News from the governors
Following completion of his term in office Paul Whitehouse, the current Chair of the Board of Governors, will step down at the end of this academic year. Paul has overseen a number of developments at Sidcot during his tenure and we look forward to thanking him properly nearer the time. The Board is delighted to announce that Rosemary Carr will be taking over from Paul. After graduating from Oxford, Rosemary spent over twenty years working in a variety of commercial and marketing roles in the footwear industry. She was Brand and Marketing Director of Clarks International from 1995-2010 and during this period saw the company grow rapidly to become the world's leading shoe brand. Rosemary now provides marketing consultancy services to a range of organisations and is involved in a number of local community initiatives. She is also Deputy Chair of the international NGO WaterAid. Rosemary is well known in the Sidcot community where, in addition to being a governor, she is a parent and former chair of the Junior PTA.
Synopsis of Board Meeting 10 October 2015
- We heard a presentation from James Russell on Sidcot's ICT Strategy. We learnt of the developments planned for the current year, including Word Wall, a new teaching and learning software, and the continuing work of the Innovation Team.
- We conducted our Annual Review of Safeguarding. We also approved a revised Safeguarding Policy. We note that the significant changes in this policy arise from Keeping Children Safe in Education (KCSIE) and the new Prevent duty.
- We agreed to conduct a space audit.
- We welcomed Nick Pyatt as a new Governor appointed by Sidcot General Meeting, and appointed Tim Bond. Nick has a background in forestry and international development, and his son attended Sidcot. Tim recently retired from the Department of Education at the University of Bristol, and continues to hold visiting lectureships here and abroad.
Synopsis of Board Meetings 3 and 5 December 2015
- We received an informative and encouraging presentation from Jim Scott, Head of the Science Faculty. We were also reminded of the tremendous work Jim does for the Duke of Edinburgh award.
- Russell Spooner presented some extremely useful papers on trends in examination results. Russell reminded us that Sidcot was as much about achievement in fields outside the classroom as in it, and the need to get that balance right was constantly in his mind and those of his colleagues.
- We noted the Headmaster's continued emphasis on the Student Experience, which covers what goes on in the classroom. We heard that all teachers had been made aware of the need for them to engage with all students who appeared not to be working to their potential.
- We accepted Helen William's resignation as a Governor through ill-health, and appointed Adam Matthews as a Governor. Adam is Head of Bournville School in Weston-super-Mare, and had significant business experience before entering teaching.
- We agreed to seek planning permission for boarding house extensions.
Paul Whitehouse
Chair of Governors