Once again we have arrived at the end of another academic year at the school. Overall, it has been another successful one, and on behalf of the board of governors I would like to extend my thanks to David and all members of his team for their hard work and commitment throughout the year.

Before the conclusion of this summer term, we should be able to inform all parents the results of the Ofsted Inspection which took place on 2^nd July. The initial feedback from the inspection team appears to be very positive. Minimal notice is given to any school prior to an inspection taking place and this allows the visiting inspectors to get a ‘snap shot’ of both standards and performance within the setting. An inspection can be stressful for everyone involved, but all members of staff should be commended in handling the visit with great professionalism. We will take stock of all recommendations that arise from the report and look to exceed expectation moving into the future.

The school is currently awaiting the outcome of a planning application to build a new classroom at the rear of the main building coupled with the refurbishment of the existing kitchen area. This exciting project will allow the ‘Elliott’ building (adjacent to the main school) to be utilised as a pre-school facility for the future. Furthermore, it will also be available to the parish for local activities. Funding is going to be the key factor in driving this project forward and we will ensure that parents are regularly updated on progress and developments.

On behalf of all the staff and governors, I would like to extend my sincere thanks to all members of the PTA for their fundraising efforts throughout the year. Being a small school, an active PTA is essential and the events organized over the last twelve months have been well received.

Finally, I would also like to thank Tim Bagshaw for his time and effort as outgoing Chair of Governors. Tim’s input was commendable and he will be a difficult act to follow!

I hope you all have a good summer holiday and look forward to seeing you again back at Trekenner on 3rd September.

What is a Governor?

A Governor is a 'critical friend' - what does this mean?

A critical friend offers support, constructive advice, listens, gives opinions, and is always ready and willing to help.

A critical friend may also challenge, ask questions, seek information, question decisions and so help to arrive at the best solutions to problems.

 Our Governors are an involved, interested, committed group of people all of whom have a lot to offer Trekenner School .

Our collective experience and wisdom (hopefully!) combines well with the energy and enthusiasm of the newer element all working together in a positive and creative way.

We are a group of volunteers, ready and willing to give freely of our time, energy and commitment for the benefit of the children at Trekenner School .

Anyone can provided you are willing, have the time, enthusiasm and dedication. 

Who are the Governors?

Currently the following are our team of Governors:

The name Parent Governor means exactly what it says - you are a Governor who is also a Parent of a child in school at the time of your election. You are not elected to represent the views of other parents but to help (along with the staff and other governors) to maintain the highest standards throughout the school and to ensure that every child is given the opportunity of achieving their full potential. 

As Governors we aim to involve ourselves in school life at all levels to work together to maintain the highest standards throughout the school to ensure that every child is given the opportunity of achieving their full potential.
 

We have termly meetings which give us the opportunity to discuss, debate, analyse and create. We can use these sessions to examine our working practices, or as training and development sessions. Sometimes we invite speakers so that we can learn more about current educational issues.

We have put together this year, a folder for all future governors. This contains all the relevant information you need in order to become a Governor of Trekenner School. The folder is available at school for anyone to see - just ask at the office.

1             Overview of the Past Year                    Mr D Reardon

 The school is committed on a daily basis to strive to improve every aspect of school life as it is our fundamental duty to provide the best possible Primary education for the current generation of pupils, with the resources available. We have recently been visited by OFSTED and we expect the report to show that we continue to improve each year.  Achievements and standards are higher than the national average with children making good progress in all subjects.

A key reason for the improving quality of provision that the school is able to provide is as a direct consequence of the strong support that it receives from all our families and friends within the community. The school benefits hugely from the skills, endeavour, enterprise and sheer hard work from parents which has such a positive impact on daily school life. The school can plan a wider range of activities because it has confidence that parents will help them to do so.

The teachers, learning support and administrative staff at Trekenner are a highly professional team, dedicated to working together to make our children’s time at school a safe, happy and fulfilling experience.

As well as raising standards for the current generation it is of equal importance to keep one eye on the future. We currently have small sized classes that are well resources with learning support, which makes it easier to tailor the children’s education according to needs.

 In the Early Years we have begun to receive part-timers in the Summer term for the first time and children as young as 3 for Learning together sessions once a week. We plan to improve our delivery of the Early Years Foundation Stage Curriculum by building a new classroom and kitchen and thereby redevelop Class 2 into a pre-school. This at present is the school’s top priority.

The planning permission for the new classroom is now nearing completion. The school is very close to securing the funding to pay for the project and we are hopeful that  the tendering process can soon begin. A splendid thought would be that at the next AGM I report the completion of the new classroom and establishment of a pre-school.

I’d like to take this opportunity to thank everyone for the support that the school has received in a huge variety of forms over the past year. It makes a real difference to the quality of provision that the school provides and continued progress relies heavily upon it.

2             Curriculum

At Trekenner School we plan the curriculum to provide the children with a broad and balanced range of learning opportunities. We plan the termly and half termly curriculum as a whole school and copies of the current planning is available on request. We continue to develop all areas of the curriculum through In-service training and weekly discussions at staff meetings.

We place importance on the good teaching of Literacy, Numeracy and Science ( the Core Subjects ).  ICT and RE are also given a high profile and we are always striving to develop our teaching in these areas.

The curriculum is monitored on a regular basis by the Headteacher, Governors and the LEA.

To enrich the children’s learning experiences we organise educational trips and frequently invite experts into the school.

All the above is carried out in line with the schools Values and Visions Statement.                              (Annexe 1 )

3             National Curriculum

The national curriculum is designed for single age teaching.  In a small school such as ours, with mixed age classes, we adapt this to meet our needs whilst ensuring all aspects are covered.  We do this by way of  a 4 year rolling planning programme (programme on display in the main entrance hall).

This year has seen the further development of the Foundation Stage Curriculum. The school has adopted the new Early Years Foundation Stage curriculum and has applied for and gained suitability to teach 3 and 4 year olds.

Children aged 5 – 7 are taught the Key Stage 1 curriculum.  By the end of Year 2 the children will be expected to achieve between Levels 1 and 3 with a majority at  Level 2 in the SATs test. 

Children aged 7 – 11 are taught the Key Stage 2 curriculum in line with national directives.  By the end of Year 6 it is expected that children will have achieved between levels 3 and 5 with the majority on level 4.

National Curriculum Assessments (SATS ) are taken by all children in Years 2 and 6. All children are assessed at the end of the Reception year using the Foundation Stage Profile.  We use Optional SATs to track the children’s progress in Years 3, 4 and 5

4             Overview of the past year

KS2 Targets & Summary Results for Trekenner School 2008/2009 

KS2 results were not available at the time the report was printed.

KS2 Targets for Trekenner School for  2009 / 2010

The governing body have reported the end of key stage 2 results in the above format to protect the identity of individual children.

It is recognised that the small size of cohorts makes this statistical data unreliable.

5             Links with Parents                                

Trekenner School has always encouraged the positive involvement of parents in the school environment. It is to everyones advantage to maintain and develop positive links between staff, governors and parents to maximize our childrens wellbeing during their time at our school. Members of the staff team are available for informal discussion and more formal meetings can also be arranged to discuss your children’s welfare.

As a parent it is important for you to have an opportunity to be made aware of what the school has achieved over the previous year and what its intentions are for the future. The purpose of the Parents AGM can deliver this information in a structured yet informal environment.

Open afternoon’s have long since been common practice at Trekenner and offer an ideal forum for parents and staff to discuss your children’s work and progress at the school. More formal written reports are also important to assess development and these are distributed to parents during the summer term.

To keep everyone ‘up to date’ with what is happening at the school we also produce a popular fortnightly newsletter giving parents access to recent events and future activities .

Fundraising through a supportive Parent Teacher Association is very important especially in a smaller rural school. As a parent you automatically qualify to be a member. Help and ideas for future projects will always be actively encouraged. Historically our events have included bingo evenings, quizzes, themed disco nights alongside more traditional events such as bonfire night and Christmas celebrations.  

6       Regional and Community Links

This year as part of our ongoing goal to develop our community cohesion Trekenner School has made some very exciting links with three other schools from around the globe.  One in inner city Bristol, which we hope to meet up with and have an activity day in the autumn.  One in Holland who we have already been communicating with on the internet and another in Uganda who will receive a small parcel from the school delivered personally by a local member of the parish.

Trekenner School also takes great pride in it’s ability to take part in and enjoy interschool sports challenges at Launceston College.  We also have strong links with Calling College, who supply students for our after school sports clubs.

We continue to develop further links with our clusters schools, Lewannick and Coads Green, with which in the past we have had successful days with Drama, Sports and Geography.

Last but not least is our strong presence in all community events such as the Horticultural Show and Church Fete, not forgetting our presence at Lezant Church and Trebullett Chapel.

7       Extra-Curricular Activities

During the past year we have run the following clubs:-

            Recorders                              Summer Sports                     French

            Running Club                         Football                                  Homework

            Gardening                              Film club

We have introduced Drumming and Guitar lessons.

8       Sports

 

Swimming sessions continue to be held for two terms and have proved successful with all children making good progress.  Coaching is provided in four groups with school staff coaching beginners and improvers and sports centre staff coaching the intermediate and advanced groups.

 David Reardon continues to run a very successful football club after school which is open to children of all ages.

David Reardon and Matt Lucas run a Summer Sports club in the summer term to provide children with a varied experience of sports and exercise.

In line with our healthy schools status the school liaises with other sports providers to channel information about clubs , activities and events.

9       Becoming a Governor                          Brian Hogan

Why become a Governor?

I am sure everyone would have their own reasons for seeking to become a Governor. I can only speak from my own personal experiences.

My Son moved from a town school of approx 250 pupils to Trekenner school with 50 pupils in 2007.I can say his self confidence and level of happiness at school plus his attainment levels showed a significant improvement during his stay at Trekenner.

With this in mind I decided that I would like to try and give something back to the school, so it was with trepidation that I approached the Headteacher about becoming a Governor of the school.I have been a Governor now for two years and was welcomed and made to feel at home from the very beginning

and that still remains.

 What is a Governor?