Governing Body

• Letter from Chair of Governors
• Meet the Governors
• The Parent Governors Newsletters  No.4, No.3, No.2, No.1
• Election Results

 

"Governance is good. Governors have significantly improved their strategic role and appropriately hold the school to account. Well-chosen and carefully planned improvements are having an impact on all aspects of the school’s work.” Ofsted Report, June 2008

“Governors support and monitor the school effectively, and promote a strong partnership with parents.” Ofsted Report, June 2008

The effectiveness of the Governing Body at South Norwood Primary has improved significantly, as reflected in our Ofsted Inspection in June 2008. It is a very proactive and positive time for the Governing Body, as we continue to work closely with the school to provide the very best learning experience possible for the children at the school.

WHAT IS A GOVERNING BODY?
Every school has a governing body made up of a team of volunteers both from within the school community and the outside community. The governing body focuses on the long-term development and improvement of the school and has collective responsibility for decisions made relating to spending the school’s budget. It provides a visible form of accountability for the Headteacher and staff for the standards which the children achieve and the quality of education.

• At South Norwood Primary, the governing body comprises 16 members:
• 3 Community Governors elected to provide a link between the school and the local community;
• 3 LEA Governors appointed by the Local Authority;
• 5 Parent Governors elected by parents and carers of children at the school; and
• 5 Staff Governors elected by members of staff at the school. The Headteacher is automatically one of the staff governors.

At the beginning of the first meeting of the Autumn term, one governor is elected as Chair and one as Vice-Chair. The Governing Body is also supported by a trained Clerk who takes minutes and provides advice and support.

If you are interested in becoming a Governor, please e.mail the school, for my attention and I shall respond to your enquiry.

Mrs Susan Takwani
Chair of Governors

 

GOVERNING BODY OF SOUTH NORWOOD PRIMARY SCHOOL

 

Chair of Governors	Mrs S Takwani
Headteacher	Mrs D Williams
Clerk to the Governors	Mr T Jenkins
Elected by staff of the school	Mrs P Howard-Knight
	Mrs J Stringer
	Mrs E Brock
	vacancy
Elected by the parents of pupils	Mrs C Chambers
attending the school	Mrs K Eliatamby
	Mr T Brechin
	Mrs S Takwani
	Mr A MacIntyre
	Mr N Anson
Community Governors	Ms N Nanji
	vacancy
Elected by the London Borough of Croydon	Ms T Shine
	Mrs B McCraw
	vacancy

 

Why does the school have Governors?

The Government stated in the 1986 Education Act that schools should have volunteer governors to give people the opportunity to become involved in the running of their local school.  The Governors are an integral part of the management structure working closely with staff and parents to ensure that South Norwood is a thriving and successful school.

 

Who are the Governors?

There are four types of Governor: Parent Governors; Teacher Governors; Council appointed Governors and Co-opted Governors from the local community.  The Headteacher is also a Governor.  All Governors share a common interest in, and a commitment to, the school, the staff, the children and the education they receive.  They meet at least four times a year but a lot of work is carried out in various committees.

 

What do the Governors do?

The Governing Body has responsibility for:

• content of the curriculum;

• deciding the aims and curriculum policy of the school;

• the care, health & safety of the children;

• ensuring good maintenance of the school building and grounds;

• allocating the school budget.

 

NEWSLETTER 4

March 2008

Dear Parents and Carers

PARENT GOVERNORS’ NEWSLETTER NO. 4

A year has now passed since the Ofsted Inspection and through these newsletters we have tried to keep you better informed of developments in whole school improvement. HMI visited the school in November to monitor progress. We were extremely pleased that the school was judged to be making satisfactory progress in addressing the issues for improvement and in raising the pupils’ achievement. Parents and carers all received a copy of this letter and it was posted on the Ofsted website. We now await the next visit from the Ofsted Inspection team which should take place within the next few months and will hopefully take the school out of Notice to Improve.

As we have emphasised in previous newsletters, improvements are being made to all aspects of school life at South Norwood Primary. In this newsletter, we would like to focus your attention on the number of lunchtime and after-school activities which our children now have access to on a daily basis

Day	Time	Year Group	Activity
Mon	3.15 - 4.15	Yr 1	Fitfun
Mon	12.30 – 1.00	Yr 1 – Yr 5	Games Club
Mon	3.15 – 4.00	All – please come along	Family Library Session in the Lobster Library
Tues	3.20 – 4.20	Y 2 – Y 6	Steel Pans
Tues	12.30 – 1.00	Y 1 – Yr 5	Games Club
Tues	3.20 – 4.20	Y 5 – Y 6	Netball
Tues	12.30 – 1.00	All	Friendship Club
Tues	3.20 – 4.20	Y 3 – Y 6	Drama
Wed	3.20 – 4.30	Y 3 – Y 6	Danzefusion
Wed	12.30 – 1.00	Y 1 – Y 5	Games Club
Thurs	12.30 – 1.00	All	Friendship Club
Thurs	3.15 – 4.15	Y 2	Multisport
Thurs	3.20 – 4.20	Y 6	Magic Maths Booster Club
Fri	3.20 – 4.20	Y 5 – Y 6	Football Club
Every lunchtime:  sports coaches supervise a range of sports in each playground.

Reception and Year 1 parents and carers are able to attend Earlybirds which takes place every morning (except rainy days) from 9.10 – 9.30 am. This gives parents the opportunity to relax and share a learning activity with their child. It’s well worth it, even if you can only manage one morning a week.

If you’d like further information about any of the above, please contact the office or your child’s teacher. Steel Pans, Drama and Danzefusion are not free of charge as they are run by outside providers.

 

NEWSLETTER 3

September 2007

Dear Parents and Carers

PARENT GOVERNORS’ NEWSLETTER NO. 3

Welcome back to the start of a new academic year. We hope that you have all enjoyed a restful (as far as possible) break over the summer and that the children were looking forward to seeing their classmates again.

This first letter of the Autumn Term is also an introduction to the parents of Reception children who are just starting. Some of these parents have older children already at the school but for others, it is a completely new experience. It’s never easy for parents when our children start Reception and we are usually filled with mixed emotions. We feel pride when we see how grown-up they look in their uniform but also a bit sad that they’re not so ‘little’ anymore. We worry about whether they will be happy and make friends. The staff in the Reception classes understand these concerns and do their utmost to ensure that they provide a happy and caring environment for all children to settle into. If you do wish to speak to a parent governor, our photos are displayed in the notice board in the Junior playground. Sue Takwani currently has a child, Kiran, in Reception.

Parent Governor Vacancies

As Mrs Williams mentioned in her Newsletter of 7 September, we have two parent governor vacancies. As parent governors, we have been elected by you to represent your views on the Governing Body. The Governing Body does not get involved with the day-to-day running of the school. We work as a team with a view to promoting high standards of educational achievement through a variety of ways. As part of whole school improvement, we are working towards ensuring that we have a truly effective Governing Body and we would welcome anyone who is able to show commitment to the role that being a governor involves. Please do not hesitate to approach one of the parent governors for more information if you are thinking of applying.

Thank you for taking the time to read this newsletter and for continuing to support the school in so many ways. It was very encouraging to see so many parents at the Maths Workshop on 11 September – there are many more opportunities coming up for parents to get more involved in their children’s education so please note the diary dates from Mrs Williams’ Newsletter.

Tim Brechin Karen Eliatamby Sue Takwani

 

NEWSLETTER 2

June 2007

Dear Parents and Carers

PARENT GOVERNORS’ NEWSLETTER NO. 2

We have now all had time to reflect following the outcome of the Ofsted Report, which placed us in a “Notice to Improve” category. It is encouraging that, on the whole, the general feeling amongst parents and carers appears to be positive about the future of South Norwood Primary; and it was again a positive sign to see so many parents and carers in attendance at the post Ofsted meetings held on the 14th May.

From the meetings, the questions posed by parents reflected their understandable concern about Ofsted’s evaluation of the quality of teaching and learning at the school. In response, a large part of the Ofsted Action Plan focuses on improving the quality of teaching and establishing consistency in effective learning and teaching practice throughout the school. The long-term effect of this will be to raise pupils’ standards in Literacy and Numeracy and allow all pupils to achieve their full potential. Staff have already embarked on a development programme to update their skills in these subjects.

The Senior Leadership Team, the Governing Body and the Local Authority Inspectors are rigorously monitoring all areas of the Ofsted Action Plan. This will ensure that, not only do we make the necessary improvements by March 2008 but also, that the school sustains this level of progress to become a ‘good’ or even ‘outstanding’ school in the future.

Although, as parents, we do tend to identify school improvement with academic achievement, we mustn’t lose sight of the fact that improving other areas of school life impacts just as much on our children’s education. Improvements in decoration, heating and lighting is important for the working and learning environments of both staff and pupils and this work will continue. Improving attendance and punctuality means that pupils do not miss out on valuable learning opportunities and sets them up with the right attitude in later life.

Your copy of the ‘Guide to School Improvement 2006/2007 and Beyond’, will become a point of reference as we keep you up-to-date with developments.

Finally, you will notice that there are many events planned for this and the Autumn term that will encourage even more parental involvement and they are to include amongst other things, Maths week, morning “open” sessions and parent workshops. By attending these, it will give you a greater insight into school life. Thursday 7th June saw the launch of the newly set up ‘Learning Links’ club run by Mr Nunes and Ms Banfield. Its aim is to provide support for children with all aspects of their homework. Please make use of this invaluable resource if you can. Thank you for taking the time to read this newsletter and please speak to any of us if you need any further information or have any suggestions for future newsletters. Our photos are now on display in the notice board.

 

NEWSLETTER 1

May 2007

Dear Parents and Carers

WELCOME TO THE FIRST PARENT GOVERNORS’ NEWSLETTER!

As parent governors, we have been elected by you as your representatives on the Governing Body. In the past, however, there has been little contact between parents and parent governors and most of you probably don’t even know who we are! As part of whole school improvement, we will be raising the profile of the parent governors, making it easier for you to approach us with any general concerns you may wish to take to the Governing Body. Our names and photos will be displayed on the notice board in the playground near the office and we will be writing to you on a termly basis to update you on school improvement and any other points of interest.

Ofsted Inspection

As a parent, a great deal of thought goes into your choice of school because you want the best education for your child. It is, therefore, disheartening when the school you have put your faith in, receives an unfavourable Ofsted report. As parents, we felt the same feelings of disappointment but the information we now have as governors, makes us feel more positive about the future of South Norwood Primary. The Ofsted report does reveal a decline in the standard of education over the last few years. Mrs Williams had already identified the areas of concern, following her arrival as Head Teacher in September, and had addressed them in the School Development Plan. Unfortunately, and even the Ofsted Inspectors admitted this, the inspection came about 6 months too early. If the inspection had taken place later in the year, they would have had some positive results to base their report upon. The Governing Body was actually congratulated on appointing such a good Head Teacher and it was pointed out to us that if we hadn’t made the appointment, the outcome of the inspection would have been worse. We have already seen the introduction of so many exciting new initiatives since Mrs Williams’ arrival and the Inspectors acknowledged the fact that, under her leadership, the school is very capable of improvement.

However, Mrs Williams is not expected to do this alone. Whole school improvement means whole school effort. A committed team of staff and governors working together to raise the standard of teaching and learning to the levels that we, as parents, expect. The coming year is going to mean a lot of hard work and it wouldn’t be possible without the continued support of parents. We are confident that South Norwood Primary will emerge from this difficult time as a school to be proud of.

Tim Brechin Julia Camden Karen Eliatamby Jean Paul Sue Takwani

 

November 2007

Dear Parents and Carers

PARENT GOVERNOR ELECTION RESULTS

We received two nominations for the two parent governor vacancies which means that we do not need to hold a ballot. We are, therefore, pleased to announce that Andrew MacIntyre and Neil Anson join myself, Tim Brechin and Karen Eliatamby as Parent Governors.

Their personal statements, which you will find below, demonstrate their commitment to the development of the school and their suitability to represent you on the Governing Body.

Andy MacIntyre: “My two sons, Patrick and Stuart, attend South Norwood Primary School in Year 2 and Reception respectively. I wish to be considered as a parent governor because I believe that the success of our school is wholly dependent on the active involvement of the parents and children who belong to it. My job as Quality Manager at a scientific information provider based in central London means that I have strong experience of understanding how an organisation is performing and how to improve that performance. I believe this to be central to the role of parent governor. I believe in sending my children to their local school so that they become part of the community and that school should also offer the best possible educational standards.”

Neil Anson: “I have been a parent of children at South Norwood Primary School since September 2000 with my oldest son, Joe, moving on to Ashburton at the beginning of this term. My younger son, Stan, is in Year 1. Both of my children have special needs and both have benefited a lot from the support they have received at South Norwood. It is because of this that I want to give something back to the school by acting as a parent governor. I think it is very important that the school receives support from the community and that parents can have an input in to the way the school is run to the benefit of all children.”

Andy and Neil will receive training and support from both the school and the Local Authority to help them become effective governors. We are extremely grateful to them for being willing to give up their time and be part of a whole school team committed to raising standards to the level which you, as parents, expect.

Sue Takwani

Chair of Governors