Curriculum and Standards sub committee 28th February

In our committee this afternoon we did what it says on the tin - discussed curriculum, standards, attainment data, policies... We also heard all about the school's response to the recent Ofsted report and the progress we are making. Best of all was the report by Gemma Ayres on her work towards Curriculum 2014. Gemma has responsibility for French, Geography and History. The new history curriculum, with its emphasis on chronology, will provide new challenges for the teachers. We hope to use it as an opportunity to bring history to life, giving the children real historical artefacts to help their understanding of the past. The teaching of French has developed into an adventure for the children of Year Six who will soon be putting their French into practice during their trip to Paris! They have practiced speaking, done puzzles and games on their computers, and now they will climb the Eiffel tower and look at the City of Paris spread beneath them. I hope they are learning some suitable phrases to describe what they see. Maybe they will write some diaries about their experiences.

Posted by Gill Edwards

Great Gaddesden Parish Newsletter

As Governors we are very proud that Great Gaddesden CoE School is firmly rooted in the local community. Every month we publish an article about the school in the local Great Gaddesden Parish Newsletter. This is a great way to let the local community know what brilliant things are going on in their local school. I often get feedback from parishioners about how much they enjoy hearing about the school. They particularly like it when the children write the article, which is something we are trying to do more often.

In February the article focused on the investments in IT and in March the article highlighted some of the wonderful activities that took place during Writing Week.

Past copies of the articles can be found in the 'Letters' section of the school website.

Post by Alison Wilkinson

Governing Body Meeting February 2014

The Governing Body meets six times a year - our last meeting was on Monday 10th February. It was a very productive meeting with lots of discussion about our progress against Ofsted priorities and our plans to invest in IT infrastructure.

Many Governing Bodies only meet once a term, but we believe that we can support the school more effectively by meeting more regularly. We have three main roles:

1. The strategic role, which is about developing a vision and a strategic plan for the school.
2. Our 'Critical Friend' role, and in this role we visit the school to monitor and evaluate the school's work
3. Our Accountability role which is concerned with reporting on progress, meeting statutory requirements and setting policies.

Our next meeting is planned for 24^th March when we will also invite all members of Staff to join us for discussion about the strategic direction of the school. We think it is very powerful for the Governors and the Staff to work together in this way.

 

Post by Alison Wilkinson

 

Current Governing Body

The School Governors have a new blog, in order to keep staff, parents and carers better informed about the work of the Governing Body.

The current governing body is as follows:

Parent Governors – Clare Rudd, Catherine Wilkinson (VICE-CHAIR)
Staff Governors – Nikki Worsley, Ceris Groves
LEA Governor – Gill Edwards
Foundation Governors – Andrzej Gaudyn, Kerry Jones, Ian Steward, Caroline Potts, Abby Pethard, Alison Wilkinson (CHAIR)
Ex Oficio – Revd John Russell

You can contact Alison Wilkinson, our Chair of Governors on the following email:
awilkinson@greatgaddesden.herts.sch.uk