Blessed Hugh Faringdon Governors Meeting

I attended the Governors meeting at Blessed Hugh Faringdon Catholic Secondary School in Southcote. It is interesting to compare the differences between a primary school and a secondary school. Whilst the primary school atmosphere reflects the age of the children a secondary school is "sharp and business like". Maybe it is because most of the secondary school pupils are taller than me it seems lively and busy, with the buildings over twice as big as a primary school with three times the number of pupils.

Blessed Hugh Faringdon has been able to combine the bustling activity of a secondary school with the caring atmosphere of inclusivity and diversity of a primary school. The recent OFSTED Inspection identified that the children felt safe in the school and not isolated. The school has an excellent Aspergers unit for children with special needs which is envied by other schools. Every child is encouraged to reach their own potential. The impressive new Head Teacher, John Casey has come with a remit to improve educational attainment whilst maintaining the caring atmosphere. He has put in place plans to improve Maths and English to a level that will be one of the best in Reading. Governors are monitoring these plans and are greatly encouraged by the "can do" attitude of the staff and the potential to improve further with new staff appointments.

I am always encouraged by the progress of the school when I attend meetings and parents evenings. The curriculum is outstanding and varied and the pupils seem to enjoy attending classes in the school, particularly judging by the attendance figures. Blessed Hugh Faringdon is progressing well with the aim to improve to be one of the best in Reading.