Prist bank Road
Kildwick
BD20 9BH
Governing Board update: September 2024
The first governing board meeting of the new academic year took place on Wednesday 18 September, in school.
Immediately before the meeting governors had a presentation on Google Classroom from Mr Horton with a view to governors using a ‘Governor’s Classroom’ - allowing governors to share and comment on documentation, in a variety of formats, including government, local authority and diocese circulars.
My thanks to Mr Horton for his time and support - the ’Governor’s Classroom’ approach should help both governing board effectiveness and time management.
The meeting itself, a full governing board meeting, was largely procedural in nature establishing mechanisms for the academic year.
Committee structures and key governor roles, including safeguarding, special educational needs, early-years and curriculum links were agreed.
Arrangements for the curriculum committee and finance and resources committee were agreed - Jane Hall, Foundation Governor, will chair the curriculum committee, and Cameron Quinn, Co-opted Governor, the finance and resource committee. Both committees have delegated responsibilities, feeding into the termly full governing board meetings.
The first scheduled curriculum committee meeting is the 9 October and the first finance and resource committee is the 19 November - information on the work of the two committees will be shared as usual through newsletter updates and meeting minutes.
I hope that we will be able to include the children in one of the curriculum meetings.
Governors then approved the minutes, and reviewed agreed actions, of the May 2024 budget meeting and the July full governing board meeting - these can be found on the school website, along with previous meeting minutes.
Governors then heard a brief update from Mr Whitehead on the first few days of the school term. Everyone is safe, settling back into routines and attendance is good.
Governors then agreed Year 3 of the current school strategic plan, focused around the school vision, Learning to Live, Living to Love, Loving to Learn, drawn up in the summer term - information on this was previously circulated in July and can also be seen on the school website.
My thanks to everyone involved for their ongoing contributions to the strategic plan.
Governors then had a brief safeguarding update - all governors had revisited key safeguarding documentation in advance of the meeting.
Governors then approved: the Child Protection Policy, reflecting best practice and the latest government guidance; the Use of Children’s Images policy; the complaints policies; and the latest Home School Agreement.
Governors also discussed the draft Attendance Policy, in the context of updated government guidance to schools - attendance at school is extremely important and Mr Whitehead is looking to ensure the policy is clear on both responsibilities and the support available.
You will be aware that we are currently recruiting a parent governor - parent governors bring an important dimension to the work of the governing board; please feel free to discuss this with Mr Whitehead or any of the governors.
Information on the work of the governing board can be seen on the school website at www.kildwickceschool.org.uk
I am also happy to discuss school governance and can be contacted at [email protected] - organisational and educational matters should be addressed to Mr Whitehead and the staff team.
John Perry
Chair of Governors
September 2024