Governors’ Review 2017-18
This has been another year of change and challenges for Alburgh with Denton Primary, but one in which I believe our head, our staff team and Governors have once again shown their determination and professionalism to maintain the high standards which we have set ourselves.
Mrs Sonnex has continued to grow in to the headteacher role, leading a strong team, learning from every challenge and calling on support and help whenever necessary.
Continuing professional development of all our staff is paramount, and we are making sure that they have access to high quality training. We have had further changes to our staff team in the year, which was particularly disruptive for Years 5/6. Whilst our SATS results have fallen from last year, we are clear on the main reasons for this, and the early action taken by the headteacher and the dedication of our staff went a long way to enabling our Year 6 children to perform well.
Action has been taken to improve educational standards wherever potential issues are identified. With the recruitment of a new teacher for Years 1/2 from September, I believe we have the opportunity to make a good start to next year.
Our new library and meeting room are being well used and have enabled the school to grow to our capacity of 105 pupils. The school joined VNET (Viscount Nelson Education Network) this year and this is going well, with the staff and school benefiting from this investment and the training and support it provides.
The Church has continued to be central to our children’s experience of school, through collective worship, Open the Book, Messy Church and the regular services that form a core part of school life. Our partnership with the Church has continued to develop, it underpins our vision and helps to embed our values across the school.
We have, once again, had an outstanding level of help from volunteers and parents that have added hugely to the enjoyment and outcomes of the children. Alongside this, staff have gone far above and beyond what is expected of them to make every child’s experience at the school the best it can be.
We have had great support from our neighbouring schools in the Cluster, and I hope and expect that this close relationship and mutual support will continue despite the formal closing of the Cluster. We must also set our sights beyond this and engage with schools in the wider area.
We look ahead to the next year aware that we have many more challenges. Our budget is being stretched and, in particular, meeting the requirements of our SEN children in the way that we want to and endeavour to is a challenge. We remain vigilant of the changing structures for education and the future of small schools in the county. We will continue to assess the situation and to look ahead and plan to ensure that we will be delivering a great education for all of our children in the years to come. The development, growth and achievements of the children are central to all that we do.
Chris Brown
Chair of Governors, 2017-18