Farewell to the school
Type of speech: retirement speech
November 2014
Venue: High school
Audience: headteacher, teachers and administrative staff
Speaker’s role: retiring governor
Length of speech: four minutes
I informed the chairman yesterday that I would be stepping down as a governor at the end of term.
I have been a governor for 17 years. That’s a long time in anyone’s life and in the life of a school. I have enjoyed it.
There have been many changes. The most obvious ones have included the arrival of Ofsted, not in my view a benefit to teaching. HMIs were far better and less threatening.
And our arrival on one campus. Once there was a second one at another location. The highly efficient management of the project to bring the two together owes much to clerk of works, one of the deputy headteachers.
I have appreciated the people I have worked with. The governors. There have been many over the time. Some stayed longer than others. DH chairman of finance for 15 years. Some distinguished individuals, a best selling novelist, the planning director at the hospital and the first vice chancellor of the new university. They all made their mark.
The staff. We have had, still have, many very talented staff at this school. I have worked closely with many of them (by name). And not to forget your very able business manager, who is doing terrific work in this difficult period.
The third group are the support staff at county. Some gone to Capita, some retired. They offered great support to the school and its governors. Not to forget school adviser DW.
I recall his part in setting the statutory targets for two years ahead. Normally it’s a fairly straightforward procedure that takes perhaps an hour. With me as chairman it was not always so.
On one occasion there were my deputy and I on one side arguing for realistic targets, the headteacher and DW on the other arguing for aspirational targets.
After two hours, we adjourned without agreement. It took a second meeting also of two hours to reach a compromise of some sort. I think the school adviser was astonished.
Finally, we get obsessed these days with metrics. Students can be reduced to statistics.
But for me what has given me pleasure and a sense of worth is to see very many students, several thousand, pass through this school and get a good education, in very many cases a very good education.
The governing body has played a part in this achievement. A small one perhaps but one of which we can be justly proud. I certainly am.
Meanwhile I wish you all the best as you take the school to the next stage in its development. I am sure you will have a terrible time without me but perhaps you will just manage.
Au revoir and good luck.