Z is well trained

I should have made it clear, yesterday, that of course I have had governor training about pupil exclusions – several times in fact; probably 3 times in the 9 years I’ve been a high school governor. In addition, I read every update to the guide to the law. I do take it all seriously. This time, it was a very in-depth training day for headteachers and other staff, as well as local authority officials – a barrister delivered 85 pages-worth of information to about 80 of us, who probably represented 35 or more schools (few primary schools would need this training around here, but Middle and High schools do).

I saw several people I knew, including a headteacher who used to be our Deputy Head and the Head of one of our middle schools whom I work with regularly. I also, when signing in, noticed the name of a man who used to teach at our village school and left several years ago – I was chairman of governors at the time and gave him a reference. I’d always wondered how he got on as he’d left us for a school with various problems, which I seem to remember went into special measures soon after he arrived there. I gave him a very good reference but wondered if I’d been doing him a favour or not!

At the break we had a chat and I’m so glad that he’s doing really well and is happy. He’s now deputy head at that same school and has obviously found his niche. He had evident potential when I knew him, but there wasn’t the scope for promotion at a little primary school. I think he found the challenge he needed and rose to it.

A very interesting day and, as I expected, our high school does all it’s supposed to. I’ve got a few things to check though, to make sure we’re up to date with, and I’ve got a lot to read up on. It’s the sort of detail I’m fairly good with though and that I remember (or at least, remember where to find again).

Lowestoft was hazy. When I arrived home, I discovered that there’s been bright sun all day and it’s been hot. This was often the pattern when I lived there – a day or two of sunshine and then the sea mist rolled in. It needs a breeze to keep the clouds away.

This evening, I’m mostly making Summer Pudding.

15 comments on “Z is well trained

  1. Dave

    It would have been a shame to waste the sunshine sitting indoors, so treat the haze as a positive thing.

    I mostly went for a bike ride. And am doing without pudding.

    Reply
  2. Anonymous

    The fog horn was booming all day here in Lowestoft – and in Gt Yarmouth, but where I was, about one mile inland at each location it was glorious sunshine….! I wondered what was going when I first heard it, as I was sweltering indoors at the time, but when I stepped outside and looked down the road I could see a huge fog cloud enveloping the town.
    Bill

    Reply
  3. Anonymous

    The fog horn was booming all day here in Lowestoft – and in Gt Yarmouth, but where I was, about one mile inland at each location it was glorious sunshine….! I wondered what was going when I first heard it, as I was sweltering indoors at the time, but when I stepped outside and looked down the road I could see a huge fog cloud enveloping the town.
    Bill

    Reply
  4. Z

    When I moved inland, I missed the fog horn!

    I grew up in Oulton Broad and we had proper sunny summers then – though I went to school in Lowestoft (the school that was then next door to the V1ct0r1a, where I was today) and I don’t remember all those misty days then. We certainly had them 10 years later when I lived by the cliff in Pakefield.

    Blogger can be so slow to post comments – I do that too, even here!

    Reply
  5. zIggI

    unfortunately in the primary in which I work (now and then!) we have to be right on the ball with our exclusion expertise, especially in relation to SEN.
    Even so, we have been taken to court for NOT excluding a child because his challenging behaviour was a result of his ADHD.
    I wish you were one of our govs, would you like a job???

    Reply
  6. Sarah

    Summer pudding..yuk…devil food

    you sound scary Z!

    went Lowestoft for the first time a few weeks back…it was a mistake! long story…

    Reply
  7. Z

    Since this is a public blog, however modest its readership, better not to sound casual about the subject. I’m totally adorable and kind of course, as several of you know, but I can give a scary impression, usually when I’m quoting verbatim passages of the governors’ guide to the law.

    Once, some local parents didn’t send their child to the village school because she’d have been in the same class as a child who had a bit of a reputation as a tearaway toddler. It wasn’t his fault, he had mild learning difficulties and dyspraxia. Now at college, he’s a lovely teenager.

    I’ll only be your governor if I can come in as a voluntary helper too, Zig.

    I love soggy sandwich pudding with lots of pips. There is no place for cherries or strawberries however, it has to be raspberries, redcurrants and blackcurrants. And white bread with no crusts, although in all other circumstances the crusts are the best bit of the bread.

    Reply
  8. zIggI

    the lesser spotted voluntary helper, we don’t have those either – it’s one of the joys of being slap bang in the middle of an army barracks.

    What we do have is lots of lovely kids who have on the most part difficult and disruptive lives with the added joy that dad or mum (and sometimes both) are deployed in Afghanistan or Iraq.

    We watch the news carefully.

    Reply
  9. PI

    It must be a difficult decision when giving a reference whether or not to tell the whole truth or give them the benefit of the doubt.

    Reply
  10. Z

    Nowadays, references are usually very bland – whenever I’ve written one I’ve always given a copy of it to the person it’s written about as I think that’s only fair, but now they can ask for that as a right and complain if they disagree with it.

    A friend of mine from an army family whose husband is ex-army says that it’s difficult to marry into. Must be tough on the children, especially in times of war.

    Reply

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