Another school governor monitoring visit

I have carried out another monitoring visit, this time focusing on "Community Cohesion", which is a formal way of saying, "We all have to get along together, so play nicely" - I understate for effect, of course, but it does seem to require a lot of input for something that, in 90% of schools, must be taught and experienced automatically anyway. Ah, well, it ticks some boxes ...

School monitoring visit

In my capacity as a governor of the Infant School in Tenterden, I today paid a monitoring visit to the school

It is always a delight visiting the school: all the children are well-behaved, happy and hard-working, and they really seem to thrive in the school's positive atmosphere; It makes me quite proud to be a small part of that success

My visit focused on the "drop-off club" in the mornings - which allows parents to drop off their children for supervised play before school normally starts, so that the parents can get off to work or whatever - and the role of the newly-appointed Family Liaison Officer. Both are aspects of the "Extended Schools" initiative, which tries to get schools more closely involved in their local communities.

On the basis of my visit today, both the drop-off club and the FLO are valued by parents, and (certainly in the case of the drop-off club) by the children who took part as well.

Yet more evidence, if needed, that the school is very successful

CPD

All lawyers (well - all practising lawyers, in the UK at least; I don't know about others) are required to undergo Continuing Professional Development - basically, in-service training to keep up to date.

It can be frustrating having to spend a day or half a day out of the office when there is so much to be dealt with on one's desk; and the workload is only increased as a result of attending a well-chosen course: improving systems, updating precedents and information leaflets and generally improving standards of service as a result of what has been learned - or, sometimes, remembered - on the course.

Still, lawyers' CPD obligations are relatively light, compared to accountants' and IFAs', and polishing up one's knowledge and office procedures reaps immense benefits once the course-inspired changes have been implemented

I mention this today because I spent yesterday (Saturday) on a course - not for lawyers, but for new school governors. As a recently re-appointed governor of Tenterden Infant School, I attended an induction course at the Abbey School, Faversham with a couple of dozen other "new" governors, learning the basics - particularly that governors must not interfere in the day-to-day running of the school, but only keep an overview and ensure strategic policies are followed and the school kept within budget

Many of the attendees were first-time governors. Others, like me, had been governors a few years ago. At least one had been a teacher, latterly a senior teacher, who had been invited to become a governor when she retired. We therefore had a wide range of experience of schools. As parent, staff, community or foundation governors we also had a wide range of different starting points as governors.

Ideally, governors also come from as wide a range of backgrounds as possible, though it was noticeable that all who attended yesterday were white, they were predominately middle class (as far as I could tell); though I did not actually count, I think women were in a slight majority.

As a result of attending the course, I was reminded of the sense of satisfaction and happiness I experienced when I was a governor before, and (though there seems to be a lot more responsibility and accountability now - a good thing, I believe) I am looking forward to getting involved in the work of the governing body again.

Tenterden Infant School is, in my admittedly limited experience, a marvellous school - well run by each of the headteachers there that I have known, with enthusiastic and well-qualified teaching and other staff, the children always seem happy, well-behaved and receptive. It could be argued that this is relatively "easy" in an infants school in a prosperous rural town, but running a school is never "easy" - and running it well is always important, whatever the age of the pupils or the size or location of the school.

The input I have as a governor is relatively small, but it is wonderful to be part of such a worthwhile, hardworking and happy organisation. I would recommend being a governor to anyone who wants to help their local community and particularly to help its children and to help promote high standards of educational achievement