SCHOOL GOVERNANCE

Co-Chair of Governors - Mr Paul Goddard

Welcome                                                                                                                   

Welcome from the Oak Cottage Governors.  My name is Paul Goddard and I am pleased to be the current Co-Chair of the Governing Body alongside Tim Baptiste.

The governors are volunteers who are committed to the ethos of our school and ensuring that every child has the best possible experience while they are at Oak Cottage.  Getting this right is really important as it means our children will be fully prepared for when they move on to the challenges of secondary school. It has three core strategic functions:

• ensuring the clarity of vision, ethos and strategic direction of the school
• holding the headteacher to account for the educational performance  of the school and its pupils
• overseeing financial performance of the school and making sure its money is well spent

                                                             See Terms of Reference below

How we operate

Our role is often described as one of a “critical friend”, governors support both the headteacher and staff and challenge in a constructive way.

We hold monthly governing body meetings where all issues can be discussed by all governors. Benefits of regular monthly meetings include faster turnaround of actions, no repetition of other committee meetings/minutes and everyone up to speed on everything. Meetings are held on a regular day in the month, with unfinished business carried forward to next month's meeting.

Our Governors - We have fourteen positions for governors on our Governing Body:

1 Local Education Authority Governor – appointed by Solihull MBC - Mr D Price

1 Staff Governors – elected by the school staff -  Mrs C Wilson

1 Staff Governor - ex-officio- Mr R Marshall  (Headteacher)

4 Parent Governors – elected by parents -Mrs Kemp, Mr Dainty and Dr Henderson

7 Co-opted Governors – appointed by the governing body for skills required to contribute to the effective governance and success of the school - Mr Goddard, Mr Baptiste, Mrs Stone, Mrs Pisarski, Mrs Trzcinski and Mr Yates.

The clerk to the governing body is Claire Hawkes. If you would like to contact a school governor please contact the school office on 0121 704 9123.

Interested in becoming a governor?

If you are interested in becoming a governor at Oak Cottage or would like to know more about the role, please contact Claire Hawkes via the school office.  Please find eligibility/disqualification information below and Governors Code of Conduct.

Appointments are carried out in accordance with the governing body's instrument of governance.

Review of academic year 2021-22

The coronavirus pandemic still impacted the school year making it even more challenging than last year. However, thanks to the dedication and co-operation of our staff the school was able to provide the support that was so needed by children, parents and carers.

In our small school every member of staff worked tirelessly and flexibly to help the children and each other re-establish everyday school life. Our experienced and dedicated staff are the school’s most valuable asset, they make Oak Cottage the outstanding school that it is with their fantastic adaptability and diverse skills.

Year 2 and Year 6 SATS returned and the results were excellent, way beyond what could reasonably have been expected given the amount of school time that has been lost by all year groups. As we re-engaged with the wider community, sporting achievements were impressive, particularly Year 5 and Year 6 performances in district wide tournaments - cricket, rounders and athletics to name just three.

Finally, we were able to embark on the first year of a 3-year change programme aimed at keeping Oak Cottage at the forefront of primary education in Solihull. One small example was a new more engaging format for Sports Day, which was welcomed and embraced by the staff, children, parents and carers alike.  Despite national education funding remaining too low to meet the needs of all children, I am sure that Oak Cottage will continue to thrive, learn from our experiences, embrace new ways of working and make the most of new opportunities for the whole school community.