The Park Community School is governed by the Trustees of the Tarka Learning Partnership, who hold the school to account for its performance in many key areas. They are charged with ensuring that the school performs effectively in providing the very best education in the broadest sense for every one of its students.
A new body from September 2022, the School Community Board (SCB) has been set up at school level to represent the views, opinions and ideas of families, the local community and the school staff themselves. These roles are elected or co-opted for a period of four years at a time.
The School Community Board meets at least six times each year to discuss a range of issues pertinent to the successful operation of the school, including helping it achieve its vision and goals through the School Improvement Plan, and striving to make the school an integral part of the Barnstaple and North Devon community. The SCB looks to ensure that the student experience is front and centre of every decision that the school takes.
The SCB representatives and Headteacher work together to set the long-term strategic vision for the school and ensure efficient and effective use of resources in support of students. Similar to the Trustees, the SCB representatives role is to question, and in so doing satisfy themselves that the school is doing the best for students, parents and the community.
It is the Headteacher’s role to manage the school while the Trustees and SCB support through challenge – checking, questioning and holding the Senior Leadership Team to account for the school’s performance.
The SCB also includes select working parties that work with the senior leadership team and other school staff on specific projects aligned to the School Improvement Plan.
Each SCB representative is expected to become actively involved in the board’s work by aligning to a House, visiting the school, attending meetings and engaging with working parties when needed and subject to availability.
All SCB representatives are volunteers from a wide range of backgrounds and thus bring experience of the world beyond school. The representatives do not receive any payment but costs of training and essential travel are provided by the school.
The composition of the SCB is 12 representatives split as follows:
4 Community representatives
4 Staff representatives
4 Parent and Family representatives
Kim Baker, Chair of Governors
School Community Board Representative Information and Attendance to be confirmed.
