Governors Impact Statement 2021

ACTION

IMPACT

1.

Additional class has been funded in Year 10 at the beginning of GCSEs.  This has allowed for a reduction in class size at KS4 for core areas and 8 groups in the option block.

It has given capacity to offer a very diverse range of subject choices, provide more time and a better teacher: student ratio.

3.

Pupil Premium Funding was allocated to fund additional staff & resources/provision.

This support has been very useful to help our work in narrowing the gap between disadvantaged students and their peers.

3.

Supported the professional development of several members of staff.

Release time and where necessary funds made available.

The staff have developed a continuous self-improvement attitude. Middle leaders and Senior Leaders can effectively contribute to the Leadership and Management of the school which has helped secure improvements in provision across the school and promotes more positive outcomes for students.

4.

Governors have ensured effective use has been made of Pupil Premium, National Tutoring Programme and Catch-up grants.

This has resulted in intensive work around narrowing the gap between themselves (disadvantaged) and their peers. Strategy report scrutinized and published on the DPA website.

5.

The monitoring of daily practice by all governors who regularly visit the academy.

This has allowed the governors to develop their own knowledge of the academy so that they can appropriately challenge senior leadership with a report from the visit shared with the board and greater knowledge when they participate in the training day.

6.

Appointment of Financial experts to support the financial management of the academy.

The academy is in a very healthy position financially after a relatively short period of time.

7.

All governors are asked to complete a skills audit when they express an interest in becoming a governor at DPA.

This has allowed the governing body to be convened with an appropriate range of skills to challenge the academy leaders.

8.

Established a strategic direction of the academy.

Working together the academy has established very good systems and structures. 

9.

Contact time for teachers maintained at a lower % than most schools provide in a national context.

Teachers’ well-being and workload remains very healthy.  This in turn had led to excellent recruitment and retention and teacher/student intervention/feedback/student outcomes.

10.

SASH – Members

Headteachers of local secondary schools brining knowledge, experience and developing others.

11.

Safeguarding

Oversite of a system that is very effective and robust.  Regularly checked and reviewed.

12.

Fund transition, ICT resource, bursary post 16, cultural capital, Evolve

All students received a responsive provision for their needs.

13.

Retention & Recruitment

Governors support leaders to ‘look after’ its most precious resource – staff. This allows us to concentrate on our core purpose – students. Very low turnover of only 6% previously.

14.

Support Staff appointments for extra student wellbeing and welfare

School Councillor, Family Support Worker and Pastoral Managers, LT Inclusion, The Hive Manager

15.

Senior Leadership Team Structure

Creating opportunities and succession planning for the future with interim posts.

16.

First cohorts of students sent to university with a small one-off bursary given to help.

100% of young people ended up with a university place, skilled employment, or apprenticeships.

17.

Post 16 Expansion

Support provided for plans to expand DPA so that 16–19-year-olds get a discreet area to work in and the rest of the school benefit from the space they vacate.

18.

Student Governors

In September 2024 the academy will appoint two Lead Prefects who will also become governors and join the LGB.

19.

Appraisal Day

Staff at DPA have been granted a day to plan, meet, discuss and complete their appraisal targets/objectives. It is an appreciation of the important process that professional development and reviewing progress plays at DPA.

20.

HR

Volunteer for numerous panels, training and are heavily involved in senior staff appointments.