Governor Visit Day: Term 4

It was a case of 'back to school' for the governors last Tuesday for one of our twice-yearly Visit Days. While we access a wealth of data and information about the school in our governor meetings, there is no substitute for spending time in school, visiting lessons and speaking to students. 

It was great to see students engaging so well with their studies. Their behaviour around the school was exemplary. We were grateful to the teachers who kindly received us into their classrooms. Sitting in on a Year 10 assembly helped the governors see how high expectations of conduct and commitment are promoted to students. 

The focus of the visit was on the curriculum. We wanted to see whether Key Stage 3 students were stimulated and stretched by the range of lessons on offer. The students to whom we spoke appreciated the breadth of the curriculum at Matravers. They especially enjoyed arts subjects. The Year 9 students on our panel had evidently given thought to their future career choices, which helped inform their  GCSE options. 

It was reassuring to hear that the students felt safe and cared for in school, and were aware that they can always talk to members of staff should they have any problems. The students said they felt proud to be members of the Matravers community and were happy that they had come to our school. They appreciated recent investments in the school’s facilities and resources. Particularly the resurfaced tennis courts and new style exercise books. The latter were a real aid to learning. All the governors were impressed by the students’ polite attitude and the spirited and thoughtful answers they gave to our questions.

The visit concluded with an excellent lunch at the school canteen. We didn't just come in for the food, though. Honest. 

Governor Visit Days

Last Wednesday governors conducted their first Visit Day of the academic year. Each governor is allocated a 'link' either to a subject or department of the school. Governors appreciated having an opportunity to talk to staff about progress that is being made the areas to which they are linked. 

Colleagues also enjoyed visiting lessons and were pleased with the positive behaviour for learning that they witnessed. I visited History and PE lessons, which were very different (not so much jumping through hoops in History), but both great. The History lesson was about the religious causes of the English Civil War. While I'm no historian I've studied that period a little and and it took great self control on my part not to keep putting my hand up and saying, 'Please Miss...' in answer to questions posed by the teacher. I was content simply to watch PE students enjoying themselves jumping through hoops, though. Thanks to hardworking members of staff for taking the time to meet with governors and for welcoming us into their lessons. 

We especially valued having the opportunity to speak with panels of students from all Key Stages about some of the changes that have been introduced at Matravers since September. It was good to hear their views, which were expressed in such a spirited, frank and thoughtful way. They had many positive things to say about the school, which was encouraging. We are grateful to our exceptional students for giving us their own unique perspective on the school.

We will reflect on feedback from the Visit Day at the Full Governors’ Board meeting on 9^th December. We will be discussing what we learned from conversations with staff and students in our forthcoming committee meetings.

The governing board is grateful to everyone who made the Visit Day such an enjoyable and informative experience for all who took part. 

Governor Visit Day 2

It was back to school for members of the Board of Governors on Wednesday for the second Visit Day of this academic year. Last time we concentrated on visiting lessons so we could gauge our students' behaviour for learning. And very good it was too. This time we wanted to spend more time speaking to students themselves about how they are getting on at Matravers. 

I'm linked to the Humanities Super Faculty (well, the History, Geography and Religious Studies bits) and spoke to a lively panel of  students from Years 7-10. They were full of opinions on what they liked and disliked about Matravers and what the governors should do to make things better. I was pleased to note that all were aware of their target grades and what they needed to do to achieve them. They thought that  lessons were enjoyable and thought-provoking, and that behaviour in the school was pretty good. There was an almost universal demand for more trips.

A report containing the findings of all Student Voice Q&As will be considered by our Every Child Matters committee. We will listen carefully to what pupils had to say and try to ensure that their concerns are addressed. Speaking to fellow governors at the end of the day, we were all deeply impressed by our students and their articulate, thoughtful and honest contributions to the discussion times. We want to make sure that Matravers offers them a top class education that is driven by strong values and results in the best possible academic achievements for every pupil. How could we settle for anything less?

We also sampled some lessons, which was very enjoyable and informative. It was strictly board, chalk and talk when I was in school. No interactive white boards back then. No computers as far as I recall. How things have changed. In one lesson I was fascinated to see students using a clicky thing (possibly not the right technical term) to take part in a History Quiz. I'm not revealing how many answers I would have got right had they let me loose with a clicky thing of my own. Probably for the best that they didn't. Would have been wrong of me to have showed off. 'Yeah, right.' I hear you say. How would you have done (see here)?

Governors were made to feel very welcome by staff and students. Students said they liked having an opportunity to speak with us about their views on the school. They even requested that we visit more often. As Arnie might say, 'We'll be back.'  

That was the term that was

As I was saying, back last term we had a Governor Visit Day. Sitting in lessons it struck me how much things have changed since I was in secondary school in the 1970/80s. Chalky Blackboards are now snazzy interactive Whiteboards. Students are spared the soul destroying drudgery of taking down dictated notes. Rather, they are encouraged to play an active role in their own learning. In my day it seemed you could get 1000 lines for saying, 'Please sir, my pen's run out.' But nowadays participation is positively welcomed. Thoughtful contributions can earn you a House Point or two. Why, I didn't witness even one teacher throw a well-aimed board rubber at a daydreaming student. Aren't teachers shown how to do that in PGCE courses any more? Anyway, Governors were impressed by what they witnessed as they visited classrooms and talked to students about their educational progress. Behaviour for learning was overwhelmingly good and students seemed to be enjoying their lessons, which was great to see.

Apart from that, highlight of the term for me was this year's school production, The Wizard of Oz. The wife and I attended Thursday's packed-out show. It was a lively affair with well acted performances, note perfect singing and a good dose of slapstick humour. The costumes, choreography and staging were a credit to all involved. The greenfaced, cackling Wicked Witch of the West was scary, though. And the flying monkeys freaked me out a bit. But I tried to be brave. While watching I started to reflect on which of the principal characters I identified with most. I don't posses a pair of shiny red slippers (honest) and you wouldn't want to hear me singing 'Over the Rainbow', so that's Dorothy out.  Scarecrow had no brain, Tin Man no heart and Lion no courage. Too close to call.

At the last meeting of the Full Governing Body, amongst other things we decided to 'reconstitute'. That may sound rather painful, but it simply means that we now have more of one kind of governor (Co-opted) and less of others (various). Reconstituting will give us a little more discretion when it comes to appointing new members of the Governing Body. We also welcomed a new Parent Governor and appointed people to fill vacant Partnership and Co-opted roles. Term 3  being midway through the academic year we revisited our goals for strengthening governance and reviewed our targets for school improvement. That left us reconstituted, reinvigorated and refocussed. There is some debate as to whether the route to Outstanding is a green or yellow brick road, but whatever the colour, we're determined to follow it. 

Governor Visit Day

It's evening now and an eerie silence has descended upon the school. No sound of teachers teaching or students talking wafts down the empty corridors. You can hear no patter of dancing feet beating rhythmically to music. The playing fields are in darkness. No shouts of 'pass the ball' or 'goal!' pierce the night air. It's a school building, but the school has left the building as staff and students head for home after another day's learning. 

But the building is not altogether deserted. It's 7pm on a Tuesday evening. The governors assemble for a meeting. Targets are set and monitored, data is crunched, budgets scrutinised, questions asked, answers given. Information about the school is carefully analysed, but that's not the same as seeing the school in action.

That's why we've arranged a Governor Visit Day for 29th January. Governors will come into school to meet Faculty and Subject leaders, sit in on lessons and speak to students about their learning experiences. We'll especially be looking out for three things: 

1) Students’ behaviour for learning and school ethos

That doesn't simply mean that students are behaving themselves, although we certainly hope they are. Good behaviour for learning means that students are active and engaged learners, who are motivated to do well for themselves and considerate towards others. 

2)   Are Students are meeting the targets set for them?

Students are set targets in accordance with their ability levels. Pupils should know what they are, what they need to do to achieve them, and whether they are on track to do so. Discussing targets with students will help governors discover whether they themselves feel that they fulfilling their educational potential. But more than talking about targets, we also want to find out what students enjoy about Matravers, and what they don't. 

3)   Are the resources used fit for purpose? 

Under this heading governors will note the quality of learning resources and consider whether they are appropriate for the lesson. Plus we'll be looking at the state of the school buildings. 

Information gleaned from the Visit Day will help enrich governors' understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of the school. That in turn will bolster our ability to offer strong strategic leadership and accountability. The school may be a little noisier than we're used to, but I for one am looking forward to it, as are the other governors who'll be taking part.

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