Spring Term Governor Update
This term has been a momentous one in the life of St Matthew’s school. We became a part of the St Edmundsbury and Ipswich Diocesan Multi Academy Trust on March 1st 2019. Governors made the decision to join this growing and successful trust because we believe it is the best way to preserve our strong Christian ethos and to learn from and share with other likeminded schools. Collaborating with others will offer our school many opportunities and we are looking forward to developing partnerships across the trust.
Another very important piece of news is that following a rigorous recruitment process we have appointed Darren Gates to the position of headteacher in September 2019 when Mrs Todd will be stepping down. Mr Gates has been one of our deputy headteachers at St Matthew’s since 2013. He has a passion for exceptional teaching and learning and we know that he will be able to build on Mrs Todd’s considerable achievements. He will be working with the governors and Mrs Todd over the coming months to ensure a smooth transition.
We have continued to support and challenge the senior leadership team to achieve the very best for every child in our school and we have been delighted to see the fantastic range of activities the children have been involved in. There is always a buzz of excitement and activity around the school as children are engaged in all sorts of creative learning opportunities.
One of our challenges at St Matthews is ensuring that all our children come to school every day and on time. I would like to say a big thank you to the majority of our parents who ensure their children arrive on time every day. You are helping your child to make the best possible progress and giving them access to all the exciting opportunities the St Matthew’s curriculum has to offer. If you are concerned about your child’s attendance, please do contact our family support worker who will be able to support you.
We have just elected a new parent governor – Mrs Elizabeth Collins (Polly). Parent governors are vital as they bring the parent voice to the governing body. They are not parent representatives, they speak and vote according to their own views, however their parental perspective ensures that the governing body hears a range of views from stakeholders.
I hope to see some of you at the parent forum on 4th April, where we will be discussing the curriculum, our ethos and school uniform. Meanwhile please remember that you can contact me at cbarratt@stmatthewscevap.uk