Within hours of her election as the new chairman of the National Governors Council, Pat Petch (pictured right) was pitched straight into the national limelight by the news that the National Association of Headteachers is urging governing bodies to block the publication of the new primary school league tables.
A school governor for 13 years, Pat helped set up the local governors’ forum in Richmond, was instrumental in establishing the NGC two years ago and served as one of its two vice-chairmen. She is also a Justice of the Peace and was for 10 years an appointed parent member of Richmond’s education committee.
The NGC now has 50 member associations and one of Pat’s priorities is to help more groups of governors come together. “The NGC’s strength is its membership and we must ensure we remain democratic and representative.”
She also sees it as her job to secure greater influence for governors over those things for which they have responsibilities.“It is important for the governor perspective to be heard more by the Teacher Training Agency and the School Curriculum and Assessment Agency over such things as the new qualifications for headteachers. After all, it is the governors who appoint heads.”
On the key stage 2 league tables she said the NGC would be urging the Government to postpone them “to restore an atmosphere of goodwill and trust”.
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