ANNUAL REPORT

OF THE

GOVERNING BODY

School Year 2007 - 8

This report summarises the main developments in the school over the last academic year. It will be discussed at the Annual Meeting for Parents which is to be held on Thursday 12^th June at 7.30 p.m. at which we hope to see as many parents as possible.  If there is any further information you require, please feel free to raise any questions at the meeting, or approach any member of the Governing Body listed below.

1          PREVIOUS ANNUAL PARENTS’ MEETING

The last meeting took place in May 2007 and was attended by approximately 12 parents.  Despite the relatively poor turnout we had a good discussion around homework and the impact on the school’s reputation of the January 2007 Ofsted report. Further to those discussions we introduced a formal committee focussed on Community Liaison which includes matters of reputation and publicity and also worked with the school on the recent homework questionnaire and subsequent guide.

2              ROLE AND MEMBERSHIP OF THE GOVERNING BODY AS AT 05.05.08

Governors have overall responsibility for the running of the school.  However the day to day running is carried out by the Head Teacher and the Governing Body takes a more long term, strategic role.  This means that the Governing Body is concerned with

·         Pupil attainment (curriculum, targets & progress)

·         Resources (budget, buildings & staff)

·         Escalations (admissions, discipline & complaints)

·         Defining the values and ethos of the school

The Chair and Vice Chair are elected annually by members of the Governing Body.

In the autumn term we will be advertising Parent Governor vacancies – should you wish to discuss what the role involves and the commitment required to be a governor please do not hesitate to contact one of the governors through the school office.

3          PUPIL ATTAINMENT

3.1        Curriculum

During the past year, staff have been involved in implementing actions identified within the school development plan in all curriculum areas. This has included work on Literacy, Numeracy, behaviour management and teaching and learning.

We have created a Teaching and Learning Policy which supports the development of good practice within our classrooms and appointed Mrs Day as Numeracy Subject Leader, joining Mr Brierley as Literacy Subject Leader. We have improved our use of assessment data, with Mr Knipe taking on the role of Assessment Co-ordinator, and all staff have worked with colleagues at a nearby primary school on Assessment for Learning initiatives.

We have improved standards of behaviour through implementing our revised Behaviour Policy which took into account parental views gathered through our Parent Forums and created a much more interesting playground for the children to play on with the addition of adventure playground type activities and other new equipment.

All these initiatives drew praise from the HM Inspector who undertook a monitoring visit in April on behalf of Ofsted, her report concluded:

“During the monitoring visit behaviour was good in all lessons visited and at social times.

The Headteacher and school leaders are continuing to develop systems and procedures to improve teaching, strengthen teachers’ use of assessment information and also monitor pupils’ progress. Improvement planning is secure, and curriculum action plans are to be fully developed. The school is fully focused on improving pupils’ achievements and the quality of its provision.”

ICT has seen continued developments including the up-grading of some of our computers and printers. The installation of interactive whiteboards in every classroom from Nursery to Year 6 has proved extremely successful and we are continuing to invest in both training for staff and additional resources.

In the past year we have also increased the teaching of music across all areas of the school to support our wider curriculum.

Working with parents:

A number of questionnaires have been sent home during the course of the year and responses have been analysed. In response to the survey that was sent to parents in March 2008, homework issues will be targeted within next years’ development plan.

In addition we have continued to focus on attendance and punctuality, with increasing success. The school website also supports our communications with parents, together with newsletters and information sheets.

3.2 Targets

Each year, we are required to set targets for children in year 6 who take the Standard Assessment Tests in Numeracy and Literacy.  The tables below show Park View’s targets and results for the last year, and our targets for the next 2 years.

We are very pleased with the low number of authorised and unauthorised absences and would like to thank parents for their cooperation in this matter.

3.3 Progress

The National Curriculum Assessments are tests taken at Park View in all age groups from Reception to Year 6. In your child’s end of year report we provide this information to you on an individual level for Years 2 to 6 to allow you to see the progress your child is making. Below we present the results for the standard assessment tests (SATs) taken at the end of year 2 and the end of year 6 in 2007. 

Key Stage 1 (tested in year 2)

*Results for Speaking and Listening and Science are based on teacher assessment only.

Key Stage 2 (tested in year 6)

*B3 represents children who were not entered for the tests because they were working below Level 3 in English, Mathematics or Science; children awarded a compensatory level from the tests; or children not achieving a level from the tests.

The National Curriculum Levels provide an absolute standard, judged against national criteria.

Level 2 is considered to be the average standard for a pupil at the end of Year 2.

Level 3 is considered to be the average standard for a pupil at the end of Year 4.

Level 4 is considered to be the average standard for a pupil at the end of Year 6.

4          RESOURCES

4.1        Budget

The budget statement for the financial year April 2007 to March 2008 shows an income of £1,291,874 against expenditure of £1,298,104 with a balance of £79,104 which was carried forward from the previous years’ budget.

We successfully achieved the Financial Management Standard in Schools (FMSiS) accreditation during the year – one of the first schools in Bury to do so – which is the standard designed to ensure correct and accurate financial management within schools. This demonstrates our ability to manage our internal finances and resources in line with our school development plan. Also, we have now moved to a three-year rolling budget which allows us to look further ahead at expenditure and to budget accordingly.

4.3        Buildings

We have had our plans for an improved front playground approved and work will commence during the summer holidays, along with a new fence and extended staff/visitor car park.

Parking on Park View Road continues to be an issue with parents continuing to park on the double yellow lines and the zig zag lines immediately outside the school. Governors have spoken to the Highways Department at Bury and we understand that there are further traffic calming plans being proposed as well as more regular Traffic Warden patrols.

We are continuing to discuss the state of the site of the former Adult Education Building on Thorndyke Walk, which is to the rear of the school and belongs to the Jewish Grammar school, as we would like to see it cleared of debris and made into a usable area – preferably for both schools.

4.2        Staffing

During the last year we were pleased to welcome Mrs Day to teach Year 6. Mrs Smith, Mrs McLean and Miss Truelove all left to have children and their respective maternity leaves were covered by Miss McEwan, Mr Scott and Mr Cunningham. Miss Barton chose not to return to the school following her twelve month leave of absence in China and Miss Malley was appointed to Year 1, although we were pleased that Miss Barton was able to join us as supply cover for some of the year. Mrs Monaghan’s period of absence due to illness culminated in her retirement at Easter and we are in the process of appointing her replacement.

5          FEEDBACK

The Governing Body values the contribution that parents make to their children’s education and in supporting the values and ethos of the school and we particularly welcome the opportunity to obtain feedback from parents at the Annual Meeting which this year is being held on Thursday 12^th June at 7.30 p.m. This informal meeting is held in the hall and we hope that as many people as possible feel able to contribute. Of course, feedback at other times is also encouraged via parental questionnaires, forums and the website.

6          Summary

Overall our pupils continue to progress, both in their achievement in national assessments and in other areas such as music, sport, drama and personal and social development. With changing targets and changes to the curriculum we continue to strike a balance between providing a challenging environment for pupils to learn and achieving our targets. The positive outcome of the HMI monitoring visit was testament to the hard work and effort put in by all staff this year and we look forward to continuing improvements next year