Chair of Governors Blog

August 2022

Happy Holidays!

On behalf of the governing body at Drake I would like to thank the staff for another jam packed academic year - a year of Covid recovery & catch up, return to normality with Sports day & other celebrations and the school's first ever KS2 SATS week, to name but a few achievements for 2021/22. Thank you as ever for the hard work, dedication and passion for teaching, demonstrated by a Good Ofsted inspection and the behaviour, progress & attainment of the children.

Thank you to those at Little Pirates, whom continue to work whilst the school side is closed, providing a childcare need for families, alongside a quality environment for learning, giving the youngest of our Drake community a strong foundation in education.

And now a little of what the governors have been up to.....

What were the significant challenges for the governing body in 2021/22?

Finance
Wellbeing – Staff & Families
Specialist Resource Base (SRB)
Changes in FGB constitution

How were the challenges met?

Reintroduce Resources Committee – constitution of individuals with relevant experience and knowledge. Attendance has been excellent.
Liaising with LA departments relating to planning and building of the SRB. Forensic budget monitoring of SEND funding and regular updates, from the Headteacher, regarding the phase of the build.
Extensive online training provision from Educator Solutions, available for all Drake governors. Training held as a monthly agenda item at FGB meetings.

What were the achievements of the governing body for 2021/22?

Many governor vacancies have been filled and governor training underway.
Monitoring of the school’s budget including attending Revision & Budget setting meetings with NCC Finance officer.
Governor aligned to Little Pirates.
Successful interview with Ofsted: ‘Governors know the school well. They are keen to support leaders to improve. They are not afraid to ask challenging questions which hold leaders to account. They perform their statutory duties well.’

For a full insight into governor responsibility and more information on what the governing body has been up to over the past year, please see the Annual Governors Statement 2021/22.

We have 1 vacancy for a parent governor. Please look out for details of how to apply in the Autumn term!

Thanks for reading :)

Carly Brien

Chair of Governors