Tanglin Trust School - Board of Governors

Communication

Communication with Tanglin Trust School’s Board of Governors

Tanglin Trust School’s Board of Governors is aware of the importance of two-way communication with the School’s Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and members of the School’s Management Team, as well as with the Tanglin community as a whole.

The Board deals with all issues as a full Board, meeting at least once each term, with the CEO in attendance, to handle business and discuss recommendations submitted by its sub-committees and advisory groups. In addition, the Board Chair holds weekly briefings with the CEO.

The Board-appointed sub-committees comprise Board representatives with expertise in the relevant area and the Management Team is invited to sub-committee meetings to present policy matters for discussion. These sub-committees currently comprise: Finance and Audit; Staffing; Education; Development and Building and Maintenance. Sub-committee meetings are held frequently each term. The Chair of the Education Sub-committee, who is currently also the Alternate Chair, meets fortnightly with the CEO and members of the School’s Leadership Team.

Advisory groups, comprising a range of staff members and representatives of the Tanglin community, also submit information and recommendations for consideration to the Board each year as part of the School’s Educational and Strategic Plan.

The Board endorses the School’s view that responsibility for a student’s education should be shared by the School and the parents. It believes that a child’s schooling benefits from cooperation between teachers and parents and encourages concerns about a child’s progress to be dealt with by these two parties in a timely and professional manner.

Communication with the Tanglin Community.

The Board is regularly informed by the CEO of issues concerning parents. The Board encourages parents to raise any concern about School policy with their Class Parent Representative, who submits these to the Parent Year Group Representative, who then discusses them with the CEO at periodic meetings that are managed by the School’s Parent Teacher Association (PTA).

The Board also holds meetings each term with the President of the PTA and members of the PTA Executive to discuss policy topics of interest. The Board recognises the valuable role played by Tanglin’s PTA and considers its positive relationship with this group to be of great importance.

In addition, the Board hosts an annual open meeting with parents and members of the Tanglin community during Term 2 of each academic year. This relaxed and informal function provides an opportunity for parents to talk to a member of the Board, ask questions about School policy or raise issues for discussion. Items drawn to the attention of Governors on that evening are then discussed by the Board and the CEO. Parents are also welcome to write directly to the Board about issues concerning policy if they are not satisfied with the results of discussions with Year Group Representatives, teachers and the CEO. To contact the Board Chair, please e-mail Dominic Nixon (dominic.nixon@tts.edu.sg). To contact the Alternate Chair and Chair of the Education Sub-committee, please e-mail Deirdre Lew (deirdre.lew@tts.edu.sg).

As most Board members are parents themselves, they understand how important schooling issues are to the mothers and fathers of the students at Tanglin and they consider all issues promptly and thoroughly.