to account for the educational performance of the school; and

• to oversee the financial performance of the school and make sure its money is well spent.

 

 This is a busy time of year for governors:  we  have to finalise the new budget for the coming  year, ensure that the school has operated within its budget for the current financial year,  and confirm that the financial resources have been used effectively and appropriately  to support teaching and learning.

 

Setting the strategic direction of the school, including its aims and objectives, vision and values, and monitoring progress towards these goals, constitutes one of our main duties and responsibilities.  Again, it is also at this time of year that we turn our minds towards planning for the next academic year, so that Mr Ratchford can prepare his School Development Plan. 

 

Last but not least, we engage with you and the wider community, and represent your interests, in the governance of the school.  At MDCP, we are fortunate to have a dedicated team of governors who bring a range of skills and experience to the role, working hard to ensure that our school provides the best possible education and support.  I am pleased to welcome Mr Martin Hewitt, who was elected as Parent Governor last term.  He comes with an educational background and has quickly settled into his new role.  We have also welcomed Mrs Ellie Andrews and Mrs Kay Martin during the last year, both Co-opted Governors, who bring a wealth of experience to our Governing Body.

 

Governors have a particular role in ensuring that the provision for the wider curriculum is in place, and is appropriate.  An umbrella term for this is often written as SMSC – Social, Moral, Spiritual and Cultural education.  This is an important aspect of education, and is intended to complement the support you provide in encouraging your children to grow into well-rounded adults.  Governors play an important role, working with the school leadership team, so that the needs of all pupils are met, and that it reflects the school’s ethos and values.

 

Within this over-arching framework, the promotion of British Values is an important aspect of education, designed to help pupils develop an understanding of the fundamental principles that underpin our society.  We work with the Senior Leadership team, so that these values are embedded in the ethos and culture of the school, as they are in your home.  We believe that these values are essential for the personal, social, and emotional development of our pupils, and that they will help prepare them for a life in an ever-changing and diverse world.

 

Sue Bryars

Chair of Governors

 

September 2022 Message from Sue Bryars, Chair of Governors

We have three key roles as governors:

• to ensure clarity of vision, ethos and strategic direction;

• to hold leaders to account for the educational performance of the school; and

• to oversee the financial performance of the school and make sure its money is well spent.

 

It is my pleasure, as Chair of Governors, to welcome you all back to school for this new academic year.  Of course, whilst most children are returning after the summer holiday, eager to meet their friends again, I recognise that some children, particularly those who are starting school, may have been a little nervous about their new adventure.  Certainly, our staff work hard to integrate your children into the life of the school and past experience suggests that already, after a few days, they will be excited and confident young learners.

 

You could be forgiven for hoping that the pandemic, with all its periods of lockdown and the consequential disruption, is coming to an end.  Certainly, we do hope that there won’t be a resurgence this winter, though the legacy of Covid and its impact on learning may be more lasting than previously hoped.  All schools have in place systems of ‘catch-up’ in order to ‘close the gap’ and we too shall ensure that each child is able to focus on the learning opportunities provided by the school to meet their individual needs.  We are very fortunate in the extraordinary commitment of all our teachers and support staff to this end.  Whenever I visit the school, I am always impressed by their dedication and enthusiasm, no matter how exhausted they have been by the challenges of the past couple of years.

 

Each of us involved in the life of the school has an important role to support the education of your children, whether as a member of staff, parent/carer, or a governor.  As governors have three key roles, which are set out in the box above: they drive all our work.  Therefore, we have a supportive role, and also one of challenge.  Each year, we identify the main issues we feel the school should focus on in order to drive it forward.  In other words, we ensure ‘clarity of vision, ethos and strategic direction’.  In ‘holding the leaders to account’, we meet regularly as a Full Governing Body, but also with sub-committees.  Amongst these, we have a Learning and Progress group where the focus is to analyse the attainment and progress of your children, and a Resources committee which ensures that the school’s income is used to best effect.  This committee is ably supported by our Business Manager, Mrs Williams, who joined us during the last academic year.  But, in essence, I believe that as governors we hold the heart and soul of our school, collectively, in our hands.

 

Your role as parents and carers is equally vital in supporting the school and your children.  There are many opportunities for you to engage with us, and I very much hope that you will take advantage of these. It is by working together, parents, carers, governors and staff, that your child has the greatest chance of success.

In order to keep you up-to-date with the work of the Governing Body, we produce this update each term on the school website and in Parent Mail.

We have three key roles as governors:

• to ensure clarity of vision, ethos and strategic direction;

• to hold leaders to account for the educational performance of the school; and

• to oversee the financial performance of the school and make sure its money is well spent.

 

  In preparing for this January’s Governor Impact Report, I spent some time looking through my comments over the last two years.  What a story they do tell!  Following Christmas 2019, I recalled the various, and glorious Christmas school events, and noted the confidence and joy of our pupils as they performed in plays and pantomimes.  A year on, we entered a complete lockdown again.

 

This year, I feel much more sombre in welcoming the New Year 2022, but hopeful that, despite the challenges of the next few weeks, we will emerge into some form of ‘normality’.  In reflecting on the recent Christmas celebrations, I know that the staff worked hard, as always, to provide the children with as much joy as the restrictions and advice on mixing allowed.

 

As part of my Governor Impact Report two years ago, I provided a long list of the governors’ monitoring and other visits to the school which had taken place in the previous term: over twelve reports had been prepared. These visits involved governors meeting with staff and pupils, to ascertain how the school was responding to its stated plans. Importantly, this also provided us with the opportunity to gain a richer appreciation of the ethos of the school. It’s difficult to define ethos.  It’s something you feel, and it varies significantly from school to school.  You recognise a positive ethos in the sights and sounds as you move around the school: in the way the school reflects its self-confidence in the decoration and displays; in the way that the students respond in a welcoming manner, and the staff in a caring and inclusive way.    

 

 Last term, we still managed to produce over ten reports, but as you might imagine, under very different circumstances.  Most discussions and meetings still took place online.  As those of you who have been using Teams or Zoom will know, this can often result in rather stilted discussions.  It is hard to explore issues, and to gain a greater understanding, through pre-prepared questions.

 

 However, I did recently have the opportunity to watch children being taught in their classes!  I joined two Lincolnshire School Advisors who were visiting the school as part of a regular programme of support.   We were accompanied by Mr. Johnson on what is called a Learning Walk.  These used to be a regular practice for governors to support them in monitoring the activities of the school, when we have typically been taken to every classroom, from Reception through to Year 6. Learning Walks normally have a focus which on this occasion was ‘Teaching and Learning in Foundation Subjects’. 

 

I was so impressed; as I think, too, were the advisors. They saw our school at its best: the children were well-behaved, confident, eager to learn and welcoming. I’m sure that had you been with me, you, too, would have been proud of your child.      

 

 On completing the Learning Walk, one of the advisors concluded that what he had observed showed very many positive developments: … “but would be even better if …”  I was taken aback a little on hearing that.  I was pleased with the positive praise; it was just the “but”…  However, on reflection I recognised that no school can be perfect: there is always room for improvement.  Indeed, this surely is the central role of Governance: to recognise and praise, but also to provide challenge.

 Governor Impact Report: September 2021.
In order to keep you up-to-date with the work of the Governing Body, we produce this update each term on the school website and in Parent Mail.

I am pleased to be able to take this opportunity to extend a very warm welcome on behalf of the Governors to the children, and to all of you, parents and carers, who have just joined our school this September. I very much hope that your children will be able to settle quickly and confidently, and make the most of their time with us. I know that this can be a stressful time for young people starting at a new school. However, I am confident from past experience that your children will have returned from their first few days, filled with excitement and eager to learn.
We are particularly pleased to note that at last children will no longer be in ‘bubbles’ this term. As you might imagine, this has been a necessary, though difficult, constraint to manage. We are certainly looking forward to getting back to something approaching ‘normality’, without any further disruptions due to Covid. However, we shall be constantly monitoring the situation, maintaining an enhanced cleaning regime, to keep your children and all staff as safe as possible.
Safety in all its facets is a key issue for schools. Indeed, all staff and some governors have just attended a training session this September, given by Mr Ratchford, on the topic of “Child Protection and Safeguarding”. The emphasis was to ensure that everyone who is involved in the care of our children appreciates the need for vigilance, and clearly understands all the processes involved. There are legal requirements that schools must follow to ensure the safety of your children and the Governing Body has a key role to play in this. We monitor and assure ourselves, on your behalf, that the school procedures are in place, and are being followed consistently. Indeed, a significant role for governors is to seek assurance that the school is developing appropriate systems, and following them, to reflect our policies and expectations.
This past year, monitoring has been particularly difficult without having the opportunity to meet face-to-face; something I have alluded to in my previous Governor Impact Statements. Although initially we shall remain cautious, we do hope that we can reduce the number of virtual meetings in the near future. They have worked in maintaining the day-to-day processes of the school, but it has been difficult to get a feel for the school’s ethos, and for the wellbeing of all children and staff.
At this time of year, Mr Ratchford is finalising the SDP (School Development Plan). This helps guide the school for the following year, and is used by governors to focus on issues for monitoring. This year there will be an emphasis on what is called “Behaviour for Learning”. This is not just behaviour in the classroom, but has wider implications including suitable behaviour in the community and online. You naturally have a role to play in this as parents and carers, because it is only by working together that we can hope to ensure that children have a safe, secure, and happy environment in which to develop.
I look forward to being able to meet many of you in the not too distant future.
Sue Bryars: Chair of Governors.

 

Governor Impact Report: April 2021.

In order to keep you up-to-date with the work of the Governing Body, we produce this update each term on the school website and in Parent Mail.

We have three key roles as governors:

• to ensure clarity of vision, ethos and strategic direction;

• to hold leaders to account for the educational performance of the school; and

• to oversee the financial performance of the school and make sure its money is well spent.

 

 

 

Since I wrote to you last September, staff and pupils alike have continued to face many challenges, as I am sure you have too!  Again this term, with the second period of school closure, staff have provided lessons in school for children of key workers and our more vulnerable pupils, as well as home learning for all our other pupils. 

We also, as governors, have faced our own challenges, not least how to monitor the work of the school without being able to visit, or talk with pupils directly.  Governors have a duty to place particular emphasis on Safeguarding, Health and Safety, as well as the delivery of the curriculum and these areas of Governance have never been more important than in current circumstances. 

We have been able to fulfil our responsibilities through our normal meeting structure, which of course has taken place online.  In addition, we have spoken with individual staff, as well as inviting them to complete questionnaires for us.  We also receive reports directly from staff about their particular responsibilities and areas of expertise, again virtually.  Last term Mr Liddle and Miss Just spoke to us about curriculum development in relation to the Foundation Subjects: Mr Johnson outlined for us the extensive work he has undertaken in relation to the Skills Builder project, which we are pleased to note has had national recognition, as well as the development of ‘Writing’ through the curriculum. In this way, governors are afforded the opportunity to understand and appreciate the work being undertaken, and to question and challenge, ensuring that the provision for our children is the best possible.

As you will be aware, Ofsted visited recently and recognised the good work that our school is undertaking.  Whilst you will be very much aware on a personal level of the Home Schooling Programme that your children have been undertaking, you will perhaps be less familiar with the full provision that our school and staff have continued to develop.  Naturally, we too as governors are very interested in ensuring that this provision has been excellent.  To that end, we invited Miss West, our KS1 phase leader, who has been very much involved in the development of Remote Learning, to join us at a recent Governing Body Meeting.  Frankly, I was wowed by the programme as described, where work was tailored to the needs of individual pupils, and responses monitored assiduously, firstly by class teachers and TA’s, and then by senior staff.  They, in turn, generated weekly Action Points which influenced the following week’s work which was sent to your children.  To give you an idea of the scale of work involved, nearly 3,000 posts were returned by you and your children through SEESAW in one week, recently, to our staff.  They in turn responded to every one, mostly on the day received!  Mrs Mardling and Mr Harrison have also been making sterling efforts throughout all of the recent months, to provide constant reassurance and support to all of our more vulnerable pupils.

It is no wonder that the recent Ofsted visit concluded that our school is “ …. taking effective action to provide education in the current circumstances”.  As governors, we are proud to be part of Market Deeping Community Primary School.

 

Governor Impact Statement: April 2020.

In order to keep you up-to-date with the work of the Governing Body, we produce this update each term on the school website and in Parent Mail.

We have three key roles as governors:

  • to ensure clarity of vision, ethos and strategic direction;
  • to hold leaders to account for the educational performance of the school; and
  • to oversee the financial performance of the school and make sure its money is well spent.

I want to begin by thanking Tony Eberle who has recently moved to be close to his family in Worcestershire and consequently resigned as a governor.  I was very sorry to see him leave as he has been such a stalwart, hardworking and supportive governor.  His focus has been on Finance, and his meticulous attention to detail has served the school well.

You may have seen adverts for a replacement governor, focussed in part on finance: I am pleased to say that we have had a positive response and I have been in touch with a number of potential governors ….. and then we were faced with the tsunami of Covid-19.

Normal school ceased, and yet so much had to continue whilst coping with the significant issues thrown up in a fast-moving scenario.  Overnight, the school had to cater for a reduced number of pupils and provide a complex programme of Home Schooling, which naturally took a little while to ‘settle’.  At the same time, staff have self-isolated as necessary, and appropriately so.  Senior staff have dealt with these challenges on a day-to-day basis, just as you as parents have done in respect of your family and work. 

One could be forgiven for thinking that during this turmoil, there is no role for governance.  But this is not so: though circumstances are such that we can only focus on urgent issues, including, above all, ensuring the safety and wellbeing of our children and staff.  Fortunately, we have now established the means to communicate with each other: here technology has proved of great value, as it has in many families and businesses. This allows us to deal with formal matters, such as approving the Budget for 2020/21. There may also be some recruitment issues to resolve: an interesting challenge to be undertaken online.  The most important focus for the moment, however, is to ensure that your children’s Home Schooling is as effective as possible.

I know from direct experience with my grandchildren that this can often prove to be quite difficult, with, for instance

- mum working from home in an important virtual meeting, only to be interrupted several times with questions (and in one case, pouring blood!!)

–grandma phoned for an explanation of a question even though the broadband is not working properly;

- children spending too little or too much time on one piece of work;

On a more positive note my daughter has found some success with introducing a timetable, not unlike in school, with plenty of breaks and lots of encouragement.

Throughout all this, be assured that the Governors of MDCP continue to take their responsibilities seriously, and are doing all they can to support the staff and yourselves through this difficult period. Once school restarts every effort will be made to ensure the National Curriculum is fully addressed so that no child is left behind. I am confident this will be a national aspiration, and support will be provided in due course.

Sue Bryars.

Chair of Governors

Governor Impact Statement: February 2020.

In order to keep you up-to-date with the work of the Governing Body, we produce this update each term on the school website and in Parent Mail.

 
 

 

We have three key roles as governors:

 

• to ensure clarity of vision, ethos and strategic direction;

• to hold leaders to account for the educational performance of the school; and

• to oversee the financial performance of the school and make sure its money is well spent.

 

 

 The wellbeing of our staff is of paramount importance to Governors, and so in the School Development Plan for 2019-2020 we included a section that stated: “staff are asked, for example through questionnaires, to suggest ways for the school to further support and challenge them and to help  ensure that they feel valued and energised.”  We constructed such a questionnaire which was completed in November last year, and subsequently discussed ways to respond to the views expressed by staff in their responses.   Mr Ratchford emphasised to Governors that the Senior Leadership Team are always mindful that staff well-being is at the heart of any developments.  I have just written to our staff to bring them up-to-date with our thinking and proposals, emphasising this point.

 

We have now had an Ofsted Inspection Report, and undeniably, some of their judgements about our school were a great disappointment to us all. However, reading their report leaves a very positive impression overall of our school.  They recognised that we have real strengths in the teaching of our Core subjects – reading, writing and mathematics, and the report speaks highly of the pupils’ enjoyment of learning, their wealth of experiences, as well as their personal development and behaviour.  The main issue for improvement lay in the need for further development of our Foundation Subjects:  I have no doubt that we shall set about this with a will.

 

Interestingly, there was an article in the Times Educational Supplement, published 13th February, headlined “Ofsted accused of judging primaries with a secondary lens.”  Further reading indicated that the school leaders’ union, the NAHT, has just produced a major report suggesting that the new Ofsted Inspection Framework is creating  a new workload, and demanding a model of curriculum management, that schools do not have the capacity or resources to implement.  They also reveal that the Ofsted Inspections under this new framework are “shattering the confidence of both new and experienced teachers, and leaving some staff needing counselling”!

 

Certainly, the way forward for our school, post-Ofsted, will involve a great deal of work, and so it is even more important, now, for staff to support each other at every level.  Above all, though, they should be confident that they continue to be held in very high regard by Senior Leaders and by Governors, who are mindful of the tremendous work that they do for your children.

 

Sue Bryars.

Chair of Governors.

Governor Impact Statement: January 2020.

In order to keep you up-to-date with the work of the Governing Body, we produce this update each term on the school website and in Parent Mail.

 
 

 

We have three key roles as governors:

 

• to ensure clarity of vision, ethos and strategic direction;

• to hold leaders to account for the educational performance of the school; and

• to oversee the financial performance of the school and make sure its money is well spent.

 

 

 As we start the New Year, I still have in mind the various wonderful Christmas Performances and school events which took place just a few weeks ago.  It was a delight to see both the confidence and joy of our pupils in their various plays and pantomimes, as well as a pleasure to observe our new hall being put to such good use, compared with the difficulties which Mr Ratchford and his staff had to cope with last year as the building work dragged on.  For me, as a grandma, I thought that the Christmas Carol Concert in St Guthlacs was particularly memorable: it started the Christmas celebrations delightfully.

 

This week, I compiled a list of Governor Monitoring Visits to school during the autumn term and I was interested to note how extensive and numerous these visits have been.  They focus primarily on the School Development Plan, which I mentioned in my last report to you.  I include this list here for your information, and to celebrate the work that the governors do on your behalf.  They are volunteers, who give of their time unstintingly, and of whom I am very proud. 

 

Governor Monitoring Visits: September -December 2019

 

September:                        M. Currier                                          - review of spending plan for PE  Sports Premium for 2019-20.

 

September/October:     S. Mardling                                        - governor training update

 

September/October:     T. Eberle                                              - monitoring of school website compliance.

 

October/November:      B. Roberts                                           - Safeguarding and SEND– monitoring of Single Central                

                                                                                                       Record; to gain assurance regarding safeguarding in               

                                                                                                       general and online safety in particular, by means of 

  pupil questionnaires.  Behaviour policy and procedures

  monitored.

 

November:                         S. Bryars, M. Currier, B. Roberts- discussion with Middle Leaders to broaden governors’

                                                                                                       understanding of curriculum development, with

                                                                                                       particular reference to Foundation Subjects.

 

November:                         E.Gibson                                             - meeting with KS1 Leader to discuss provision and

                                                                                                       progress of reading for P.Premium and SEND pupils in KS1.

 

November:                         S.Bryars, M. Currier, B. Roberts - to increase understanding of the provision for Special

                                                                                                      Needs, with particular reference to progress towards

                                                                                                      SDP Success Criteria.  Focus on the accessibility of the

                                                                                                      curriculum to SEN pupils.

 

November:                         S.Bryars, M. Currier, B. Roberts -Learning Walk with emphasis on SEND pupils and

                                                                                                      interventions.

 

November:                         S. Bryars, B. Roberts                       - meeting with TAs to discuss issues relating to workload and wellbeing.

 

November:                         H. Kay , E. Gibson                            - Learning Walk with focus on Vulnerable groups.

 

November:                         H. Kay                                                   - to develop an understanding of how the EYFS team are

                                                                                                      working to meet SDP targets e.g increasing GLD;

                                                                                                      developing effective language skills.

 

November/December: S. Bryars, M. Currier                        - questionnaire to develop understanding of staff

                                                                                                      workload issues and wellbeing.

 

 

Should you ever think about becoming a governor yourself (especially if you are interested in the financial aspects of the school!), then do please contact me on chair@marketdeeeping.lincs.sch.uk, or through the school office.

 

I would like to wish you all a very happy and successful New Year.

 

Sue Bryars.

Chair of Governors.

Governor Impact Statement: November 2019.

In order to keep you up-to-date with the work of the Governing Body, we produce this update each term on the school website and in Parent Mail.

 

We have three key roles as governors:

 

• to ensure clarity of vision, ethos and strategic direction;

• to hold leaders to account for the educational performance of the school; and

• to oversee the financial performance of the school and make sure its money is well spent.

 

 

 You may recall that in my September report, I spoke of how the beginning of each year is a busy time for governors as well as for parents and carers.  Indeed, since then we have held two Full Governing Body Meetings, as well as a Learning and Progress and a Finance Sub-Committee meeting.  During these, we have analysed the Key Stage results from July 2019 as well as our internal attainment and progress data for the whole school (the second ‘key role of governors’, above).   The Department for Education provides a more formal report in which our school’s performance data is summarised and compared with other, similar schools, and this will be published later in the Autumn Term. 

 

The governors have recently received a report on Safeguarding; a very important aspect of our work.  The report was based in part on conversations with pupils: indeed, your child may have mentioned that one of us has been talking to them about various aspects relating to how safe they feel.  In particular, we share parental concern for the online safety of your children, and I would like to remind you that there is valuable information provided on the school website to help in this regard.  You will be reassured to know, I’m sure, that a number of the younger children understood very clearly that one vital aspect of safety is that they should never have water near to the computer as ‘it might be spilt, and blow up’: very sound advice!

 

In addition to this, the governors have reflected on the progress we have made since our last Ofsted inspection in 2017; a worthwhile activity in any event, but particularly so now as we fully expect a re-visit in the not too distant future!

 

However, the major event for governors so far has been the formal approval of the School Development Plan, mentioned in my previous report.  There is a focus for us as governors on re-visiting our Five-Year Strategic Vision for the school (the first ‘’key role’, again above).  This vision has recently been posted on the school website (you can find it under ‘Key Information; Actions in preparation for Ofsted’), and I encourage you, if you can find the time, to read it and ask yourself “Is this the kind of school you would like us to aspire to become?”  We are almost half-way through the journey towards this vision and so it is timely to consider whether we remain on track.  I would very much welcome any comments and observations you might like to make, in preparation for our whole-school review next term.  Your responses can be sent to ‘chair@marketdeeping.linc.sch.uk’ and I would very much welcome your thoughts.

Sue Bryars, Chair of Governors

Governor Impact Statement: September 2019.

In order to keep you up-to-date with the work of the Governing Body, we produce this update each term on the school website and in Parent Mail.

We have three key roles as governors:

• to ensure clarity of vision, ethos and strategic direction;

• to hold leaders to account for the educational performance of the school; and

• to oversee the financial performance of the school and make sure its money is well spent.

 

 

This September, two of my grandchildren have started at new schools: one at a local secondary school, and another joining Reception in his village school. Their parents have been preparing them with new uniforms and equipment, and their schools have gone to great lengths to make the transition as smooth as possible.  Many of you will have just gone through the same experience in anticipation of a new year at MDCP.    May I particularly welcome those parents and carers whose children have just joined our Reception classes, and reassure them that past experience suggests that they will have an amazing time at our school!

However, it’s not just the children, parents and carers who prepare for a new school year.  We welcome Mrs Helen Kay, who is our newly appointed parent governor and wish her well in this role.  As governors we have much to do at this time. During our early meetings this year we review last year’s results, and reflect on how we can further support our students.  We celebrate their successes, and have very good reason to do so this year.  

Also at this time of year, Mr Ratchford and his Senior Leadership Team prepare a School Development Plan which encompasses a range of priorities to be introduced through 2019-20.  The governors support this process through our meeting structure, our Strategic Plan, and our monitoring processes. 

As part of this, we have a number of sub-committees, including:

     - the Learning and Progress sub-committee, which focuses primarily on the attainment and progress of your children, ensuring that targets are met and, where they are falling behind, encouraging the introduction of new strategies to improve.

    - the Finance sub-committee, which as you might expect scrutinises expenditure as well as approving a budget.

    - a number of other sub-committees which meet as the occasion demands.

 I always find the start of a new school year fills me with anticipation and excitement. There is always so much to do and achieve and I truly believe that, working together, governors, staff, and parents and carers will support your children to “grow together to be the best”.  As you know, this phrase represents our vision statement, and it drives much of our work as a Governing Body.

Mrs Sue Bryars, Chair of Governors

Governor Impact Statement: June 2019

You may recall that my last Governor Impact Report in April focussed on the work of two of our relatively new governors, Mark and Becky.  I am pleased that they were so positive about their experiences so far, because we have a vacancy for a new Parent Governor!  Amanda Sylvester joined the Governing Body four years ago, and her term of office has now come to an end.  Amanda's contribution has been invaluable, particularly in developing our Safeguarding and Child Protection processes in school. On behalf of the whole Governing Body, I wish to thank her for her time and effort.

I very much hope that a number of you will be keen to volunteer to become a governor, and a re-read of previous Governor Impact Reports will give you a flavour of the work we undertake. It is not so much your particular skills that we are looking for, (though we will make use of them); it is rather your commitment, interest and time that we will find most valuable.

Each of my previous reports begins with these three statements, which describe succinctly the core roles of the Governing Body:

  • to ensure clarity of vision, ethos and strategic direction;
  • to hold leaders to account for the educational performance of the school; and
  • to oversee the financial performance of the school and make sure its money is well spent.

At this time of year, of course, we focus on all three areas simultaneously!  The financial year has come to an end so the budget needs to be balanced and a new one needs to be drafted, incorporating the planned developments for next year. As part of our Five-Year Strategic Plan, the Governors’ 2nd Year Statements have been developed to support Mr Ratchford and his Senior Leadership Team in preparing the  School Development Plan.  We have included a commitment to review our long-term vision, and your suggestions will be sought.  We are constantly seeking ways to capture your views over a range of issues: indeed you will be hearing from Mr Ratchford and myself in the next couple of weeks in relation to this. 

In the meantime, we hope that all our pupils and staff will enjoy the next few weeks of the school year, before a well-earned rest for the summer.

 

Sue Bryars.

 

Chair of Governors

 

Governor Impact Statement: April 2019.

During the past year or so, I have been outlining various ways in which governors discharge their duties with respect to their three key roles: namely

 

  • to ensure clarity of vision, ethos and strategic direction;
  • to hold leaders to account for the educational performance of the school; and
  • to oversee the financial performance of the school and make sure its money is well spent.

 

I thought you might be interested to hear from other governors this month, so that they could provide you with their perspective on our work.  On this occasion, Mark Currier and Becky Roberts “volunteered”!

Recently, as governors who are new to the Governing Body, we have all had the pleasure of coming into school and meeting staff and pupils on one of the ‘Governors Monitoring weeks’ mentioned in previous reports. Our personal areas of focus for these visits have been SEND, Safeguarding,  Pupil Premium and Sports Premium spending. The School Development Plan highlights areas for development: SEND focusses on individual children’s particular needs, whilst Pupil Premium and Sports Funding are special grants which we are duty-bound to ensure that they enhance the educational opportunities of our pupils.  Safeguarding is a particularly important aspect of our work which rightly absorbs a lot of the school’s, and our, energy.

 

Our monitoring visits into school have been a hot topic of conversation at recent meetings as we were all impressed with not only the new buildings and facilities the school has to offer but also by the engagement from children, enthusiasm from staff, and the general feel of the school. There is definitely a buzz of excitement around the place, which was really pleasing to see! However, school isn’t just for the children: parents and carers form a big part too, as does also the wider community.  We are really keen to establish strong links with you all and have recently been discussing how we can make this more possible.  We would be really keen to know how, so if you have any suggestions, please let us know.

 

A recent meeting analysing data has provided us with some pleasing results, showing that improvements implemented by the head teacher and the senior leadership team are having a positive effect. Outcomes for all pupils continue to be scrutinised closely by the leadership team and monitored by the governors.  As governors we need to challenge and question where we feel necessary, to ensure that our pupils are receiving the best education, which they deserve.  The data we are analysing shows this.

 

As new governors we have learned that this role requires us to quickly gain an understanding of the issues faced by the school and to be determined and persistent with our challenges. It is an important responsibility which we execute with the interests of the whole school community in mind.

 

Many thanks to Mark and Becky for their observations.  I shall be intrigued to see which governors “volunteer” next! 

 

Sue Bryars.  Chair of Governors

Governor Impact Statement: March 2019

In order to keep you up-to-date with the work of the Governing Body, we produce this update each term on the school website and in Parent Mail.

We have three key roles as governors:

  • to ensure clarity of vision, ethos and strategic direction;
  • to hold leaders to account for the educational performance of the school; and
  • to oversee the financial performance of the school and make sure its money is well

 

 In order to ‘hold leaders to account for the educational performance of the school’ we have numerous strategies.  Perhaps the most significant is our role in monitoring the activities of the school, as mentioned in previous reports.  Mr. Ratchford has streamlined this process by introducing three ‘Governor Monitoring Weeks’ which are identified early in the year, and linked to our Meeting Cycle.  This has proved to be very effective.  Staff are able to plan for this, which means we governors can meet with staff and pupils to discuss progress of the school, encapsulated in the School Development Plan.  Each governor, following their visit, prepares a report focussed on a particular aspect of the plan.  These in turn are considered in Governing Body Meetings where we celebrate success, challenge, and note issues for further consideration.

The last such week was held in January of this year.  One aspect we discussed concerned parental involvement.  It is quite evident that our school is increasingly encouraging you to come into school to learn about activities taking place, the breadth of opportunities available, and the richness of experiences afforded to our children.  Those parents and carers who are able to attend have universally valued these occasions: we would love more of you to come and enjoy.  To that end, the school is trying to develop avenues to enable more parents and carers to be engaged; for example, communication through the website, Parentmail, questionnaires.

We all know how much our children love us to come into school to encourage them, learn more of their efforts and celebrate their success.

It would be easy to take the view that governors are only concerned with the progress and development of our school.  However, it is important to recognise that we are part of a wider community, which we very much value.  I regularly meet with other Chairs of Governors of local primary schools, which gives us an opportunity not only to network and offer mutual support, but also to share good practice and training.  For example, we recently hosted a training session on ‘Safeguarding’ at MDCP for around 20 local governors, and soon we shall attend another local school to learn more about good practice in terms of Governor Monitoring Visits. It is through partnership of teachers, and the community, including parents, carers and governors, that we are most likely to be able to provide the quality of education our children deserve.

Sue Bryars, Chair of Governors

Governor Impact Statement: January 2019

In order to keep you up-to-date with the work of the Governing Body, we produce this update each term on the school website and in Parent Mail.

We have three key roles as governors:

  • to ensure clarity of vision, ethos and strategic direction;
  • to hold leaders to account for the educational performance of the school; and
  • to oversee the financial performance of the school and make sure its money is well

Happy New Year to everyone: I do hope that you had a lovely Christmas, and are looking forward to 2019.  Time does fly, unless you are waiting for the completion of new buildings, as we have since last September!  The hand-over of the buildings may have already occurred as you read this …. or perhaps not!  As you might imagine, this delay has posed significant difficulties for the school, and I have been amazed by the ability of bothstaff and pupils to cope under such duress.

One positive change as a result of not having a hall, was the holding of the KS2 Christmas performance in St Guthlac’s Church and the KS1 performance in the Coronation Hall – magical experiences both.  I’m sure we were all moved by the performances which were a wonderful prelude to Christmas.

On reflection, and bearing in mind the three key roles of governors as outlined above, one significant aspect of governance is to ensure clarity of vision for the school.  The Governing Body, working with the Headteacher, senior leaders and staff, agree a Strategic Plan.  It is then for the senior staff to translate this into a School Development Plan which is updated each year.  The school then implements the plan, and it is for the Governing Body to monitor and scrutinise that work.

The cycle is:

     School Stragey  to School Development Plan to Implementation in practice.

On the face of it, this seems very dry and academic.    However, this process is anything but: rather, it is a privilege and a joy.  Three times a year, the school arranges what are called Governor Monitoring Weeks when each governor, armed with pencil, paper and their parts of the School Development Plan in their head, visits the school to ascertain the progress made in various aspects of this plan. Their observations are then discussed with the Senior Leadership Team at subsequent meetings.

As you might imagine, the integration of the rhythms of the school year with the meetings of the Governing Body is quite a complex process. Should you actually be interested, we have published the meeting cycle for this academic year on the school website, in the Governing Body Information section.

I am delighted to tell you that we have welcomed two new governors recently: Mrs Becky Roberts as a Co-opted governor, and Mrs Ellie Gibson as your Parent governor.  They have already focussed on elements of the School Development Plan, ready for their next meeting!

Governor Impact Statement: November 2018.

In order to keep you up-to-date with the work of the Governing Body, we produce this update each term on the school website and in Parent Mail.

We have three key roles as governors:

  • to ensure clarity of vision, ethos and strategic direction;
  • to hold leaders to account for the educational performance of the school; and
  • to oversee the financial performance of the school and make sure its money is well spent.

In previous reports, we have focussed on each element in turn: the one at the beginning of the school year, you may recall, considered finance. 

A particularly important role for governors is to ensure clarity of vision, ethos and strategic direction.  There are many strands to this, and one entails gathering information. 

Last April, our Safeguarding governor spoke informally with a number of pupils and staff in each year group about their perception of behaviour in school. There were a number of interesting points identified, including the need for greater consistency in the application of the behaviour policy.  Mr Ratchford undertook to review and introduce a new system of ‘Behaviour: Rewards and Sanctions’, which he told you about in September through Parent Mail.  The governors are currently monitoring its implementation, and are due to revisit the new policy in January 2019. 

In June, two of our governors undertook to develop and analyse a questionnaire for Y6 parents, carers and pupils.  Our intention was to learn from their experiences: it was thought that such pupils would have a more extensive view of their time at our school, and would be happy to reflect on their experiences.  We were very pleased to note that your children were extremely positive about the school and felt well prepared for the next stage in their education.  Parents, likewise, valued the education that their children had received,and those few concerns which were voiced centred on behaviour and bullying.  In particular, some parents felt unclear about the school’s strategies for challenging poor behaviour. 

We very much hope that you will have noted a considerable improvement in the behaviour of all pupils already.  Later in the school year, we shall seek opportunities to establish your views on such matters.  Your views are important to us as governors, and help us set the strategic direction of the school.

Sue Bryars, Chair of Governors

 

Governor Message, September 2018

I would like to welcome all new parents and carers to our school and hope that your children will thrive and enjoy the many opportunities available to them at Market Deeping Community Primary.  I normally write to you at the beginning of each term, outlining the work of the Governing Body and its impact on the development of the school. In other words, what have the governors done to support and challenge the development of our school, and thereby ensure that the children under our care are receiving the best possible education?

To guide us in this endeavour, we have three core principles:

  1. To ensure clarity of vision, ethos and strategic direction.
  2. To hold leaders to account for the educational performance of the school.
  3. To oversee the financial performance of the school and make sure its money is well spent.

In previous reports, we have focussed on each element in turn: on this occasion we consider the third responsibility, namely ‘the financial performance of the school ’.

The Full Governing Body formally approves the annual budget developed by Mr Ratchford and his senior staff.  This is a detailed account of how the school’s income will be allocated, based on previous experience and our future needs.  Last year, one of the aspects we focussed on was to continue our preparations for the expansion of the school, which enabled us to develop our library, for example. We also carried on with our programme of classroom refurbishment: the new look of Y5 classroom is well worth a visit!

Most of the budget, of course, is spent on staffing.  Our recent appointments have expanded and substantially strengthened the school team and we are really looking forward to benefiting from their contribution in this coming academic year.

 Much of the detailed work relating to monitoring the budget is carried out by the Finance and Resources sub-committee which considers issues as they arise. This committee meets with the Headteacher and the School Business Manager at least four times a year, reporting directly to the Full Governing Body. 

 Many of you will be aware from newspapers and television reports that numerous schools in Lincolnshire have experienced difficulties over the last several years with the financial services provided for us by Lincolnshire County Council: our school has been no exception.   We are therefore seeking ways to resolve this in order to enable us to have more accurate and timely information and so better manage the school budget. 

On behalf of the governors may I express the hope that your children have a happy and very successful year.

Sue Bryars, Chair of Governors

18th June 2018

Governor News.

 In order to keep you up-to-date with the work of the Governing Body, we produce this update each term on the school website and in Parent Mail.

We have three key roles as governors:

  • to ensure clarity of vision, ethos and strategic direction;
  • to hold leaders to account for the educational performance of the school; and
  • to oversee the financial performance of the school and make sure its money is well spent.

 This is the fifth report I have written to you this school year. Formally described as Governor Impact Reports, they provide us with a platform for outlining to you the activities the governors have undertaken over the previous term. You will notice that I have highlighted, once again, the three key roles which we fulfil as governors.  The first of these is “to ensure clarity of vision, ethos and strategic direction”, and this was considered in my last report when I outlined the development of a ‘Five-Year Vision’ for our school.  The second is “to hold leaders to account for the educational performance of the school”.

We have now completed the ‘One-Year Plan’ - a step toward our ‘Five-Year Vision’, and this will guide the Headteacher in the writing of his School Development Plan for 2018-9.  It is against this one-year plan that the Governing Body will monitor the success of the school over the next year.  This is an important function of the Governing Body, and provides a check that the commitments which the school makes are adhered to.

A second way in which the governors hold the school to account is through the information which Mr Ratchford provides concerning the attainment and progress of the children in school in each year.  We have ample opportunity to question and challenge.

A third way is in our monitoring of this year’s School Development Plan: for example, a governor recently undertook a survey of behaviour throughout the school.  We were very satisfied with the outcome of the report, particularly within the teaching environment, where the behaviour is generally exemplary.  However, in the freer environment of outside play, we can report that additional steps are being taken to further improve behaviour.  Supervision will be strengthened, and a Learning Mentor has just been appointed to focus on those few individuals who would benefit from additional support.

Two of our governors, Mrs Brisbane and Mrs Hart, are leaving the Governing Body at the end of this term.  I would like to take this opportunity to thank them for their support and hard work as governors over many years.  I am pleased to report that Mr Mark Currier will join us as a Co-opted Governor from September.  We feel that Co-opted Governors enable us to identify, and fill, gaps in our skill set to enable us to better support the school and the wider community.

 

Sue Bryars.  Chair of Governors

Monday 23rd April 2018

Term 5

This is the fourth report I have written to you this school year. Formally described as Governor Impact Reports, they provide us with a platform for outlining to you the activities the governors have undertaken over the previous month or so, on your behalf.  You will notice that I have highlighted, for the second time, the three key roles which we fulfil as governors.

The first of these is to ‘ensure clarity of vision, ethos and direction’.  There is a clear distinction between the strategic oversight undertaken by the Governing Body and the day-to-day running of the school by our Headteacher.  We guide the direction of the school through communication with the Head, the staff and yourselves.  We also engage, as you know, in regular visits to the school and the oversight of its work.

However, the focus for the governors this term has been the development of a clear Five-Year Vision for our school.  We began this work a year ago, engaging parents and carers, staff and governors in a ‘Visioning Exercise’ which identified our priorities.  These were further developed in September, last year, again involving staff, governors …. and importantly our new Headteacher! This gave rise to our School Development Plan (influenced, of course, by Ofsted) and our new Values, Vision and Mission statements which I hope you have noticed on our website.

We have developed all this work to produce our Five-Year Vision for the school, which is currently being refined as I write.  Once adopted it will serve to underpin the annual School Development Plan and help to guide the strategic direction of the school.

 

Sue Bryars.  Chair of Governors.

Message from the Chair of Governors, Sue Byrars:

Governor News, 18th February 2018

In order to keep you up-to-date with the work of the Governing Body, we produce this update each term.

We have three key roles as governors:

  • to ensure clarity of vision, ethos and strategic direction;
  • to hold leaders to account for the educational performance of the school; and
  • to oversee the financial performance of the school and make sure its money is well spent.

TERM 4

As you would expect, the governors have been busy since Christmas, planning for the future.  Already we have been developing an integrated cycle of meetings which incorporates not only the normal business of governance, but also strengthens our monitoring role, focussed on the School Development Plan.  To that end, we have re-structured our individual roles, with, for example, a governor responsible for Human Resources and a second one whose main concern is to lead our analysis of school data.

Governors also enjoy visiting school, particularly when it involves events which celebrate the achievements of our pupils.  For example, just a few weeks ago I enjoyed watching a Y 5 and 6 Parliamentary debate concerned with whether, firstly, all pupils should be provided with computers/ipads (as Chair of the Finance committee, I was rather anxious about that!), and ‘should snacks be banned”? There was a predictable result to that particular vote.

KS1 pupils and staff created a wonderful pop-up restaurant, serving such delights as fruit flapjacks (yummy) and magic muffins (worrying).  I was delighted that so many of you could come to support the children on this occasion.

Y3 and 4 held a session where they were working on an Indian theme, many with relatives and carers: much artistic skill was shown here, and not only by the children!

But surely the highlight of my visits was the Talent Show.  Who will forget such a joyous occasion when we watched our children impress us with their many and varied skills?  I smiled from beginning to end.

Sue Bryars.  Chair of Governors.

January 2018

 We have three key roles as governors:

 to ensure clarity of vision, ethos and strategic direction;

  • to hold leaders to account for the educational performance of the school; and
  • to oversee the financial performance of the school and make sure its money is well spent.

 In pursuit of this, we have completed the External Governance Review which took place during the autumn term  (2017), and have now developed an Action Plan which will help to guide us in future activities.  This dovetails well with the development of our governor monitoring roles, which each governor will undertake through 2018.

 The analysis of school data is obviously a major aspect of governance.  All governors have recently attended two training sessions on the interpretation of information from various sources, including the new assessment model introduced by the government for reporting on school performance.  In addition, two governors have also attended training on Financial Management and Budgeting.

We have recently welcomed a new governor, Mr James Stubbs, who joined the Governing Board as a Co-opted Governor.  He currently teaches at a local secondary school and brings a wealth of experience to his new role.

Have you noticed the significant improvements around the school?  Mr Ratchford and all the staff have been working hard to create a more welcoming environment for visitors and pupils alike. We look forward to meeting you at one of the exciting events which are being organised to further enhance your children’s education.

 

Sue Bryars: Chair of Governors

NOVEMBER 2017

 

It’s hard to believe that it is nearly Christmas already: so much has happened this term.  The governors have been delighted with the difference made by our new head, Mr Ratchford.  He has already had a real impact on the school and our pupils, introducing numerous changes and initiatives which we know are making a real difference to your children.  

 

The rather unexpected Ofsted inspection at the beginning of term has also rightly identified further developments for the school, which we are eagerly implementing.  In September, the governors and staff met to re-clarify our values and vision as part of our strategic overview for future.  The School Development Plan, which has been drawn from the issues identified by the governors, staff and Ofsted, will stand as a template for our future development.

Currently, we are undertaking an External Governor Review to further clarify the internal structure of the Governing Body, and to identify some strategic objectives to further support our work. We very much feel that we are all moving forward together.

 Sue Bryars: Chair of Governors