Category Archives: Case Study Commentary

Commentary Did the Chair meet with the staff to explain the situation initially when the headteacher went off sick?  This may have addressed any unhappiness within the staff group. There are a few questions to ask: Why was the chair dealing with day-to-day issues at the school? Or was this just the perception of theContinue reading “Coping with a headteacher’s long-term sickness”

Commentary All schools must have a policy that deals with the capability of staff at the school, agreed and adopted by the governing body.  It is noted that the governor felt the process took time, but staff undergoing a capability process must be offered the opportunity to improve and support must be provided. There isContinue reading “Dismissing a member of staff for incompetence”

Commentary Incidents such as this are unacceptable on school grounds. It is about showing respect to one another, even if people do not agree, discussing any concern/s in a rational and reasonable way. It is important to handle these situations well. The school quite rightly sort advice from the Local Authority and seems to haveContinue reading “Parent threatens another parent on school premises”

Commentary From the information provided the school has obviously received an unfavourable inspection report.  Articles have subsequently appeared in the press, which would not possibly have helped and which may have contributed to negative comments and concerns being received.  In these circumstances, it is important for schools to implement their crisis management policy in conjunctionContinue reading “Leadership and school culture questioned in school inspection reports”

Commentary How schools engage with parents and carers is crucial. This case study provides an excellent example of the effect of dropping into a different national category and the reaction of parents as a result. Please note that Welsh Government has consulted on ‘ending categorisation as a formal national process with published outcomes. The coreContinue reading “Dealing with a breakdown in trust from parents”

Commentary The governing body plays a strategic role in the financial management of the school, ensuring the school’s financial resources are utilised in support of improving learner outcomes in the most efficient and effective way. In this example, the governing body clearly recognises the need to improve their knowledge and understanding of how the budgetContinue reading “Understanding school budgets better”

Commentary Appointing a headteacher is probably the most important task of the governing body.  Getting the right person to lead the school is crucial for the school’s success. The process, therefore, needs careful consideration and expert advice from the beginning to the end of each stage of the selection process to assist the governing body.Continue reading “Disruption and difficult revelations due to new headteacher appointment”

Commentary The budget allocated to individual schools is calculated using a locally determined funding formula drawn up by the Local Authority.  A large percentage of the money received at school level is based on the number of pupils enrolled at the school. There are also other sources of funding available to schools, for example, theContinue reading “High performing school needing to find additional income through staff secondment”

Commentary School governors have many responsibilities. Ensuring all governors are fully involved is key to an effective governing body, but this doesn’t mean that individual governors have to be involved in all aspects of the governing body’s work.  A good starting point is for the governing body to undertake a skills audit. This is anContinue reading “Encouraging greater governor engagement”

Commentary Please note that the commentary is based on the current legislative framework for Additional Learning Needs (ALN) pupils. The roll out of the Additional Learning Needs and Education Tribunal (Wales) Act will now commence in September 2021. Further information can be found below regarding specific roles and responsibilities. https://gov.wales/additional-learning-needs-transformation-programme https://gov.wales/the-additional-learning-needs-code-and-regulations All schools and governingContinue reading “Safeguarding issues and need for LA support”