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Schools
Waterman Primary
Waterman Primary
Introduction to the Chair of Governors
Rochford Life: Becky, how long have you been Chair of Governors here?
Becky: Well I have been Chair of Governors since September last year but I have been a Governor, for what I think is coming up nine years now. I work within the school. My children have all come here, and my eldest is now seventeen and he came here from when he was five. I started as being a parent helper and then I became a Teaching Assistant. I became a Parent Governor before I became a Teaching Assistant and then one thing led to another and I’ve grown with the school and it’s sort of part of my family now.
RL: You’ve seen it through some rocky days?
Becky: Yes, I’ve seen it from the very start of the rockiness right up to now and the changes through the years have been amazing and the last year in particular, the changes that have come have transformed the school. There are still perceptions in the community about the school and that is going to take time to change but already we are having good feedback come through, which is fantastic, because that is part of the battle and we know we are doing well here now, but it’s getting the word out to everyone else that we are doing well and it’s a school to consider.
What’s the School like?
RL: So let’s imagine a young mum with a four or five year old. What ‘s the youngest you take?
Becky: Well my own daughter is in Reception, she’s just started and she’s four.
RL: OK, there is a mum out there looking at this school, what can you say to encourage her to come here?
Becky: I would say first of all come and look. We will always make appointments to show people round. We do have open afternoons but even if you have missed one of those, come and have a look. Someone will show you round. We have so much going for us. We are off the main road which is a major thing when you have young children. The grounds are fantastic. We have a swimming pool. The teaching and learning is good. We have a real good community feeling; it is a family school and we encourage families to be involved all the time. If they come they tend to say, yes, I really like this. It’s just getting people to come and look.
RL: If this young mum wonders about classes and so on, what sort of support will her child get?
Becky: Well the support at the moment is fantastic. Because the school is so small and the classes are so small, we have a very high ratio of adults to children and right from day one in Reception they start doing ERR which is early reading support (see bottom of page for weblink). Materials go home from the day they start.
Starting School
RL: So what is it like when the child starts school?
Becky: Being one of those new mums with my four-year old, it just happened that this was my year. Before they started, we had to transition six afternoons where we parents had to come in with our child and join in various sessions. There was one on literacy, one on PE, one on maths, so the support is there even before they started. Reading books were going home, maths games were going home. Different people came into the school like the nurse, so everything the child can meet at school, they met before they started.
All the children that have started this year have settled in straight away because it wasn’t so new. They didn’t get thrown in, they came and their mums were there. It was lovely to watch them get changed for PE and as a mum I found that really eased my concerns.
We watched an ERR session and unless you see what it does it’s just another name, but actually seeing it and having it explained why you do it that way, makes a massive difference. If you know why somebody is doing something it really helps. You might have learned it completely different in your day, and that might confuse the children so it’s great to be part of this. The home-school book goes home every day and there’s such an open feeling. We have an open school. If you need to see the head and they’re available they’ll see you. If you go down the chain there’s always someone to listen to you.
The Curriculum
RL: What else is this young mum’s child likely to learn apart from the basics?
Becky: It’s very exciting this year because on a Thursday we go completely off the curriculum which is quite unusual. We rotate activities and so, for instance, we have a drama teacher come in and teach and we also have a drumming man who comes in and does African drumming with the children which is fantastic and they love that.
In the mornings they do ICT (information and communications technology) and Cookery and so half do ICT and half do Cooking and then they swap over, and in the afternoons we have a PE expert come in – this is all the children from Reception right through to year six. Also in the afternoon they do Spanish which I teach – it’s very basic but they feel they are speaking the language.
They go home and a lot of the parents say it is great and they are doing cooking at home now. It’s giving them a different experience because reading and writing are incredibly important but so are life experiences. I mean, some of the children are learning for the first time to peel a potato. It’s just simple everyday skills and they love it. Then we have gymnastics and also the swimming pool that we use. So yes, although there is a massive emphasis on the curriculum core subjects there is also space given for these other things.
RL: What are the core subjects?
Becky: English, Maths, Science, ICT is very important. In fact we have just introduced RM Maths on the computer (software that gives individualised Maths support ). They go onto the computer and it is specifically for them and the programme changes as they develop. It continually assesses them and moves them on using cross curricular things, and so it is very important. It isn’t just doing Maths, as important as Maths is, but it’s wider than that. The children might go round the school, for instance, finding triangular objects and so it’s learning through other ways because not everyone learns by just reading or watching. The year 5-6 teacher is a Maths specialist and he is so inspirational to watch; it’s amazing.
To continue to Part Two of this article, please CLICK HERE
Rochford Life: Becky, how long have you been Chair of Governors here?
Becky: Well I have been Chair of Governors since September last year but I have been a Governor, for what I think is coming up nine years now. I work within the school. My children have all come here, and my eldest is now seventeen and he came here from when he was five. I started as being a parent helper and then I became a Teaching Assistant. I became a Parent Governor before I became a Teaching Assistant and then one thing led to another and I’ve grown with the school and it’s sort of part of my family now.
RL: You’ve seen it through some rocky days?
Becky: Yes, I’ve seen it from the very start of the rockiness right up to now and the changes through the years have been amazing and the last year in particular, the changes that have come have transformed the school. There are still perceptions in the community about the school and that is going to take time to change but already we are having good feedback come through, which is fantastic, because that is part of the battle and we know we are doing well here now, but it’s getting the word out to everyone else that we are doing well and it’s a school to consider.
What’s the School like?
RL: So let’s imagine a young mum with a four or five year old. What ‘s the youngest you take?
Becky: Well my own daughter is in Reception, she’s just started and she’s four.
RL: OK, there is a mum out there looking at this school, what can you say to encourage her to come here?
Becky: I would say first of all come and look. We will always make appointments to show people round. We do have open afternoons but even if you have missed one of those, come and have a look. Someone will show you round. We have so much going for us. We are off the main road which is a major thing when you have young children. The grounds are fantastic. We have a swimming pool. The teaching and learning is good. We have a real good community feeling; it is a family school and we encourage families to be involved all the time. If they come they tend to say, yes, I really like this. It’s just getting people to come and look.
RL: If this young mum wonders about classes and so on, what sort of support will her child get?
Becky: Well the support at the moment is fantastic. Because the school is so small and the classes are so small, we have a very high ratio of adults to children and right from day one in Reception they start doing ERR which is early reading support (see bottom of page for weblink). Materials go home from the day they start.
Starting School
RL: So what is it like when the child starts school?
Becky: Being one of those new mums with my four-
We watched an ERR session and unless you see what it does it’s just another name, but actually seeing it and having it explained why you do it that way, makes a massive difference. If you know why somebody is doing something it really helps. You might have learned it completely different in your day, and that might confuse the children so it’s great to be part of this. The home-
The Curriculum
RL: What else is this young mum’s child likely to learn apart from the basics?
Becky: It’s very exciting this year because on a Thursday we go completely off the curriculum which is quite unusual. We rotate activities and so, for instance, we have a drama teacher come in and teach and we also have a drumming man who comes in and does African drumming with the children which is fantastic and they love that.
In the mornings they do ICT (information and communications technology) and Cookery and so half do ICT and half do Cooking and then they swap over, and in the afternoons we have a PE expert come in – this is all the children from Reception right through to year six. Also in the afternoon they do Spanish which I teach – it’s very basic but they feel they are speaking the language.
They go home and a lot of the parents say it is great and they are doing cooking at home now. It’s giving them a different experience because reading and writing are incredibly important but so are life experiences. I mean, some of the children are learning for the first time to peel a potato. It’s just simple everyday skills and they love it. Then we have gymnastics and also the swimming pool that we use. So yes, although there is a massive emphasis on the curriculum core subjects there is also space given for these other things.
RL: What are the core subjects?
Becky: English, Maths, Science, ICT is very important. In fact we have just introduced RM Maths on the computer (software that gives individualised Maths support ). They go onto the computer and it is specifically for them and the programme changes as they develop. It continually assesses them and moves them on using cross curricular things, and so it is very important. It isn’t just doing Maths, as important as Maths is, but it’s wider than that. The children might go round the school, for instance, finding triangular objects and so it’s learning through other ways because not everyone learns by just reading or watching. The year 5-
To continue to Part Two of this article, please CLICK HERE
Waterman Primary School,
The Boulevard, Rochford,
SS4 1QF
Head: Mrs.Welch
01702 546237
www.watermanprimaryschool.ik.org
admin@waterman.essex.sch.uk
admin@waterman.essex.sch.uk
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“Meet a Chair of Governors”
Talking with Becky Thomas, Chair of Governors of Waterman School
(23rd November 2010) (Becky has subsequently been followed by Debbie Rogan as Chair of Governors)
Talking with Becky Thomas, Chair of Governors of Waterman School
(23rd November 2010) (Becky has subsequently been followed by Debbie Rogan as Chair of Governors)
We have commented before in Rochford Life on the enthusiasm we so often encounter in the people who are at the heart of the life of Rochford. Becky Thomas is Chair of Governors at Waterman Primary School and to date, at the risk of embarrassing her, would probably win our award for most enthusiastic person interviewed. As you will find as you read this interview she is a remarkable advert for this particular school. There can be little doubt that things are changing here. Because this is a fairly lengthy interview, we have taken the liberty of providing sub-