Priest Bank Road
Kildwick
BD20 9BH
Governing Board update: July 2023
The Summer Term Full Governing Board meeting took place Monday 10 July 2023, in school.
The meeting focused around the school vision: Learning to Live, Living to Love, Loving to Learn.
Minutes of the 11 May 2023 Finance and Resource meeting and the 21 June 2023 Strategy meeting were approved. These will be put on the school website.
It is aimed to complete work on Year 2 of the 2022-2025 strategy plan for the September 2023 Governing Board business meeting.
Governors discussed the July 2023 Headteachers Report with Mr Whitehead, including: special educational needs and disability; diversity; staffing; attendance and persistent absence; access to extracurricular activities; early-learning goals; and more broadly attainment.
Governors remain very confident that the school continues to provide a high quality education for all children.
Governors are really pleased to see that so many children access extracurricular activities and that the staff team ensures these activities are available for all children.
Mr Whitehead and the staff team were thanked for their hard work throughout the year despite the significant pressures facing schools across the country. Mr Whitehead was thanked for the Headteacher’s Report.
Governors noted the May 2023 budget monitoring report.
Governors remain confident that the budget has been well managed with a focus on ensuring high quality education for all children - the budget is nevertheless extremely tight and will require continued careful management throughout the financial year.
Governors then looked at safeguarding, discussing the May 2023 governor safeguarding monitoring visit, the safeguarding audit action plan and the meeting digital standards report.
Governors are reassured that safeguarding remains a key priority for the school - completed actions from the safeguarding audit have further strengthened school processes. Additionally the online safety audit, completed by Mr Horton, positively benchmarks the school’s response to all areas of online safety.
Governors are nevertheless not complacent and will continue to closely monitor safeguarding. A whole staff team update on cyber security is planned for September 2023.
Governors next looked at the school website review and action plan - amongst all the other tasks Mr Whitehead is working on he is looking to continue to ensure that the website remains up to date and accessible.
Governors then heard about the latest Parent Forum meetings which are an important element of the school’s communication with parents and carers. My thanks to all parents and carers who have joined the sessions - this really helps the governing board.
The Health and Safety review action plan was then reviewed and the identified work discussed. Governors are reassured that work has either taken place or is planned and the highlighted risks managed.
Governors then discussed and agreed the School Uniform policy and, following the recent parent/carer consultation, ratified the PSHE policy.
The meeting was the final governing board meeting of the academic year - I would like to thank: all governors for their time and support through the year; Mr Whitehead for his patience and understanding; and Stephen Dale, the Clerk, for his advice and guidance without which little would have been completed.
Perhaps most importantly the Governing Board would like to thank Geraldine Sands who retires as a Foundation Governor at the end of August. Geraldine has been a governor for a number of years and was previously Chair - she has worked hard to strengthen governance and played a key role in ensuring that Kildwick School continues to thrive at the heart of the local community.
Further information on the work of the governing board can be seen on the school website at: www.kildwickceschool.org.uk
I hope you have a restful and enjoyable summer.
John Perry
Chair of Governors
July 2023