A Message from the Chair of Governors'

The Commonweal School, a Specialist Schools Status Performing Arts College is also a Foundation School, run by a Governing Body that works in partnership with the Local Authority. I have been a Local Authority governor at the school since 2000, I live locally and our two children are currently students at the school, in years 11 and 7.

I also work full time in Swindon, running the Evaluation & Policy Unit at one of the UK’s Research Councils, a role which involves a wide variety of activities, including reviewing the research funded by the Council to ensure it is of high quality and relevant, keeping track of and responding to government initiatives in research and higher education, and managing the Councils research information databases. This is a role I moved to after several years working in university research in the history of science and economic and business history.

Commonweal governors are made up of parents, members of staff and others from the local community who are committed to education. We have a responsibility to ensure that the School, through the staff, meets legal obligations when providing the education for our students. However there is much more to education than meeting legal requirements!

Students come to Commonweal at an age when they are developing rapidly in different ways, intellectually, physically and emotionally. Against this background, the school aims to provide a positive and supportive environment by fostering a sense of community and mutual respect. Our last OFSTED report shows that we are successful at this – Commonweal is a caring school.

Achieving Specialist College Status for Performing Arts was a fantastic achievement and this dimension to the life of the school has developed very effectively over the last four years, with the opening of the new dance studio and associated facilities. The school is now preparing its bid to renew specialist status and I am confident that we will be successful.

However specialist status does not mean that we have a narrow focus: we have to use our strength in performing arts to benefit everyone and raise standards across the whole school. As well as the National Curriculum, we offer a range of opportunities for development of students through challenging extra-curricular activities and trips. Alongside this we have very successful programmes that address current issues and concerns such as alcohol misuse, drug and solvent abuse and teaching about HIV and AIDS.

In summary, the Governors and staff want every student leaving the School to have benefited from an enjoyable learning experience enriched wherever possible by examination success. In addition we expect students to have developed practical skills and attitudes and behaviour that will provide a firm foundation both for the next stage of their career and throughout life.

Mari Williams

Chair of Governors

January 2008