OUTWOOD PRIMARY SCHOOLChair Of Governor's Blog
Date: 18th Nov 2020 @ 2:45pm
Welcome
Firstly, on behalf of the Board of Governors, may I wish all of our Outwood community a very warm welcome to the 2020/21 school year. Whether you are new to the school or have a long established relationship with Heald Green's 'hidden gem', I'm sure you will agree that 2020 has been challenging and no doubt the coming school year will bring further challenges.
Change
It is hard to escape the fact that since March we have all been living in very unusual times. Covid-19 has changed the face of so many aspects of our day to day living, not least education. School's across the UK have been asked to adapt premises and ways of working in order to protect our young learners and the wider community. I'm really pleased to say that the Outwood community have led by example and have been quick to embrace all manner of new processes, practices and technology. Successfully adapting to changes in circumstances, showing resilience, and meeting challenges head-on are key life skills, and it is my hope and belief that the whole Outwood community are well placed to come through this year with typical success.
The Outwood Way
Those who have previously experienced our school in the past know all about what the Outwood Way means for our community. Outwood Primary School is a very special place. It's an energetic and colourful place where young learners thrive. They arrive as acorns and with careful attentive nourishment we hope that they leave as young saplings, ready for the next stage in their lives enriched by all manner learning experiences. The existing Outwood community knows this already, however the reality of education in Heald Green, where there are several primary schools within a short distance, is that we need to ensure that Outwood is at the forefront of the minds of parents and the wider community. This is the annual challenge for all schools.
First Impressions
For years parents and carers have chosen a primary school for their children based on a number of factors, including educational standards, quality of curriculum and previous OfSTED inspection reports. The school that, in their view, offers the best all round educational experience is likely to be the one they select. In 2020 you can now add 2 more additional considerations, online teaching provision and providing a Covid-safe learning environment. Over the past few years Outwood has made significant progress in many areas to the point where the school compares favourably with all of the local schools in each category. Furthermore, through strong leadership, Outwood is well placed to come through the current pandemic comparatively well. As a board of governors we will continue to have high expectations of the school leadership team in our ongoing mission to be the primary school of choice in Heald Green
In addition to the continual raising of academic standards and financial sustainability a key priority for the Governing Board in the coming months will be to focus on the schools image in the local community. Creating a fantastic first impression, both in the flesh and online, will involve continual improvement to the Outwood community experience.
If you have any thoughts or ideas to further enhance the Outwood Way we would be very interested to hear from you. Indeed, we currently have a vacancy on the school governing board for a Parent-Governor. There are 2 simple criteria for this position; you should have a child in attendance at the school plus you need to have a passion to help our young acorns become saplings!
On behalf of the Outwood governing board may I thank you for your ongoing support. Please continue to spread the word to friends, family and neighbours that this is a great place for their children to learn and grow. Places for January and next September are limited but remain available.
Thank you and take care.
Simon Carroll
CHAIR OF GOVERNORS