Meldreth Primary School

Governors’ Newsletter

What do Governors do……?

Have you passed by the school in the evening and noticed a small group filing in?  Or just before a school function have you noticed this group huddled in a classroom? You may have recognised some of these people as parents, staff and members of the community. These are the Governors of Meldreth Primary School and we meet at least once a term as a full governing body and then additionally for sub-committees and governor training.

Like most governing bodies ours includes:-

• parents elected by other parents at the school
• teachers elected by their colleagues
• a governor elected by, and from, support staff
• local authority governors
• community governors,
• the head teacher.

As you can see the governors at Meldreth Primary School represent a wide cross section of professional and personal skills and attitudes but we all share a common interest: we are dedicated to ensuring that the children in our school have the best education possible. 

In order to achieve this governors are required to play an active part in the decision making process of the school, by getting involved in real issues.  It is our role to:-

• continue to help raise the standards and performance of the school by supporting the work of the head teacher and the staff.
• act as a ‘critical friend’ to the head teacher by gathering views, asking questions and together deciding what is best for the school. 
• make decisions on the school's budget, expenditure and staffing
• make decisions on policies and strategies and to stand by these decisions
• ensure that the school provides for all its pupils, including those with special needs

Governors are at the heart of how a school operates.  We try hard to get things right as what we do affects the interests of pupils, staff morale and how the school is seen by parents and others in the community.

Opportunities to become a school governor occur periodically and parent governor vacancies are advertised in the school newsletter. If you think that you may be interested in joining us in the future please talk to a governor to find out more.   Details of individual governors are available in the school brochure or on the website. 

School Governors

Staff Governors (Total 3, including Head Teacher):

Judith Dickson (Headteacher)

Andrew Jones

Caroline Maskell

Parent Governors (Total: 4):                                                  

Jane Pearson

Debbie Wain (Vice Chair)

Philippa Hart

Simon Dwerryhouse

Community Governors (Total: 3):

Chris Mannix

Alan Land

LEA Appointed Governors (Total: 2):

Rosamund Rhodes-Kemp (Chair of Governors)                                                                  

Councillor David McCraith

Y6 Achievement

The Governors wish to congratulate last year’s Y6 group for their excellent

SAT results, particularly the outstanding results for English, where almost

half the group achieved a Level 5, and Science, where every child who took

the tests in May achieved Level 4 and over 70% a Level 5.

Apart from making good academic progress, these young people gained

self-confidence and a positive attitude towards learning whilst at Meldreth.

From what we have heard, all have settled well into their new secondary

schools, poised to make the most of all the new opportunities ahead.

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Premises

The extension to the school buildings was completed during the last school year, and includes new children’s toilets, staff room (now centrally located), and an enlarged library area with space for working in small groups.  The previous staff room has been converted into a much-needed additional classroom.   Children and staff are now enjoying and benefiting from these new facilities.

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Access

The Governing Body is committed to the improvement of physical access to the school for all, and access to the curriculum for all children, and both of these aspects are covered in our Accessibility Plan.

We have made progress on access to and within the school by provision of an external ramp and by removing excess furniture within communal spaces to facilitate movement.  A new lock and alarm have been provided in the disabled toilet. There have also been improvements in the signage.

In the classroom, workstations are provided for children identified as requiring them, and modifications are made to IT equipment for those who need it. There is ongoing work in lessons using teaching methods appropriate for visual, aural and kinaesthetic learners.

Current plans include improvements to the entrance-buzzer and ramp, internal door enlargement, and provision of a disabled parking bay.

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Racial Equality

The Governing Body is required to monitor and report to parents any incidents of racial discrimination or abuse.

The school staff work hard to promote an ethos of equality and respect for all, and we are very pleased to report that in the school year 2006-07 there were no reported instances of racial discrimination or abuse.

More Able Children

Meeting the learning needs of all children is a priority in school. Just as we have policies and strategies for supporting children with Special Education Needs, we also place great emphasis on challenging and stimulating our More Able Children.

The school keeps a register of Gifted and Talented children which includes children who have a particular strength in any area, including sports, music, art, drama, communication, leadership, maths, science and English. This register is updated annually and enables teachers to plan additional or specially tailored activities to meet the needs of more able children across the curriculum. By providing challenges for the most able, we believe that we are ‘raising the bar’ for all children, placing a high premium on children developing their thinking skills and their understanding of how they learn.

Sometimes children are offered the chance to attend out of school activities that are specifically geared towards our most able in a particular subject. In addition, our wide range of extracurricular activities is aimed at attracting children with particular aptitude or enthusiasm for a particular activity.

Just as we do not publish our SEN register, we do not publicise our Gifted and Talented register; however parents of more able children are made aware of their children’s strengths in consultation meetings and in the end of year reports.

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Meldreth Primary School Governing Body