Framework for Recording Governor Visits
Governor’s name: Margaret Broadhurst Foundation and Acting Inclusivity Governor
Location of visit: Sherington School
Date of visit: Tuesday 21 April 2015
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Purpose of visit
Previously agreed by the governing body or Curriculum Committee with the Headteacher
To observe a literacy lesson for Year 1/2 with Teacher Mrs Slaughter and Teaching Assistant (TA)
Mrs Missing
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Links with the School Improvement Plan
How does the visit relate to a priority in the SDP (School Development Plan)
SDP Action Plan 2: To raise the quality of teaching higher so the achievement for all pupils is at least
good with a focus on SEN/FSM/EYFS in English and Maths.
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Governor observations and comments
e.g. What does the focus of your visit look like in the classroom? What did you see? What did you learn? How long was the visit?
In discussion with the class teacher after the visit – What would you like clarified? What impact is the focus of your visit
having? What improvements does the class teacher find? What difficulties have arisen?
The particular challenges for this cohort of Year 1/2 children
It was recognised early on in the autumn term that this cohort presented particular
challenges. The Year 2 year group includes just 4 children, 2 with SEN, another less able
and a more able child. By contrast there is a large group of Year 1 children with a high
proportion of more able children.
When children move into Year 1 they are not ready for independent work and require adult
supervision to work meaningfully. By contrast Year 2 children of even the lowest ability are
able to work independently. Staff keep a close eye on the less able Year 2 children when
they work independently to ensure they are working well.
Recognising this situation the school employed a TA to work mornings with the class so that
there would be two staff available in the class for literacy and numeracy lessons.
Details of how the staff were deployed with different groups of children and how the needs of
the children were met are described below for the literacy lesson I observed.
The Year groups are also divided by curriculum – Year 1s following the new KS1 and Year
2s the old. How this is managed is also given below.
Ensuring all children have optimal learning opportunities
There are 4 groupings of ability in the class whose needs were met in various ways during
the lesson I observed.
The focus for the lesson was phonics.
For the first part of the lesson:
 Mrs Missing took the least able Year 1s to the learning area outside the Year 1/2
classroom to work on their phonics.

The more able Year 1s and all but one of the Year 2s worked together on phonics
reviewing the more difficult double letter sounds like ‘ou’. One Year 2 child with SEN
was absent today. Then using an interactive programme on the electronic
blackboard the children worked on the four sounds for the letter ‘y’. The programme
was engaging and clear. Mrs Slaughter used named lollipop sticks to ensure all
children had a turn and if a child didn’t give the right response at their turn she gave
them another turn later. So all the children successfully named the ‘y’ sound in a
given word. To finish the children worked through the ‘y’ letter sounds in written
sentences on the board.

The most able Year 2 child worked independently on constructing extended
sentences. This was a weakness in his writing skill. Mrs Slaughter explained his
task and he worked quietly and diligently whilst the other children worked on phonics
sounds. Later Mrs Slaughter reviewed his work with him.
At the end of this part of the lesson Mrs Missing brought her group of Year 1 children back to
the main class.
For the second part of the lesson the children worked on rhyming sounds and rhythms of
traditional nursery rhymes that the children knew well. They were able to modify the rhymes
with their own words and were good at rhyming. They began by working through an
example together and then went off to do individual work in their groups with Mrs Missing
and Mrs Slaughter supervising the groups as needed.
Throughout the lesson Mrs Slaughter constantly encouraged the children and corrected
them extending their knowledge and understanding by her responses.
Achievement of Year 2 children
I was able to speak to Mrs Slaughter after the lesson.
She explained that there is a huge range in the Year 2 group and she is constantly working
to optimise each child’s progress so they reach their potential. At the moment it is expected
that the most able of these children will reach Level 3 or 2a in Reading, Writing and
Numeracy. The three other children are expected to be at 2b - the nationally expected level
for Year 2s – or a little below.
Teaching and Assessing the old KS1 and the new KS1 curriculum in the same class
The schools use Hamilton Trust Plans that combine the content of the old and new KS1
curriculum to cover the needs of Year 1 children on the new KS1 curriculum and Year 2s on
the old. This arrangement is working well for the children.
Year 2s on the old KS1 will have a period of adjustment and transition catching up with the
new KS1 curriculum as they move through primary school. For instance, there is more
grammer and punctuation and the phonics bar is higher for Year 1s on the new KS1
curriculum than for Year 2s on the old KS1.
Assessment for the two year groups is different – the old KS1 curriculum will be assessed
with Levels and the new KS1 by Assessment without Levels using the assessment tool
‘Symphony’.
Two weeks after the children have covered a topic/ learning intention they are assessed
when an opportunity is given for the children to independently show their ability in this area.
Generally, Year 1s are assessed verbally but still teachers have to have evidence of this
assessment.
In this term Year 2s will have opportunities to practice the sorts of questions they will meet in
the SATs.
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Governor observations and comments on Christian values and ethos
e.g. What Christian values did you see demonstrated in the school during your visit?
You may like to think of these as social, moral, spiritual and cultural aspects.
The children are happy, chatty and cheerful. They clearly enjoy school and being with
friends and are enthusiastic in their learning.
Their behaviour supports a good learning attitude e.g. taking turns and remaining attentive
during phonics learning the sounds of ‘y’ and sharing ideas for changing rhymes in the
introduction to the second part of the lesson.
The school supports all children in helping them reach their potential and is diligent it its care
for individual children including those with SEN and the most able in each year group.
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Any key issues arising for the governing body
e.g. the way resources are allocated, the way the school communicates, progress in implementing a key policy
The school has been pro-active in meeting the needs of the joint Year 1/2 class both in
choosing suitable curriculum materials to cover the old KS1 and the new KS1 curriculum
introduced for Year 1s last autumn term and by employing a new TA for mornings when
there is a focus on Literacy and Numeracy to provide support for children of a wide range of
ability. These developments should ensure that all the children in Year 1 and 2 reach their
potential in this academic year.
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On my next visit I would like to focus on:
Discuss at next Curriculum Meeting
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Action following governing body meeting
Record any action agreed by the governing body with regard to this visit.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------After the Visit
Write up record of your visit and send a copy to the Headteacher. Discuss the record with the Headteacher and then distribute
to Governors and give one to the school to keep on file.
Thank you
I would like to thank Mrs Slaughter and Mrs Missing and the children for making me
so welcome in their literacy class. I appreciated Mrs Slaughter sharing her break time
with me so we could discuss what I had seen in class and the progress of the children
with SEN.