This has been an exciting term for governors. We now have Jackie Lord and myself as Co-Chairs and Sarah Siviter and Emma Lamb as Co-Vice Chairs. We also have a new co-opted governor, Jane Meek, whose daughter also came to the school. This positive change brings renewed enthusiasm, new ideas and new ways of working, even though we balance that with many governors like me, who have served more than a few years on the board!

A major highlight this term was the visit to the steel signing of the new build. I can only recount what has been reported to me, as unfortunately I was in hospital with a broken hip! Jackie led out some governors plus my daughter, (who, as an ex-student who took my place) in hard hats and fluorescent jackets, ensuring safety. Mrs Hall was accompanied, amongst other dignitaries, by Mrs Pomeroy and Mrs Fitzgibbon, the previous two headteachers. It was quite an outing. 

We are feeling both excited and sad about the new build. Excited, due to the state-of-the-art facilities that the girls will enjoy, which can only serve to enhance their learning, but sad to leave such a well-loved and well-cared for building that has stood for the last 70 years.

For now, we will enjoy the string of ‘this is the last time that…’ and make the most of what is probably our final Christmas period in the current building, with the new facility clearly taking shape.

With that, on behalf of all governors, we wish you a happy, relaxed and restful holiday period.

Ms. Lorimer Russell-Hayes

Co-Chair of the Governing Body

Penwortham Girls’ High School

We are constantly changing – obviously as a school, as staff and as students, but also as a governing board also. We say thank you this term to two of the governing board who have completed their 4-year terms of office – Linda Burrows and Ella Wardleworth-Phillips – thank you for your contributions. We welcome Jane Meek as a newly appointed co-opted governor and we will be advertising to elect a new parent governor in September.

I have been Chair of Governors at PGHS for 17 years now (and on the board for 22 years since my daughter started in year 7!) and from September I am going to share this responsibility with the Vice-Chair, Jackie Lord, with both of us as Co-Chairs of Governors. As part of our move forward in the school’s history and into the new build, we will now benefit as a board from new ideas and new ways of working. As with any innovations in our school, our core ethos and priorities won’t change but new blood is always welcome – it gives us different questions to ask! I welcome Jackie into this role.

So, what have we been focussing on this term? We underwent training on Environmental Sustainability early in the term as schools are required to have a sustainability lead and a climate action plan by September. This is now in place; thank you Mr Ward. Later in the term, Mr Ward and I attended the ASCL conference on Sustainability. As a follow-up to this, Mr Bowles took a group of students to the Sustainability Conference in Blackburn in June for a fantastic development day they all enjoyed. Mr Bowles attended a workshop for staff, I led a workshop for governors and the students attended activity workshops and acted as guides. What we have learned from these recent activities is that school already does so much, through the curriculum, through pastoral activities and through leadership responsibilities in the area of environmental sustainability. We have been able to audit current provision and to plan next steps through the climate action plan targets; there is so much more we could be doing and the girls provide us with lots of new ideas! We are excited to see how many sustainable innovations there are in the new build and to compare our carbon footprint in the ‘old’ versus the ‘new’ schools. We, as governors, look forward to receiving progress reports and speaking to students and staff.

So here we are at the end of another school year, awaiting with baited breath the results of all the hard work Year 11 have put into their final exams. I look forward to sharing your excitement with you and your parents in August! On behalf of the governors, I would also like to thank all staff for the many ways in which you have given support in all its guises.

On behalf of the governing board, I wish you all, staff students and families, a safe and restful summer break.

Ms Lorimer Russell-Hayes

Governors were honoured to be invited to Founders’ Day on Friday 28^th March and were pleased to have nine governors, including staff, parents, Local Authority and co-opted governors present for all or some of the day. We all enjoy celebrating what the school does well and being invited along to see some new ‘vintage’ aspects was something we had not experienced before! For some of us, it was like going back to our own school days! (Others are not that old!)

For many, it was a moving start to the day with some reminiscing by Mrs Hall during assembly. The music was exemplary and evoked times past and the arrangement by the staff – and many were involved – was much appreciated. The choir, orchestra and LAMDA students all rose to the challenge.

We saw and took part in many lessons during the day. I was initially quite worried about Latin but then saw how the girls were engaged casting Harry Potter type spells to complete the lesson itself! I loved the handwriting lesson using fountain pens and seeing how many girls ended up with inky hands as many of us recollect ourselves! Sorry!

Lunch was interesting; many more girls than I expected actually loved the semolina and came back for more! (I didn’t tell them that we used to call it frogspawn!) I am sure that at the end of the day, there will be a difficult decision to be made regarding the winning competition entries.

It is strange to think that we will celebrate the next milestone in the new building which is bittersweet in many ways. However, the essence of what makes Penwortham Girls’ High School will always be within the building, new or old.

So, we must always look forward. This term governors, driven by staff and students will push forward with our environmental sustainability role. Governors will receive training and later in the term, the school will be represented at a Sustainability Conference. We will be sure to tell you about it via newsletters.

Until then, we wish you all a restful Easter break.

Ms Lorimer Russell-Hayes

Chair of Governors

I always seem to begin my termly feedback by saying what a busy term it has been. That’s because it continues to be like that every term and that’s the way we like it!

This term, we have been taking stock and planning ahead as a governing board. We have one new co-opted governor, another interested in the role plus an election for two parent governor positions. It always re-energises the board and gives us a new impetus to push for bigger and better.

We have returned to our three core purposes again. Governors nationally are driven by these. We agree the strategic direction of the school, we hold the Headteacher and her staff to account for the progress of the school and its students and we ensure value for money in the funding allocated. We cannot do these without hearing the views of our staff, our parents and our students and that takes place regularly all through the year.

In terms of what we as governors do to maintain our knowledge of national and regional updates, we maintain our training of governor related knowledge and beyond. This term, we completed 18 training sessions between us on topics such as safeguarding, attendance, curriculum and more. We also visit school and speak to staff and students with particular responsibilities. This term, we completed 34 school visits, for example, we met with the Headteacher, the DSL and listened to students completing their speaking assessments. It is through these means that we are able to challenge and support the school.

The role is challenging and consumes much time, but it is only by us all working together that the students achieve as they do. We very much appreciate your support in this respect and we have appreciated the positive messages received from many of you this term. Thank you.

On behalf of the governors, may I take this opportunity to wish you all a restful break and happiness into the New Year to come.

Ms Lorimer Russell-Hayes

Chair of Governors

What a year this has been! It has been eventful to say the least! Firstly, we interviewed for a new Headteacher in September 2023, then we said goodbye to Mrs Pomeroy at Christmas. We started the New Year with Mrs Hall at the helm, and then we had Ofsted for the first time in 10 years just before May half term. All major events, but the school maintained its consistent ambitions and standards as always.

I can certainly say, on behalf of the governing body, that we are delighted that the school has maintained the Outstanding Ofsted grade first received in November 2014. It is an incredible achievement as it as certainly become a more exacting standard. That top Ofsted grade, plus the outstanding attainment and progress measures achieved consistently over those years put us at the top of many league tables. We could not have been so successful without a fantastic team of highly skilled and motivated staff, without a very supportive community of parents and carers, and without the hard work and consistent effort by the girls themselves. Well done to all concerned! We are, indeed, very proud of you all.

Of course, we know very well that data and reports are only part of the story. Our values and ethos permeate all areas of school life and help all abilities to succeed in becoming articulate, questioning, tolerant and independent young women. Much of this was in evidence during the GCSE exam period when the Year 11 students showed continued dedication to their studies but also at the valedictory evening, where they shone in all their finery! We wish them great success!

So, at the end of such an eventful year, we must look forward to those that follow. We are proud to have Mrs Hall as our new Headteacher and we also have a new building to look forward to. Governors are confident in the school’s continued success.

On behalf of all governors, I wish you all a safe and restful summer break and look forward to the new school year in September.

Lorimer Russell-Hayes

Chair of Governors

This term has been extremely short due to how the Easter dates have fallen this year but somehow, we seemed to have got a lot done!

The governors have been extremely pleased and reassured by the smooth transition to Mrs Hall as Headteacher. We knew from the start that we had appointed the right person for the task; Mrs Hall has the ethos of Penwortham Girls’ High School running through her veins and wants nothing more than to build on Mrs Pomeroy’s successes. There have been some additional appointments made to serve the school well into this next chapter. A key decision has been to appoint Mrs Woodhouse to join Mr Ward and Mr Ramsdale in the team of Senior Assistant Headteachers. Governors welcome the development and expansion of Mrs Woodhouse’s role and wish her much success. Appointments have also been made to the Safeguarding team and to the Life Skills team. These have been key to the fulfilment of our school values and integral to the rounded development of our students.

Our vision is quite clearly identified in what students and staff have delivered this term so far. There have been a number of events that include the Soroptimist society raising £300 for St Catherine’s Hospice, a focus on kindness for International Women’s day, all students taking part in Safer Internet Day and a focus on World Religion Day where the Year 9 assembly included student-created presentations on aspects of Islam, Christianity and Hinduism. Added to these, is the STEM Festival which is the focus of this end of term newsletter.

The governing board wishes to thank students, staff and parents for their continuing support and efforts this term. We send warm wishes to those of you who celebrate Easter and those of you celebrating Eid Al-Fitr during the break also. We hope all our community enjoys two weeks break and we hope the students return ready for more hard work!

Lorimer Russell-Hayes

Chair of Governors

This is a moment of change for PGHS as we move to a new Headteacher and look forward to a new school building. It is also a moment of great reflection.

Governors were happy to announce the arrival of a new Headteacher 12 years ago when Mrs Pomeroy arrived, but we couldn’t imagine just what success she would lead the school towards. When governors have considered just how the school has changed over those 12 years, we find it hard to believe just how much has been achieved. The physical school building has changed enormously to include a welcoming entrance and music area, a drama studio, a dance studio, a languages area, revitalised science laboratories and sports facilities, the training suite, a fit for purpose staff area, a new library area, a humanities extension of three additional classrooms and a smart, welcoming, vibrant modern school in which to learn and to teach. I’m sure I have forgotten many things too! All the above have ensured a high quality environment for certain, but our school is so much more than that. Under Mrs Pomeroy’s leadership, we have risen to a school outstanding in all areas, as judged by Ofsted.  Simultaneously, teaching is outstanding, students learn effectively and with enjoyment and so results have now risen to the point where students achieve way above expectations, with progression rated in the top 3 in Lancashire and the top performing schools across the country. Mrs Pomeroy – that is some legacy, and we are as proud as you must be at the changes made during your leadership. And honestly, I don’t believe that actually does your tenure real justice!

So, what comes next? Well, for Mrs Pomeroy, it must be the freedom to spend time with her family and more time away travelling to far flung areas of the globe! She has many interests and hobbies so will certainly never sit still but here’s hoping she discovers new ones too. We all wish you a happy, fulfilled and joyous retirement and that you come back to see us too!

For PGHS, we very much welcome Mrs Hall to her post in January and towards the new building project. We wish you as much success in your role also.

For our school community as a whole, I wish you, on behalf of the governing body, much enjoyment and relaxation during our school break and we look forward to seeing you refreshed and well in 2024.

Ms Lorimer Russell-Hayes

Chair of Governors

Summer Term 2023

This has been another eventful term for us all and an incredibly different year as we start to plan for a different future.

On behalf of governors, I very much enjoyed attending the arrival of the year 11s at their valedictory celebration at Ribby Hall. The weather kept dry for long enough to see the girls arrive in their finery and in an array of vehicles! They so much deserved to put all their hard work during and in the lead up to their exams behind them.  We all wish them the success they deserve when we see them again in August!

The governors have been kept busy this term in all the usual ways but also in putting together the recruitment process for a new headteacher, who we hope to appoint in the autumn to start January 2024. It is a bittersweet process for all of us who appreciate how far the school has developed under Mrs Pomeroy’s tenure and how much she, herself, has been responsible for driving its journey over the past 12 years to the incredible position we are now in. Mrs Pomeroy knows the time is now right for her and, importantly, right for the school’s future. With the new building on the horizon, it will also be a time of excitement and further development and we relish these opportunities to grow.

Rest assured, none of us will lose impetus or focus over the next term! We have just shared an evening with the prospective year 7s and have also enjoyed a spectacular Commonwealth Celebration. As I write this, we still have all our end of year enrichment activities to come, so there is never any down time! Our enrichment calendar is something the school and governors are rightly proud of, and I recently had the opportunity to share this good practice with other Lancashire Chairs of Governors at our forum. All members of the Senior Leadership Team have responsibilities and we, as governors, appreciate the drive and enthusiasm of each one of them. Whilst acknowledging them all, I would especially like to thank Mrs Honeyman for all her work on our enrichment calendar this term and for Mrs Cattanach’s work to ease transition for our new year 7s and in preparing our Celebration Evening.

From myself and on behalf of all the governors, I want to thank all our hard-working staff (teaching and non-teaching) for their continued dedication this year. We may not find time to acknowledge you all by name, but we appreciate our good fortune in having such a highly skilled workforce. We never take you for granted.

To all our students and their families, we thank you for your support and hard work during the year; we hope the relationship with school continues to be a positive and fruitful one.

Have a lovely summer and be safe!

Lorimer Russell-Hayes

Chair of Governors

Governors have three core responsibilities to discharge:

1. Setting the strategic vision of the school.
2. Holding the Headteacher and her staff to account for pupil outcomes.
3. Financial probity – ensuring good value for money.

The National Governors’ Association adds a fourth, as do we:

• Considering the views of all stakeholders.

I feed back as often as possible to all stakeholders to let everyone know how the various stakeholders feel about the effectiveness of the school.

Governors were especially pleased to see the results of parental surveys obtained during some of the parents’ evenings this year, (Years 7, 8 & 9.)

Each parent was asked to rate the following areas on a scale – strongly agree, agree, disagree, strongly disagree:

The school has high expectations for my child

My daughter feels safe at this school

The school makes sure its pupils are well behaved

My child does well at this school

My daughter is happy at this school

Teaching is good

The school is effective led and managed

The school makes me know what my child will learn during the year.

The school lets me know how my child is doing

The school supports my child’s wider personal development

In sample sizes ranging from 25% to 35% of each year group, 97.5% of year 7 parents agreed or strongly agreed with ALL the above statements. Even when slightly larger cohorts of parents were asked, 92% of year 8 parents and 95% of year 9 parents also agreed or strongly agreed with ALL statements. Nearly all responses are above the national average. Governors felt the results were an overwhelming endorsement that the school does a lot that is appreciated for parents and students.

Obviously, some parents had reason to contact school for bullying or other concerns. These were very small in number and over 94% of parents of these students strongly agreed or agreed that school dealt with any issues quickly and effectively.

The governing body will review the whole school data nearer the end of next term and will take on board, as staff do, any issues arising in need of action.

Lorimer Russell-Hayes

Chair of the Governing Body

The Autumn Term is always a long one, don’t you think? As such, it also allows for a lot to be packed in. Reviewing some of the weekly newsletters that I always read, I am so proud of all that the girls have achieved yet again. The examples of activity, of work produced and experience, makes me realise how gifted you all are and the amazing breadth of experience the staff create for you.

I have been able to experience some of the fabulous celebrations of student work in and around school on a number of occasions this term. I am always thankful when I receive an invitation to eat food – and that is just what I did at the Language and Literature Festival cake competition! Not only did the cakes taste good but the decorations were superb. I await an annual invitation! Totally different senses were awakened when I observed, listened and commented on the recitations delivered by students for their LAMDA accreditation. I listened to one group, while Mrs Siviter, a recently co-opted governor, listened to another. I loved listening to speeches, extracts and poems that I hadn’t heard before and want to thank Mrs Cattanach for inviting our help.

Another two occasions when I enjoyed evenings in school, were for the Open Evening, where we welcome prospective students to look around our school, and Awards Evening, where we celebrate the achievements of those who have just left. Both occasions fill me with immense pride and are evenings when I can see proud and excited students at their best. It is quite an honour to see the start and end of their journeys with us and to witness their growth during those short five years!

We have also experienced lows to go with those highs; we all celebrated the 70-year reign of the Queen earlier in the summer and then mourned her loss with the country in September. We, in school, also mourned the loss of one of our staff that very week. I have heard it said that sorrow is the price we pay for love. We always retain the memories of those we have loved and lost though.

I know that with the New Year coming upon us fast, we will be able to look forward to greater things. We have a full governing board, and all members are ambitious for the future of the school. On the board’s behalf, I would like to wish our whole school community a restful break and enjoyable time spent with those you love.

Ms Lorimer Russell-Hayes

Chair of Governors