6th May 2011
Dear Parent
Becoming a Parent Governor: Robert Clack School
The governing body of the Robert Clack School has a vacancy for a parent Governor. The governing body works in partnership with the Headteacher to promote continuous improvement in the school’s performance.
Governors are people who wish to make a positive contribution to the school and the education of its children. Parent Governors are elected by their fellow parents. They are important because they keep other governors in touch with the issues which concern the pupils’ parents.
Full Governing Body meetings take place once per term but all governors are encouraged to help the school by involving themselves beyond this minimum commitment. There are many other opportunities for governors to get involved
- Membership of Sub-Committees which monitor Finance, Pupil Discipline and the Curriculum
- Sitting on interview panels for appointment of new staff
- Posts of responsibility for particular areas including Attendance and Child Protection
- Prize giving on presentation evenings
The Local Authority values the voluntary contribution of its school governors, and in return it provides high-quality training, advice and support.
Being a Parent Governor can be enjoyable and rewarding. If you have the enthusiasm to become more closely involved in the running of your child’s school please complete the attached application form . All parents, including carers, of registered pupils at the school can apply, with the following exceptions:
- anyone who is an elected Councillor, or
- anyone who is employed at the school for more than 500 hours per year.
An election will be arranged if the number of applications is more than the number of vacancies.
If you would like more information, please contact the school office or the Governors’ Support Team in Children’s Services, telephone 020 8227 2622, or e-mail jackie.day@lbbd.gov.uk.
Yours sincerely
Sir Paul Grant
Head Teacher
To download a nomination form please click here
Governors
The Governing Body of Robert Clack School of Science plays a key role in the success of the school. The Governors have a keen interest in ensuring that pupils receive the best possible education. They work hard at meeting their collective and individual responsibilities through a number of established committees and regular visits to the school.
‘Governors are active and highly supportive. They are important critical friends to senior managers and other staff.’ (OfSTED Report June 2004). At the last inspection by OfSTED (December 2007) the inspectors considered “The extent to which governors discharge their responsibilities” and awarded Grade 1 – Outstanding.
The current governing body consists of
- 7 Parent Governors
- 4 Local Authority Governors
- The Headteacher
- 3 Staff Governors
- 5 Community Governors
- 1 Associate Governor
The term of office for all Governors is four years with the Chair and two Vice-Chairs being elected annually. The full Governing Body meets termly, as does the Curriculum committee; the Finance & Resources and Pupil Discipline committees meet twice each term.
All Governors gain great satisfaction from playing a part in helping to improve the education and life opportunities of our young people, and remain committed to helping the school make continued progress for the benefit of its pupils and their families, its staff and the wider community.
For more information on the role of Governors in Barking & Dagenham schools, and how you might become a school governor, refer to the education section of the Barking & Dagenham website: www.barking-dagenham.gov.uk
The school is exceptionally well led and managed by an outstanding and tireless headteacher and a particularly strong senior team. There is a shared sense of purpose that focuses on learning and students. Roles and responsibilities are well-defined and professional development opportunities have further enhanced the effectiveness of managers and teachers at all levels. School self-evaluation is accurate, inclusive and rigorous, resulting in ambitious target setting and improvement planning. Middle leaders throughout the school understand their roles in improving the school's performance; consequently, standards have continued to rise over the past three years, and in some aspects, the rate of improvement has been rapid. For example, the Key Stage 3 results, particularly in science, have substantially improved over the last two years. Leaders and managers know where further improvements need to be made; the whole-school focus on raising literacy levels through various strategies is having a positive impact and the continued and successful drive towards improving attendance has resulted in attendance rates rising year by year.
