Chairman's Report
By Gwen Caddock
Chair of the Board of Governors
The text of a speech at the College’s Speech Day and Prize-giving, July 2009
Guests, headmaster, staff, parents and pupils.
I am honoured to have been asked to become the Chairman of Governors at Stoke College. I have served as a governor for three years, have attended prizegiving for a number of years and have always been impressed by the achievements of pupils and in particular by the confidence and loyalty of the young people who speak at prizegiving, their sense of what the school has enabled them to achieve and their relationships with the staff. It is a pleasure to be part of the school. The school motto says it all:
“Under this sign, you shall conquer”
Stoke College aims to teach a number of values and skills. We aim to produce young people:
- Who are well mannered and respectful of others, tolerant and understanding of differences
- Who have a strong desire to learn and an ability to learn independently
- Who are good communicators with anyone regardless of their background
- Who are ready to accept responsibility
- Who have a positive self-image
- Who have the necessary skills for a fast changing world
The inclusive nature of the school means that all pupils at Stoke College are enabled to develop and achieve both personally and academically.
I would like to say thank you to my predecessor, John Parcell who has worked throughout his time as Chairman to set up and maintain robust financial strategies and processes for the school, bringing a high level of knowledge and skill as well as devotion to the task of leading the school in difficult and uncertain times.
John’s strengths in financial management and planning mean that as the new Chairman I am taking over a school well prepared to meet future challenges. John will continue to be the Chairman of the Finance Committee, and I would like him to step up to receive a small gift to thank him for his hard work.
Some of you may know that John Gibson is currently the Chairman of ISA, the association through which the school is accredited. In this role John is representing the member schools at national level, in many different committees and conferences. His speeches have been reported in the national press and he has been on the radio and TV. It is a mark of the respect in which he is held by schools in the association and I think we should be very proud of his achievement.
My own background is very different to that of the previous chairman. My career his been in education, as a teacher, head of department, deputy head and head and recently as a registered inspector, a team leader with the Independent Schools Inspection Service for whom I also undertake consultancy work in schools.
My view of what I have been appointed to do: to develop a strong and supportive governing process to enable the head and the SMT to take the school forward, building on the strengths of the school, the strengths recognized in the last inspection report and well known to parents and pupils of the school and to do this by using my expertise and experience to bring an educational focus to the work of the governors.
It is very important to build a governing body which has a wide range of skills and expertise, recently recruited new governors bring both specifically educational legal experience and professional child protection experience, creating a strong and varied team and we are very grateful for their willingness to devote their time and energy as governors.
This is a site and a school which has a strong Christian tradition. I would like to finish with some very profound and moving words I found when I was researching the school website for my speech; the school prayer group area has this quotation from Philippians in a prominent position, it is very much in tune with the school’s ethos and aims.
Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.
And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable–if anything is excellent or praiseworthy–think about such things.
