Hello Everyone

My name is Dorothy Griffin and I am Chairman of the Governing body and I thought you might like to know a little about me.

I am a retired teacher with a husband (a retired dentist), three children and six grandchildren who all live fairly close by. I am from the Lake District where I taught maths for twenty years and ICT for the last ten, to secondary pupils. I moved to the Braintree area six years ago to be near my family and taught at Tabor for the last three years of my career.

Now I am enjoying a new “career” as a general babysitter and find my time dealing with life at John Ray Junior School keeps me on my toes! Braintree is not too different from my home town and I have been pleased by how at home I feel here. Southerners and Northerners at not as different as some would have you believe!

Life in a junior school is similar though different in a lot of ways from that at secondary but I am learning a lot. Along with other governors am attending a lot of courses to make sure that I know exactly how to help keep John Ray the good school it is by supporting Mrs Boreham, the staff and of course the pupils.

I have met some parents but not nearly enough so if you see me in school please come and introduce yourself. We all want the same thing; to make their time at John Ray the best possible for your children.

Dorothy Griffin
Chair of Governors

The school governors are a group of volunteers, members of the local community who give some of their time freely to the school.

As school governors individually we have no powers but collectively we make decisions on behalf of the school and the children. We oversee the curriculum is delivered  as per government guidelines; we oversee the budget and ensure the school is maintained efficiently - just three examples of what the governing body does. The job can also be fun!

If you would like to be a school governor or want more information, speak to the Headteacher or a member of the Governing Body.  Governors help make a difference.