wiserd_blog

Excluding racist pupils

What was the issue addressed? There have been exclusion hearings relating racist behaviour by two children. One in particular, was persistently using inappropriate language and actions to ethnic minority students in the school. What happened? I have previously dealt with similar issues but not from young students. The education department and staff assisted me withContinue reading “Excluding racist pupils”

The demands of the governor role

What was the issue addressed? I don’t think most governors are aware of the full range of their responsibilities and if I’m honest I don’t think they fulfil many of those responsibilities. From my perspective as Chair, (and most Chairs are there not because they are hugely enthusiastic to do the job but because theyContinue reading “The demands of the governor role”

Becoming a federated governing body

What was the issue addressed? Our governing body changed to become a federated governing body. It took time to understand and address the merger of policies and staffing into a federated model. What happened? We received support from the Local Authority in forward planning a timetable for review of policies. There was heavy reliance onContinue reading “Becoming a federated governing body”

How to agree pay for staff migrating to a new school

What was the issue addressed? Tough issue – negotiate and agree salary levels for a new substitute team for a brand new school. Difficult because some members of the governing body want to place all new deputies on the same pay as they are all going to be new in their job, while others wantContinue reading “How to agree pay for staff migrating to a new school”

Accepting the closure of a school

What was the issue addressed? Our headteacher was overworked and under pressure, facing the prospect of becoming the only teacher in our small school. The governors wanted to support her but knew that the position of our school was probably untenable, due to dwindling numbers. Some governors wanted to fight on and remain open, butContinue reading “Accepting the closure of a school”

Managing the turmoil of school merger

What was the issue addressed? We are in a slightly turbulent time as the school is newly amalgamated and we are currently awaiting completion of work building work. What happened? The teaching staff have all been changed around and this has been challenging for everyone but has definitely provided huge learning and training opportunities forContinue reading “Managing the turmoil of school merger”

Challenges of recruiting senior members of staff

What was the issue addressed? Sometimes there are very few applicants for more senior posts e.g. deputy head. It begs the question, why? Are senior positions seen as stressful, underpaid? It makes it quite difficult when there is a very small field to choose from. What happened? We had no choice but to interview aContinue reading “Challenges of recruiting senior members of staff”

Managing difficult decisions about staff redundancies

What was the issue addressed? Mostly around decreasing budgets, having to face cuts and implement these cuts. For example, there was a HR process required to decide which TA contracts will be renewed/redundant. We decided that infants TA hours would not be reduced as much as junior TA hours. What happened? There was then anContinue reading “Managing difficult decisions about staff redundancies”

Addressing the fallout from a poor school evaluation

What was the issue addressed? I was appointed as Chair of Governors of a school in a low Estyn category. The senior staff were in denial and governors felt that they had not been properly advised about issues in the school What happened? A new Headteacher was appointed who had a totally different outlook. WeContinue reading “Addressing the fallout from a poor school evaluation”