What is a School Governor’s Role?


In this newsletter, two Governors write about the Committees they chair and about why they became JFS Governors.


be admitted to the Sixth Form each year and who are not already at JFS.


Richard Del Monte is Chairman of the JFS Admissions Committee. He writes:


The main role of the JFS Admissions Committee is to keep under review the School’s published Admissions Policy, to recommend to the Governing Body of the School any changes that appear desirable and to manage the admissions process in accordance with the policy approved by the Governing Body. The Admissions Committee operates in conjunction with the Governing Body, which is the official admissions authority for the school.


The Committee’s remit covers matters such as the number of students to be admitted in Year 7 each year - this is currently 300, which is the highest Jewish school intake in the country – and the minimum number of students (currently 35) to


JFS is usually heavily oversubscribed, and the Admissions Policy sets out the order of priority among different categories of applicant. The Admissions Policy in turn has to be in accordance with the Government’s Admissions Code. The Committee regularly reviews the priority criteria. We have recently amended two of the criteria, which will affect students applying for the 2014 intake. We have extended the sibling priority so that an applicant will have priority if their sibling is on the JFS roll, or previously attended for at least three consecutive terms within the 5 years before the proposed date of entry. We have also reduced, to 10 per year, the number of children who have priority on account of their living closest to the school – this being in response to the small number of applicants in recent years who live in the school locality.


We are always happy to receive comments about the Admissions Policy, and anyone reading this who wishes to make any comments is welcome to write to me at the school.


Tell us about yourself and your connection with the JFS


I live very close to the school in Kenton with my wife, Sally and three


Governor for the past four years. My present role is chair of the Curriculum Committee, the Governor responsible for Special Educational Needs, and a member of the Admissions and Disciplinary committees.


My responsibility for Special Educational Needs links into my professional background in the NHS, where I manage


Speech and Language Therapy Department in Ealing.


Karen Benedyk is a Foundation Governor who chairs the Curriculum Committee. She writes:


My connection with JFS goes back a long way – I attended the school from 1974-1981 and my brother was Deputy Head Boy in the early 80s. A generation on, my son Joseph was Deputy Head Boy in 2011-2012, and my youngest, Gideon, is currently in Year 10.


I have always wanted to give something back to the school, which is why I have been a Foundation


The Curriculum Committee meets once a term and its primary role is to have the strategic responsibility to monitor the school curriculum,


effective delivery and its suitability for students. The committee is also responsible for making sure that parents are kept up to date with subject options and any changes in the curriculum.


its the Paediatric


sons, Jonathan, David and Daniel. David and Daniel have both attended JFS: David is going to Queen Mary, University of London to read Mathematics, after attending Yeshiva in Israel, and Daniel is currently in the Sixth Form. My family connection with JFS goes back to the 1890s when my grandfather and his brothers attended.


What do you think of the role of Governors at JFS?


I greatly respect the ethos and achievements of the school, particularly its commitment to Jewish education and identity. As a parent of students who have considerably benefited from the school I was very pleased to have the opportunity of serving on the Governing Body and to have a part to play in the continuing progress of the school. Governors are encouraged to get as involved as possible in the life of the school, and I am a member of a number of sub-committees of the Governing Body. I think that the current system whereby Governors can monitor the objectives and performance of the school from the perspective of the wider community, and in most cases as parents of pupils at the school, to be a very valuable aspect of the governance of the school.


Team to set targets for improvement over the following year.


The Committee also has a specific responsibility to support the School to provide excellent provision for students with Special Educational Needs, and to approve the School’s Sex and Relationships Education Policy.


This year we have discussed the proposed changes to GCSE and ‘A’ Levels (which would affect the curriculum for children currently in Year 9), a new Computing GCSE, and options to extend the Sixth-Form curriculum.


Each year the Committee reviews and analyses the School’s performance in GCSEs and ‘A’ Levels against national and local standards, and helps the Senior Leadership


3


The Committee has also established three “link” Governors for the English, Maths and Science departments. These Governors will visit the School during the working day, observe lessons, meet with the Head of


Department, and report back to the Committee their observations and any issues that need further discussion.


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