Pages

Monday 21 July 2014

A cure for the summertime blues

Embedded image permalink
Big Picnic
Governors, eh? One minute we're painted as little more than well-meaning dolers out of sherry and cake at the school fĂȘte. The next we're dangerous subversives, bent on re-enacting the siege of Troy, only in Birmingham. Trojan horses and all that. It's enough to bring on a fit of the summertime blues for us poor, put-upon govs. 

Just to reassure worried parents, Matravers governors would never get caught up in any of that sherry and cake malarkey. No way. And we don't even have a school fĂȘte. As for Trojan horses, I was never much cop at woodwork. Besides, the siege of Troy didn't exactly end well for Achilles, did it? What with his dodgy heel and all that. Naah. We'll just have to settle for giving the school strategic leadership and accountability. That'll keep us busy enough.

Not that it's all high powered meetings, data crunching and target setting. The role does have some perks. On Thursday evening my wife and I attended the Matravers Sports Presentation Evening. What an amazing array of sporting talents we have hidden away in the school. It was great to see our top class gymnasts, athletes, footballers, netballers, bowls players and much more receive awards at the event. A special 'Well Done' to hammer thrower Elly Webb for winning the Sports Personalty of the Year!

And then on Friday (it's all go), we attended the Big Picnic. Good food. Banging tunes. Sumo suit wrestling. Didn't try that. Face painting. Didn't try that either. Queue was too big. But it was thrilling to see the school at its chilled-out (with the help of lots of ice lollies), yet vibrant best. A great cure for the summertime blues. 

Now the final term of 2013/14 is almost over. We've seen a lot of changes in the school since Dr. Riding took the helm in September. Changes for the better, I trust. Here's hoping that all the hard work of students and staff pays off come the exam results in August. Onwards and upwards. 

In the autumn we'll be publishing our first Board of Governors Report to Stakeholders (2013/14), setting out the key actions of the board and charting their impact on the school. If you can't wait for that eagerly anticipated blockbuster, don't forget my reading challenge for the hols. 

Have a great summer break! 

Monday 7 July 2014

On creating 'a thirst for knowledge and a love of learning'




The words in quotation marks in the title of this post are taken from the Ofsted School Inspection Handbook. They form part of the Grade Description for Outstanding Behaviour & Safety of Pupils. If a school is to be rated Outstanding it isn't enough that students are compliant and well behaved. Inspectors will look for evidence that a school has awakened 'a thirst for knowledge and a love of learning' in its pupils. That's what we're aiming for at Matravers. 

But, like charity, 'a thirst for knowledge and a love of learning' begins at home. If parents are lifelong learners, we can help instil the same attitude in our children. That's why I'm setting parents and carers a 'Chair's Challenge' for the summer hols. My challenge is that parents should either buy or borrow a book from the library to read during summer break. When school returns I invite you to submit a 300 word review, explaining why you chose the book, what you liked about it, how it could have been better, and whether you would recommend it to others.  

Email a copy of your review to the school (here) and mark it for the attention of the Chair of Governors. I'll publish a selection of reviews on this blog in the new academic year. Only books suitable for a mention on a school-related website will be considered. You never know, your reading suggestions may prompt others to dip into your favourite author. A love of learning can be infectious. My big summer read will be Ten Cities that Made an Empire, by Tristram Hunt, Allen Lane, 2014. I'll let you know how I got on in September.