Poor Joan Dalton (TES, June 16). Didn’t the head explain what her duties as a school governor would entail? Why didn’t the clerk to the governing body help her out? Maybe she expects the head to produce copies of all documents for every meeting?
Luckily, she doesn’t live in this part of Wales where every document sent out to parents must be written in Welsh and English. Yes, there is a translation service but it’s usually quicker to DIY and yes, Joan, as head of a small village school I do most of the work myself, and most (but thankfully not all) of that also falls “into a black hole of parental indifference”, just the same.
But rather than send the letter of complaint to the parents, why don’t she and her fellow governors send it to Gillian Shephard (our would-be PM and Secretary of State for Education), David Blunkett (or whichever Labour member is the spokesperson this month), their MP, local and national press etc, so that someone other than an overworked head or teacher might notice the issues concerned and then, maybe, give some much-needed attention and not see them as yet another complaint by some “bolshiecomplaininggets-far-too-much-holidays-and-pay, militant” member of our low-morale profession.
I eagerly await Joan’s next instalment.
J RICHARD WILLIAMS Gwernyfed 23 Dol Werdd Llangefni Ynys Mon Gwynedd
