A message from our Chair of Governors:

January 2024

Dear Parents and carers,

My name is Mike Milne and I have been the Chair of Governors since 2019.

Whether you are new to the Oak Tree Primary community or have children who have been
attending for several years, I would like to introduce the team of governors who make up
the Oak Tree Primary School Governing Body.

You can see on the school website that Oak Tree has a board of 13 governors who all work
to support and challenge the school to get the best outcomes for all the children and help
ensure that the budget is well spent.

Apart from Mrs Slater and a couple of members of staff, the governors are completely
independent, unpaid volunteers from different backgrounds with a wide range of skills and experience. Many are parents of children at the school, including two governors who were elected to the board by parents.

The governors meet several times each term to discuss issues that arise, and undertake
regular visits into school to look at the classrooms, children’s work, budget, health and
safety etc. Our work is strategic, so we do not take part in operational, day-to-day school
activities.

It is a privilege to work as a school governor. We work with Oak Tree to help make it a safe
and exciting environment where the children can learn and thrive. Last year, we were all
very proud when Oak Tree was awarded the Inclusion Quality Mark and recognised as a
“Centre of Excellence”!

We share the challenges faced by school, gain insight into the fantastic work of the staff and enjoy the amazing progress the children make as they journey through the school.
For example, at the end of last Summer term, I was fortunate to be invited to watch the
Reception classes End-of-Year production, which was a celebration of all that the children
had learned, created and enjoyed during their first year in school.

Having made several visits to the EYFS department during the year, this was a credit to the
skilled, dedicated, patient and caring team of reception teachers and teaching assistants.
Recently, I enjoyed watching the Remembrance Assembly by the Year 5 children which
delicately balanced mature, lucid accounts of the horror of war with poignant real life
stories of ordinary people. This was a huge achievement by the year 5 teachers and TAs
who had guided and inspired the children through this difficult but necessary topic!
I am proud to be a member of the Oak Tree community and I hope you and your children
also enjoy your time with us.

Please click on the links below to find out more information about our individual governors.