Site content © Bernard Keogh (2006) et al where noted.

My Working Life - continued - Page 7tinued - Page 6

The Local Authority Years 2010 - present.

After a short break of resting and catching up on jobs at home I noticed a job advert in the local press for a “Temporary Part Time 6 month contract” post in the Governors Support team at Halton Borough Council and as I had been a school governor for 20+ years I thought I’d apply…..

And I got the job working with a team who support, advise, guide and administer the governing bodies of local primary schools. I got into the work and found it challenging learning the ropes and legalities of local authority support for the schools and found it a big change from working in industry (with the ability to make decisions and control the business). Despite this it was very enjoyable  - even more so when I started to clerk governing body meetings and helping them to support the school staff in a very challenging environment.

And so after 6 months my contract was extended, then extended again and again and I retired (again) age 65 after 5 years working for Governors Support - not bad for a temporary 6 month appointment - but I must say I thoroughly enjoyed the work and met and worked with some great people.

So another retirement behind me but I continue to work with schools as a Clerk to Governors and kept in touch with some of my regular schools over the next few years.

April 2014

All change again as Halton have now contracted out the Clerking Service to Cheshire West and Chester (CWAC) who operate a little differently with their clerks and so I find myself back doing the same job I did at Halton in the Governors Support Team!!

And so I hope to continue for some years now with a number of Widnes Schools who I have worked with for some time and to cap it all I think I have to go back to college to learn to be a clerk for CWAC…. And so the wheel keeps turning…….

December 2015

All change yet again - CWAC decided to form a charitable Governance team along with Wirral Council which will be a non-profit Community Interest Company who will cover all the school support functions of the councils and the Clerking Service for Halton schools. So another new chapter started and continued until April 2021 when I retired again (3rd time lucky?) and said goodbye to many of the schools I have supported over the years. (I think 60 years of working is enough for now…. And I must say I have enjoyed every one of them for various reasons and look forward  too more golf and family time……..

April 2021 - Spoke too soon

I was asked to train up a new Clerk to cover my schools and so stayed in post for a year (or so I thought !!¬)

I trained and shadowed the new Clerk and the was asked to cover a couple of schools for a short time and train another Clerk which then took me to my 4th retirement in April 2024 when I did actually finish when I took back my files and laptop ad signed off for good.   I think that 63+ years of working is enough now and I am enjoying the free time with our new grandson who is my buddy.