Governors
Our Governors
The Board of Governors work tirelessly throughout the year to support the school.
The Full Governing Body meets five times a year. There is also a range of sub-committees which meet twice per term to oversee the progress made with the school development plan, the implementation of our various policies and to help determine the strategic direction of Furze Platt Senior School.
Welcome message from our Chair of Governors
Welcome Year 7 / new parents and students
Firstly to all new FPSS parents, whichever year group, thank you for choosing Furze Platt and entrusting us with your son or daughter’s education.
We never forget you have a choice or take it for granted, every student matters and by joining the school they and you have become part of a great community. A community which is committed to helping them; learn, develop, grow, try new things and leave the school well equipped to seize life’s opportunities and make the most of their potential.
For Year 7 students and parents the change from a Junior/Primary school environment to a Senior school one is huge. Moving from a smaller school where you know everyone to a much larger campus and knowing probably only a handful of people from the previous school is daunting for the whole family. Parents in particular please do take the opportunity to get involved when you can.
PTFA
New staff
A warm welcome to you all from Governors, we hope you really enjoy your time here and make a real difference to our students and your careers.
Hugh Steed, Chair of Governors
FPSS Governors Annual Statement to Parents
Governors’ Statement to Parents 2022-23 Academic Year
This academic year marked my first as Chair of the Governing Body and I want to thank Gavin Tisshaw again for his considerable contribution first as Governor and subsequently as Chair for many years.
Our focus as a governing body was to continue supporting the school’s emergence from the shadow of COVID19 and to adopt an even more strategic approach.
It was very positive to see another year of regular KS4 and KS5 examinations take place and we note that for KS5, this was their first public examination experience. It was a pleasure to attend the Year 11 Graduation ceremony and to see students enjoy the Prom and other landmark end of stage celebrations. We wish all who are moving on from Furze Platt every success.
Our Strategic Plan continues to influence the longer term direction of Furze Platt and the agreed priorities and targets are firmly embedded in the latest School Development Plan.
To ensure focus on these priorities the Governance and Staffing committees were incorporated into the Full Governing Body meaning the three core committees; Resources, Quality Of Education (formerly Teaching and Learning) and Pupils & Parents can concentrate on helping the school work towards the strategic objectives. These committees meet regularly throughout the year.
We welcomed new members to our team of governors, adding valuable new skills and experience. However, it is vital that we continue to strengthen the Governing Body through ongoing training, recruiting new members and effective succession planning.
Quality of Education (formerly Teaching and Learning)
Last year governors on our committee refocused on supporting the school in achieving its longer-term improvement goals, including the monitoring of successful ongoing school improvement plans for a small number of subjects. We also have an increased emphasis on first-hand experience through governor visits into school.
Our school continues to work very hard to ensure that students continue to catch up as far as possible with any learning they lost during the pandemic. Post Covid, 2023 was the first summer that students sat fully examiner assessed GCSE and A level exams. Our committee's focus on monitoring the school’s post-Covid academic performance, including the performance of vulnerable groups such as disadvantaged students and students with SEND, continues.
We are delighted to see the educational benefits that the introduction of Laptops for Learning brought to students in Year 7 and 10 in 2022-23 and look forward to the benefits of the scheme being extended to the remaining KS3 and KS4 students in school this year.
Going forward, we see an increased emphasis on supporting the school in all academic aspects of education, including curriculum, hence our committee’s change of name to ‘Quality of Education’. Our committee has many aspects of education to cover, and we would welcome additional governors to help us with our work.
Resources
The Resources Committee had a full agenda including ongoing budget monitoring and policy reviews, as well as agreeing bids for funding to update the school infrastructure. This includes the recent investment in solar energy panels in partnership with MaidEnergy, which is reflective of the School’s commitment to work towards Carbon Neutral and allows Furze Platt to invest in education rather than paying higher energy bills.
The School’s IT strategy has been an integral part of the work of the Resources Committee, including continuing with the Laptops for Learning initiative which was launched in September 2022.
The Committee incorporates the School’s Audit Committee that agrees a programme of work annually to deliver internal scrutiny.
Pupils & Parents
This year saw the introduction of the new House system. The Committee has evaluated its success, including reviewing how well the new structure has been embedded.
Monitoring behaviour within school has remained a major focus, with the Committee continuing to seek information on low level disruption, as well as tracking isolations and exclusions. The complexity of student needs continues to increase, and the Committee has reviewed the interventions put in place by the Pastoral Team. Supporting student wellbeing, particularly amongst our more vulnerable students and those with mental health issues, has become an increasingly prominent area of concern this year, due in part to the decreasing availability of local authority provision.
Hearing directly from Furze Platt students is an essential principle of this committee and we have sought their views on various topics, including the introduction of the Laptops for Learning scheme. Governing Body scrutiny of safeguarding procedures, in terms of student safety, staff training and recruitment, is an ongoing requirement and has been a focus of governor visits and meetings.
Behaviour and student wellbeing will remain key areas for Pupils & Parents to review next year.
Hugh Steed
Chair of Governors
- Minutes of the Board of Governors' meetings
- Governors' Committee Membership September 2023
- Governors' Attendance at Meetings 2021-2022
- Governors' Attendance at Meetings 2022-2023
- Meet our Governors
Furze Platt Senior School Governing Body
The Governing Body works in a committee structure. Governors are members of the Full Governing Body (FGB) and belong to one or more committee/s, depending on their skills, experience and interests.
Committees
Quality of Education (QoE)
Pupils & Parents (P&P)
Resources
Governing Body as of January 2024
Name |
Position |
Appointing Body |
Date of appointment |
End date/ Leaving date |
Committee |
Mr Hugh Steed |
Member / Chair of Governors |
Members / FGB |
14/07/2022 |
13/07/2026 |
Resources |
Mrs Katie Donnison |
Vice Chair of Governors |
FGB |
21/09/2021 |
20/09/2025 |
Resources QoE P&P |
Mr Hugh Boulter |
Independent Member |
Members |
14/12/2020 |
13/12/2024 |
n/a |
Mrs Susan Le Page |
Independent Member |
Members |
14/12/2020 |
13/12/2024 |
n/a |
Mr Gavin Tisshaw |
Independent Member |
Members |
14/12/2022 |
13/12/2026 |
n/a |
Dr Andrew Morrison |
Governor / Headteacher |
FGB |
01/09/2018 |
n/a |
All |
Mrs Nabeela Akhtar |
Governor |
FGB |
02/12/2021 |
01/12/2025 |
Pupils & Parents |
Mr Michael Clayton |
Governor |
FGB |
21/09/2021 |
20/09/2025 |
Resources |
Mrs Jacqui Edwards |
Governor |
FGB |
28/09/2023 |
27/09/2027 |
Chair QoE P&P |
Ms Josie Fray |
Parent Governor |
Parents |
01/12/2022 |
30/11/2026 |
P&P |
Mrs Diane Flood |
Governor |
FGB |
23/09/2021 |
22/09/2025 |
Chair P&P QoE |
Mrs Jo Smith | Parent Governor | Parents | 23/01/2024 | 22/01/2028 | |
Mrs Kate Winrow Davies | Parent Governor | Parents | 23/01/24 | 22/01/28 | |
Mr Shane Woodhatch |
Governor |
FGB |
23/09/2021 |
22/09/2025 |
Chair Resources |
Mr Noel Wood |
Parent Governor |
Parents |
01/12/2022 |
30/11/2026 |
QoE |
Historical Governors
Name Leaving date
Mr Gavin Tisshaw 25 September 2022
Mrs Yvette Shervell 14 November 2022
Mrs Janet Fitzgibbon 29 November 2022
Mr Roger Semper-Smith 2 December 2022
Ms Sharan Webb 16 March 2023
Mr Jack Douglas 21 April 2023
Mrs Laraine Holdsworth 18 September 2023
Pecuniary interests: No Governors declared pecuniary interests.
No governors declared a governorship at another school
Declarations of interest: Please click here to see our Declarations of interest
How to contact our Chair of Governors
To contact our Chair of Governors please either email: hugh.steed@furzeplatt.net or by post marked for the attention of Hugh Steed, Chair of Governors, c/o Furze Platt Senior School, Furze Platt Road, Maidenhead SL6 7NQ.