CLERKS’ BRIEFING
Summer 2015
Wednesday 29th April 2015
1.00 pm to 2.30 pm
Venue – Bracknell Open Learning Centre,
Rectory Lane, Easthampstead, Bracknell RG12 7GR
(next to Brakenhale School)
(copied to Headteachers & Chairs by email)
CLERKS’ BRIEFING AGENDA
Local Authority advice is that the headteacher, the Chair and the clerk meet to discuss
the content of the Governing Body agenda. Items for inclusion may be put forward by
any individual governor, by the clerk or the headteacher. Certain items will always
appear and some items will appear at regular times in the yearly cycle of meetings.
The list of items below is not comprehensive and should also be considered for
inclusion.
1. Finance
2. Human Resources
3. Safeguarding Update for Schools
4. Prevent – Designated Child Protect Leads Meeting
5. Ensuring school websites are compliant
6. Governor and Clerk Training and Development Opportunities
7. National Governors’ Association Development Opportunities
8. The Constitution of Governing Bodies – update and new guidance
9. Changes to regulations
10. Election of Chair and Vice Chair
11. Governors with particular responsibilities
12. Notification of Governing Body Changes – a reminder
13. Copies of minutes
14. Education Governor Nominations Committee
15. Governing Boards and School Leaders - paper
Discussion item – Recruitment of Governors – what happens in your
Governing Body?
APPENDICES
A – List of Clerks to Governing Bodies
Date of next meeting – Tuesday 15th September 2015
CLERKS’ BRIEFING
SUMMER TERM 2015
ITEM NO. 1a
TITLE
Financial Issues
2015-16 School Budgets
Setting the 2015/16 Schools Budget presented considerable challenges for the Schools Forum
and Chairs of Governors have been kept up to date with regular email communications.
The most significant issue is the significant financial pressures relating to high needs pupils –
those with assessed support needs above £10,000 - and in particular fees paid to specialist
providers in the private, voluntary and independent sector for post-16 students where numbers are
increasing as a result of the changing legislative framework but for which the Schools Budget has
not been adequately resourced by the DfE. Taking account of the need to fund these unavoidable
statutory costs, the Schools Forum has agreed a budget that funds schools for changes in pupil
numbers and their characteristics, such as eligibility to a FSM to the value of £0.929m, with the
balance of available funds, at £1.993m being allocated to cover the increased costs being incurred
supporting high needs pupils. The budget changes are summarised in the table below
Changes reflected in 2015-16 budgets
Ref. Items delegated to schools
1
Original budget for 2014-15
Amount
£'000
60,022
Changes for 2015-16:
2
3
4
7
Effect of additional number of primary pupils (+337)
Effect of reduced number of secondary pupils (-41)
Rates - inflation
Effect of changes in pupil characteristics e.g.
additional FSM numbers
Transfer copyright licensing funds to central contract
budget
BF supplement (Living Wage equivalent)
8
Total budget for 2015-16
9
Change
5
6
859
-148
29
104
-15
100
60,951
929
Whilst a budget has been set in the context of significant financial difficulties, further significant
cost pressures are anticipated in the near future. Whilst levels of future funding are unclear, recent
DfE funding allocations have been made without a provision for inflationary or other pressures,
apart from increases in pupil numbers. Schools need to take account of future cost increases in
setting their budgets for 2015-16 and be clear that they can be afforded moving forward. The key
cost increases facing the Schools Budget known at this time are as follows:
• Start-up cost for up to 9 new mainstream schools.
• On-going impact of the growing population on SEN budgets, together with the expected
increase in post-16 SEN students. This will be partially off-set in the medium to long term
from savings anticipated from the new SEN Units at Eastern Road and Blue Mountain.
• The full year effect cost of the increase in contribution to the Teachers’ Pension Scheme,
from 14.1% to 16.4% at September 2015.
• Additional business rates liabilities arising from the school places expansion programme.
• A new funding source for the Bracknell Forest supplement (equivalent to the Living Wage).
The Earmarked Reserve is now fully spent.
• The underlying deficit on the Local Government Pension Scheme is being reduced by way
of additional lump sum contributions. Payments due from schools are forecast to
increase in 2016-17.
• Minimum prudential balances. Adequate funding needs to be put aside to manage in-year
emergencies or cost increases. The Schools Budget funds a range of high cost and high
risk services for which it has been established that a minimum balance of £0.510m
should be maintained to manage these risks. In setting the 2015-15 budget all reserves
were used meaning no balances exist
Note there is no longer a requirement to submit a Best Value statement to the Council.
ACTION
POINTS:
•
•
•
•
•
•
A budget plan should be formulated for 2015/16 having regard to known facts
and a realistic assessment and financial provision for future events. All sources
of income due to the school should be taken into account, and not just the
delegated budget.
Schools should be taking account of future known cost pressures when setting
an affordable 2015-16 budget.
The full governing body, or responsible sub committee, if authority to make the
approval has been delegated, must formally approve the 2015/16 budget plan.
The budget plan should be emailed to the CYPL Finance Team by 31 May on
the spreadsheet that has been provided for this purpose.
Should you experience difficulties in balancing your 2015/16 budget plan, you
should contact CYPL Finance without delay. An extension to the submission
deadline can be approved to 31 July when approved by the Director of CYPL.
A copy of the minutes from the full governing body meeting approving the plan
are to be sent to CYPL Finance once agreed, and no later than 31 December
2015.
DEADLINE 31 May (budget
FOR
plan)
ACTION
31 Dec (minutes)
CONTACT
NAME
Paul Clark, Head of Departmental Finance
TELEPHONE
01344 354054
EMAIL
[email protected]
More information on the budget setting
process and SEN pressures can be found
at:
http://democratic.bracknellforest.gov.uk/ieListDocuments.aspx?CId=18
7&MId=5424&Ver=4
CLERKS’ BRIEFING
SUMMER TERM 2015
ITEM NO. 1b
TITLE
Financial Issues
Consistent Financial Reporting (CFR)
Governing Bodies have a statutory duty to complete an annual CFR return which sets out school
expenditure in a prescribed format. The final 2014/15 return will be required by 15 June, and
schools will very shortly be given further guidance. Each school’s CFR return is posted onto the
DfE website to enable schools to undertake financial benchmarking enquiries from a national
database which assist in meeting the requirements of the School Financial Value Standard.
ACTION POINTS:
Governing bodies need to ensure that this task is properly completed.
DEADLINE FOR
ACTION
15 June
CONTACT
NAME
Paul Clark, Head of Departmental Finance
TELEPHONE
01344 354054
EMAIL
[email protected]
Useful website link:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/
consistent-financial-reporting-framework-cfr2014-to-2015
CLERKS’ BRIEFING
SUMMER TERM 2015
ITEM NO. 1c
TITLE
Financial Issues
Annual Financial Statements
Section 251 of the Apprenticeships, Skills, Children and Learning Act 2009 requires LAs to
produce annual financial statements that identify overall planned expenditure on Education and
Children’s Services, as well as detailed school budget information. These will shortly be posted
on the Bracknell Forest School Management website. They cover the actual budget statement for
2015-16.
ACTION POINTS:
The availability of the Borough Council’s Annual Financial Statement
should be brought to the attention of the relevant governors.
DEADLINE FOR ACTION
Information
only
CONTACT
NAME
Paul Clark, Head of Departmental
Finance
TELEPHONE
01344 354054
EMAIL
[email protected]
CLERKS’ BRIEFING
SUMMER TERM 2015
ITEM NO. 1d
TITLE
Financial Reporting Issues for Schools
Pupil Premium and Primary PE and Sports Premium Grant
Schools are reminded of the need to publish financial information on their public websites in
respect of spending against the Pupil Premium and Primary PE and Sports Premium Grants.
Pupil Premium
The pupil premium was introduced in April 2011 and is allocated to schools to work with pupils
who have been registered for free school meals at any point in the last six years (known as ‘Ever
6 FSM’). Schools also receive funding for children who have been looked after at any time, and
children of service personnel. The pupil premium is also used to fund Summer School
Programmes for disadvantaged pupils to support their transition to secondary schools in
September.
Schools are held accountable for how they spend the Pupil Premium through:
•
•
•
the performance tables which show the performance of disadvantaged pupils compared
with their peers
the Ofsted inspection framework, under which inspectors focus on the attainment of pupil
groups, and in particular those who attract the pupil premium
the reports for parents that schools have to publish online
How schools present the information in their online statement is a matter for each school. There is
certain information that must be in the report: the school’s pupil premium allocation in respect of
the current academic year; details of how it is intended that the allocation will be spent; details of
how the previous academic year’s allocation was spent, and the impact of this expenditure on the
educational attainment of those pupils at the school, in respect of whom grant funding was
allocated
Primary PE and Sports Premium Grant
This grant was introduced in September 2013 and is designed to help primary schools improve
the quality of the PE and sport activities they offer their pupils. Schools must spend the funding to
improve the quality of the PE and sport activities they offer their pupils, but they are free to choose
the best way of using the money. This could include:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
hire specialist PE teachers
hire qualified sports coaches to work with teachers
provide existing staff with teaching resources to help them teach PE and sport
support and involve the least active children by running or extending school sports clubs,
holiday clubs and Change4Life clubs
run sport competitions or increase pupils’ participation in the School Games
run sports activities with other schools
purchase the SLA available from BFC
Reporting requirements have been introduced, including on school web site. How schools present
the information in their online statement is a matter for each school. In a similar way to the Pupil
Premium, there is certain information that must be in the report: the school’s allocation in respect
of the current academic year; details of how it is intended that the allocation will be spent; details
of how the previous academic year’s allocation was spent, and how it made a difference to the PE
and sport participation and attainment of the pupils who attract the funding.
Since September 2013, Ofsted inspections report on how primary schools spend their PE and
sport premium funding.
ACTION POINTS:
•
DEADLINE FOR
ACTION
Annually
Governors need to ensure that the reporting requirements from
the grants are met.
CONTACT
NAME
Paul Clark, Head of Departmental
Finance
TELEPHONE
01344 354054
EMAIL
[email protected]
CLERKS’ BRIEFING
SUMMER TERM 2015
TITLE
ITEM NO.2
Human Resources - Childcare Disqualification guidance
The Department for Education (DfE) has issued supplementary advice to the statutory guidance
“Keeping Children Safe in Education” detailing a new requirement for childcare disqualification
checks to be carried out on relevant staff. These checks arise from the Childcare (Disqualification)
Regulations 2009 and the Education Act 2006. The Regulations apply to schools and registered
childcare settings.
The Regulations prohibit anyone who is disqualified themselves under the Regulations, or who
lives in the same household as a disqualified person, from working in a relevant setting.
Bracknell Forest Council has produced guidance and a model letter for schools to use which has
been sent to all headteachers.
The document ‘Childcare Disqualification Guidance’ can be viewed on the HR Section of the
School Management Website http://schools.bracknell-forest.gov.uk/hr
ACTION
POINTS:
DEADLINE
FOR ACTION
Governors should ensure that their school is compliant with the requirements of
the legislation;
ongoing
CONTACT
NAME
Human Resources
TELEPHONE
01344 354060
EMAIL
[email protected]
CLERKS’ BRIEFING
SUMMER TERM 2015
TITLE
ITEM NO.3
Safeguarding Update for Schools – summer term 2015
Please note that Debbie Smith will be speaking at the Chairs’ Briefing on the new
safeguarding updates (30th April, 7.30pm, Education Centre, Easthampstead Park
Conference Centre).
A summer term ‘Safeguarding Update’ was copied to chairs and clerks by Governor Services on
16th April. Much of the information will be useful to the Governing Body in ensuring the schools
safeguarding arrangements and understanding responsibilities of the Designated Lead for Child
Protection. This update will be sent to chairs and clerks on a regular basis in future.
Information included in the Safeguarding Update was as follows:
1. DFE Keeping Children Safe in Education Update;
2. Information sharing – advice for practitioners;
3. What to do if you’re worried a child is being abused;
4. Bruising Protocol;
5. Children’s Social Care threshold document;
6. New Child Protection Conference Format;
7. Draft Safeguarding Policy for Schools;
8. Draft Model Restrictive Physical Intervention Policy;
9. Safeguarding training for staff;
10. Sexting
11. Designated Child Protect Leads Meeting.
The update will be of particular interest to the governor with responsibility for Child Protection
(CP). Please see item 11 for information for the role of the CP Governor.
Inspecting safeguarding in maintained schools and academies
The new OFSTED Inspecting Safeguarding Briefing for Section 5 Inspections was published in
April 2015.
This document can be found on the OFSTED website
https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ofsted
This briefing paper aims to support inspectors in reviewing schools’ safeguarding arrangements
when carrying out section 5 inspections.
The section ‘Leadership and Management’ on page 9 sets out the responsibilities of Governing
Bodies.
Safeguarding Training for Governors
Tuesday 2 June
12.30 – 14.30
Open Learning Centre
Provided by Governor Services as part of SLA
It is good practice for all governors to attend safeguarding training and this is provided by Debbie Smith,
SEN (Pre 16), Safeguarding & Inclusion Manager, and is offered on a regular basis. The next session will
be held in June as shown above. Governors should refer to the Governor Training Programme for further
information. Please note that this session was delivered last term and now again in June so it is unlikely it
will be held again in the near future. Governors should ensure they do not miss the opportunity to book a
place if they wish to do so.
To book a place: Sue Shields – [email protected]
Please note this course will not cover e-safety which will be subject of separate training (date to be
decided).
ACTION
POINTS:
DEADLINE
FOR ACTION
•
Governing Bodies should be confident that the schools safeguarding
arrangements are in place.
•
Any queries or concerns around the safeguarding arrangements in your
school to be directed to Debbie Smith who will be able to provide advice
or further information.
•
Governor Services should be informed of the name of the CP Governor
as stated in the item 11 on ‘Governors with particular responsibilities’.
•
Book onto Safeguarding training as appropriate.
As soon as possible /
ongoing.
CONTACT
NAME
Debbie Smith
SEN (Pre 16), Safeguarding &
Inclusion Manager
TELEPHONE
01344 354014
EMAIL
[email protected]
CLERKS’ BRIEFING
SUMMER TERM 2015
TITLE
ITEM NO.4
‘Prevent’ - Designated Child Protect Leads Meeting
‘Prevent’ is 1 of the 4 elements of CONTEST, the government’s counter-terrorism strategy. It aims to stop
people becoming terrorists or supporting terrorism. All schools should have a designated lead member of
staff.
TH
The next Designated Leads Meeting will on 7 May 2015. This meeting will be longer than the usual 2
hours and will instead be 9:30 – 12:30, finishing with lunch which will be provided.
This will be an important session to attend as it will incorporate WRAP (Workshop raising
awareness of Prevent) training. This training which is on the PREVENT agenda will be delivered by a
Member of the Community Safety Team. Prevent will soon become a statutory duty for LAs and a
range of other organisations including educational institutions and Ofsted will be scrutinising
implementation.
It is an expectation that all Bracknell Forest schools are in receipt of WRAP training. In primary
schools, it is hoped that the Head and Designated Lead are in receipt of training and in Secondary
Schools, the Head, Designated Lead and Heads of Year as a minimum. This training session will
enable you to start the process of ensuring one member of staff is trained. Further opportunities for
other staff will be facilitated throughout the rest of the year
A full agenda for the meeting will be sent out shortly.
It is anticipated that training will be made available for governors and information will be circulated
in due course by the Governor Services Team.
ACTION
POINTS:
DEADLINE
FOR ACTION
•
•
Clerk to ensure Safeguarding Governor is aware of this item;
Governing Bodies should ensure that their school is represented at
meeting as above.
As soon as possible.
CONTACT
NAME
Amanda Warwick
Targeted Services
TELEPHONE
01344 353317
EMAIL
[email protected]
CLERKS’ BRIEFING
SUMMER TERM 2015
TITLE
ITEM NO.5
Ensuring school websites are compliant
The DfE and Ofsted regularly review school websites and it is very important to ensure the
website is compliant, up to date and easy to navigate, particular if the school is in the inspection
window as Ofsted pay particular attention to school websites.
Every maintained school must publish specific information on its website to comply with The
School Information (England) (Amendment) Regulations 2012.
Academies, depending upon when they were established, may be required to publish the following
on their website:
Full details of information that must be on your school website can be found on the National
Governors’ Association site by following the link:
http://www.nga.org.uk/Guidance/Legislation,policies-and-procedures/Government-advice-andguidance/Information-that-must-be-on-your-school-website.aspx
From 1st September 2015, maintained schools will be required to publish the register of interests
on their school’s website. The register of interests must detail each governor’s business interests,
the details of any other educational establishment that they govern and any personal relationships
they have with school staff. Governor Services will review guidance on this prior to September.
ACTION
POINTS:
DEADLINE
FOR ACTION
•
•
•
•
School websites should be compliant with regulations as above.
Register of Interests are on school websites. Governor Services to
provide revised guidance.
With immediate
effect.
From 1st
September 2015
CONTACT
NAME
Governor Services
TELEPHONE
01344 354066/4071
EMAIL
[email protected]
CLERKS’ BRIEFING
SUMMER TERM 2015
ITEM NO.6
TITLE
Governor and Clerk Training and Development
Opportunities:
Summer term programme and new Training Opportunity for
Secondary School Governors
Governor Training and Development Programme
The summer term governor programme begins on 30th April with the first training session. It is
important that Governing Bodies discuss the programme and ensure that they are represented on
training as appropriate. The summer term has some key training opportunities. Please book onto
training which will assist you in your role and note that most sessions are only delivered once a
year.
Clerks have spare copies if you prefer to have a paper copy of the programme.
Development Governors meet on a termly basis to discuss future training sessions. Please let
your Development Governor know if you wish them to raise any suggestions at the next Forum
which will be held on 10 June.
New Training Opportunity for all secondary school governors
We are delighted that Sue Hackman, our Conference keynote speaker, can provide the following
training session.
ALL CHANGE! Briefing on important changes to curriculum, assessment and
accountability
Sue Hackman, Associate Trainer
Wednesday 3 June
7 – 9pm
Education Centre, Easthampstead Park
Target audience: Secondary school governors, especially those who have responsibility for
curriculum, assessment or accountability
Aim:
•
•
•
•
•
To brief governors on changes to the content of each of the KS3 curriculum subjects,
already under way;
To brief governors on the options for KS3 assessment following the abolition of levels, and
some of the risks that now exist in KS3;
To reflect on the lessons learnt from last year's GCSE results;
To alert governors to changes to the KS4 accountability regime from next year and its
implications for schools;
To reflect on the likely impact of the general election result on these issues.
Content:
Working through the agenda given above, this session will give governors an overview of
the important changes that have taken place in curriculum content. Some subjects have had major
overhauls.
The session will also offer a handy digest of changes to the assessment and accountability
regime, including a new floor standard and a new way of measuring success.
Which children will be the new 'borderliners' when the gold standard changes? How will schools
conduct assessments in KS3 now that levels have disappeared? What are Ofsted
saying about internal assessment now that they are the main guardians of it? And what, if
anything, might change as a result of the general election?
Booking via Sue Shields – [email protected]
Governor Training – Personal Feedback Form
A copy of this form is given to each delegate at all training sessions. It allows governors to record
the information they wish to take back to the governing body, the actions they will take following
the session and any further training they feel would help them as a result of attending the session.
Please ensure that you complete the form following any training attended and provide your
Development Governor with a copy.
Summer term training
The training programme which includes a booking form was sent to all governors, associate
members and clerks by email and can be found on the governor section of the school
management website at:
http://schools.bracknell-forest.gov.uk/governors.
DATE
COURSE TITLE
TARGET AUDIENCE AND
WHY ATTEND
Induction for New Governors
All new governors.
Ideally within six months of appointment.
Clerks should also attend. Only induction
opportunity during the summer term.
Wed 6 May
Implications of the new
assessment and
accountability arrangements
for primary schools
It is expected that all primary schools will
have governor representation on this
session.
Sue Hackman will speak about the shift of
approach in the curriculum and in
assessment, things to consider and the
implications. A must for primary school
governors.
Tues 12 May
Clerks’ Forum
An opportunity for your clerk to keep
updated and to learn from other clerks
through facilitated discussion.
Thurs 14 May
Briefing on the new
Primary National
Curriculum
Sue Hackman will explain the
differences in the new primary national
curriculum and the challenges this will
present for your headteacher. Another
must for primary school governors. All
primary schools should be represented.
Mon 18 May
Monitoring, providing
evidence and planning for
improvement
For all governors, monitoring from a
different perspective.
Karen Roche will be sharing examples
and tools to help governors with
monitoring tasks, without onerous report
Thurs 30 April
writing, while using the monitoring
outcomes to plan for improvement.
Tues 2 June
Safeguarding for Governors
Although not a statutory requirement, all
governors should attend safeguarding
training. This session will be suitable for
all governors and clerks will find it of
interest too.
Wed 10 June
Development Governor
Forum
An opportunity for Development
Governors (formerly Link Governors) to
meet and discuss current and future
training needs.
Thurs 18 June
Thurs 25 June
Thurs 2 July
Making a difference to the
quality of teaching
(Primary)
Performance Management
Part I - The Regulations
Part II - The Practical Side
Tues 7 July
Wed 3 June
ACTION POINTS:
For all primary school governors, this
workshop is designed to give some
insight into how governors can support
schools in making a difference to the
quality of teaching in school.
All governors involved in the
headteacher’s performance
management need to understand the
process. The training has been split
into two parts to accommodate the need
for both an understanding of the
regulations and also the opportunity to
explore the practical side of reviewing
the performance management of the
Headteacher. GBs need to look ahead
and decide who will be on the panel. It
is important to also train other governors
so that trained individuals are available
in the event of an appeal, and as part of
succession planning.
For all primary school governors.
Diane Pye, our Early Years Consultant
Preparation for the New
will provide an insight on Ofsted
Ofsted Inspection Framework
expectations when inspecting Early
for Early Years
Years provision and recognising good
quality early years provision.
ALL CHANGE! Briefing on
important changes to
curriculum, assessment and
accountability.
•
•
•
For secondary school governors,
especially those who have responsibility
for curriculum, assessment or
accountability
Secondary school governors to note new training opportunity.
Book onto governor training as appropriate via
[email protected]
Ensure personal feedback forms are completed when
attending training.
DEADLINE FOR
ACTION
ongoing CONTACT NAME
Anne Hall
Governor Services
TELEPHONE
01344 354066
EMAIL
[email protected]
CLERKS’ BRIEFING
SUMMER TERM 2015
TITLE
ITEM NO.7
National Governors’ Association (NGA) Development
Opportunities
Special Schools Conference Saturday 16th May 2015 – Free places for members
The NGA are holding their biennial conference for governors of Special Schools on Saturday 16th
May in Birmingham City Centre. This event is a great opportunity to hear about the latest
developments in SEND policy and share best practice with fellow Special School governors.
Jane Friswell, the CEO of Nasen will be the keynote speaker. Nasen is the leading organisation in
the UK which aims to promote the education, training, advancement and development of all those
with special and additional support needs. It has an influential voice at national level on issues
concerning special educational needs. Nasen personnel meet regularly with government officials
to discuss special educational needs issues, and are represented on many influential national
organisations such as the Special Education Consortium.
You will need to book onto the members’ area of the NGA website to book your place or follow the
link from your weekly newsletter.
Free FFT Governor Dashboard Webinars, in association with the NGA
The Fischer Family Trust (FFT) Governor Dashboard is now available in FFT Aspire which is a
new reporting tool - http://www.fft.org.uk/fft-aspire/about-FFT-Aspire.aspx
FFT is holding free webinars to explain how the Dashboard can help governors support and
challenge the school leadership team.
The FFT Governor Dashboard has been developed in partnership with the National Governors’
Association and the Wellcome Trust. It clearly displays information about results and pupil
progress, subject performance, progress of pupil groups, attendance and school context. The
Dashboard will also help governors get to grips with the government’s new Attainment 8
measure and from 2016 dashboards will also include Progress 8 analysis.
The senior leadership team of all schools subscribing to the FFT can download the Governor
Dashboard from FFT Aspire to share it with governors. Alternatively, governing boards should
make clear to the senior leadership team that they wish to be provided with their own account,
giving access to not only the Governor Dashboard but also a range of other information to aid
their ‘support and challenge’ role.
FFT are holding free webinars for Governors to outline the new Governor Dashboard Tuesday
12 May, Tuesday 9 June and Tuesday 23 June.
The webinars are live and last forty five minutes. For more information see the attached flyer. To
book your free place, please visit www.fft.org.uk/training-events/Webinar.aspx.
ACTION
POINTS:
Book places on NGA training as appropriate.
DEADLINE
FOR ACTION
As soon as possible.
CONTACT
NAME
TELEPHONE
Governor Services
EMAIL
[email protected]
01344 354066
CLERKS’ BRIEFING
SUMMER TERM 2015
TITLE
ITEM NO.8
The Constitution of Governing Bodies of Maintained Schools
Revised Departmental Statutory Guidance March 2015
Revised Statutory Guidance for maintained schools
The previous Statutory Guidance was issued in May 2014 and has been the prime source of
information for governing bodies in the process of reconstituting. A revised document was issued
in March 2015. It is essential reading for Clerks as it covers all aspects of the constitution of
governing bodies, not just re-constitution.
There are several significant changes:
Page 7 Para 16
While it is essential to build a strong and cohesive non-executive team, the most robust
governing bodies welcome and thrive on having a sufficiently diverse range of viewpoints,
such that open debate leads to good decisions in the interests of the whole school
community. Notwithstanding the role of foundation governors in a faith-designated school,
governing bodies should be alert to the risk of becoming dominated by one particular mind-set
or strand of opinion, whether related to faith or otherwise. Having some members who have
no close ties with the school can help ensure that the governing body has sufficient internal
challenge to how they carry out their strategic functions.
Page 9 paras 24 – 27 Publication of Governors’ details and Register of Interests
24. Governors hold an important public office and their identity should be known to their
school and wider communities. Governing bodies should therefore publish on their website
information about their members. The information they should publish should, as a
minimum include for each governor:
• their name;
• their category of governor;
• which body appoints them;
• their term of office;
• the names of any committees the governor serves on; and
• details of any positions of responsibility such as chair or vice-chair of the governing
body or a committee of the governing body.
25. Governing bodies should also publish this information for associate members, making
clear whether they have voting rights on any of the committees they serve on.
26. From 1 September 2015, governing bodies will be under a duty to publish on their
website their register of interests. The register should set out the relevant business
interests of governors and details of any other educational establishments they govern. The
register should also set out any relationships between governors and members of the school
staff including spouses, partners and relatives.
27. Governing bodies should make it clear in their code of conduct that this information will
be published on their governors and, where applicable, their associate members. Any
governor failing to reveal information to enable the governing body to fulfil their
responsibilities may be in breach of the code of conduct and as a result be bringing the
governing body into disrepute. In such cases the governing body should consider
suspending the governor.
Note: Governor Services will be reviewing the guidance regarding declarations of interest and
recommending how the information should be portrayed.
Page 17 term of Office
The term of office for all categories of governor is a fixed period of four years, but:
• the instrument of government may specify a shorter term of office (being at least a
year) for a particular category of governor;
• the instrument of government may specify that the term of office for an individual
governor within a category of governor may be between one year and the maximum
term the governing body has set for that category, as determined by the appointing
body at the time of appointment;
Annex C – Model Instrument of Government
This has been amended to include a clause relating to the variance of terms of office for individual
governors which is permissible after 1 September. If a GB has not yet agreed their new
Instrument of Government and they decide that they may wish to use this freedom, it may be
possible to include in their new Instrument with the qualification that it can only be used after 1
September 2015. Call Governor Services to discuss if applicable.
The guidance can be viewed here:
https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/statutory-guidance-schools#governance
Update on Reconstitution
29 schools have reconstituted or are known to be in the process of reconstituting.
All school must reconstitute under the 2012 regulations by 1 September 2015.
Please note that you must provide the LA with sufficient time to process the Instrument. The LA
expects all schools to have agreed their new Instrument by the end of this half term.
Note that it may not be possible to process and approve Instruments between 9 and 29 June.
If you need to discuss anything to do with reconstitution please contact J Mulvey as soon as
possible (see below).
ACTION
POINTS:
DEADLINE
FOR ACTION
1. Clerks to read new guidance and bring changes to the attention of
governors.
2. Details of governors and associate members to be published on the
school website
3. Declarations of interest to be published on the school website.
4. GBs who have not agreed their revised Instrument of Government must
do so asap.
1 As soon as possible.
2 As soon as possible
3 By 1 September 2015
or asap thereafter.
4 Send to LA by 22 May
CONTACT
NAME
Jackie Mulvey
Governor services
TELEPHONE
01344 354071
EMAIL
[email protected]
CLERKS’ BRIEFING
SUMMER TERM 2015
ITEM NO. 9
TITLE
Changes to regulations
The School Governance (Miscellaneous Amendments) (England) Regulations 2015
These new Regulations come into force on 1st September 2015. They draw together several
amendments to existing regulations concerning School Governance (see below), mainly to bring
them in line with the School Governance (Constitution) (England) Regulations 2012, the new
categories of governors and the new emphasis on skills.
The regulations affected are:
• School Governance (Collaboration) (England) Regulations 2003
• School Governance (New Schools) (England) Regulations 2007
• Collaboration Arrangements (Maintained Schools and Further Education Bodies) (England)
Regulations 2007
• The School Staffing (England) Regulations 2009
Governing bodies will be allowed to delegate certain functions in relation to members of
staff to committees which can include Associate Members (providing they are not pupils or
members of staff)
• School Governance (Constitution) (England) Regulations 2012.
An individual governor elected or appointed on or after 1 September 2015 may hold office
for a period of between 1 and 4 years, where the Instrument of Government allows. The
term to be decided by the appointing authority at the time of the appointment. Currently it is
only permissible to vary the term of office for a whole category of governor. Governing
Bodies wishing to use this freedom will need to formally seek a variance in their Instrument
of Government. See also item 6 – new guidance.
The new regulations can be viewed here:
http://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2015/883/contents/made
Deregulation Bill
The Deregulation Bill has had a long passage through Parliament and was enacted before the
dissolution of Parliament. It affects many aspects of public life, but significantly there are some
clauses that affect governing bodies.
• The requirement for GBs to set behaviour principles on which the Headteacher should
base their behaviour policy has been removed.
•
The requirement for schools to have home – school agreements has been removed
(but they can be retained if the school wishes)
•
The requirement on schools to produce paper copies of Ofsted reports, denominational
inspection reports, or reports by HMCI following certain types of complaints, has been
removed. However schools still have an obligation to inform parents about the outcome
of inspections.
CONTACT
NAME
Jackie Mulvey
Governor services
TELEPHONE
01344 354071
EMAIL
[email protected]
CLERKS’ BRIEFING
SUMMER TERM 2015
TITLE
ITEM NO.10
Election of Chair and Vice Chair
It is usual for elections for the positions of Chair and Vice Chair to be held at the first GB meeting
in the academic year. The governing body can determine their own procedures for electing the
chair and vice chair, however these should be agreed in advance to avoid any confusion and it is
timely to do this in the Summer term if elections take place in the Autumn term. It is important that
both chair and vice chair posts are filled. The vice chair’s role is not just to chair meetings when
the chair is absent.
A model procedure has been drawn up by the NGA and can be viewed on their website at
http://www.nga.org.uk/Guidance/Legislation,policies-and-procedures/Model-Policies/Procedurefor-electing-a-chair-and-vice-chair.aspx (You will need to log in to the NGA website members
area).
These procedures are short and fairly straightforward, however, it is suggested that GBs consider
the following:
•
The GB MUST determine in advance of the election the date on which the term of office
of the Chair and Vice Chair will end .
In other words how long their term of office will be. Chairs/vice chairs can be elected for
between 1 and 4 years. However, a governor in this role automatically ceases to hold
the position at the end of their term of office. It is unlikely that a term of 4 years would
coincide with a governor’s term of office. It is most common for chairs and vice chairs to
be elected annually and this best practice.
•
How and when nominations are made.
This is usually done by filling in a simple form which is sent to the clerk. Or it could be by
email to the Clerk. Consider whether to allow self nomination. If nominated by another
governor, check that the nominee is willing to stand.
It is considered best practice for nominations to be requested in advance of the full
governing body meeting at which the appointment is to be made. This avoids possible
awkwardness (eg if someone else wants to stand against an existing chair) and also
saves time during the meeting. It is recommended that the vote isa secret ballot.
•
Whether an election statement is required in advance.
This allows consideration by all governors in advance of the meeting. It is suggested
that the statement demonstrates how the individual has fulfilled their role as governor to
date, how they intend to fulfil the role of Chair ie why they think they would be a good
Chair/VC and what skills or experience they have to take on the role.
•
Whether candidates will be given the opportunity at the FGB meeting to put their case for
(re)election.
In the event of only one nomination for a post, the appointment is not automatic as all GB
decisions must be decided by vote. The GB needs to decide what to do in the event that
the vote is not in favour.
In this situation there needs to be a way of resolving the problem as a GB cannot
function without a Chair. One approach would be to invite additional nominations from
those attending the meeting and then take another vote. A new nominee would need to
be given the opportunity to make an election statement about their suitability.
The Departmental Advice (The School Governance (Roles Procedures and
Allowances)(England)Regulations 2013 – Departmental Advice for school leaders and
governing bodies of Maintained schools and management committees of PRUs in
England, issued in January 2014, state that it is possible to appoint more than one
person to share the role of Chair, or vice chair, if the board believes this is necessary
and in the best interests of the school. The board would need to ensure that any role
sharing arrangement does not lead to any loss of clarity in its leadership. This is
particularly important regarding the Chair’s ability to act alone in the event of an
emergency.
The Departmental Advice goes on to say that that the board may decide that none of its
existing members has the skills to serve as its Chair. Nothing in the regulations prevents
GBs advertising for and recruiting a highly skilled Chair from outside its current
membership. However the successful candidate would have to be appointed to a vacant
position on the GB prior to being elected. It therefore follows that if you don’t have a
suitable vacancy you cannot follow this route.
•
Whether unsuccessful candidates for Chair will automatically be considered for Vice
Chair.
This is normally the case.
•
What to do in the event of a tie.
Notes:
As with all decisions made by a governing body, only governors (not associate members) can
vote, and only governors present at the meeting can vote (no proxy or postal voting!)
There is no legal limit on how many times a Chair can stand for re-election. In the view of the
National Governors’ Association (NGA) all chairs should consider stepping down after serving 6
years in post at the same school. This allows for a healthy turn over of people and encourages
newer governors who may feel rather awkward about standing against a long serving governor, to
step up. This approach needs to go hand in hand with succession planning.
If the Chair ceases to occupy the position eg due to resignation or he/she comes to the end of their
term of office, the Vice Chair automatically assumes the role of Chair until there is an opportunity
for an election. The vice chair can also act as chair and make decisions on behalf of the Governing
Body in an emergency if the chair is unavailable or cannot be contacted.
There is nothing in law to say that the Clerk must administer the election, but it is usually the case.
ACTION
POINTS:
1. GBs to agree procedures for electing Chair and Vice Chair.
2. Elect the chair and vice-chair
3. Inform Governor Services accordingly
DEADLINE
FOR ACTION
1. Summer term
2. First meeting of
Autumn term
3. Asap thereafter
CONTACT
NAME
Jackie Mulvey
Governor services co-ordinator
TELEPHONE
01344 354071
EMAIL
[email protected]
CLERKS’ BRIEFING
SUMMER TERM 2015
TITLE
ITEM NO.11
Governors with particular responsibilities
All governing bodies must have a Chair and Vice Chair, but in addition, it is recommended that the
areas below are covered by individual governors, and their names should be notified to Governor
Services.
Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) Governor
Governing bodies have statutory responsibilities for pupils with SEND. A SEND governor has the
responsibility for liaising with the school’s SEND co-ordinator (SENCO) and must ensure that the
governing body is aware of, and fulfils its responsibilities for, special education as described in the
DfE statutory guidance.
Child Protection (CP) Governor (Safeguarding Governor)
Governors are accountable for ensuring that their school has effective child protection policies in
place that meet local and national guidance. A governor with CP responsibility needs to ensure
that up to date appropriate policies are in place and that staff and parents are aware of them. It
would also be appropriate for this governor to ensure (by asking the Headteacher) that all staff
have received up to date safeguarding training and that the governing body meets statutory
requirements for attendance on safer recruitment training.
The CP governor has responsibility for championing child protection issues, liaising with the
headteacher, and providing information and reports to the governing body. However they should
not take the lead in dealing with specific safeguarding issues, nor do they have the right to know
details of such cases.
Development Governor (previously Link Governor)
It was agreed at the spring term Link Governor Forum that the Link Governor would, from this
point on, be called the Development Governor which more appropriately reflects the role. It was
agreed that it was crucial to develop this role, to better support the effectiveness of the GB.
The key role of the Development Governor is to encourage and support the development of the
skills of individual governors and the governing body as a whole by ensuring that all are aware of
appropriate training opportunities. Training should be discussed on a regular basis at governing
body meetings.
The role of the Development Governor will be revised and discussed at the next Forum on 10
June.
The role can be as wide or as narrow as the governing body wishes, and could incorporate
organizing a buddy or mentoring for new governors and supporting with recruitment.
Governing Bodies may also wish to appoint governors with other responsibilities such as
Health and Safety, Gifted and Talented or a governor linked to the core subjects.
Further information is available in the NGA publication Welcome to Governance or on the
NGA website.
ACTION
POINTS:
DEADLINE
FOR ACTION
Clerks to notify Governor Services of their:
• SEND Governor
• CP Governor
• Development Governor
This information should be sent by email to the Governors’ Helpdesk as
below.
CONTACT
As soon as possible
Governor Services
NAME
TELEPHONE
01344 354066/4071
EMAIL
[email protected]
CLERKS’ BRIEFING
SUMMER TERM 2015
ITEM NO.12
TITLE
Notification of Governing Body Changes – a reminder.
Clerks will be aware that Ros Day has now left the Governor Services team. Rachel Clayton
will be responsible for maintaining the Governor Services database.
To assist her in this role please remind yourself of the following information:
1. Notification to Governor Services
It is the clerk’s responsibility to notify Governor Services of any changes to your governing
body. Please do this as soon as possible so that we have accurate records of our
governors. If we are not notified, new governors will not receive any communications or
support from us, and we will not be meeting our statutory responsibilities. The exception to
this is for Local Authority Appointed governors where we receive notification from
Democratic Services.
We should also be notified of any Associate Members that are appointed to your Governing
Body. Associate Members can be appointed for one, two, three or four years and this needs
to be made clear at the time of their appointment.
Changes should preferably be notified by using the change form available on the website
under clerking information. Failing that an email to the Governors’ Helpdesk (see below)
would be acceptable but please ensure that all details are provided:
•
Name
•
Address
•
Tel number
•
Email address
•
Type of governor
•
Date of appointment
We also need to be notified of any changes of responsibilities eg Chair.
If you choose to send a complete updated list of your membership, please highlight the
changes which need to be noted.
IMPORTANT NOTE
We also require confirmation of re-appointments. Unless we are told otherwise, we
assume that a person ceases to be a governor when their term of office comes to an end.
They are automatically deleted from current database.
Resignations
Clerks may wish to remind governors that resignations must be made in writing to the Clerk to the
governing body.
2. Notification to the National Governors’ Association (NGA)
Now that membership of the NGA forms part of the Governor Services SLA, it is important that,
as clerk, you ensure that the NGA are also advised of any changes in membership. New
governors will then be supplied with their NGA password. Changes to be sent by email to:
[email protected].
CONTACT
NAME
Rachel Clayton
Governor Services
(Tuesday – Friday)
TELEPHONE
01344 354069
EMAIL
[email protected]
CLERKS’ BRIEFING
SUMMER TERM 2015
ITEM NO.13
TITLE
Copies of minutes
Clerks should ensure that copies of minutes for the spring term have been sent to the Governor
Services helpdesk. If not, please send them in as soon as possible.
The LA only require copies of the following minutes:
− Full Governing Body
− Committee dealing with Curriculum
− Committee dealing with Finance
Unless specifically requested, we do not routinely need:
− copies of minutes of sites / premises/ staffing or any other committee
− copies of agendas or associated papers
− copies of school policies
Each governing body organises its business through different committee structures. The above is
a guideline only and it does not matter if there is some overlap.
Please provide copies of the required documents in electronic form and send to
[email protected]. Please do not send links to GVO.
Please type in the subject of the email the name of the school and the type and date of the
minutes. eg Curriculum Minutes – 9.6.14. This will assist us greatly as you will appreciate that
we receive a large number of minutes each term.
Hard copies of the signed minutes of the meeting at which the school’s budget is agreed each
year is separately required by Education Finance. These are often sent through by the Bursar.
Governor Services do not send copies to the finance team.
For the summer term, please provide draft/chair approved minutes as soon as reasonably
possible after each meeting rather than in batches. The minutes are read by a member of the
team in Governor Services and also by the school’s curriculum adviser.
If the minutes are received regularly the support services for the governing body can keep more
up to date with current issues in the school, which can improve the support that the school
receives.
ACTION POINTS:
Clerks to ensure that minutes of meetings for the spring term have
been sent electronically to [email protected] .
Clerks to send minutes of meetings for the summer term electronically
to [email protected] following each
meeting.
DEADLINE FOR
ACTION
As soon as
possible following
meetings
CONTACT
NAME
Rachel Clayton
Governor Services
TELEPHONE
01344 354069
EMAIL
[email protected]
CLERKS’ BRIEFING
SUMMER TERM 2015
ITEM NO.14
TITLE
Education Governor Nominations Committee
Set out below is a list of vacancies for Education Authority governors, to be nominated at the next
meeting of the Education Governor Nominations Committee on Monday 15 June 2015. The
deadline for receipt of nominations to these vacancies is Monday 1 June 2015. If your school has a
vacancy which has not been listed or if a vacancy has been listed and the Governing Body has
reconstituted or is about to and the vacancy no longer exists, please contact Katharine Simpson in
Democratic Services immediately. Notification of any Education Authority Governor resignations
should be sent to Katharine Simpson, with a copy to Governor Services.
School
Vacancies Name of Governor
Date of End of Term of
Office
1
Birch Hill Primary
1
College Town Infant
2
College Town Junior
Mrs H Hill
19 June 2015
2*
Cranbourne Primary
1*
Holly Spring Infant
1*
Holly Spring Junior
1*
New Scotland Hill Primary
St Margaret Clitherow RC
1
Primary
1
Sandhurst
Mrs P McKenzie
19 June 2015
2*
Sandy Lane Primary
Wildmoor Heath Primary
1*
* Governing Body is in the process of reconstituting. On reconstitution the vacancy
will no longer exist.
The nomination form has been designed to find out about the skills and experience of the nominee
and whether they have the necessary attributes to become an effective and useful school governor.
The form has been designed using the model Skills Audit Proforma produced by the National
Governors’ Association as its base. Copies of the nomination form can be obtained from Democratic
Services or downloaded from the Documents section of the following webpage: http://www.bracknellforest.gov.uk/schoolgovernors . Applications submitted on the old forms will not be accepted by the
Committee and may delay the vacancy being filled.
Any queries regarding Authority Governor appointments should be directed to Katharine Simpson.
CONTACT
NAME
Katharine Simpson
Democratic Services
TELEPHONE 01344 352308
EMAIL
[email protected]
CLERKS’ BRIEFING
SUMMER TERM 2015
TITLE
ITEM NO. 15
Revised publication: What governing boards should expect from
school leaders and what school
leaders should expect from governing boards
‘What governing boards should expect from school leaders and what school leaders should
expect from governing bodies’ is a joint guidance document from the Association of School and
College Leaders (ASCL), the Local Government Association (LGA), the National Association of
Head Teachers (NAHT) and the National Governors’ Association (NGA), that aims to improve the
effectiveness of school governance.
The paper aims to improve the effectiveness of school governance through an expectation that
governing boards and school leaders will jointly develop working practices that are mutually
supportive and respectful of each others roles.
The paper addresses four key areas:
• the respective roles of governance and management,
• developing and supporting the governing board,
• effective ways of working,
• understanding the school and engaging with stakeholders.
The paper can be downloaded from http://www.nga.org.uk/News/NGA-News/What-governors-andschool-leaders-should-expect.aspx
You will need to be logged in to the members area.
It is recommended that all governors and school leaders read this short paper which is clearly set out
under sub headings. It can also serve as a useful reference document.
CONTACT
NAME
Jackie Mulvey
Governor services
TELEPHONE
01344 354071
EMAIL
[email protected]
CLERKS’ BRIEFING
Summer 2015
TITLE
APPENDIX A
List of Clerks to Governing Bodies
School:
Ascot Heath CE Junior School
Ascot Heath Infant School
Binfield CE Primary School
Birch Hill Primary School
College Town Infant and Nursery School
College Hall
College Town Junior School
Cranbourne Primary School
School Tel No.
01344 883353
01344 882631
01344 860106
01344 455815
01276 31933
0118 989 3378
01276 35292
01344 882350
Clerk:
Mrs
Mrs
Mrs
Mrs
Mrs
Mrs
Mrs
Mrs
Crown Wood Primary School
Crowthorne CE Primary
Easthampstead Park School
Edgbarrow School
Fox Hill Primary School
Garth Hill College
Great Hollands Primary School
Harmans Water Primary School
Holly Spring Infant and Nursery School
Holly Spring Junior School
01344 485448
01344 772089
01344 304567
01344 772658
01344 421809
01344 421122
01344 424911
01344 422196
01344 483920
01344 422367
Jennett’s Park Primary
Kennel Lane School
Meadow Vale Primary School
New Scotland Hill Primary School
Owlsmoor Primary School
Sandhurst School
Sandy Lane Primary School
St Joseph’s Catholic Primary School
St Margaret Clitherow Catholic Primary
School
St Michael's CE Primary School
(Sandhurst)
St Michael's Easthampstead CE VA
Primary
The Brakenhale School
The Pines School
* new clerk
Mellissa
Jackie
Claire
Lynn
Amanda
Rachel
Kate
Kelly
Bell
Frew*
Pascoe
Covell
Whiddett*
Moss
Harding
Jones
Mrs
Mrs
Mrs
Mrs
Mrs
Mrs
Mrs
VACANCY
Mrs
Mrs
Mary
Mary
Penny
Celeste
Glynis
Sandra
Louise
Wilkins *
Jenkinson
Thompson
Moruzzi
Keeble
Wilson
La Cumbre
Sarah
Claire
Webb
Pascoe
01344 301269
01344 483872
01344 421046
01344 772184
01344 776642
01344 775678
01344 423896
01344 425246
01344 424030
Mrs
Mrs
Mrs
Mrs
Mrs
Miss
Mrs
Mrs
Mrs
Penny
Elif
Jan
Jenny
Fiona
Claire
Angela
Adele
Angela
Thompson
Poile
Smith
Tucker
Stanton
Read
De Grande
Valentin
De Grande
01252 873360
Mrs
Dawn
Deykin
01344 420878
Mrs
Melanie
Saville
01344 423041
01344 426413
Mrs
Mrs
Mary
Penny
Uplands Primary School
Warfield CE Primary School
Whitegrove Primary School
Wildmoor Heath School
Wildridings Primary School
Winkfield St Mary's CE Primary School
Wooden Hill Primary and Nursery School
01252 873069
01344 862074
01344 861020
01344 772034
01344 425483
01344 882422
01344 421117
Mrs
Mrs
Mrs
Mrs
Mrs
Mrs
Mrs
Jane
Claire
Rachel
Celeste
Elaine
Jackie
Jane
Jenkinson
Thompson
(temp)
Steadman
Pollard
Clayton
Moruzzi
Morgan
Mulvey
Steadman
Ranelagh Academy
01344 421233
Mrs
Gladys
Perrier
Note: Celeste Moruzzi is on Maternity Leave and Pauline Williams is currently standing in as Clerk at Wildmoor
Heath and Edgbarrow