Anyone who is a school governor will know that like all other committees there is what is known as an Annual General Meeting, or AGM. I believe the school is fortunate in having both a chair & head who work hard as individuals but also well together. Being an effective governor is no easy task, and even after a couple of years I still feel that I have a lot to learn.
Before the monthly Education Cabinet Advisory Committee we had some training on what is known as VAP. This is a way of using certain indicators, both within & outside of a school, to help identify those pupils who may need extra support. The point is not to use the results as if set in tablets of stone, but they can at least point staff in the right direction.
And the following day believe it or not I had another first! I gave evidence at a scrutiny committee, something that even over 4 years as councillor I had never done before. This scrutiny panel has been set up to look at how the council is doing in tackling poverty, and I was asked to say a bit about Swansea Bay Fair Credit group, set up originally to get the government to cap the interest rates on loans which companies could charge. Since the success of that campaign we have gone further by looking at all the different loans on offer so that we can provide better information for the public who can make sensible choices as to which loan to take out.
In complete contrast I spent the following afternoon showing two officers around the Mayhill Washing 'Lake', and the plot where we are looking to set up the Community Food Garden. They were both very enthusiastic which certainly bodes well for setting up a 'Friends of' group to look after the picnic area & support the garden.
But probably the highlight of the month for me as a councillor was being able to be part of the ceremonial meeting which awarded Chris Coleman the Freedom of the City of Swansea in recognition of Wales football team success in the summer. A lovely man, so pleased for him.
