Report of the Governors of Stoke Row Church of England
(Voluntary Controlled) School
For the period 1st September 2004 to 31st
August 2005
This report is
for the consideration of the Parents’ and Governors’ Meeting to be held at
Stoke Row C.E. School on Tuesday 4 October 2005 commencing at 6.30pm.
1.
Official
Opening Green Class Kitchen
2.
Matters
arising from last year’s meeting – 23 September 2004
3.
Matters
Arising from the Governors’ Report to the parents for the year ending August
2005.
4.
Future
arrangements
5.
Any
other business
There were no resolutions taken at the
last annual meeting.
Please
note: this meeting
is not intended for the discussion of confidential or personal matters such as
a child’s performance in class or comments concerning members of staff. Should
parents have concerns of this nature, the Head Teacher will deal with them in
the appropriate way on another occasion.
Five governors have left since the last
meeting:
*
Sarah
Whittaker, who did such an excellent job as the previous chair of governors;
*
Karen Sparks,
who moved away from the area;
*
Sharon Dombey,
who rejoined us wearing a different hat, to do withdrawal work;
*
Jenny Loudon,
who continues as an associate member;
*
Maureen Ball,
who found her other full time commitments, as head of a large senior school,
did not permit her to devote as much time to this school as she would have
liked. Happily for us she has continued
to offer her advice should we need it.
Ann Gass, Peter Headington and Vanessa Potter have
been elected to join us as parent governors.
Sarah Mole joins as LEA governor with particular interest in special
needs. Finally, but not least, Trevor
Back is joined by Sheri Kinghorn and Jenny Loudon to swell the ranks of
associate members. The full current list
of full governors and associate members is summarised below.
Since the governing body is required to
reconstitute by 31 August 2006, all terms of office are automatically
terminated on this date. New terms will
be set when the new constitution is agreed.
We currently have one vacancy but a resident of Stoke
Row has expressed an interest in becoming a new governor so we hope soon to be
up to full complement again.
Jan Vernon left her position not only
as school secretary but also as clerk to the governors. I would like to thank Claire Dunk and Eileen
McTegart for standing in to cover as clerk for two meetings until we were able
to recruit our new permanent replacement Helen Batten.
|
Governors of the School Appointment status End Term of Office Wendy Bowes Teacher 31/8/06 Ann Gass Parent 31/8/06 Rita Gregory Co-opted (Parish Council) 31/8/06 Peter Headington Parent 31/8/06 Revd. Angela Linton Foundation 31/8/06 Steve McTegart Headteacher 31/8/06 Sarah Mole LEA 31/8/06 Sally Oxley LEA 31/8/06 Vanessa Potter Parent 31/8/06 Daphne Stallwood Foundation 31/8/06 Vacancy Co-opted 31/8/06 Associate Members Trevor Back 31/8/06 Sheri Kinghorn 31/8/06 Jenny Loudon 31/8/06 |
The Chair of Governors is Rita Gregory, The Thatched
Cottage, Stoke Row, Henley, RG9 5PA
The Clerk to the Governors is Helen
Batten, c/o Stoke Row School, School Lane, Stoke RowRG9 5QS.
The full Governing Body have met five
times during the past academic year.
The number of children on the school
register on 14th January 2005 was 73
Number of pupil sessions 26,649
Number of authorised absences 994
(sickness, annual holiday etc)
Number of unauthorised absences
15
The only outstanding
issue since the Ofsted inspection, (2001) is the continuing lack of provision
of indoor PE space. This is partially addressed by our use of the gym at
Checkendon and by our swimming programme.
Our participation in
the School Sports Development Programme has resulted in over £500 worth of
equipment being made available to the school. Several members of staff were
also trained in Sport activities. We remain recognised by Oxfordshire as being
an effective school.
The School continues
to operate within its own delegated budget under the Local Management of
Schools (LMS). The school financial
year operates from April to March and the schools' funding from the LEA is
based primarily upon Pupil numbers. The
financial year was the responsibility of Mr McTegart, our Head teacher. Since Mr McTegart has joined the school
projected pupil numbers have increased and are at higher levels now and in the
future, securing increased funding for the current year and thereafter. Eileen
McTegart administers the finances on a daily basis and Derek Hepburn, our
bursar, monitors our budget during regular visits to the school. Their diligence has ensured the school has
managed to operate effectively within the agreed budget, together with careful
control of expenditure by all school staff.
The governing body would like to express their thanks for their
co-operation and support.
The school computer
network has been upgraded this year using delegated ICT funding. This includes the purchase of 5 wireless
laptops.
Governors did not claim any expenses
this year.
Other income to the school:
The school obtains additional funds
from several sources including grants and bursaries as well as events that
provide additional funding for the school.
Donations have included:
The Nuffield Charitable Trust £1800 The Langtree Trust £1000
Parents sponsorship £600 Stoke Row Parish
Council £500
The National Garden Scheme £400 B & Q Community Fund £250
Anonymous donor £200
We have used these funds to purchase a large, new
storage shed, new kitchen fitments for Green Class and to undertake a survey
for a new school hall. We have recently secured a government grant of £4000
which will pay for our new parent shelter and we continue to participate in the
Tesco ‘Computers for School' campaign.
The Governing body would like to
express a sincere thank you to the Friends of Stoke Row School (FOSRS) whose
hard work provides many additional items for the school as well as some very
enjoyable social events for parents and children, which would not be possible
out of school funds. Donations from the FOSRS during this year have paid for
new library furniture, the new sandpit, the Make a Play Day, Teddy Bear’s
picnic, Swim/Lifeguard cover and leaver’s books and vouchers. Other events
organised by the FOSRS during the past year have included: the 70’s disco in October, the 50/50 Club,
the Christmas bazaar, Christmas lunch for pupils and staff In the Village hall,
a blue bell walk during the Spring, Stars at the Well, the summer barbecue as
well as several dinners at local restaurants.
The FOSRS also provided the Easter eggs for the egg hunt and prizes for
the egg decorating competition.
Voluntary Activities:
A special thank you
should be expressed for all the voluntary contributions to the school. These are just as important to the school as
money as they allow the limited funds available to be stretched to their
maximum. Trevor Back, John Pitcher and
Shane Forrester have carried out various maintenance jobs throughout the year
including the refurbishment of the kitchen in Green class. Mrs Piercey has worked on developing and
maintaining the school website. The
school also benefits from volunteers coming on a regular basis into the school
to listen to the children read, a sincere thank you to Daphne Stallwood,
Cynthia Agar, Nicky Steiger, Saroj Sargeant, Dick Allum and Mrs Darcy Ryan.
Sally
Oxley, Chair Finance Committee
We held fire drills
half termly and carried out the annual fire risk assessment in July. The school was the subject of an external
Health and Safety audit on June 16. Recommendations relating to risk
assessments are being implemented this term.
A new Health and
Safety Policy following Oxfordshire County Council guidelines was adopted in
2005.
Termly testing of
water temperature has been reinstated. A procedure for testing Fire Exit lights
and signs has been established and regular checks are being carried out.
Safety training for
teachers and LSAs is planned for this term.
The roof windows in
the main building have been surveyed and a plan is in place to replace them
during this academic year.
Termly play equipment
and first aid facility checks have been completed. Safety repairs to the monkey bars equipment have been completed.
In addition a new safety surface was installed in April. The “Spring Clean”
achieved significant enhancements to the play area, including improved safety.
There have been no
incidences of theft.
The school has a
security policy in place and this is available for inspection in the school
office. An updated policy document has been drafted and will be presented to
Governors for approval at the next meeting.
Peter Headington, Chair Health & Safety and Premises
Committee
We currently have five children on the Special Needs
register, with two at School Action Plus (involving other agencies on a regular
basis) and the rest at School Action level.
We currently have three children (not on the register) who have Initial
Action Plans set, in order to address their needs and monitor progress, with a
view to further assessment after additional strategies have been implemented.
We have regular, weekly input from Rachel Faulkner, our new
SNAST (Special Needs Advisory Skills Teacher) who has been working with us
since the beginning of term. Thanks to her, and to the previous input from
Marjorie Hay, we are meeting the targets set for us in the Special Needs Audit
carried out last year, which found we were offering satisfactory to good
provision in this area.
All our staff, Teachers and LSA, have received specific
training in identifying and working with children who are identified as having
special needs, in line with the Oxfordshire Dyslexia Policy. Our current round
of reviews is set to be conducted on time and we are currently conducting an
audit of our resources.
Specific input from Mrs Sargeant and Classroom LSA staff is also having a significant impact on the level of support being offered to our children.
Sarah Mole
SEN Governor
Training inputs included:
Fire Safety Sports Co-ordinatorship Higher
Level Teaching Assistant Award
Use of Interactive Whiteboards Special Educational Needs Child Protection
Oxfordshire Dyslexia Policy ICT Workforce
Remodelling Epipen Use
Dance Netball Tag
Rugby SIMS (Data Management) Assessment
All of the above training inputs have and will have a positive effect on the teaching and learning in school.
|
Academic
Year ending |
2002 |
|
2003 |
|
2004 |
|
2005 |
|
|
|
Target |
Actual |
Target |
Actual |
Target |
Actual |
Target |
Actual |
|
English Test Level 4 and above |
77% |
100% |
82% |
90% |
80% |
100% |
100% |
100% |
|
Mathematics Test Level 4 and
above |
77% |
90% |
82% |
70% |
90% |
100% |
100% |
100% |
|
|
Level
4 or above |
Level 5 or above |
|
English Test |
80% |
40% |
|
Mathematics Test |
100% |
40% |
|
Science Test |
100% |
80% |
Our results, year on year, have shown
steady improvement
This year has been a time of change and preparation. There
have been some staffing changes, but also some very popular appointments. It is
interesting to note that we are one of only a very small number of schools
nationally to have involved our pupils, our teachers and our support staff in
the interview process. We have, in the past year, embarked on an aspirational,
far-sighted programme of training for all staff members. This has
resulted in Mrs Pauline Cummins being awarded Higher Level Teaching Assistant
status, a nationally-recognised qualification, reflecting her considerable
skills and experience. We have in place agreed schedules of training for all
staff, which will mean that we have one of the most professionally
well-qualified staff bodies in the country. We believe that everyone will
benefit from this, not least the children in our care. In fact, we were the
only school in Oxfordshire this year to offer whole group professional staff
training for our Learning Support Assistants.
Our progress in developing the facilities of the school
continues apace, with wireless laptops for students use, networked systems and
constant upgrading and enhancement of the software available for use. We have
upgraded outdoor play areas and provided soft surfacing, bringing us well into
line with current Health and Safety guidelines. Parents have been wonderful in
refurbishing areas of school that have been untouched for ten years or more.
Again, you have shown your generosity in helping out with our new lunchtime
arrangements.
Our roll continues to grow and we are looking toward the
provision of a mobile classroom to alleviate the potential problem with
overcrowding. We are using the Church now on a daily basis for assemblies and
this is proving very successful. We are investigating funding solutions for the
provision of a new school hall.
As ever, the quality of our teaching and learning is of
paramount importance, and with all these initiatives, every step of our
development goes toward making sure that our children receive a high quality,
richly structured curriculum, which will give them the wide horizons they need
for their future lives.
Steve
McTegart, Headteacher
Once again this school has achieved
excellent academic results with its Key Stage 2 Standard Assessment Tests
(SAT’s), as recorded above. I
compliment the whole staff team, including those helpers who come in to assist
the pupils in subjects such as reading, for their enthusiasm and commitment to
getting the best out of our pupils. I
use that term advisedly since we have been recognised as generating excellent
value added results and are number 6 in the county by this criterion. That means that, whatever the standard of a
pupil, we have enabled the child to achieve beyond their starting point of
ability. We also take particular pride
in the citation of “best local state school”.
We were sorry to say good bye to two
members of staff who had served us a long time: Sue Todd and Rachel
Hayward. Rachel had been with us for 10
years so it was a very sad leaving moment.
However, we are very pleased to have recruited two new very promising
and enthusiastic teachers: Justin Gomersall for Red class and Charlotte Smee
for Green class. We wish them a happy
and satisfying future with us. Sandie
Standen served us very well coming in to teach Red class alongside Steve
McTegart. Taking on such committed
teaching duties, alongside headship ones, makes for an overly busy lifestyle.
The responsibilities undertaken by
staff and governors have been the subject of more than one government
initiative recently. Staff and
governors alike are grappling with topics such as workforce reform, which we
welcome in the sense that it seeks to achieve a better work / life balance for
staff.
The news on the premises front is also
good. Having started the year with a brand new conservatory, there has been a
lot of effort (much of it voluntary) put in to improve many other areas. Amongst others, you might have noticed: new
access path, new sandpit, retiling, relocated (new) shed, improved foundation
play area, newly marked playground and the reopening of items of play equipment
once we had installed new safety surfacing.
The latter item was a costly but necessary one.
There have been some excellent
initiatives regarding healthy eating.
As well as securing free fruit and vegetables for children of Yellow and
Green classes, we have been delighted to arrange for a vastly improved source
of school dinners from the Crooked Billet.
Although starting only in the new academic year, it is looking as if it
will be a very popular venture.
Since Capita were not able to supply us
with bursars for long term commitment, we have dispensed with their services
and found ourselves a new bursar: Derek Hepburn. Our finances are in good shape - no mean achievement.
With success comes growth and we are
seeing a period of expansion, projected to extend over the next couple of
years. Much planning is going into
satisfying this growth to optimize use of staff and buildings. We anticipate installing an additional
building. There is more work to be done
before final plans can be announced.
As ever, our supportive parents have
been hard working through the 'Friends of Stoke Row School' (FOSRS)
organisation. Events such as “Stars at
the Well” and the end of year barbecue went down very well. However, not all of it was for our own
needs: the school raised hundreds of pounds for the Tsunami appeal.
Finally, I should like to explain that
this will be the last report to parents in this format. From the academic year 2005/06 onwards,
governing bodies are no longer required to hold an annual parents’ meeting, nor
produce a governors’ annual report. Instead, we will be required to complete a
school profile every year. This will be an online system with all the data for
the school already provided. So you
should readily be able to see the key information.
We look forward to another happy and
successful year for staff, pupils, governors and parents alike.
Rita
Gregory, Chair of Governors