Resigning as a school governor

Last month I decided to resign as a school governor for Downside Primary School.

It has been roughly 10 years since I became a governor of Downside Junior School. During that time the school merged with the next door infants school to create Downside Primary. Something that I’ve written about on this blog. During that time it has been fascinating to watch the school develop and to be a witness to the merger process. I’ve enjoyed my time on the governing body and have learned an awful lot.

I first joined the governing body when I was elected as a councillor for Challney. I saw getting involved in the school as a positive extension of that role. When I stopped being a councillor I decided to stay on while the school re-established itself after the merger. While it hasn’t been easy, my impression is that the school has done this well and more quickly than I thought it would. I believe the school is in good hands.

Also, due to pressure of work and other commitments, my attendance at meetings over the last year or so has been poor. This has not really been fair to other members of the governing body. I don’t like not properly fulfilling commitments that I have made.  So I think the time has come to move on. I hope my resignation will make space for someone else to contribute to the work of the school.

In my letter of resignation I thanked the current chair of governors, Mr Hafiz, for his kindness to me over the years and gave my best wishes to the headteacher, staff, other members of the governing body, and the pupils. I repeat that here and wish the school every success in the future.

This content was originally posted on my old Strange Thoughts blog.