Magdalen Gates Primary School Governor Impact Statement for 2015-16
Over the past year. The governors at Magdalen Gates have supported and challenged the School in various ways and have developed our own protocols, procedures and practices to further support the improvements in learning and teaching witnessed at the school over the past 12 months.
Our Core Functions as a governing body are:
  1. Setting the strategic direction of the school
  2. Holding the Head teacher to account for the educational performance of the children
  3. Ensuring Financial resources are well managed
  4. Ensuring all children and staff are Safeguarded at Magdalen Gates and that their wellbeing is our priority.

What we have done to support the core functions:
Continued to ensure that the governing body are well trained, through LA training courses and online opportunities for those who cannot attend LA courses, this year training has been undertaken in the following areas:
  • Governor Monitoring (Nov 2015)
  • Health and Safety (February 2016)
  • Pupil Premium and Closing the Gap (January 2016)
  • Star Accounts Training (February 2016)
  • Safeguarding training (March 2016)
  • Online Finance Training (March 2016)
  • EYFS Monitoring (March 2016)
  • Online Course for Capital Budget (May 2016)
  • Safer Recruitment (May 2016)
Governors continue to ask robust questions of the Head and SLT and these are recorded and evidenced in our meetings. Each year we set ambitious, challenging and yet realistic targets for pupil attainment, progress and quality teaching targets.
As part of the improvement strategy the governorsunanimously backed the head in creating a Mental Health Well-being TA role and to employ a teacher for mornings only to enable year 6 classes to be split, this was recognised as a high order need by external evaluators.
A small working party made up of the Head and two governors have been looking at the Pros and Cons of Academisation.
Unanimous agreement of governors that enrichment activities for the children should be provided at no cost for one further year.
We have kept a tight control of the school budget, ensuring prudence without negative impact on resources for learning. This also included requesting an external financial audit from LA.
The Impact we have had:
We have worked with the SLT and LA support to set a strategic plan and objectives for the school year. Throughout the year, these plans have been monitored and RAG rated by governors and verified by external advisors.
The School Growth Plan Priorities and our impact measures have been:
  • High level of commitment to CPD to ensure Quality First Teaching
  • Restructured TA support so that additional interventions are more tightly focused and have a bigger impact after six weekly pupil progress meetings
  • Development of the role of Middle Leaders to increase accountability within these roles
  • Ensuring tools are provided to support assessment week, to inform teacher assessment for whole school data tracking to inform pupil progress meetings, through purchase of assessment tools and allowed staff time to attend pupil progress meetings
  • Ensure High quality Guided Reading, through purchase of Guided readingresources, more genre and text types.
  • Further promotion of SMSC, through positive praise, purchase of rewards, stickers, incentive prizes and attendance trips. Pupil perception survey results and video show high levels of satisfaction.
  • Improve the progress of vulnerable groups, thus narrowing the gap with the non-vulnerable, through EAL intervention and accredited TA deployment, implementation of external Pupil Review.
  • Make transition from EYFS and EYFS to Year 1 more effective through Talk Boost intervention, Specific Focus Groups. Maths progress and attainment is now close to national averages, specific goals show that most children are on or above target.
  • Monitor attendance of vulnerable groups through PSA Deployment, involvement in Young Carers Forum, termly celebrations. Young carers Steering group established with parents, action plan formulated, lunchtime club underway.
  • Challenge children to deepen knowledge and understanding, through purchasing and training on Quality First INSET, OSIRIS, plus internal and external school support.Appointment of an additional part time teacher to support year 6, to reduce class size rather than setting. As part of the improvement strategy the governors unanimously backed the head in creating a SENCO / Mental Health Well-being TA role and to employ a teacher for mornings only to enable year 6 classes to be split, this was recognised as a high order need by external evaluators.
  • The governors have improved H&S and safeguarding by updating all requirements planned at beginning of the year.
We committed £67.000 to supporting these Key Performance Indicators (KPI’s)
What are we Planning Next?
  • Further refine the elements of the School Growth Plan to ensure that all children are achieving in line(or better) than national and local averages
  • Further develop and support our teachers so that they continue to provide outstanding teaching to our pupils
  • Further support staff to ensure those pupils who are not yet fluent with earlier material consolidate their understanding, including through additional practice and support, before they move on.
  • Recruit more governors on to the board, looking at the skills matrix for best fit whilst also exploring the Academy proposals under the latest White Paper.