Governors’ Annual Report 2013/2014

This is the Governors Annual Report for the school year 2013/2014 containing information on Governors meetings held during this period. A summary is also included of meetings held in the most recent months as we have found from feedback from yourselves that you have found this information of interest. The meeting to discuss this will be held at Ysgol San Siôr on 8/2/15 at 7.30pm.

Chair of Governor is Canon John Nice, Rectory, Church Walks, Llandudno

Clerk is Mrs Linda Jones c/o Ysgol San Sior, Church Walks Llandudno

The following represented the Board of Governors

NAME / REPRESENTS / TERM / CONTACT
Rev. Prebendary J. Nice (Chair) / Foundation / As long as in post / 01492 876624

Rectory, Church Walks, Llandudno
Ms Julie Harvey / Foundation / Sept. 2016
Ms Sandra Bell / Foundation / Sept. 2016
Mrs Rosalind Harrison / Foundation / Sept. 2016
Mrs. S Breeze / Foundation / Sept. 2016
Mrs Denise Horswood / Foundation / Sept. 2016
Mrs Sandra Davies / Foundation
Mrs Elly Thomas / Parent Governor / Sept.
2015
Mrs Janet Haworth / Conwy County Council / Sept.
2017
Mr I K Jones
(Headteacher) / San Sior / Whilst in post
Mrs Einir Wyn Williams / Conwy Local Education Authority / N/A
Lisa Jones
Teacher / San Sior / Whilst in post
Councillor Terry Dewar / Llandudno Town Council / Sept.
2018
Vacancy / Non-teacher governor
Mrs Linda Parsons Jones
Clerk to the Governors / Whilst in post / 01492 878149

Contact address Ysgol San Sior, Church Walks, Llandudno LL30 2HL

Also invited to meetings in an advisory capacity is the Diocesan Director of Education:

Revd. Robert Townsend (Diocesan Director of Education)

The next election for Parent Governors will be before the end of this academic year.

Meetings:

11thApril 2013

  • Literacy initiatives such as Pie Corbett. Literacy Action Plan Evaluation
  • Mental maths sessions
  • Ipads in the curriculum
  • Welsh developments to improve standards
  • Generation Green Makeover – solar panels LED lights
  • Eco issues – green flag awarded, Recycling Initiative Award
  • Chicken initiative set up Wyau San Siôr
  • Admission Appeal
  • Staffing
  • International link with New Zealand
  • Eucharist
  • Re-affiliation to Heartstart
  • Budget
  • Other items: communication with Governors by email / San Siôr Has Talent Evening, Governing Register of Business Interests forms completed

10th July, 2013

  • Schol Deelopment Plan Review
  • Head’s Vision for the school shared
  • Parent & Pupil Feedback questionnaire and report discussion
  • Art, Craft and Design Evaluation Report
  • Performance of pupils at end of Foundation Phase / Jey Stage 2
  • Literacy and Numeracy Framework
  • Welsh dimension to the school
  • Planning Application for solar panels
  • Eco issues –Awarded Welsh Water Authority Eco Challenge Award, eggs sold to Bodnant
  • Budget

9thOctober, 2013

  • Headteacher report on standards and Value Added performance
  • Comparative National Reading & Numeracy Report
  • INCERTS and FFT data and discussion
  • Other items: school bullying council, NSPCC, Messy Church

22nd January 2014

  • School premises and damp
  • Staffing
  • Attendance
  • School Development Plan
  • Catch up literacy and provision
  • Literacy and Numeracy Framework

7th May, 2014

  • Attendance discussion and targets
  • Update to school targets
  • Handbook for Governors

14th May, 2014

  • Prospectus
  • Pay, performance management, health and safety, homework policy
  • Governors Business Interests
  • Parents questionnaires report
  • Governor’s Handbook

9th July, 2014

  • School premises
  • Standards and monitoring
  • Staffing
  • Attendance and new targets
  • Links with community / church
  • Governor training
  • Standards and performance

1st October, 2014

  • Premises and concern re outside surfaces
  • School categorisation
  • Staffing :retirement and appointments

The prospectus was updated and placed online. In line with the changes to the Welsh Curriculum and to the Foundation Phase, policies will be reviewed. The school targets were reviewed by the governors with teachers offering reports on progress made.

Links with the Community

Father John continues to visit the school to lead Collective Worship and the Eucharist. Parishioners are also invited to attend the Eucharist service and parents are invited to the services. Head of Foundation Phase has created a Community Focus Group with meetings arranged with Community Police Officers considering San Siôr’s role in the community. Wyau San Sioris an enterprise created by the school to sell eggs from the school’s flock of hens. The school has linked with Bodnant Welsh Food Centre to sell its eggs and more recently chutney. It is hoped that the school will soon sell its honey here also as wella s VConwy Honey Fair. We are the only school in Wales able to sell eggs to shops, and following the school’s appearance on BBC Countryfile and S4C Ffermio we have been approached by schools across the breadth of Britain asking for advice and or opportunities to visit the school to see the school’s Eco dimension first hand. School won Community Education Awards: Green Schools Sustainability Project Award 2014 and was awarded Best Primary Enterprise in Wales by Welsh Assembly Government.

School has established a Twitter account for the school and currently has 380+ followers

The school has also continued links with the community by visiting residential homes in the area at Christmas time to sing carols and also at the Victoria Precinct and shops in the town as well as other organisations eg Lions of Llandudno. The school maintains a strong link with Pensychnant Conservation Centre in Conwy. A good link has been established between Year 4 and Llandrillo College. Community Beat Officers have also been invited to have school dinners at the school and join the children when they go canoeing at Llyn Geirionydd. The Nursery class regularly invite Fire Officers to talk to the class and the school children visit the Fire Station in Llandudno. The Salvation Army also visit the school each year.

Ysgol San Sior is classed as a Category 4 school where English is used predominantly but with a significant use of Welsh during the school day. The school is working hard to ensure that the children may leave the school with a greater fluency in Welsh. If children wanted to attend a Welsh medium secondary school such as Creuddyn there are programmes in place allowing them to spend a day release April- May followed by 5 intensive weeks

Sport

Mrs L Jones offers a netball club at the school. Shane Cartwright continues to offer football training sessions at the school each week. Football activities are also offered by the Deputy during lunch times. The children in year 5 and 6 may have opportunities of mountain biking, hill walking and canoeing using the facilities offered at Nant Bwlch yr Haearn and / or at Rhyd Ddu; while pupils in Year 3 participate in outdoor activities in Pentrellyncymer and Year 4 sport activities in Glanllyn

Attendance 2013/14

Sessions / %
Attendances / 79197 / 94.15
Authorised absences / 4690 / 5.58
Unauthorised absences / 233 / 0.28
Possible Attendance / 84120
Including
Approved Educational Activity / 1061 / 1.26
Lates before reg closed / 264 / 0.31
Lates after reg closed / 43 / 0.05
Unexplained absences / 112 / 0.13

Education Welfare Officers visit the school regularly to scrutinize the attendance figures.

Each term Education Welfare Officers visit the school to scrutinise the attendance figures. Parents whose children have an attendance figure lower than 85% are contacted. The school has endeavoured to reduce lateness at the school with late pupils arriving at the main door to the school only and are registered here by the secretary. Parents of children who have an unexplained absence are contacted via text on the day.

Holiday absences are allowed if children have an attendance rate of >90%

The Governors have decided that unless an attendance target of 95% is achieved by the send of the current academic year then it may withdraw authorised absences for holidays. Cu

The school admission policy has been amended

As can be seen from the following tables comparing the school with LEA and Wales results the school is performing well. KS2 results were disappointing and this can be attributed to the significant gender gap in that particular cohort in 2011. The school this year is looking at different ways of closing the gender gap. However the school is looking at ways of increasing the number of children attaining Level 3 at KS1 and Level 5 at KS2.

School comparative information: National Curriculum Assessments 2011 with benchmarking

Key Stage 1

Percentage of boys, girls, and pupils achieving at least the expected level (Level 2+):

  • Consistently good LO5+ performance for all performance indicators during the last 2 years and particularly for PSD.
  • Few significant gender differences in 2014.
  • Good comparative performance against the family schools for LO5+ performance indicators in 2014.
  • Good outcomes for FSM pupils in 2013.
  • Comparatively lower LO6+ outcomes in 2014.
  • Proportionately lower outcomes for boys in LO6+ PSD in 2014.

Key Stage 2

Percentage of boys, girls, and pupils achieving at least the expected level (Level 4+):

  • Consistently good L4+ performance for maths and science during the last 3 years.
  • Improved L5+ results in 2014.
  • Lower outcomes in L4+ English (& consequently the CSI) in 2014.
  • Comparatively lower L4+ outcomes in writing in 2014.
  • Below median benchmarking for all core subjects at L5+ during the last 2 years.
  • Proportionately lower boys’ outcomes in English in 2014.

Enclosed is the final budget 2013/14. The school is well resourced and the school aims to spend all funds on the children’s education limiting the carry over to less than 5% of the total budget. During 2003-14 the carry over was 1.54% of the total budget. .

The school heavily subsidises the music lessons and the whole music budget is spent on peripatetic teachers with parents making a donation £36 each term. During 2011-12 the governors were not paid travelling or subsistence expenses.

Children are taught in separate year groups at the school with a maximum of 30 pupils in each year group. Provision is made for children with Additional Learning Needs and More Able and Talented pupils through careful differentiation of classwork as well as other initiatives both during and after school. A Nurture Group has also been set up to raise self esteem among some groups of pupils as well as Catch Up sessions to improve reading fluency.

The school has worked hard to ensure that there is a Welsh ethos to the school day. Welsh is taught as a second language with the aim of teaching 25% of the curriculum through the medium of Welsh. A significant portion of the day (over 50%) is conducted in Welsh in the Foundation Phase while only Welsh is initially spoken to the children on the playground and around the school. Welsh should always be the language of communication when the children greet the teachers and vice versa.

Additional Learning Needs Report - Miss L Lewis

During the 2013 – 2014 academic year, the work involved in implementing the Code of Practice continued at Ysgol San Sior. The Additional Learning Needs Co-ordinator (ALNCO) for the year was Miss Lindsey Lewis. The designated Governor for Additional Learning Needs, (ALN), elected by the school Governing body was Mrs Sandra Davies. Miss Amanda Etches carried out the role of Learning Support Teacher to assist pupils with additional literacy needs. Work has continued on the implementation of the revised code of practice and the ALNCO has attended various courses and frequently meets with ALNCOs from the catchment area as part of a PLC.

Pupils with learning difficulties continue with the Daily Diary for Reading and Spelling and a small number of pupils continue with their mathematical diary. The Catch-Up programme is used with children who have a small deficit between their reading and chronological age in order to close the gap. Literacy withdrawal sessions are carried out on a weekly basis for those children with specific literacy difficulties. A number of pupils who attend Ysgol San Sior receive speech and language therapy and Individual Communication Plans (ICPs) are implemented in school, very often by TA staff.

The ALNCO has ensured liaison with parents – at review meetings – and other professionals in respect of children with ALN and advised and supported staff ensuring that appropriate Individual Education Plans are in place. All relevant background information about individual children with ALN is collected, recorded and updated as needed. The help of external agencies was occasionally sought in order to satisfy the needs of some pupils. The consultation model allows for collaborative working with the Educational Psychology Services.The guidelines for recognising learning difficulties, strategies for developing, assessing and monitoring progress and guidelines for implementing the Code of Practice drawn up by the ALNCO have been followed. All pupils gained access to a wide and balanced curriculum via the provision of differentiated materials in all subject areas.

Special Educational Needs List July 2014

School Action / School Action Plus / School Action Plus Contract / Statement
Nursery / 2
Reception / 3 / 1 / 1
Year 1 / 3 / 6 / 1
Year 2 / 3 / 4 / 1
Year 3 / 4 / 3
Year 4 / 2 / 5
Year 5 / 2 / 4 / 1 / 1
Year 6 / 1 / 2 / 3

School Holiday Dates and Staff Training Days

2014-2021

The dates are subject to Ministerial change each

We had a carry over of just 0.03% to 2014/15. We try and aim for a carry over of 3%