May 2020

Long time no speak!

Another apology for not regularly updating this blog. Like the majority of our Drake community I have been busy home-schooling 3 children across 3 different year groups, navigating 2 different applications, whilst still working full time as an NHS midwife!

Home Learning

It has been humbling to experience the hard work that goes in to teaching! I have spoken to a few families muddling through with home-schooling, relieving their own school days and learning or re-learning new facts or information every day! I am in awe of the commitment of the teaching and support staff to their duty of care in planning lessons/activities, supporting children and parents (sometimes with technical IT issues!) and providing feedback on the work submitted.

As a governor, monitoring of learning, the curriculum and implementation of policy is an essential part of the role. As school is not as we usually know it right now, it can seem quite difficult to monitor these things, however from supporting my own children with their home (online) learning I am able to assess:

• Their attitude to learning and that of their peers via comments posted.
• Feedback and use of the feedback policy by staff on work submitted, in addition to the engagement and relationships between the class teacher/learning support assistant and children in their cohort.
• Sequencing of work from to start to end of the week or throughout.

• Like many parents, I am concerned about how this time at home, in spite of the dedication from all staff in setting daily work, may affect our children in the short and long term. I have a daughter in Year 6, starting High School in September, and am apprehensive regarding the possible lack of transition between the two settings and leap in work she will be faced, given her last term was spent at home! I am aware that the Senior Leaders at Drake, in addition to the great Year 6 faculty, have plans, contingencies and amazing communications with Thetford academy in particular, and myself and governing body will be discussing this further, should the lockdown and school remain closed to business as usual, deeper into the Summer Term.

   

  Drake School Website

  JUST WOW!! I haven't accessed the website fully for a while, but if you are reading this blog you will be aware of the jam packed amount of content uploaded by staff, including:

• Coronavirus updates
• New Reception intake information
• Home learning timetables and weekly activities
• Examples of the AMAZING work by children whilst learning from home - see the children's page and click on a year group

• As NHS staff I am also delighted to see the little falling rainbows (possibly only viewable on a computer rather than mobile device), which fills me with joy at seeing the support all key workers are receiving from our community during this time

   

  Governors

  We have not met fully in a while as the pandemic built up momentum at the time we were last due to meet. I would like to thank all those individuals that submitted their nomination forms for the governor vacancies and wanted to publicly say we have not forgotten you! Governor training is important and vital to ensure that skills and knowledge are gained and developed to ensure high quality leadership and governance, which when reinstated, will be the right time to induct all those keen to support the existing body and enhance the monitoring and support of the school and all strategic operations.

   

  I think that is all for now. We are due to have a Governors meeting later in the month, via video conferencing (my new normal!) and may have some further governor updates then.

   

  Wishing all in our Drake community well, stay safe and at home

   

  Carly Brien

  Chair of Governors