The following was written by former headteacher Peter Coleman in Spring of 2006.
Looking back on 20 years of FoG
Friends of Goodrich was started in 1986.
Previously there was a more informal Parent and Teacher Association. Some fundraising was done by the school, some by parents. The intention was to set up a much more active association with a broader base; this would include everybody with an interest in seeing the school thrive as a focal point of the local community.
Over the years FoG has developed a range of activities that we take for granted now: the Summer Fayre, the Carnival, children’s discos and Adults Only evenings. The idea was to bring a sense of community to the school and this part of East Dulwich. The constitution adopted by FoG gave it considerable independence to develop activities that supported this. From the start it was decided:
* All fundraising activities would go through FoG.
* FoG would make a termly payment into the School Fund, for everyday purchases like pet food, plants and cookery ingredients.
* FoG would make larger donations when the school requested particular support: for IT equipment, TVs, video recorders and other equipment requiring large, one-off payments.
They have been wonderfully successful in this respect.
An essential component of FoG has been an offshoot: the FoG Education Committee. Many parents are interested in the development of school educational policies. FoG Education provides a forum for parents to meet the headteacher and discuss issues. Over the years FoG has played a vital role in initiating and discussing policy matters.
They were key in developing the Home-School Contract, the Anti-Bullying Policy and training courses for parents to work as classroom volunteers. As a headteacher, I’ve found them an enormous source of support and challenge.
FoG has been a wonderful part of the school development. When it started there were 240 children taught in classes in one part of the main building.
Now we have more than 700 children over the whole site. Almost everyone who has passed through the school in the last 20 years has had their time here enhanced by the work of FoG.
The constitution permits everyone to remain a ‘friend’ long after they cease to be part of the day-to-day work of the school.
FoG will long continue to be a key part of what makes the school the place that it is.
