Introduction

We have had another fantastic year at Collis, culminating this month, in a yet another great set of SATs results.

We wanted to take this opportunity to thank you, the parents at Collis, for all your support this year and also to update you on some of the issues that have been occupying the Governing Body.

The main area of focus for us at the moment, and probably every other School in the country, is our budget. Earlier this term we put a hold on all recruitment and carefully analysed our needs as a School, in light of potential budget cuts. After a detailed review we have decided to press ahead with recruitment of some key posts, as detailed below.

Our budget at Collis is well managed by David Butterfield, and the Finance Committee.  It is very difficult to second guess the situation in the country in a year’s time, or indeed to really anticipate what the pressure on education budgets may be next term when the central government budget is disseminated down to the different departments. Our budget at Collis is currently healthy, and the Governing Body feels we are well placed for the next academic year, however we will continue to monitor all income and expenditure very closely.

Finally, I wanted to let parents know that I am standing down as a Governor in September, when another Chair will be elected by the Governing Body.

Being a School Governor is an extremely rewarding way of getting involved at Collis and I would recommend it to anyone who is thinking of putting themselves forward at the next Parent Governor election (Autumn 2010).

I have enjoyed the opportunity to work with our hugely committed Governing Body and Senior Leadership Team, and would like to thank everyone for their support and dedication to our very special School.

Amanda Fergusson, Chair of Governors

Curriculum

This term the Curriculum Committee was all set to help the School with the implementation of the proposed ‘New Primary Curriculum.’  However, following the change of Government in May, the incoming Ministers have confirmed that they will not now be proceeding with the proposed new Curriculum.

The Committee is anticipating a lot of changes and new proposals in the coming months and we will be keeping a very close eye on all new initiatives and making sure that parents are kept fully informed.

The Government has also just announced that it will be carrying out a review of the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) so that it is less bureaucratic and more focused on young children’s learning and development.  Ministers are concerned that the EYFS framework is currently too rigid and they have asked Dame Clare Tickell, a children and families expert, to lead the review.

Once again, we are very pleased with the SATs results for both Yr 2 and Yr 6, which will be formally released soon although we have had early sight of the Collis results.  Attainment is outstanding in all subject areas.  The results also demonstrate excellent progress for children of all abilities and reflect the exceptionally hard work on the part of the children and the staff throughout the School.

The Curriculum Committee is responsible for oversight on Special Educational Needs provision within Collis.  One of the Governors on the Committee also leads on liaison with the School’s SENCO (Special Educational Needs Co-ordinator).  Based on requests from parents we will be setting up a “page” on the School website where parents will be able to find links to external sources of information on Special Needs and send comments or questions to our SEN Governor.

Coryn Bendelow

Finance

The full impact of the new Government’s emergency budget will not filter down to School level until September. However, it expected that the budgets for the current financial year will not be significantly affected. Nevertheless the School is embarking on a careful cost control programme to ensure that savings are made early so as to maintain Collis’s reserves and minimise the impact on the children’s education.

The CSA has, as ever, provided great support to the School through its fundraising efforts. Equipment such as the blinds for the new hall would not have been purchased without the CSA support. The Governors thank the CSA for its hard work this year.

Roger Wild

Personnel

We are happy to report a stable teaching and non teaching staff with no leavers at the end of this term.

Lucie Brookes and Jo Bourached will return in September from maternity leave on a part- time basis and cover planning and coordinator release time.

After a detailed review we have resumed recruitment for the classroom support needed in Reception and the Nursery.  These new teaching assistant roles are both funded by the additional money we receive as a result of the extension of the nursery day and the additional pupils we are taking into Reception.

We are in the process of recruiting a receptionist to work in the front office.  Our current administrative support was set up when we had a pupil roll of 470. As we now have over 700 pupils, we need to increase personnel to cope with the associated increase in workload.  Appointment of a receptionist will relieve pressures on current staff and help improve the security of our site.

Penny Madoc-Jones

Premises

The summer holidays mark the start of the busy season from a capital projects point of view, as the six-week summer break is the time when any major works can be carried out.

Top of the list is the refurbishment of the Infant toilets. As this newsletter goes to press we are hoping that at least one set of toilets will be given its long-awaited facelift over the summer. The remaining two sets of toilets will follow on as soon as is possible.

Ensuring that the school is ready to receive the additional Reception class this autumn means that work has also been done in the Foundation Stage area. You will all have been aware of the new fencing that has been put up in the playground.  New flooring in the Reception classrooms and the purchase of some additional outdoor play equipment complete the preparations from a premises point of view.

Security is always a priority. Following a security review, both entrances to the school site will be kept closed during the school day except at drop-off and pick-up times, starting from next September.  Visitors to the site outside these times will be directed to the main Fairfax Road entrance where they will be “buzzed in” through the pedestrian gate. In addition, the access control systems in the Old Building are being updated and a new access control system introduced in the New Building. These new security measures are designed more to ensure the security of staff working outside the official school day than to stop parents coming into the school building. We would, request that parents enter the school building through the front entrance and sign in at Reception.

Several parents have asked about the progress of Project Lion – the plan to upgrade and re-invigorate the school’s considerable outside space. Unfortunately, Project Lion has fallen victim to the current economic climate. It was always an ambitious project – a long-term vision of what the grounds could provide in terms of areas for play, sports facilities and opportunities to support all aspects of the curriculum. We recognised that the overall project would need to be broken down into smaller, more manageable, chunks, and that it would require financial help from outside grants and agencies. Extending the area of hard standing was considered the priority and this was to be done by creating an enclosed Multi Purpose Games Court. The Games Court would have been used to contain some of the many ball games that go on at playtime – freeing up the rest of the existing playground for other kinds of play – and to provide additional courts for netball, basket ball and other sports. Despite the best efforts of a team of parents and governors who researched possible grants and filled in numerous application forms, Collis has not been successful in securing the necessary funding and the Sports Court has therefore had to be put on hold for the time being. Over the next few months, the school will revisit and rework its original plans but, in the meantime, the Governing Body would like to thank Sue Croft, Daryl Greenwood, Sian Morgan, Kathryn Rhinds, Andrea Taylor and Jane Warren, for their time and dedication to this ambitious project.

Sian Hardy