The Governing Body

The Governors’ aims for the school reflect their concern for the welfare of pupils and the provision of a secure, caring environment where positive attitudes and values are nurtured. Details of the full Governing body can be found in Appendix 1.

Standards of Achievement

Pupils continue to achieve good standards across the curriculum. Details of End of Key Stage results are included as Appendix 2. The results show that at both Key Stages standards are comparable to those of similar schools and exceed local and national averages.

Foundation Phase

Pupils in the age group      3-7years now follow a Foundation Phase curriculum which allows children to learn in a less formal, child centred way which helps develop independence, thinking, autonomy and personal and social skills.

Curriculum 2008

At Key Stage 2 a new curriculum is being developed which focuses on the development of skills set within meaningful contexts for learning. This curriculum is being designed to develop the thinking, communication, mathematical and ICT skills of our learners.

S.E.N.

During the academic year 2008/09 12.5% of children received support for Special Educational Needs at School Action or School Action+.

Attendance

The school is required to set annual targets to improve attendance. WAG has set a national target of 95% attendance for all schools. The school’s attendance figures consistently hits this target. Full details of attendance in 2008/09 can be found in Appendix 4.

Budget

A drop in pupil numbers has resulted in a drop in funding to the school. The Governing Body has applied to run with a deficit budget and has worked closely with LEA finance officers to produce a medium term plan which has targeted a reduction of the deficit. Full details of the out-turn of expenditure can be found in Appendix 3.

Staffing

The Governing Body chose to reduce to school staffing quota for the 2008/09 academic year. This was due to a fall in pupil numbers and a subsequent drop in funding. This resulted in the number of classes in Key Stage 2 being reduced to 3 classes.

Buildings and Maintenance

Minor repairs and decoration have been carried out by the school caretaker, Mr Viney. A new wide entrance door was installed in the nursery. The school boiler was repaired using contingency funding. Pest control removed seagull eggs from the roof.

Wider Learning Experiences

During 2008/09 the children experienced a wide range of activities. These included educational visits and workshops, visiting speakers, music and drama, professional sports coaching and storytelling sessions. They have visited museums, galleries, science venues, and attended sporting events. They have had the opportunity to attend lunchtime and after school clubs which have been organised by their teachers. 

Community Links

The school has fostered links with the following during 2008/09:

• Local Church groups
• GE Healthcare
• Whitchurch Library
• Whitchurch High School
• Local Supermarkets
• Local Florists

Wrap Around Care

In response to parental enquiries at an earlier AGM the Governing Body successfully applied for funding in 1998 to set up an After School Club called FUNZONE.  The club has been running successfully for ten years between 3:30 and 6:00 pm every school day, and is run by qualified Playworkers.  A maximum 48 children can be accommodated.

Both Breakfast and After School Clubs have focussed on healthy eating in the last year. 

Pupil Voice

The school Eco Committee continued to meet and discuss ways of improving the environment and saving energy. They, along with the School Council took part in the interview process to determine the new Head teacher. The School Council also met regularly to promote the views of the children and to play an active role in the improvement of the school.

Home/School Links

Meetings for parents during the year have included termly Open Evenings, Curriculum meetings and Welcome Evenings. In addition parents have been invited to attend class assemblies, Harvest Festival, Christmas Carol Service and concerts, St David’ s Day concert and the Leavers’ Service. 

P.T.A

The Governing Body wish to thank The Parents and Teacher Association which again worked tirelessly to organise events in order to raise funds for the school and add to the wider experiences that our children receive. They raised a magnificent £3000 which was presented to the school in September 2009. This money will be used to purchase additional I.T. resources.

Role

Name(s)

Chair 

 Mrs H. Guy

 Vice Chair 

Mr M. Jones-Pritchard

Parent Governors

Mrs L.Church

Mr. M. Littlejohns

Mrs J Lubienski

Vacancy 

Teacher Governors

Mr S. O’Connell   (Head Teacher)

Mrs P. Cosby

Mrs C. Lloyd      (Observer)

Mrs S. Harris     (Observer)          

Staff Governor (Non Teaching) 

Miss E. Thompson

LEA Appointees

Mr M. Jones-Pritchard

Mrs N Evans

Mr L Weekly 

Co-opted Community Governors

Mrs H. Guy

Dr M White-Cooper

Rev S. Baker

Clerk to the Governors

Mr B. Andrewartha

Subject

Target

Actual Results

English

89%

96%

Mathematics

89%

87%

Science

94%

96%

All Core Subjects

89%

87%

Subject

Target

Actual Results

English

92%

92%

Mathematics

83%

88%

Science

83%

96%

All Core Subjects

83%

88%

Attendance Target 2008/09

96.1%

Actual Attendance 2008/09

95.7%

Authorised Absence

4.2%

Un-authorised Absence

0.1%

Attendance Target 2009/10

95.8%