I recently met with Mrs Helen Wood, Deputy Head, to discuss teaching and learning and staff appraisals. After an engaging discussion and having reviewed the documentation, there are clearly robust procedures in place to review staff performance as well as support in place for those staff that are not reaching the required performance criteria.
I was impressed with the sharing of good practice across departments as well as the CPD (Continuing Professional Development) programme which Mrs Wood leads on and is developed and delivered by members of the teaching staff. I am very aware of how much planning has to go on behind the scenes before delivering a course and the scope of the CPD available to staff was extremely impressive.
Our discussions were wide ranging and extremely interesting.
I then met with Miss Marcham, Head of Maths, who took me round some classroom teaching. Whilst the subject matter was unfamiliar to me, the enthusiasm and engagement of the teachers was clearly evident. The pupils were extremely well-behaved and working with purpose and focus.
Returning to the Maths Staff Room, Miss Marcham and I discussed the reformed Maths GCSE that has been introduced from this term. This is a significant change to the curriculum and has meant that the department has had to face many changes in recent months. The grading boundaries still remain unclear which inevitably causes confusion to students and teachers alike. However, I was impressed with the pragmatic and apparently unflappable approach that Miss Marcham has adopted, in that “everyone is in the same boat!” The department will continue to face many challenges ahead but I am confident that the professionalism and experience of the staff will ensure any negative disruption will be kept to a minimum.
I was very grateful to Mrs Wood and Miss Marcham for their time and to the teachers who allowed me access to their classrooms.
Clare Rimell
Parent Governor
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