As I have mentioned before on my blog, I am a governor at Fortismere, which is a secondary school in my ward.
One resident has contacted me and asked that I put something on my blog about the deliberation that the governing body is going through to decide if becoming a foundation school would be of benefit to Fortismere and its pupils, current and future.
As chance would have it, someone has also just pointed out to me that the local Tory has just posted on his blog - about me being a governor. Justin has even included the interesting demand that I resign from either the Lib Dem group or the governing body!
To clarify my position as a governor, I am a "local authority" representative - so in effect am nominated by the local Lib Dems. The local Labour party nominates three governors at Fortismere - I think this is a hangover from before the last elections when the ratio of Labour to Lib Dem councillors in Haringey was a little under 3:1 (whereas now it's roughly 50:50, with a small Labour majority).
But on the governing body, I act independently in the best interests of the school, as all governors should - not on behalf of the Lib Dems or the council.
Hopefully all interested parties have fed into the consultation - which is still at an informal stage. The process has not been a quick one, with discussions having begun last year. After that, a working group of governors spent a great deal of time looking at the pros and cons and eventually produced the informal consultation paper that has been circulated.
Anyone, whether local or not, is welcome to leave their thoughts about foundation status for schools, negative or positive. Usual rules apply - I would prefer comments not to be anonymous, but fine if you want - but I will not publish any comments (i) with bad language (ii) that are personally insulting to anyone (iii) that contain comments or allegations that I can't substantiate (or know to be untrue). And I would point out that I don't think my blog is any substitute for the actual consultation - although I will read all comments, I am unlikely to be responding to them in detail until I have seen all the consultation responses. And I certainly won't be making a decision either way before then.
It is important to note that no decision has been taken by the governors about foundation status - not even an indicative vote. The only votes have been about whether to explore the issue and whether to put it to consultation.
Along with most governors, I have made no decision on whether Fortismere should become a foundation school or not. There are two governors who are members of the Keep Fortismere Comprehensive group, who seem to believe that foundation status is about making a school selective. But I will be waiting to see the different views that come in via the consultation before making my decision either way.
10 comments:
Matt,
I am not sure if you are fence-sitting or you genuinely haven't made your mind up on this issue. Either way, it places you in a difficult situation. The Head supports Foundation status and by re-opening the issue, I'm guessing that the majority of governors are open to the idea if not very supportive of it.
The Lib Dems, being a left-wing statist party, oppose the move.
As you say, you're the Lib Dems' nominee on the school's executive -if governors, other than parents and teachers, were truly independent of party whips, you wouldn't have such appointments, would you?
I hope that you will side with the Head on this occasion - I am more than happy to give you reasons for doing so if you so wish. But, that said, you're not really going to take a Tory's view into consideration, are you?
)-:
I am happy to take everyone's views into consideration!
Just one small point - the issue has never been "re-opened", it was never closed. The process/discussion started a long time ago with initial consultation, the result of which was the governor working group to explore further, which then led to this informal consultation. It's all been part of the same ongoing discussion - obviously it's not something to take lightly or rush.
Whatever route a governor goes on to the GB by, we all have a responsibility to act independently and in the best interests of school and pupils - nothing else should influence our decisions.
The key word is "should" - right?
Well, I can't speak for anyone else, but I will certainly only be influenced by what is in the best interests of the school, pupils and staff.
The drivel above is typical of the Lib Dems. Unable to make a decision when confronted by something difficult and where there are a significant number of people on the other side of the argument - the very epitome of empty populism.
It's not clear from your comment if you are against of in favour of a change to foundation status - if you have an opinion on it?
Would you prefer it if I made a decision without waiting to consider the consultation responses and all the facts?
Thanks for putting something up on your blog that matters (as well of course the very important progress of the Mighty Spurs ;-))
But can I please correct one thing that you say - you state "the process has not been a quick one" - that may be what it feels like as a governor, but for everyone else it has been unbelievably, ridiculously quick! We had a four week burst of discussion last year, and have had a four week burst this year. That's all! I think the foundation sub-committee (and the governing body as a whole) is guilty of not being able to see things through any other eyes but its own.
There's an old Apache saying that to understand a man, you must first walk a month in his moccasins. Well, try ours on for size for a change.
We've had no real time to ponder the pros and cons, and you'll be letting us down hugely if you push this through without having let the school's community understand the issues properly. Please bear that in mind when you next vote on this.
PS how do you feel about the fact that the Governing Body sent out a consultation document full of errors?
Matt, whilst we are on education and foundations schools, you will no doubt have noticed that 'grammars versus foundations schools' as the way ahead have been exercising my party somewhat in recent days! I have been arguing to Willetts that the foundation/ grammar dichotomy is perhaps a false one. And that full setting by ability within schools is likely to deliver most, if not all of the academic improvements we all seek. I would be interested in your thoughts on this _ and whether setting is used in Fortismere? I have always thought that, for a school with F.'s catchment area and probably one of the most educated sets of parents of any comprehensive in the country, Fortismere's academic results are actually very poor _ and only look good in comparison with the abysmal results achieved in other Haringey schools.
I am a governor at a primary school in Islington (Ashmount) and I can confirm that Matt's view of the role of an LEA appointed Governor is absolutely correct, and has always been acted on by Lib Dem and Labour Nominees in Islington. In fact one of our LEA nominees is not a member of the party that nominated him anyway.
Easily I assent to but I think the collection should acquire more info then it has.
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