This was harder than it seemed – especially deciding how
to adjust a calculation that wasn't working!
Keith Price, Assistant Principal Post-16
Page 32
Governing Body Annual Report 2014 – 15
In the year I have been Chair of Governors, there have been
significant changes; the appointment of our Principal,
Alan Salt, being one. As he navigates KEVICC along the
path to Outstanding, governors are there to support him
as well as to challenge.
Although governors are volunteers, we are increasingly
expected to be professional, effective, strategic and
skilled – regular training is vital. Good organisation is
also vital and our Clerk to Governors is invaluable. We
have reassessed our governance structure and now all
meet together as a Full Governing Body (FGB) monthly,
instead of just termly, and have no separate committees.
This means fewer, more focused, meetings enabling us
all to focus on our core functions. Successful governance
requires work outside formal meetings and, throughout
the year, governor working groups discuss strategic
issues. Individual governors have responsibilities for key
areas and are linked to staff members with whom they
meet and then report to FGB meetings.
The work of governors can often go unnoticed and we
are trying to change this. Our Clerk to Governors sends
staff a monthly email identifying any policy changes
and including approved FGB minutes. We also have a
programme of governor visits to the College and, as
governors in a College with strong Performing Arts, one of
our very real pleasures is attending students’ shows and
concerts. Increasing our visibility to parents is another
focus for us now. The governor pages on the website have
been updated and we send a representative to the Parent
Voice meetings. The KEVICC facebook page was prompted
by governors and we hope that this will be a useful forum.
In the spring term, we carried out our promised three
year review of the uniform decision. After scrutinising
the feedback from the 2013 questionnaire, and after
considerable discussion, we decided that it was in the
best interests of the College to retain a uniform. Governors
then asked the Principal tomake recommendations about
the uniform with regard to affordability, practicality and
suitability and, at our May meeting, we approved his
recommendations. The changes are minimal and details
of the recommendations are in the minutes of the May
meeting which will be posted on the College website once
the minutes have been approved.
The Governing Board has reconstituted and, in the
autumn term, we will be recruiting new governors from
the community and the parent body to join us. The
recruitment will be skills-based, but there is support and
training for anyone who would like to become a governor.
If you think you might be interested and would like an
informal discussion about the role, please contact me
(
.
Being a member of the Governing Body can be hard work
and challenging, but is also a great privilege; we are proud
to be part of this College and its continued improvement.
Kate Wilson
Foundation Governors
Foundation Governors' money granted for support in the
College was put to very good use on Creative Learning
Day this term. Last year, Keith Price bid for equipment to
support the teaching of Maths, which included Numicon
and Lego Kits. The contribution made was £6,000 so it's
very good to see howmany educational benefits, and how
much pleasure, the equipment is giving.
Year 9 took part in a variety of activities on Creative
Learning Day and the Lego programmable robot kits were
very popular. Having built the models, the students then
had to program them to navigate a course successfully.
Support for the Maths Department
Numicon is excellent for demonstrating how number
bonds are formed. It can be used for all the key
mathematical operations, from adding and subtraction
through to multiplying, as well as for understanding
the relationship between numbers. These skills form
the foundation for development in mathematics
and have proven invaluable in developing low level
learners, allowing them to access more complicated
mathematical concept. The visual input significantly
improves one-to-one sessions, and the understanding
of lower level and pre-entry students.
