Governors Blog

6.3.24 Celia Morris, Governor

As part of governor monitoring week, I visited Nottingham Nursery School.  I met with Amanda Dawson, Executive Headteacher, and the 2 nursery teachers, Hardeep Atwal and Bridie Martin.  We discussed the exciting plans for the development of the outdoor play area, including a revamping of the sand and water area, and the building of a … Continue reading 6.3.24 Celia Morris, Governor

29.02.24 Carol McCrone, Vice Chair of Governors

Henry Ward and I met up on Thursday 29 February for our termly SEND governor’s monitoring visit. It was great to have a walk round our school and see our children so happy in their learning. As part of this visit, we looked at IT uses to support our SEND children with their learning currently, … Continue reading 29.02.24 Carol McCrone, Vice Chair of Governors

20.2.24 Sue Blakeway, Vice Chair of Governors

I thoroughly enjoyed my visit to school as I had the opportunity to meet with the pupils to discuss their progress in mathematics. I met children from each key stage, including one student from the Focus Provision. This follows on from my previous visits into classrooms and it was reassuring to learn that the children … Continue reading 20.2.24 Sue Blakeway, Vice Chair of Governors

15.1.24 Wendy Smith, Associate Governor

The focus of the visit was to discuss attendance with the heads of school, Joy Buttress and Lorna Dermody, and to see what is being done to monitor and improve it and support families. Joy and Lorna explained the new attendance logging system, Arbor, which has replaced Sims.  This is very simple for staff to … Continue reading 15.1.24 Wendy Smith, Associate Governor

28.2.24 Lesley Lyon, Chair of Governors

I joined Mrs Buttress this morning to look at the work in English. As you will know from the school development plan, one of our priorities for the year is to improve writing across the school so we went to observe classes in Years 6 and 2; we talked to two groups of pupils from … Continue reading 28.2.24 Lesley Lyon, Chair of Governors

1.12.23 Teeny Reid, Staff Governor

I met with Mr Nottingham and PE teacher Mr Walters on 1st of December to discuss what PE looks like across Mellers. They were pleased with the progress children are making and are continuing with the same model as last year. In addition to this, this year they are aiming to add one extra hour … Continue reading 1.12.23 Teeny Reid, Staff Governor

30.11.23 Lesley Lyon, Chair of Governors

It was a privilege, as part of our monitoring activities this term, to be present at the Annual Performance Review. This is an important meeting for schools in which our external advisor, Jess Steele, meets with the Heads of School, the Executive Head and Governors to review the progress made by the school over the … Continue reading 30.11.23 Lesley Lyon, Chair of Governors

20.11.23 Carol McCrone, Vice Chair of Governors

Good to catch up with Henry Ward on 20 November, as part of my SEND (Special Educational Needs and Disability) Governing Body monitoring role. Life is very busy for the SEND team, doing their utmost to support the needs of our children and giving them the best start possible for their education. I know they … Continue reading 20.11.23 Carol McCrone, Vice Chair of Governors

22.11.22 Wendy Smith, Associate Governor

The focus of the visit was to see how staff and pupils had settled into the new building and see Deaf children being taught in a variety of settings.  I was met by Louise who reiterated how happy everyone was at Mellers,  particularly now they weren’t having to work in the temporary buildings.  I visited … Continue reading 22.11.22 Wendy Smith, Associate Governor

8.9.23 Sue Blakeway, Vice Chair of Governors

It was a pleasure to visit the Nottingham Nursery School, an opportunity to see happy and busy children enjoying their learning. The environment is excellent, and the children have a choice of activities to engage in and enjoy. It was a warm morning and most of the children were enjoying the outdoors. Since my last … Continue reading 8.9.23 Sue Blakeway, Vice Chair of Governors

19.7.23 Lesley Lyon, Chair of Governors

Wow! Zombiearella – what a show!I would like to congratulate Year 6 and the staff team on the amazing, fully signed, performance of this year’s leavers show. I brought my two grandaughters, aged 5 and 7, to the evening performance and they were entranced. The pupils performed with confidence and enthusiasm to a packed audience. … Continue reading 19.7.23 Lesley Lyon, Chair of Governors

17.7.23 Lesley Lyon, Chair of Governors

I took part in the Annual Performance Review of the school this week alongside Miss Dawson, Mrs Buttress and Miss Dermody. We were visited by our School Improvement Advisor, Jess Steele, who helped us look in great detail about how well the school has done over the year and what the priorities should be for … Continue reading 17.7.23 Lesley Lyon, Chair of Governors

3.7.23 Lesley Lyon, Chair of Governors

It was so interesting to talk to pupils from Year 5 on 3rd July. The subject of our discussions was about what helps pupils to learn better, what they feel about the progress they make and what they may like to change about the way they learn. Here are some of the highlights from what … Continue reading 3.7.23 Lesley Lyon, Chair of Governors

17.7.23 Nathalie Bolofo

I was delighted to meet the Religious Education teacher, Mrs Hayley Gillen and her colleague, who both work hard to teach Religious Education to the Mellers students from Year 1 to Year 6. As a team, they aim to successfully develop children’s skills and knowledge in all concerning religion and spirituality. The focus this year … Continue reading 17.7.23 Nathalie Bolofo

26.5.23 Femi Folorunso, Governor

I, Femi Folorunso, and Teeny Reid met with Joe Nottingham, PE lead and Nathan Walters, the P.E teacher on Friday 26th May 2023, at Mellers Primary School as part of the Governor’s monitoring. The meeting started at 10 am, Mr Nottingham and Mr Walters gave updates on sports activities in the school. We were shown the … Continue reading 26.5.23 Femi Folorunso, Governor

24.5.23 Carol McCrone, Governor

It was good to meet up with our SENCO Henry Ward on 24 May, in my role of link governor for special educational needs provision. Great to hear about the progress our children are making both at Mellers and the Nottingham Nursery School and the opportunities for wider staff team working across the Federation. It … Continue reading 24.5.23 Carol McCrone, Governor

23.5.23 Sue Blakeway, Vice Chair of Governors

As part of monitoring week, I spent the afternoon of 23rd May with Mr Moss who will be leading science during the next academic year. We used the time to meet with representatives from Years 1, 3, 4 and 5 and they shared the work in their floor books. All children were able to look … Continue reading 23.5.23 Sue Blakeway, Vice Chair of Governors

22.5.23 Sue Blakeway, Vice Chair of Governors

As part of monitoring week, I spent the morning of 22nd May with Miss Dermody looking at the teaching and learning of maths. We visited classes in years 1, 3, 4 and 6. I observed the children actively involved in a variety of activities. There is clear evidence of progression over time, children learn techniques … Continue reading 22.5.23 Sue Blakeway, Vice Chair of Governors

19.5.23 Carol McCrone, Governor

I really enjoyed the official opening of the Focus Provision for Deaf Pupils on Friday 19 May. It was a wonderful celebration of the integration of the deaf pupils and their teachers into Mellers, both in terms of the building and as a community. Great to see and hear the Year 6 Brass Ensemble play … Continue reading 19.5.23 Carol McCrone, Governor

17.4.23 Femi Folorunso, governor with responsibility for safegarding

I attended the safeguarding team meeting at Mellers Primary School on the 29th of March2023 at 1.30 pm. The school's safeguarding lead and all stakeholders were present. The briefing was succinctly presented, and every case was thoroughly discussed. The answers to my questions were detailed and reassuring. I was really impressed with the proactive efforts of … Continue reading 17.4.23 Femi Folorunso, governor with responsibility for safegarding

17.4.23 Martin Smith, Vice Chair of Governors

Nursery Woodland Animal Hunt Just before the Easter break I was lucky enough to spend another day in the Forest School, seeing all the children throughout the day. Working with Uzma, our Forest School lead, we introduced some basic map work using a picture map of the Forest School. This is a hard concept for … Continue reading 17.4.23 Martin Smith, Vice Chair of Governors

30.3.23 Amy Fuller, Associate Governor

On Tuesday it was a pleasure to meet with Martin McKeefry and a group of children from across all year groups. Floor books were immaculately presented and show progression as longer written pieces of work become evident in older year groups. It was clear what had been studied. When students leave Mellers, these floor books … Continue reading 30.3.23 Amy Fuller, Associate Governor

9.2.23 Amy Fuller, Associate Governor

It was a pleasure to meet with Jo Lowy subject leader for history. From the outset her passion for history was clear as a history graduate. First, we discussed what the current focus was in history. It was really interesting to hear that after half term the team was going to be looking at diversity … Continue reading 9.2.23 Amy Fuller, Associate Governor

8.3.23 Lesley Lyon, Chair of Governors

It was a great privilege to spend the day at Mellers with Joy Buttress and Jess Steele looking at phonics and writing across the school. Jess is our school improvement advisor and she specialises in all aspects of English so it was great to have the benefit of her advice and ideas for further improvement. … Continue reading 8.3.23 Lesley Lyon, Chair of Governors

1.2.23 Martin Smith, Vice Chair of Governors

This visit was part of our Governor Monitoring week, where I was lucky enough to spend a morning at Nottingham Nursery School observing Panda class, in the Forest School, and looking at some of the teaching and learning in other areas of the Nursery. When I arrived at the Forest School the children were already … Continue reading 1.2.23 Martin Smith, Vice Chair of Governors

9.2.23 Sue Blakeway, Vice Chair of Governors

I met with Lauren Marks, the lead teacher for science. Lauren shared the curriculum planning and other subject documentation, we observed a year 3 science lesson and looked at the children’s floor books from all years in the school. The curriculum plan has been summarised into a one page document; it is clear to see … Continue reading 9.2.23 Sue Blakeway, Vice Chair of Governors

23.1.23 Amy Fuller, Governor

It was great to catch up with Mr McKeefry again to discuss how the Geography curriculum is further developing at the school. Firstly, we discussed what the main areas of focus for monitoring would be this year. Mr McKeefry actively takes time to pop in and out of lessons informally observing and providing feedback, to … Continue reading 23.1.23 Amy Fuller, Governor

11.1.23 Celia Morris, Governor

As a governor for the Federated Nottingham Nursery and Mellers Primary School I have visited the nursery on several occasions meeting with staff and also undertaking informative monitoring visits of the nursery classrooms and outside areas to see and review changes that have been made to support the learning and development of the children.  I … Continue reading 11.1.23 Celia Morris, Governor

24.11.22 Sue Blakeway, Vice Chair of Governors

Hannah Darko and I visited the school on the morning of 24th November 2022. We met with Lorna Dermody to discuss the teaching and learning in mathematics. Lorna has a comprehensive understanding of the maths curriculum and the strengths and weaknesses of maths across the school. We then observed the Year 1 classes during their … Continue reading 24.11.22 Sue Blakeway, Vice Chair of Governors

24.11.22 Martin Smith, Vice Chair of Governors

Today I had the privilege to undertake some time observing the learning and learning environment at Nottingham Nursery. This morning I undertook a walk around the indoor area led by Uzma, the outdoor learning lead. A record of recent outdoor work was clearly displayed around the classrooms. This work had focused on the current season … Continue reading 24.11.22 Martin Smith, Vice Chair of Governors

24.11.22 Sue Blakeway, Vice Chair of Governors

It was very informative and interesting to visit NNS, my first opportunity to see the nursery at work. The facilities are excellent, spacious rooms and lots of outdoor space for the children to enjoy and explore. There is a high staff to child ratio, as expected, and all adults were engaged in activities with the … Continue reading 24.11.22 Sue Blakeway, Vice Chair of Governors

22.11.22 Carol McCrone, governor

Good to catch up with Mr Ward in school today. Glad to hear that our SEND children are making good progress and that he is exploring lots of creative options to provide the best support possible at both sites. It was good to hear from him, and a colleague from the focused provision, that the … Continue reading 22.11.22 Carol McCrone, governor

25.11.22 Lesley Lyon, Chair of Governors

It has been fascinating to join the staff INSET session today finding out about the curriculum that our children study. I heard presentations from staff about science, art, history, IT, PSHE, RE and music. Staff participated in practical activities which were lead by lead teachers in the various subject areas. They debated aspects of the … Continue reading 25.11.22 Lesley Lyon, Chair of Governors

22.11.22 Lesley Lyon, Chair of Governors

For our English monitoring this term we focused on phonics and writing. We know that our phonics results dropped this year and as a result we have taken on a new scheme called Little Wandle and governors were keen to see the impact of this work. Alongside this we also understand how important it is … Continue reading 22.11.22 Lesley Lyon, Chair of Governors

1.11.22 Sue Blakeway, Vice Chair of Governors

The teaching of phonics is a priority for the school; I visited the school today to develop my knowledge of this area of the curriculum. I met with Mrs Buttress who explained the principles of the programme and then visited the F2 class and watched their phonics session. The children were engaged, clearly enjoying their … Continue reading 1.11.22 Sue Blakeway, Vice Chair of Governors

14.10.22 Lesley Lyon, Chair of Governors

Governors have been busy this half term. We like to get off to a really good start and so we met vey early in the term for a development meeting. This is where we think about the work we did last year and the challenges of the coming year. If you look at the website … Continue reading 14.10.22 Lesley Lyon, Chair of Governors

27.7.22 Lesley Lyon, Chair of Governors

Wow what a year it has been! As I sat in the year 6 Leavers' Assembly I reflected on what a truly outstanding education the pupils at Mellers experience. I was so proud to watch the musicians, poets, dancers and actors reflect on their time at the school - what a truly competent and polished … Continue reading 27.7.22 Lesley Lyon, Chair of Governors

11.7.22 Lesley Lyon, Chair of Governors

It was a great pleasure to make my first formal visit to the nursery as Chair of Governors on 6th July. I met with Mrs Patel and she explained to me how the nursery works on a day to day basis. We began by discussing how the nursery ensures that the children are kept safe … Continue reading 11.7.22 Lesley Lyon, Chair of Governors

4.7.22 Carol McCrone, Governor

I am pleased to have attended the Team around the School meeting on 21 June, with our SENCO, Henry Ward, Wendy Gledhill, Billie Wilson and specialist advisors from the City Council. It was good to hear about the excellent support that our SEND children receive from Mellers. After the meeting, Henry and I had our … Continue reading 4.7.22 Carol McCrone, Governor

4.7.22 Wendy Smith, Associate Governor for the Focus Provision

I first visited the Focus Provision in September 2021 and shared everyone’s disappointment that the promised new build had not materialised. The temporary buildings were unsuitable for teaching deaf children (or any children!) due to their acoustic properties, their size and being detached from the main school buildings. I know how hard Amanda Dawson and … Continue reading 4.7.22 Wendy Smith, Associate Governor for the Focus Provision

4.7.22 Amy Fuller, Governor

As a geography teacher it was an absolute pleasure to meet with Mr McKeefry to talk everything geography at Mellers. As this was our first meeting, we spent our time running through the long-term plan for geography as well as key areas for further development. As a non-specialist Mr McKeefry has done an exceptional job … Continue reading 4.7.22 Amy Fuller, Governor

24.6.22 Jo Kervick, Governor

Last term, Kiran Dhanjal monitored PHSE. She observed lessons in Years 1, 3 and 5. Feedback was given to class teachers and Kiran identified some questions to consider. How do children apply what they have learnt? How do you know children have achieved the learning objective? How do we evidence leaning in PHSE? Are we … Continue reading 24.6.22 Jo Kervick, Governor

16.6.22 Lesley Lyon, Chair of Governors

On Thursday 16th June the three governors who are responsible for monitoring English spent the day in school with Mrs Buttress. We were engaged in a number of activities during the day including observing lessons, speaking to a group of pupils, discussing data and reflecting on what we had observed. This was done to ensure … Continue reading 16.6.22 Lesley Lyon, Chair of Governors

9.6.22 Sue Blakeway, Vice Chair of Governors

It was a pleasure to visit the school on 25th May. As always, I was inspired by the work that takes place, committed staff teaching hardworking, enthusiastic children. It is a privilege to see the school at work. Mathematics Hannah Darko, fellow governor, and I met with Lorna Dermody to discuss progress in mathematics. We … Continue reading 9.6.22 Sue Blakeway, Vice Chair of Governors

6.6.22 Lesley Lyon, Chair of Governors

It was a great relief, when I visited school on Monday 6th, to find a cheerful group of builders working on the new building for our Focus Provision for deaf pupils. This building has taken a long time to get underway. Our meetings with architects and the Local Authority started back in 2020 with a … Continue reading 6.6.22 Lesley Lyon, Chair of Governors

Martin Smith, Joint Vice Chair of Governors, 26.5.22

In my role as school governor and the lead for the Cultural Rucksack programme in the City I visited the Mellers Primary school, earlier this year, to discuss how the School might become more involved with the Cultural Rucksack programme in Nottingham. This programme has been established to improve the relationship between City schools and … Continue reading Martin Smith, Joint Vice Chair of Governors, 26.5.22

Lesley Lyon, Chair of Governors, 28.4.22

It is some time since we wrote on the blog and that is because for the last couple of years the governors have been extremely busy with preparing the ground for the formal federation with Nottingham Nursery School. As many of you will know Mrs Patel has been spending time at the nursery, supporting with … Continue reading Lesley Lyon, Chair of Governors, 28.4.22

Teeny Reid, 15.12.21

PE monitoring:  I spoke with Mr Nottingham about PE across the whole school. He told me that a new skills based curriculum that focusses on skills that can be applied to a range of sports has been introduced. There are two specialist PE teachers. Nathen Walters for KS1 and KS2 and Emma Leake in early … Continue reading Teeny Reid, 15.12.21

Sue Blakeway, Vice Chair of Governors, 6.12.21

As part of the governor monitoring week, I met with five subject leaders. We discussed the development of each curriculum area, the progress of the children and considered strengths and areas for development. Art During our meeting on 30th November, Miss Bird, subject lead for art, explained that her main focus for the year is … Continue reading Sue Blakeway, Vice Chair of Governors, 6.12.21

Carol McCrone, Vice Chair of Governors, 6.12.21

KS1 monitoring As part of Governors’ monitoring week, Mrs Martin and I met to catch up on the great work in Key Stage 1 (KS1). She explained the hard work that the teachers had put in to reduce the impact of COVID on children’s learning. The KS1 staff are supporting children to catch up and … Continue reading Carol McCrone, Vice Chair of Governors, 6.12.21

Lesley Lyon, Chair of Governors, 6.12.21

I met with Mrs Buttress this morning, who is an Assistant Headteacher and Lead Teacher for English.  Our conversation focused on the work the school is doing to help the children improve their spelling and writing, both of which have emerged as areas requiring development in our recent monitoring activities. There was a learning walk … Continue reading Lesley Lyon, Chair of Governors, 6.12.21

29.7.21 Sue Blakeway, Vice Chair of Governors

During the week commencing 5th July I met with Subject Leads to discuss the progress made in five subject areas. Each meeting took place on Teams, the discussions were positive and productive and staff were able to share the children’s work. In all subjects, staff and children have worked exceptionally hard during challenging times. Children … Continue reading 29.7.21 Sue Blakeway, Vice Chair of Governors

26.7.21 Femi Folorunso, safeguarding governor

I have just completed safeguarding training organised by Mellers Primary School and delivered  by Andrew Hall, a specialist  safeguarding consultant. The training offered lots of comprehensive insights into the subject and more so, the role of a safeguarding governor.   It gave more understanding of how safeguarding governors can work better with Designated Safeguarding Leads and … Continue reading 26.7.21 Femi Folorunso, safeguarding governor

19.7.21 Jo Kervick, staff governor

During monitoring week, I met with Kiran Dhanjal the RSHE lead.  This year at Mellers, we have had a big focus on the wellbeing of children, staff and the wider community. As a school we celebrated Diversity Week. During this week, we discussed differences and how we show respect towards other people’s choices.  Throughout the … Continue reading 19.7.21 Jo Kervick, staff governor

14.7.21 Teeny Reid, staff governor

On Tuesday 6th July 2021 I met with the PE lead Mr Nottingham to discuss what PE was looking like across the school since the last time we met. There had been some restrictions on delivering PE as equipment could not be used during the lessons. The children are now doing athletics, so equipment is … Continue reading 14.7.21 Teeny Reid, staff governor

13.7.21 Carol McCrone, Vice Chair of Governors

Mr McKeefry, geography lead and year 2 teacher,  reported excellent progress with the geography curriculum, in its first full year. The hard work that he has put into the curriculum map has helped other staff, who are really enthusiastic about the subject and have fed back their own suggestions. He was really pleased to share … Continue reading 13.7.21 Carol McCrone, Vice Chair of Governors

13.7.21 Carol McCrone, Vice Chair of Governors

I had a really informative discussion with Mr Ward, SEND lead,  on 8 July, who updated me on the great progress that our SEND children are making. He has just finished the children’s reviews with parents and teachers and, despite the pandemic, the children are thriving. He continues to do all he can to access … Continue reading 13.7.21 Carol McCrone, Vice Chair of Governors

13.7.21 Carol McCrone, Vice Chair of Governors

Ms Dermody, assistant head and history lead,  and I caught up on 6 July to discuss the progress of the history curriculum. It was fantastic to hear now both children and staff have developed their knowledge and love of the subject. The school has some experts in its midst, with one Year 4 girl able … Continue reading 13.7.21 Carol McCrone, Vice Chair of Governors

13.7.21 Carol McCrone, Vice Chair of Governors

Miss Dickens, KS1 lead, Miss Whysall, phonics lead, and I met on 6 July for our regular catch-up in relation to Key Stage 1 progress. Both said how busy it had been and potentially disrupting with different children and staff out of school, due to COVID. They paid special tribute to the fantastic work done … Continue reading 13.7.21 Carol McCrone, Vice Chair of Governors

7.7.21 Lesley Lyon, Chair of Governors

This morning I met with Mrs Buttress to talk about the work in English across the school since we last met. This was set in the context of the difficulties presented by the pandemic, isolations and home learning. The quality of home learning at Mellers has been exceptional and, as governors, we were privileged to … Continue reading 7.7.21 Lesley Lyon, Chair of Governors

7.7.21 Lesley Lyon, Chair of Governors

I met with Miss Marks today to talk about her role as Key Stage 2 Lead. Due to the pandemic and lockdowns we had not met since November so it was lovely to hear about the work that she has been driving over the last year and plans for the future. Our discussion was obviously … Continue reading 7.7.21 Lesley Lyon, Chair of Governors

6.7.21 Lesley Lyon, Chair of Governors

It has been a real pleasure to work alongside Mrs Newbold and Mrs Gillen to design the new school library. A few years ago I interviewed a group of pupils who told me that they would love to have a school library, but where would we find the space and the money? This summer it … Continue reading 6.7.21 Lesley Lyon, Chair of Governors

16.6.21 Sue Blakeway, Vice Chair of Governors

The Foundation provision at the school was discussed at the most recent Pupil Progress committee meeting and my visit to this part of the school is a follow up action. Staff have expressed concern that many children in this cohort have fallen behind in their development during lock down, particularly in the physical aspect. There … Continue reading 16.6.21 Sue Blakeway, Vice Chair of Governors

7.6.21 Femi Folorunso, safeguarding governor

I recently completed the following certificated training with the Nottingham City Council to be more effective in my role as the nominated safeguarding governor. They are: Monitoring and Evaluation (27 April 2021), The Governor's Role; Pupil Premium and Sports Premium (21 April 2021), and Looked After Children (23 March 2021).  The training sessions have given me … Continue reading 7.6.21 Femi Folorunso, safeguarding governor

12.3.21 Femi Folorunso, safeguarding governor

As part of my duties as safeguarding governor in Mellers Primary School,  I, Femi Folorunso, attended the monthly safeguarding meeting on 3 March 2021 via Zoom. All safeguarding cases were diligently addressed and rated in order of priority and urgent cases promptly escalated.  The team is on top of all safeguarding situations and cases in the school.  Also, … Continue reading 12.3.21 Femi Folorunso, safeguarding governor

4.3.21 Femi Folorunso, safeguarding governor

I, Femi Folorunso, being a safeguarding governor and as part of government guidelines attended a training titled Safeguarding: What Governors Need to Know , on 1 March 2021.  I attended similar training on 2 March 2020 just before the lockdown.  The trainings were organised by Nottingham City Council Some of the things I learnt at … Continue reading 4.3.21 Femi Folorunso, safeguarding governor

9.12.20 Lesley Lyon, Chair of Governors

It was an absolute pleasure to join the presentation of the reading project that Mellers has been involved in: ‘Reading for Pleasure’. The session was led by Professor Teresa Cremin and we heard about the work all the schools had developed as part of the project. Some time ago at Mellers, when I was interviewing … Continue reading 9.12.20 Lesley Lyon, Chair of Governors

4.12.20 Lesley Lyon, Chair of Governors

On Friday 4th December I was able to join with Mrs Buttress, Miss Dawson and Liz White, our external school improvement advisor, touring the classrooms and watching lessons in phonics, guided reading and also story time. In January last year I had joined a group of external advisors to observe reading across the school. They … Continue reading 4.12.20 Lesley Lyon, Chair of Governors

30.11.20 Teeny Reid, Staff Governor

On Friday 13th November I met with Joe Nottingham, who is the subject lead for Physical Education (PE) across the school. He shared with me the long-term plan which is drawn up at the beginning of the year. The planning and teaching of PE has been tailored to reflect the sports pupils are interested in … Continue reading 30.11.20 Teeny Reid, Staff Governor

25.11.20 Jo Kervick, Staff Governor

During monitoring week, I met with Kiran Dhanjal, PSHE lead.  Kiran has worked really hard to lead her subject and a wellbeing team. Part of this year's school development plan is focussing on the wellbeing of the Mellers community. Kiran and the team have a focus to make sure that PSHE is being taught consistently … Continue reading 25.11.20 Jo Kervick, Staff Governor

23.11.20 Lesley Lyon, Chair of Governors

Meeting with Joy Buttress – English Lead During monitoring week, Teeny Reid (staff governor) and I met with Joy Buttress, English Lead. The discussion focussed upon the progress made since the Deep Dive into reading in January 2019, the gaps the school needs to close since the partial closure of the school in the Spring … Continue reading 23.11.20 Lesley Lyon, Chair of Governors

23.11.20 Lesley Lyon, Chair of Governors

During Monitoring Week I met with Mrs Albone who was appointed last term to lead developments in KS2 and work alongside Miss Dickens and Ms Atherton who lead KS1 and Early Years. Mrs Albone is new to post and she gave me a very thorough plan showing how she is going to work with the … Continue reading 23.11.20 Lesley Lyon, Chair of Governors

20.11.20 Sue Blakeway, Vice Chair of Governors

Due to the Covid crisis, Governors at Mellers have undertaken the current round of monitoring via virtual meetings. It has been my pleasure to meet with a range of staff and look at five subjects across the curriculum; mathematics, design technology, art, modern foreign languages and religious education. I can report that the development work … Continue reading 20.11.20 Sue Blakeway, Vice Chair of Governors

20.11.20 Carol McCrone, Vice Chair of Governors

Great meetings with my link governor staff members during governor monitoring week w/c 9 November, albeit virtual this time due to the pandemic. I met with the subject leads for history and geography and it was fantastic to hear how quickly the new syllabuses have been embedded and are complementing each other in terms of … Continue reading 20.11.20 Carol McCrone, Vice Chair of Governors

13.11.20 Lesley Lyon, Chair of Governors

Governors have been very busy so far this term and presently we are in the middle of our Governor Monitoring Week; this is when Governors talk to subject leads and other key people in school about the work around teaching and learning and progress of your children. We will be publishing the notes from these … Continue reading 13.11.20 Lesley Lyon, Chair of Governors

10.4.20 Lesley Lyon, Chair of Governors

Dear parents and carers I feel it is appropriate for me to write to you at this very distressing time on behalf of the full governing body of Mellers. Although it is officially the Easter break I expect you all feel that it is such a long time since Mellers closed for the majority of … Continue reading 10.4.20 Lesley Lyon, Chair of Governors

9.3.20 Sue Blakeway

I spent the morning in school working with Miss Dermody and the wider staff to look at the teaching and learning in mathematics across the whole school. It is evident that there has been a lot of investment into the development of the mathematics curriculum and staff have worked hard to improve their skills and … Continue reading 9.3.20 Sue Blakeway

16.1.20 Laura Patel

We met with small groups of boys to gain their insights into learning and reading at Mellers. Our key findings were that they were enthusiastic about the themes at Mellers and their learning.  All children recognised that everyone learns differently and that could have different work at different times. They were respectful of others' abilities, … Continue reading 16.1.20 Laura Patel

12.12.19 Waheed Ashraf

It was great to visit Mellers Primary School recently to discuss the opportunity as an Associate Science governor, which I humbly accepted.  I am excited to further develop the link between Mellers and the University of Nottingham's science department. For the last 10 years our department has been offering work experience to students in secondary … Continue reading 12.12.19 Waheed Ashraf

11.12.19 Femi Folorunso

On the 11th December, 2019, I met Mellers safeguarding team for updates. The meeting started at about 1.30 pm.  The session was chaired by the head teacher, Ms Dawson.  Eight persons including myself were present. Cases were discussed starting from the most urgent to the least urgent.  I can confirm that safety and well being … Continue reading 11.12.19 Femi Folorunso

6.12.19 Jo Kervick

On Friday 6th December I met with Miss Dhanjal who is the lead practitioner for the Spiritual, Moral, Social and Cultural education (SMSC). This term, Miss Dhanjal has completed a long-term plan for PHSE, which includes the delivery of Success in Schools, First Aid for Feelings and also regular circle time. The plan clearly maps … Continue reading 6.12.19 Jo Kervick

4.12.19 Lesley Lyon

On Thursday 5th December in Governor Monitoring Week I spent a whole day with Mrs Buttress and learned so much about the teaching of English and Phonics at Mellers. I visited classes in F2 being taught phonics and Years 3 and 5 being taught English on the Power of Reading Scheme. I talked to an … Continue reading 4.12.19 Lesley Lyon

4.12.19 Sue Blakeway

I visited the school on Wednesday 4th December and observed classes in years 1, 2 and 3 to monitor progress and development in mathematics and history. I also met with Ms Dermody, Assistant Head, to discuss curriculum planning in both subjects. There is a purposeful atmosphere in the school and staff and children are all … Continue reading 4.12.19 Sue Blakeway

4.12.19 Carol McCrone

I spent a thoroughly enjoyable and informative visit in school this morning as part of my monitoring role. Many thanks to all of the staff who made time to meet with me. Firstly, I spent time with the dedicated team of past, present and future Special Educational Needs and Disability staff, reviewing their role in … Continue reading 4.12.19 Carol McCrone

4.12.12 Femi Folorunso

As part of Governors' Monitoring Week activities, I met with Mr McKeefry on the 4th December, 2019. He was able to explain in details; how Mellers Primary School carries out self-review to assess sporting activities in the school; what his team is doing to ensure the programme meet the needs of all pupils and the … Continue reading 4.12.12 Femi Folorunso

2.10.19 Carol McCrone

I attended the Team Around the School meeting today as part of my role as Special Educational Needs and Disability link governor. Really interesting to hear the views of the multi-disciplinary team of experts from Mellers and Specialist Council teams, all of whom are dedicated to supporting the complex needs of some of our children … Continue reading 2.10.19 Carol McCrone

24.9.2019 Lesley Lyon

Wow what a busy start to term and what an exciting time to be a Governor.  It began with me joining Miss Dawson and the Leadership Team to write the School Development Plan. We discussed the areas on which the whole school will focus in order to make learning as effective as possible for our … Continue reading 24.9.2019 Lesley Lyon

21.9.19 Sue Blakeway

It was a privilege to attend a Governors’ training and development session during the morning of Saturday 21st September. We worked together to plan for the coming year, ensuring that all we do supports the development and improvement of the school. As a new governor, I was warmly welcomed and was overwhelmed by the commitment … Continue reading 21.9.19 Sue Blakeway

1.7.19 Anne Peach

This morning, my fellow governors and I took part in a session to plan for the Ofsted inspection which is due in the next few months, and to prepare for the changes to the Ofsted framework.

25.6.19 Lesley Lyon

As part of Governor Monitoring Week, I visited Year 6 to see how the pupils I interviewed earlier this term were actually doing in class. What I witnessed was astonishing. It was a geography lesson in which the pupils were reading maps and drawing conclusions about the land from their discussions. The whole class was … Continue reading 25.6.19 Lesley Lyon

13.6.19 Rajae Wright

Rajae Wright – meeting with Mellers Governors 13.6.19 Being at Mellers helped me with my social and communication skills. I have perspective to help me with problems. It was a privilege to be at Mellers and learn music. I have progressed and I want an instrument to continue into the future. In year 7 it … Continue reading 13.6.19 Rajae Wright

27.6.19 Anne Peach

On RSE Day, I sat in on several RSE classes with parents. For instance, Year 1 were looking at families and members of the family and their relationships, and Year 2 were looking at the similarities and differences between people.  I talked to the parents who really appreciated being able to sit in on classes. … Continue reading 27.6.19 Anne Peach

26.6.19 Lesley Lyon

Yesterday afternoon I visited school to watch the KS2 show Revolting Rhymes and what a joy! There were more than 100 pupils dancing, singing and acting with confidence and sheer enjoyment. There had clearly been many hours of preparation and rehearsal on behalf of the pupils and staff. The audience clearly enjoyed the show as … Continue reading 26.6.19 Lesley Lyon

22.6.19 Anne Peach

I went to the Nottingham Governors' Annual Conference which gave me a chance to network with Governors from other Nottingham schools.  The key presentation was on changes to the Ofsted inspections - particularly useful bearing in mind that at Mellers we are expecting an inspection in the next few months.  There were also workshops on … Continue reading 22.6.19 Anne Peach

4.6.19 Anne Peach

A really useful session with my fellow governors on Leadership for Governance including development of our Governors' View for the school, to be published shortly.

13.5.19 Carol McCrone

Monitoring Report for the 2019 KS2 SATS Observation - Checklist Completed by: Carol McCrone Date: 13/5/19 I met with Amanda at 08.00 on 13 May. I inspected the secure storage arrangements and supervised the moving of the papers to the secure store in the Head’s office. I can confirm that all packs were sealed. I … Continue reading 13.5.19 Carol McCrone

7th May 2019, Lesley Lyon

Yesterday evening the Governing Body met again to continue our work looking at our strategic development. We began by welcoming a new Governor, Celia Morris, who will formally join us on July 8th at the next Full Governing Body Meeting. During the session, we looked closely at our role and discussed our main priorities around … Continue reading 7th May 2019, Lesley Lyon

26th April 2019, Carole McCrone

Myself and 6 governor colleagues attended a really useful training session yesterday afternoon, to help us to develop our strategic governance. This was run by a former City Headteacher and has given us some excellent tools to help us in our role. We plan to meet again on 7 May to develop our ideas further. … Continue reading 26th April 2019, Carole McCrone

27th March 2019

Following the greater depth interviews with year five and six children, Lesley Lyon gave feedback to the leadership team, 27.3.19. Discussion focused on the language used with children and parents regarding those working at or towards greater depth and how they know this. This will be explored further in a staff meeting, leading to an … Continue reading 27th March 2019

15th March 2019, Anne Peach

For Governor Monitoring week, I spent time with Grace, Wendy, and the Foundation classes. We visited the Science Fair, which was fantastic. The children’s favourite activities this week have been making a volcano erupt at the Science Fair, and a visit by the Fire Service to the school with one of their fire engines. I … Continue reading 15th March 2019, Anne Peach

13th March 2019, Lesley Lyon

During Governor Monitoring Week last week,it was a privilege to interview a selection of pupils from Years 5 and 6. At the last Pupil Progress Meeting Governors discussed the progress made by our cleverest pupils. As a result, we decided to find out for ourselves by talking to those pupils aiming for a Good Level … Continue reading 13th March 2019, Lesley Lyon

12th March 2019, Carol McCrone

Fantastic visit to KS1 today as part of our Governors’ Week. Many thanks to Krissie Dickens for spending time explaining the Ofsted Action Plan that she has devised and begun to implement with the Key Stage 1 team. It was really interesting to gain an appreciation of her ideas for simple tweaks to the team’s … Continue reading 12th March 2019, Carol McCrone

16th December 2018

During Governor Monitoring week, I joined Grace Atherton for a Phonics lesson in Foundation – today’s subject was ‘ee‘. Afterwards, I talked with children who were writing letters, and then sat in on a one-to-one reading session with a little boy who had little English when he joined Foundation, but only a few weeks later … Continue reading 16th December 2018

14th December 2018, Anne Peach

I attended assembly this morning with Lilian Greenwood MP, where Lilian presented awards to winners in her Christmas Card design competition. Anne Peach

13th December 2018, Mark Gilmore

The KS2 Christmas concert was awesome, even the staff band were good. A real testament to the hard work of the music teachers and pupils. Well done everyone. Mark Gilmore

7th December 2018

Popped into Y4 today as part of Governor’s monitoring week. I saw some fantastic Writing as well as inventive and interesting Maths. Loved it.

5th December 2018

I spent the day, as part of our Governor monitoring week visiting every classroom in the school. The focus of my visit was to look at how well our most able children are supported and challenged in the classroom although in doing the activity, it was great to see all children on task and enjoying … Continue reading 5th December 2018

3rd December 2018

Excellent visit today. Accompanied the Headteacher on learning walks to observe Key Stage 2 classes. Started by admiring the fabulous World War 1 exhibition that was taking shape near the Staff Room. The theme continued in all of the KS2 classes. Some fabulous work and the children were totally absorbed by the topic. Year 6 … Continue reading 3rd December 2018

26th November 2018

As Governors, we have a responsibility to ensure that all staff are supported in their professional development and personal well-being. In particular, this extends to our Newly Qualified teachers. To this end, I accompanied Mrs Patel to the classroom of our NQT to watch while she did an observation. We observed the children on the … Continue reading 26th November 2018

22nd November 2018

Met with Sarah Elliott today for a catch-up on her role as SENCO. We had a walk round school and observed some of the SEND children in their classes which was very useful to help my understanding. We also discussed how best to track the SEND and Pupil Premium budgets in relation to progress of … Continue reading 22nd November 2018

12th November 2018, Lesley Lyon

On Tuesday 12th November Sharon Pratt, parent governor, and I met with Miss Dawson to review the school progress and set her new targets for this academic year. We were joined in the meeting by Carol Norman who is the ex Headteacher of Welbeck School. Her role was to advise Sharon and myself as to … Continue reading 12th November 2018, Lesley Lyon

10th October 2018, Teeny Reid

I met with Mrs Buttress to discuss English throughout school. English continues to improve in all year groups in both reading and writing. On world book day this year, we will be joined by author Dom Berry. Teeny Reid

17th May 2018, Mark Gilmore

Governors were taking a closer look at school data today. We are all really proud to see that we are in the top 10% in the country for Maths results. A fantastic achievement by the pupils and staff. Mark Gilmore

11th May 2018, Mark Gilmore

Interviewed for Y1 maternity cover, pleased to welcome another good teacher on board in September. Mark Gilmore

3rd May 2018, Carol McCrone

Met with Sarah Elliott today for governor catch-up on SEND children at Mellers. Lovely learning environment, lots of happy children and a real hum of activity. Sarah explained progress she was making with interim bids. Sensory tent area looks great! Well done all concerned for their resourcefulness! Carol McCrone

2nd May 2018, Lesley Lyon

I met today with Mrs Patel to discuss the amazing progress made by your children at Mellers, especially in reading, writing and Maths. We also looked at the attendance figures, which are improving, and it looks like we will meet our targets. However we are still worried about a small number of children who are, absent … Continue reading 2nd May 2018, Lesley Lyon

22nd March 2018, Mark Gilmore

Visited FS2 with Trisha the dog. Great to see kids so excited to spend time with Trisha and overcome their fears. Trisha also made a surprise visit to a very impressively behaved Y1 class. Mark Gilmore

21st March 2018, Mark Gilmore

Attended monthly safeguarding meeting, it’sgood to see all that’s being done to keep children at Mellers safe. Mark Gilmore

5th February 2018, Teeny Reid

The power of reading continues to make a positive impact on writing across the school. This impact is evident for all children, even those working below expected. The content of writing is very impressive and topic writing is good. Although the power of reading does not always fit with the topic being covered, the strategies … Continue reading 5th February 2018, Teeny Reid

23rd January 2018, Sharon Pratt

I attended a meeting with the Maths monitoring lead Lorna Dermody to discuss mathematics in particular fluency and geometry. Great work is taking place to ensure improvements are continually made in this area. Sharon Pratt

17th January 2018

I attended and participated in year 6 open maths lesson and thoroughly enjoyed seeing the practical side of Maths being taught.  The teaching support that was present was appropriate for the size of the class and teachers were very much engaging with the children. Sharon Pratt

16th November 2017, Carol McCrone

Attended lovely opening ceremony for our fabulous new building today. What a great celebration of Mellers’ success! Carol McCrone

13th November 2017, Carol McCrone

Met with Sarah Elliott to look at possible space for a sensory area for SEND children to use. Identified four possibilities for Amanda to consider. Also had a catch-up on current SEND progress. Carol McCrone

4th October 2017, Carol McCrone

Attended Team Around the School Meeting as a guest of Sarah Elliott. Really impressed with the excellent, joined-up multi-team working for the benefit of our SEND children. Carol McCrone

27th September 2017, Carol McCrone

Excellent email update from Sarah on SEND progress in new school year. Intend to attend Team Around the School Meeting, if possible, on 4 October. Carol McCrone

28th June 2017, Carol McCrone

Met with Sarah Elliott today for update on SEND children at Mellers. Able to share info from my training on 15 June. Two extremely polite year 2 children held the door open for me!

15 June 2017, Carol McCrone

Attended SEND governor training session this evening. Very interesting and useful insight into the SEND governor role. Carol McCrone

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