Workshop 1: A governor and a parent, Susy Stone, former Head of Akiva School and PaJeS Board member
The workshop considered the role of the parent who is a governor in developing trust and respect among the parent body.
The role of a parent is the same as that of any other governor, with a remit to bring a parent perspective to deliberations. The parent governor should not act ‘on behalf of the parent body’.
In discussion about the case study parents gave examples of parent forums and parent governor newsletters to encourage and manage parent voice. It was felt that parents on the GB should be ambassadors for the school.
It is helpful to have protocols for social media and inappropriate conversation should be challenged by parents who are governors and signposted to the appropriate school channels of communication.
Workshop 2: Mental health and wellbeing initiatives and the role of governors in Mental health and wellbeing, Julia Alberga, Jewish Schools Wellbeing Project, JLC PaJeS
Julia Alberga coordinates the Jewish schools wellbeing project. The project aims to promote a whole-school preventative and proactive approach to wellbeing and mental health, providing a holistic education for pupils and the opportunity for them to learn about and build their own social and emotional toolkit.
This session explained the programmes and initiatives that schools will be able to access. Julia discussed the role of governors in mental health and wellbeing.
See some useful websites which were discussed in this session
Workshop 3: Issues around Covid-19, Facilitated by Rabbi David Meyer, Dr Tamara Djuretic, Joint Director of Public Health and Prevention Barnet Council and The Royal Free London Group and Emma Waters, Public Health Barnet
This session looked at current challenges for schools and included plenty of time for questions to an expert in Public Health.