What have Governors done this year (2025)?

 

The Chair of the Governing Body (GB), David Borland, writes:

The Governors have continued to support the Senior Leadership Team (SLT) and all the staff in giving priority to behaviour, safeguarding, attendance, quality teaching, inclusion, pupil progress and achievement across the entire spectrum of a bespoke and creative curriculum.

Work the Governing Body (GB) has undertaken includes:

·         Continuing to support a clear faith and community school vision based on Proverbs Chap 22 v 6. The Whalley Way recognises that we are all on a journey starting with the culture and ethos to ensure that this is an inclusive school providing equality of opportunity for all its pupils and staff. The recent Statutory Inspection of Faith Schools confirmed that Whalley CE Primary School is enabling pupils and adults to flourish within a loving and caring environment

·         Continuing to identify and promote training needs to ensure that governors are upskilled and aware of new initiatives both at local and national level. The use of the Governor Hub computer system facilitates this.

·         Ensuring accountability by asking parents/guardians to complete a questionnaire so to allow governors to understand what parents consider to be the strength and weaknesses of our school and to respond in a positive manner.

·         Holding the SLT to account for educational performance and ensuring the management of staff performance as well as contributing to school self-evaluation.

·         Maintaining a school fit for purpose and providing staff with professional development opportunities, in particular, mindfulness, inclusiveness and wellbeing support.    

·         Encouraging specialised training in supporting the increasing number of pupils with additional needs, for example, in the field of autism, ADHD and pathological demand avoidance (PDA)    

·         Maintaining a Safeguarding and Child Protection Policy fit for purpose and keeping abreast of online filtering and monitoring with follow up procedures in place. Ensuring that governors keep up to date with the annual DoE publication Keeping Children Safe in Education (KCSIE)

·         Receiving a HT report regarding the small number of suspensions and discussing appropriate action as to what works to achieve a zero target. 

·         Monitoring attendance currently at 96.3% (National rate 94.8%) and following DoE advice in refusing holiday requests and sadly administering fines if necessary

·         Monitoring the school website: www.whalleyprimary.co.uk to ensure that it is informative and Ofsted compliant.

·         Considering with the Headteacher (HT) the recent Staff Questionnaire to ensure that we celebrate what we do well together and what we can do better.

·         Working closely with our professional clerk to ensure that meetings are timely and effective.

·         Continuing to have oversight of the financial situation to avoid setting a deficit budget in a challenging scenario even though a full intake of 45 pupils joined the school this year.

·         Continuing to receive in depth termly reports from the Headteacher as we monitor the School Development Plan prioritising Teaching and Learning and the Progress/Achievement of all pupils. 

·         Reviewing the nominated governor role covering various specialist areas

·         Monitoring the various improvement and repair projects, for example, the school foyer 

·         Attending virtual Chairs’ Forum, run by Lancashire, to keep up to date with current affairs.

·         Setting and measuring performance objectives for Mr Blackburn during the HT appraisal.  

 

The GB welcomed two Foundation (Church) Governors, Mrs Vikki Hall (new appointment) and Mrs Maria Ellel who was previously the LEA appointment. Mr Joseph Yates accepted the position vacated by Mrs Maria Ellel. There are presently no vacancies which is increasingly at odds with the national picture.  

As part of their commitment to the school the Governors do not claim out of pocket expenses and register with the Lancashire Education Authority to benefit from the various training courses, via the Service Level Agreement, at a competitive cost. This is overseen by our Training Governor