Dobcroft Junior School Parent Governor Newsletter
Spring 2015
The aim of this newsletter is to provide you with an insight into how the governing body
works with the school to drive forward school improvement
Governing Body
The governing body of our school consists of volunteers from various sectors of the community –
including parents, staff and members of the local community and Local Authority. The core functions
of the governing body are to

Set the strategic direction of the school

Challenge and support the school by monitoring, reviewing and evaluating

Ensure accountability of the school and Headteacher – always driving improvement
(alongside the Headteacher) for the benefit of the children, both academically and
socially.
It is very important that parents stand for election to the Governing Body so that the views of our
parents are represented. Being a parent governor can be stimulating, enjoyable & rewarding. If you
have the enthusiasm and desire to become closely involved in the running of Dobcroft Junior School
then please consider putting yourself forward. There will be vacancies coming up for Parent
governors in September 2015. Parents and Carers are always notified of any such vacancies by the
Chair of Governors.
In order to work effectively we meet 3 times each term. Our committees are broken down into

Full Governing Body

Curriculum, Standards & Community

Finance, Staffing and Buildings

Policy Review Group and

Data Group
There have been a number of changes to the Governing Body since our last newsletter – the first
being we have appointed a new Chair of Governors. Dave Chapman has been on the Governing
Body for over 8 years and has spent most of that time acting as the Chair of Finance, Staffing &
Buildings Committee. In July last year Dave was elected as the Chair of Governors and, together with
the rest of the governors, we have completed a Reconstitution of the Governing Body which included
a ‘Skills Audit’ which led to the appointment of 3 new governors. The team now feel well prepared for
the challenges that undoubtedly lay ahead.
We have recently carried out a self-evaluation on the effectiveness of our Governing Body, identifying
our strengths and some areas for development. From this, we have now formulated an action plan
which will address these areas and take us forward into the next year.
In addition to changes within the governing body itself there have been some significant events in the
school:
Proposed Expansion
Many of you were involved in the consultation process over the proposed permanent expansion of
Dobcroft Infant and Junior Schools during the spring term. After extensive meetings with parents,
local residents, parents from other local schools, representatives from the LA and feedback from
heads of schools who had already been expanded, the Governing Body put together their response to
the proposal and sent this to the council. Joel Hardwick and his team have been helpful in the process
and have tried to keep us informed at every stage and we feel that our voice has been listened to as a
result.
The consultation has now been ‘paused’ by the Local Authority and this will allow further work to be
carried out into the feasibility of the expansion occurring on a different site to ours. Surveyors have
visited other local schools to carry out site surveys and this information will be drawn together in May
and a new proposal put forward by the end of May. This may well stipulate that the Dobcroft sites are
still best placed for the expansion to take place or it may consider an alternative proposal. Following
the new proposal, a further period of consultation of one month will be given for us and other
stakeholders to respond.
The Governing Body’s overall response was to object to the proposed permanent expansion.
However, should the proposal be accepted, we will work closely alongside developers to get the very
best outcomes for the school premises and for the children we teach. Initial drawings do indicate that
improvements to the fabric of the school could be substantial and could address many of the
premises issues we currently face in school for example, the demolition of the mobile classrooms
which will be incorporated into the new build.
The temporary expansion for September 2015 at the Infant School is going ahead as planned as a
temporary expansion of this size does not need to go through the statutory consultation. This
temporary expansion will impact on the junior school in September 2018.
Sheffield Tracking & Assessment Tool (STAT) – the new method of assessing your children’s
attainment (replacing Levels)
The school are working very hard to ensure your children are working well and are able to follow the
new curriculum and assessment criteria without feeling any unnecessary pressure. As governors we
are working with the Senior Leadership Team, at school, to scrutinise the data and ensure that we get
the very best outcomes for all children and that provision is made for any child who is not reaching
their full potential.
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Below are some examples of how the governing body evaluate the school, on an on-going basis and
help to drive the school development plan forward assisting our Headteacher, Jacqui Cottom.
Quality of Leadership and Management

Curriculum Team Meeting
Curriculum Teams & Subject Co-ordinators meet each term to develop each subject – this
process allows them to drive the subject and to show the impact across the whole school.
Each governor has the choice of subject to be linked to in order to gain a better knowledge of
the development plan.

Partnership working
Partnerships between schools are proving effective in promoting learning and well being for
both our pupils and staff. Jacqui Cottom has recently formed a group (Junior Triad) with the
Executive Head of Ecclesall Juniors and the Head of Greystones. The objective of the group
is to conduct learning walks and work scrutinies and to share STAT data to give some
moderation to the process which up to now has been difficult due to the lack of national and
local comparisons being available.
Quality of Teaching
Lesson observations are carried out at regular intervals and are part of the performance
management process.
The new OFSTED guidance of not grading lessons in terms of good, outstanding or requires
improvement is welcomed to improve the Quality of Teaching and Learning and is much clearer and
realistic in terms of what to look for in a lesson
In order to evaluate the quality of Teaching and Learning, evidence from a variety of sources are
drawn together to provide the overall judgement. These include lesson observations, work in pupils’
books including the quality of marking and pupil responses to this, pupils’ attitude to work (part of the
behaviour judgement) and data analysis, both at the end of the key stage and across the school.
Achievement
Y6 is the only year in the school not affected by the new STAT method – they will finish their
education at Dobcroft Junior School assessed using the Levels method. The school is judged on
achievement throughout the school but the SATs results at the end of KS2 are crucial in any
evaluation. Our current Y6s are on track to reach the Governments floor targets again this year.
We are really proud of the amount of hard work and dedication the entire school, pupils and staff have
put in and wish all the Y6 pupils good luck in their upcoming SATs.
Safety & Behaviour

Safeguarding
The school has recently updated all their safeguarding policies and alongside the
Safeguarding Governor can confirm the guidance is being followed and that policy and
practice are in place. The new system of recording more significant safeguarding concerns is
working well and can be updated and referred to easily.

Behaviour
Incidents of poor behaviour and bullying remain low and have dropped significantly
since last year. All incidents are recorded in school and continually monitored. Any incidents
of children physically hurting each other are reported to both sets of parents, as are any
reports of children intentionally damaging property.
Spiritual, Moral, Social and Cultural (SMSC)
Both staff and governors at Dobcroft Junior School believe the Spiritual, Moral, Social and Cultural
(SMSC) aspect of the curriculum makes the school extra special. We believe it encourages creativity,
imagination and provides maximum enjoyment for all the pupils. We are particularly proud of the
school’s sporting achievements and the opportunities for children to take part in visits and residential
visits in each year group.
A couple of examples/recent activities include:

Pupils Parliament meet once a month enabling the school to hear the voice of the child

Y3 classes visited Ecclesall Woods as part of their science topic on plants

Y4 classes visited Magna as part of their science work on Changing State

Y5 classes were visited by the Space Dome to support their topic in space

Y6 classes took part in an immersive Viking day
(This is a small sample of over 50 activities/achievements which took place in one term alone)
PSA
The governors would like to thank the PSA for all their hard work in organising the extensive program
of events which raise the much needed funds making a BIG difference to the school environment.
And also to thank YOU – the parents for supporting the PSA as you do! In the last year the school has
been able to purchase 32 IPADs and 16 laptops to support the children in their learning as well as
new football nets for the field.
Your Parent Governors are:
Ann Maughan - david.maughan3@btinternet.com
Claire Taylor - claire.taylor@shu.ac.uk
Debbie Tickle - debbietickle@gmail.com
Imogine Turner – imogineturner@gmail.com
Tanya Urquhart - trewlove1@gmail.com
Views of Parents
Both the school and governors recognise the importance of your opinions/views as parents and would
encourage you to click on the link below and complete the questionnaire.
https://parentview.ofsted.gov.uk/
If you would like more details about anything in this newsletter &/or have suggestions about topics for
us to cover in the next newsletter please contact us.
Also if you would like to speak to one of the parent governors about anything in general please feel
free to see us at school or email us directly.