Report from the Governors (January 2005)

The Head Teacher, Helen Gaunt, attended the Old Boys' Dinner at West Vale on 19 November 2004 and gave a good report about the success of the school both in academia and in sport.

The school has just returned another set of highly impressive examination results both at GCSE and AS levels. Local Heathens will have seen the report in the recent Courier that the school is now regarded as one of the leading schools in Yorkshire - because of both it academic and its sporting prowess.

Helen Gaunt was a welcome visitor to the dinner and she was fulsome in her thanks to the Association for its financial support, i.e. as a result of the Millennium Fund and continuing in the provision of prizes.

Russell Smith, the Secretary of the Association until recently, is spending a fair amount of time each week at the school attending to the archiving of HGS material. That work is regarded as highly valuable by the school and, on appropriate appointment, can be seen at the school.

The school now has Foundation Status so that it exercises an appreciable amount of autonomy in relation to admissions, funding, premises and policy. The body responsible in law for these functions is the governors and HGS is now well represented on the Governing body.

David Armitage (1951-1957) continues in his capacity as the Chairman of the Staff and Personnel Committee giving of his considerable relevant experience with ICI. He, with Grayham Smith, has been responsible for setting objectives for and reviewing the performance of the Head Teacher. Grayham Smith, having undertaken this role for 3 years, has now had to vacate the post but he continues to serve on the marketing committee and subject to availability as a result of full-time work, the Finance Committee.

The august body is in the hands of Chairman John Robertshaw (1958-1965) and thus has oversight of a budget well over £2 million.

Rod Atkinson (1946-1952) continues as the Chairman of the Premises Committee.

That is very busy at the moment because work has recently started on the Technology Block extension. Apart from new work, the building is extensive and the programme of renewal and refurbishment continues to present regular problems. Rod is well equipped to deal with such matters as a result of his years of experience as Borough Architect at Huddersfield CBC/Kirklees MBC.

Gordon Stansfield (a teacher at school before the amalgamation) is now one of the staff governors along with Steve Donlan who both attended school (1979-1986) and has taught there since 1995 in his main line subject of history but is also taking a prime interest in the school's rugby team.

Heathens will be aware that the school has now taken on the special mantle as a language college. This certainly does not mean that any other subject has been abandoned in favour of languages but it does mean that the facilities for teaching languages has, on the back of Government money which goes with the adoption of that status, improved its teaching facilities and has also provided a facility to teach languages in the community of Calderdale.

Heathens will be interested to know that, apart from maintaining the expected links in Europe, there is now an active and growing link between the school and a school in Beijing.

Enquiries about the language college and possible enrolment to the evening classes can be directed to John Morton, Assistant Head and another teacher from the days at HGS.

G. P. Smith
January 2005

[Added 15.02.05]

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