10 May Minutes of CF Committee Meeting – 10 May 2019
Attendees from the Committee and School:
Elizabeth Mackie (Chair), Leon Choueke (Head), Francesca Iannaccone, , Helene Fauquet, Lorraine Gerrard (Chair of Governors), Georgia Norton, Andrea Voros, Alan Midgley, Challe Hudson, Georgia Norton
Committee members not present: Mel Solomou, Louise Foulkes, Andy Day, Emma Grove, Sarah Wiley, Nikki McNamara, Kit Bhatti, Peter Salerno, Morinade Akinbobola, Eva Gonzalez, Katie Colton, Lucy Davies, Susie Cottee, Ana-Maria Volaric, Nora Ghanem, Claire Wright, Sam Scott, Suz Cocksedge
Funding
Funds remained healthy at around £110k (plus £8k reserves). £55k dedicated to playground funds.
Playgrounds Project
The first stage of the playground works to create a 2nd access gate on the north end of the West playground on Crouch End Hill has been delayed from the Easter holidays due to a delay in getting some parts This would ease overcrowding on the bridge at the main gate and would also enable better access for the new disabled access ramp. [NB -this work has now been completed.]
Haringey’s report has still not arrived. Once the full findings were received the scale of the issues to be addressed would be clarified.
The Tipping Point project had revealed that there are 12 play areas in the West Playground and 5 were currently shut leading to pressure on the other areas. This leads in turn to the need for rotas and an increase in behavior issues in the playground because of frustration. The next steps would be to:
- Reinstate the Millennium Garden (at the south west corner of the playground adjoining the Crouch End Hill frontage). This would provide a quiet sensory area for the children.
- Improve the wildlife area (the wooded area adjacent to the MUGA) by installing a permeable surface and benches.
- Remove the wall round the island of prickly bushes outside the Y4 door and trim back the trees. The surface will be redone with a permeable spongy mat.
- Remove a tree and retarmac the prime running area in the playground
- Move allotments to outside Leon’s office
- Reinstate the dig in September/October
The first three things would be done over the summer holidays.
Liveable Crouch End / Clean Air Project
Leon has met with Liveable Crouch End to discuss their project. He has also met with Catherine West MP. He is also joining up with the Headteachers of Rokesley, St Mary’s and Greig City, all of which are also on main roads potentially affected by the Livable Crouch End proposals, to suggest that the Project fund the air pollution counter-measures such as green screens etc that would be needed. Haringey was also looking at School Streets for Haslemere, Waverley and Crescent Road at the top outside school. This was likely not to happen for at least a year.
Sponsorship
There were still issues with parents being prepared to take estate agents boards from the sponsor. New parents seemed reluctant to take them and older parents were transferring loyalties to eg Highgate Wood. Coleridge is the worst taker of boards per head of all the 25 local schools sponsored by Martyn Gerrard. It might be a result of greater no of parents living in flats or other leased property.
Events and Inclusion
The test movie night for Y5 had gone well. It made c.£250 profits and was very much enjoyed by the children. It wasn’t really a parent social so if other year groups . The Big Night Out had launched although ticket sales had started slowly. There remained a view in school that this was an event for Y6 rather than one for the whole school but the reps were trying to counter this.
Georgia spoke about the surveys being done on communications. The first had been with Early years and then there would be one for the whole school. Communications from CF were being covered in the survey. Once the surveys from the whole school had been analysed the committee would consider getting a budget together to update and improve the CF website.
Spending
Tipping Point had been paid. The gate project pricing (see above) had been agreed.
The subscription to the SCRAP project http://childrensscrap.co.uk/ was due for renewal. It was over £400 and it was unlikely that at present the school was getting maximum worth out of it. We agreed to fund it for a further year but to review again next time. Elizabeth would contact the Art Dept to discuss how best to get use out of it.
New spending approved by the Committee before the meeting:
- Poet visit – Susanne Salerno has organised some poetry master classes for Y6 from Paul Lyalls, a local poet, who will be helping then with making and performing poetry. He will be in over 2 days in June at a cost of £200 per day. Paul has been in to school before (he worked with year 2 in 2016) and is well known on the schools poetry circuit. His website is here if you want more info: http://www.paul-lyalls.uk/
- Alexandra Palace Book Award – £120 is to be set aside for next’s year’s award workshops and copies of the books for the Y5&6 book club. We funded the workshop this year and was a great success.
- Kids Concert Company – Naomi Frederick has arranged for the Kids Concert Company https://www.kidsconcertco.org/ to come in on 18 July after school. The visit costs £429 for 3 instrumentalists. KCC have been to school before for an assembly arranged by Miss Munro and it was very successful. The visit has been funded by a generous donation from a parent.
The meeting then closed.
The next meeting is on Tuesday 2 July at 9am.
Elizabeth Mackie May 2019