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Monday 29 September 2014

Blog Exclusive: The Parent Governor Interview

We currently have two Parent Governor vacancies on the Board of Governors. In this interview I chat to current Parent Governor Joanne Russell about the challenges and rewards of governance. 


GD: Hi Joanne, please tell us a little about yourself:

JR: I am self-employed running a small beauty business from my home. I have 3 sons, the older 2 attended Matravers a few years ago and my youngest has just started Year 9.

GD: What made you want to become a governor, and when did you join the board?

JR: I joined Matravers Governors as a Parent Governor in June 2013. Since my youngest son had joined Matravers there had been a lot of changes and I knew, with a new Head Teacher starting there would be a lot more. I’d had many conversations with friends and other parents and generally we all seemed to be discussing the same subjects. A letter was sent out asking for Governors and I decided that this would be a good opportunity for me to understand and discuss issues and be a voice for other parents.

GD: What is the role of the Board of Governors?

JR: The Board of Governors takes responsibility for the conduct of the school. It promotes high standards of educational achievement in order to ensure that every student exceeds their potential. Our ambition is for Matravers School to become a world class education facility at the heart of the Westbury area community for students aged 11-18. In addition the board has legal ownership of the school site (land and buildings) and acts as the employer of school staff.

The Core Functions of Governance are:
  • Ensuring clarity of vision, ethos and strategic direction
  • Holding the headteacher to account for the educational performance of the school and its pupils
  • Overseeing the financial performance of the school and making sure its money is well spent.
That may sound very daunting but this is done as a team and we work together.

GD: What have you found most challenging about governance?

JR: For me, the most challenging thing about Governance is understanding data! I am getting there but it does not come naturally!

GD: What have you found most rewarding about governance?

JR: Before becoming a governor I didn’t really understand what the role of the Governing Board was, I have a good understanding now, but more importantly I’ve learned that they are a group of ‘ordinary’ people who care passionately about the success of Matravers and the children that attend it.

GD: What skills have you learned from being a governor that have helped you in other areas of your life?

JR: I now have a broader view of the education system and some of the challenges faced with running a school, I was probably quite narrow minded with my views on certain issues prior to becoming a Governor.

GD: How does being a parent impact on your approach to governance?

JR: I think being a Governor and having a child that currently attends Matravers is a great benefit. I am listening to feedback from my child regarding things that are going on at the school, I have the benefit of talking to other parents and being able to feedback not only concerns but also positivity to the Governing Board.

GD: What would you say to encourage other parents join the Governing Board?

JR: There is often a lot of talk between parents and also in the community about Matravers, people are often very passionate with their views whether they are positive or negative. Put this passion to good use and consider being a Governor and joining the Governing Board, where issues can be dealt with constructively.

GD: Thanks for that, Joanne. For more information on becoming Parent Governor and how to apply see the Governor page of the school website, here

Monday 15 September 2014

Education for life

Right then, devoted readers. You no doubt will have spent so long poring over our shiny brand new Statement of Vision and Values that every last syllable has been indelibly printed the bits of your brain devoted to memorising stuff.  Am I right? OK then, I'm going to test you. What was the last 'value' on our list? Think hard now. Got it? 

Of course you did. We want our students to be characterised by dynamism. That English word is derived from the Greek δύναμις or dunamis to transliterate, meaning power. Now, power could simply be construed as the ability to bend others to your will; 'might is right'. That's diabolical dynamism and is not something we're overly keen to promote. Rather, as one of our key values, dynamism is defined as,
Ensuring that our students grow and develop into well-rounded, reflective individuals with a strong sense of moral purpose. By doing so we encourage them to contribute positively to the world in which we live.
High minded talk of 'moral purpose' may seem a little old fashioned. Quaint even. Could have been written by a Vicar or something. But a number of recent studies have highlighted the importance of education as an exercise in character formation. Students don't simply need to learn English, Maths, History, Physics, Dance, Drama, or whatever so they can pass their exams. According to a report commissioned by the CBI, schools also need to teach character to children and be judged on their success in doing that by Ofsted. 
Speaking in an interview with The Times to mark the launch of the report John Cridland, director-general of the CBI argued that schools should teach pupils resilience [also one of our values] and how to be “rounded and grounded”. Any school failing to do that should not be rated Outstanding, he said, even if it achieved great results. Cridland went on to spell out what he meant by 'character', 
I mean resilience, humility, emotional intelligence, team spirit, someone who will go the extra mile... Some young people are surprised by the workplace. This generation is the most streetwise there has ever been . . . so how can they be the least ready for the world of work? There’s a disconnect between the workplace and what they think it looks like — it is more informal and a collective team effort than they realise.
It seems that Ofsted head honcho, Sir Michael Wilshaw agrees saying,
Too many teenagers leave school without having learnt how to dress smartly, speak politely, and turn up for work on time [and that] young people were not well enough prepared for work, contributing to high levels of youth unemployment. The Times [paywall protected]. 
Our rigorous approach to matters such as school uniform and punctuality is designed to ready our students for the disciplines of working life. Of course we want to teach our pupils the knowledge and skills they need to succeed academically. But that is not enough on its own. We will also endeavor to inculcate key character-forming values and virtues that will help shape our students into 'rounded and grounded' individuals with a strong sense of moral purpose. That's because at Matravers we believe that education is not just for school, but for life. 

Monday 8 September 2014

The Vision Thing



Before I say anything else I should congratulate students on their exam results and thank staff for all the hard work they put in during the course of the previous academic year. Welcome to new students who have just started with us and welcome back to all who have returned after the summer break. On behalf of the governors I wish you every success in 2014/15 academic year. As we stand at the threshold of a new school year I thought now might be a good time to reflect on the Board of Governors' vision for Matravers School. 

George Bush senior was famously dismissive of what he called, 'the vision thing'. He was a detail rather than big picture man and had little time for high faluting visionary ideas. There's something to be said for such a down to earth, practical approach to power. But without a clear view of future prospects, strategies designed to make visions a reality become little more than tactical responses to everyday events. Organisations can easily get blow off course by every puff of wind if they don't have a very definite sense of where they are going. That's why 'the vision thing' is so important for a school.  
At a recent meeting of the Full Governing Board we reviewed and refreshed the school's Statement of Vision and Values. The statement sets out the direction of travel for the school. Our strategic 'route map' will help ensure that we get there. The role of governors is to set the vision of the school and hold the head and senior leaders to account to make sure we are not going off course. 

Vision

Our vision is for Matravers School to be a world-class centre for teaching and learning at the heart of the Westbury community. Achieving this involves ensuring that every Matravers student exceeds their potential in all aspects of their education. We will provide the outstanding teaching, learning and leadership needed to fulfil this goal. Our outreach and support of others ensures that we are working at the cutting-edge of education as a system leader
Values 
Our values are embedded in all that we do at Matravers School. We believe they reflect our approach to ensuring that our students receive the most fulfilling and rewarding education possible.
Resilience We equip our students with high quality core skills and the aptitudes to use them in order that they become independent enquirers team workers; effective participants; self-managers; reflective learners; and creative thinkers. Our inspiring teaching and learning empowers our students to meet any challenge with confidence and succeed in life.
Creativity We embed confidence and self-belief within our students by inspiring a passion for learning which extends to every member of the community. Students strive for excellence; teachers, support staff and the wider community continually enhance a flexible repertoire of skills in order to enable students to exceed expectations..
Ambition We enable our students to realise that anything is possible. There are no ceilings or limits to our aspirations.  We embrace an atmosphere of success across the whole school, which is publicly recognised and celebrated.
Happiness We recognise that every student is an individual. We care greatly for each pupil, providing them with the support and guidance they need to be fulfilled and happy.
Success We empower our students to raise their aspirations towards excellence. We ensure this happens by setting challenging targets and rigorously monitoring progress towards them.  Through our home/school partnership we engage parents in the learning success of their children.
Dynamism We ensure that our students grow and develop into well-rounded, reflective individuals with a strong sense of moral purpose. By doing so we encourage them to contribute positively to the world in which we live.