MINUTES OF A MEETING
NORTH LINCOLNSHIRE ASSOCIATION OF GOVERNING BODIES
HELD ON 3rd DECEMBER, 2021 VIA TEAMS
Present
Angela Dunkerley (Chair)
Barbara Spencer
Eleanor Walmsley
Rob Smith
Denise West
Peter Raspin
Hilary Beverley
Apologies were received from Pet Whittaker and Shelley Thomas
A welcome was extended to Hilary who has now joined the Association.
It was decided to clarify members’ current roles and responsibilities:
Angela – Chair
NGA link
Peter - Vice Chair
Forum Rep
Governors’ Advisory Group
Denise – Treasurer
Education Standards Board
Forum Rep
Chair of Governors’ Advisory group
Mental Health
Covid committee
Eleanor – Governors’ Advisory group.
Barbara – Secretary
Rob – Website and ICT
Monitors e-mails for the Association
Pet – SEND advisory group NGA
Shelley -SEND involvement with Pet
Hilary volunteered to work with Pet on setting up the new SEND group for Governors within North Lincolnshire.
It was agreed that Denise’s share of the work was unreasonable and efforts will be made to find someone to take over the Treasurer role. None of the current committee feel able to take this on in addition to their existing roles.
MINUTES OF PREVIOUS MEETING These were approved subject to the figures in the Treasurer’s report being amended to read £159 to NGA and £25 to Wilf, auditor.
Matters Arising - There were none.
NGA – NGA have reduced fees to support Local Associations so they are now £75 annually. This is due shortly and will be paid as soon as the invoice is received.
Emma Knights spoke at our Association’s AGM in November and she was impressed with the work of our Association in this area.
Now that the DfE have decided to cease funding for the Governor Development Programmes, the NGA have made the decision to terminate the Board Programme but, due to their success and popularity, the Programmes for Clerks and the one for Chairs will continue. However, due to NGA awareness that the cost of the Chairs’ Development was a barrier for many schools and participants and so the programme has been amended and now consists of 3 facilitated sessions, access to interactive e-learning modules and resources and participation in action learning sets and peer to peer support groups. and a mentor call. The cost is £249 but additional support can be purchased as needed.
Angela could not attend the NGA conference this year so therefore no expenses were incurred. This was however, a successful event despite the disruption caused by severe weather conditions.
The new National Leaders of Governance programme is now running. There are presently 64 NLG’s. They are the only people who can carry out DfE funded external reviews. However, if a Governing Board wants an external review which is not funded, the NGA can still carry these out at a cost to the school.
Under the old system, National Leaders of Governance could also provide support for Chairs. However, this has now stopped but NGA and other providers can offer this support if funded by the school.
The NGA is also developing considerable resources and support for Clerks and Governance Professionals including new learning link modules and network sessions.
The materials and knowledge centre are being constantly updated on the NGA website. Learning Link are adding modules and the bitesize learning links are proving very popular. These are available to all North Lincolnshire Governors.
A question was raised as to whether the NGA had produced anything relating to curriculum intent. Angela would have a look at this. If a template for curriculum intent was found, could this be circulated to members of the Association?
Treasurer’s report There had been no expenses. After a discussion, it was agreed that perhaps the money held in the Association’s accounts might be channelled towards mental health and SEND. It was agreed to meet the costs of setting up the new SEND group being organised by Pet.
Schools’ Forum - there was nothing to report – no meetings had been held.
Education Standards Board Denise reported that the ESB had met on the 17th November, 2021 face to face. It had looked at decisions made by the Moderating Panel.
Denise explained the structural workings of the ESB. A representative from the DfE and also Ofsted usually attend.
The Board also looks at the work of the Virtual Headteacher, the Fair Access Panel and Early Years sufficiency.
AGM feedback On average 25 to 30 people attend the event. This year it was held via Teams. It was felt that this number was slightly disappointing in view of the number of Governors in North Lincolnshire and the fact that the speaker was Emma Knights, CEO from the NGA.
Association’s membership of NGA. It was agreed that this would continue. However, Angela would look into changing the account manager as at the moment, we are unable to update our membership list with the NGA.
Ofsted update- There is still concern that the pandemic cannot be referred to during an inspection and it is felt that this adds to the pressure on Heads and Senior Leaders. It is also a matter of concern that Ofsted does not mention governance in their letters to parents. Ofsted have downgraded a number of schools that were outstanding to good but this is due to the fact that the framework and expectations have changed.
SEND It was noted that the LA are currently undergoing their SEND Inspection.
The fact that some children had been sent to Scotter School for alternative provision was raised and discussed.
The new post-16 school had been delayed to 2023.
Short breaks – some of these had been criticised by some parents
The special schools in North Lincolnshire had been able to keep their schools open during the pandemic. Attendance had been 90% plus at St. Hughes. All staff had worked very hard to keep in touch with parent throughout this time.
ANY OTHER BUSINESS-
A question was raised as to the actual impact of covid e.g. the number of children still off with covid and the impact of staff absence.
Date of Next meeting
NORTH LINCOLNSHIRE ASSOCIATION OF GOVERNING BODIES
Minutes from Committee meeting held:-
Date: Time: 2 p.m. Friday, 15th October, 2021 by Teams (virtual)
Attendance:
Angela Dunkerley (chair)
Peter Raspin
Barbara Spencer
Denise West
Rob Smith
Pet Whittaker
Apologies were received from Eleanor Walsey and Shelley Thomas
AGENDA
1. Minutes of the meeting 27th July, 2021 – these having been circulated were approved as a true record.
2. Matters arising - There were none.
3. Treasurer’s Report – The accounts had been sent to Wilf to be audited. The opening balance for the year had been £3,737.81. £184 has been paid to NGA for fees and £25 had been spent on a voucher for Wilf as a thank you for auditing the accounts. Wilf expressed that the £25 voucher would cover next year as well as there had been very little for him to do this year. It was agreed that no fees would be collected from schools this year as there was a healthy balance in the accounts. It was also agreed that Denise could sign cheques with one other signatory also signing.
4. Schools Forum – representatives’ names from the Association had been put forward and these have been confirmed as acceptable.
Pete Raspin gave a brief summary of the last meeting on 7thOctober, 2021.
De-delegation of budgets – to make sure that staff costs could be covered in certain circumstances e.g. if a Union rep is out of school a lot.
Financial implications if there was an underspend. Some underspends would disappear because the underspend was not large.
School funding formula had been increased by 3.2% for 2022/23. This is the final year of the guarantee as it was a three-year settlement.
National Funding Formula will provide £5525 per secondary pupil and £4265 per primary pupil.
A discussion had been held concerning sparsity factor. An allowance for travel (by road) for outlying schools had been agreed.
Some schools are set to lose some funding and Denise West felt that schools need to know as soon as possible if they are to lose funding.
A question was raised as to whether supply staff costs were covered by insurance due to Covid. PR said that this had not come to the attention of Schools Forum but possibly due to the fact that a lot of schools now do not take out insurance. It was suggested that Tracey Elliott the LA Finance Officer could be contacted.
Alternative provision – as the Darley Centre has now closed, schools themselves are offering alternative provision (secondary). It is hoped that this will spread into primary as there is now a need for this. There has also been an increase in ECHP and care plans.
Denise West will ask if Pet could be included in the Strategic Leadership Mental Health in Schools group review that the LA has organised. Denise is already attending for NLAGB.
Exclusions are now called suspensions. These are down in the primary sector and there has been a massive downturn in secondary. However, Health Care plans are going up.
5. Education Standards Board Denise West reported that the moderation panel met on the 9th September, 2021. However, as there is no current data it is difficult for schools to come out of scope if they had a poor Ofsted report due to their results. However, some schools are having a Teaching and Learning Review or a Leadership and Management Review with a view to coming out of scope. The next full ESB meeting is on the 17t November, 2021.
6. Ofsted – It is important for Governors to know and understand their school’s curriculum intent as well as recognising changes in governance. They need to be able to articulate if/how priorities have been reviewed post COVID. Safeguarding continues to be high priority.
7. AGM – Pam Hodge has circulated details of the AGM in the newsletter and also in the training programme. She has been asked if the Clerks had picked up on any topics which Boards were talking about. Ethical leadership has been mentioned (Nolan principles). It was agreed that Angela would approach the NGA to see if they could provide a speaker as they understand the national picture. Pam and Amy would set up the link via Teams for the AGM.
8. NGA update – The original National Leaders of Governance Programme has come to an end. The DfE is funding a new programme and the NGA have been awarded the contract to run it. It is a rigorous process and so far 58 people have been selected. However, an independent group (ex NLG’s who have not been successful or who have decided not to apply for the new positions), has also been formed to help support governors and especially Chairs.
Discussions are again taking place as there is still a government push for schools to become academies and for existing MATs to merge. There was debate about the issues this raises.
The NGA annual conference is taking place in Birmingham on 27th November and hopefully it will be face to face. The new Secretary of State has been invited to speak. The NGA are very supportive of Local Associations and they are looking at lowering their affiliation fees. Angela has reserved a place as Association Chair and it was agreed that the Association would pay her travel expenses.
On the 15th November the NGA is holding a virtual event for Local Associations so that they can discuss what is happening across the country. Further information will follow.
9. SEND – Pet had received positive feedback to her suggestion of setting up a SEND group for governors locally. She has spoken to Pam at length about it and has met with Darren Chaplin who both thought that it was a good idea. Ideally it would be to discuss and help solve problems and it would come under the NLAGB remit. The first meeting will be held at St. Lukes and hopefully Steve Edmonds of the NGA may be able to attend. Angela has discussed this with him and he is very supportive of the initiative. Pet asked the Association if they could assist with refreshments which was agreed and Barbara said that she would be happy to take the minutes. The meeting will probably be held at the beginning of February. Pet to lead on this and liaise with Pam an Darren.
10. AOB- CO2 monitors – the special schools have received theirs but to date other schools are still waiting.
Catch up funding – A standard form issued by DfE has to be used from December and this includes catch up funding.
It was suggested that there be a half termly review of covid control measures.
Date of Next Meeting- to be decided.
NORTH LINCOLNSHIRE ASSOCIATION OF GOVERNING BODIES
Minutes from Committee meeting held: -
Date: Time: 10.30 a.m. 27th July 2021 by Teams (virtual)
Attendance:
Angela Dunkerley (chair)
Peter Raspin
Barbara Spencer
Denise West
Rob Smith
Eleanor Wasley
Pet Whittaker
Apologies were received from Shelley Thomas
AGENDA
1. Minutes of the meeting 24th March, 2021 – these having been circulated were approved as a true record.
2. Matters arising - Angela had been in contact with Pam Hodge (Governor Services) about the queries that had been raised.
a) Virtual meetings – this was guidance only and it was up to individual schools as to how virtual meetings were to be conducted.
b) H.R. policies – complaints – time limits in which to lodge a complaint – this again was guidance and up to individual schools as to whether it should be a two- or three-month time limit. If the party making a complaint was to be represented by an advocate, the hearing should be adjourned so that the school could also access such support. A question was raised as to whether the Local Authority would provide a Solicitor. It was thought this would be the case as both Pam and Jemima understand that Governors need support. It was acknowledged that Pam provides good responses to our queries.
c) Learning Links – Angela reported that these are becoming very popular and are part of the SLA.
d) Catering Service – it was felt that there had been a hike in costs to schools. The Primary Heads Consortium are going to ask for various tenders.
e) Networks on Teams – this is for information sharing but some Governors would rather have information in one place rather than by Teams, e-mail and Move It. Angela would ask if this was possible and perhaps Pam could add it to the Leadership Briefing Agenda. PR asked if Chairs are still getting together or whether this had been replaced by Network on Teams.
f) Training offer by Local Authority – after a discussion it was suggested that perhaps the training programme could be sent out before the summer holidays, at least for the Autumn term events so that Governors had plenty of notice of dates
3. Treasurer’s Report – Mrs. West reported that the Yorkshire Bank are now Virgin Money. £3,553.81 was the balance in the bank. Only a few expenses had been paid out this year. It was agreed that Wilf should still be asked to audit the accounts. The meeting unanimously agreed that a voucher should be purchased for Wilf for auditing the accounts.
A question was raised as to whether NGA fees were going up this year. AD replied that the NGA were reviewing membership, but they still wanted to support individual associations so unlikely to raise the fees.
It was agreed that the NLAGB would not charge any fees this year to existing member schools. This decision was based on the fact that we had a healthy bank balance, and the Association were not likely to have many expenses as most conferences etc. are still being held virtually. Denise would write a letter to schools. This would also be mentioned at the Leadership Briefing and the AGM.
It was also agreed that the Treasurer, Denise West, could be one of the two signatories on cheques payable to herself for expenses. Due to covid 19 it was difficult to always get two different signatories on the cheques. Therefore, Denise West and one other person could sign cheques in her favour. The cheque however could not exceed £200.
4. SEND – Pet who sits on the NGA Special Schools Advisory group with Shelley suggested that perhaps it would be beneficial for local special schools to form a local advisory group perhaps incorporating other Local Authorities e.g. NE. Lincs, Lincs, East Riding. This could also be extended to mainstream schools SEND Governors. This would enable best practice to be shared. Angela said she would speak with Steve Edmonds from the NGA and Darren Chaplin would also need to be involved. She would also contact Pam Hodge. Everyone agreed this would be a good idea but perhaps starting with a few members first to see how it would work out as if it was too large to start with, this could cause problems with administration etc.
Pet reported her concerns about the length of time it is taking for mental health referrals. There are now three pathways available, but it is still a very slow process which makes transition difficult. Unfortunately, the Ed Psychologists do not appear to be getting into the special schools regularly. Darren Chaplin has said that he would undertake an audit on the length of time of referrals. A local Councillor is also getting involved and finding out how long these pathways take. However, Pet understands that further psychologists have now been employed
5. Schools Forum– This had been held on the 10th June, 2021. It was agreed that in future there would be a balanced mix of face to face meetings and virtual.
The Forum had agreed to continue funding the F40 group – fair funding.
It had been agreed that the same governor representatives continue on Schools Forum.
It had been decided that alternative provision be provided by schools rather than at separate centres. The Darley Centre had been closed. Quality Assurance had been discussed and Wendy Holmes would be responsible for this.
Only 3 schools remained with a deficit budget. However, the deficit had been reduced in all 3 schools.
A question was raised about Covid costs to schools. Schools were able to claim covid costs from central Government and most schools have been reimbursed.
Catch-up funding will be coming through, but no definite information has been received.
6. Ofsted update- Guidance is coming out and NGA are putting out up-dates.
7. NGA update – AD reported that there had been a focus on Clerking nationally and appropriate payment for Clerks. Positive relationships are now being developed with MATs.
Academisation seemed to be on the agenda again, but the NGA will keep members updated.
At the moment North Lincs seem to take the view that being an academy may not be the best way for all schools. It is felt that strong leadership and a good vision for the future is essential for schools in the long term. The decision is still one for each governing board to make.
8. Education Standards Board – Denise reported that the Darley Centre had been discussed together with education, recovery, and renewal.
5 schools are currently in scope and at the moment it is difficult for them to get out of scope because the criteria may rely on SATs results for example. They also look at fair access and inclusion.
9. Teams - Rob Smith said that Teams would soon be time limited so we may have to upgrade, and he is looking into this as to costs.
10. Child Protection/Safeguarding Policy – Members had looked at this and the only point raised was that Governors were not mentioned as far as the Single Central Register is concerned. DW will give feedback to Pam on this and also to state that this was a well written and useful document. It was also noted that Governors only had to be assured that the SCR was up to date and had been checked.
11. AGM – This will be held virtually on the 10th November, 2021 6 – 8 p.m.
It was suggested that the following could be topics:
National Leaders of Governance Programme as it is changing.
SEND/local group
Well-being of Staff and Governors.
Recovery Plans
It was also suggested that an NGA speaker also be invited to attend
12. Any other business - None
13. Date of next meeting - It was agreed that this would not yet be set but probably mid-September.
.............................................................................................................................................
NORTH LINCOLNSHIRE ASSOCIATION OF GOVERNING BODIES
Minutes from Committee meeting held:-
Date: Time: 7 p.m. 24th March, 2021 by Teams (virtual)
Attendance:
Angela Dunkerley (chair)
Peter Raspin
Barbara Spencer
Denise West
Rob Smith
Eleanor Wasley
Pet Whittaker
Shelley Thomas
There were no apologies.
AGENDA
1. General Catch up – a discussion took place concerning Virtual Etiquette sent out by the Local Authority. It was agreed that this was something that could be adopted/tweaked by individual Governing Boards if they so wished but it was purely voluntary.
After a difficult year for Governors, it was agreed that a “thank you” from the Association should be sent out to all Governors acknowledging what a hard year it had been and that it was appreciated that Governors had gone to great lengths to support Heads and schools. It was also suggested that something perhaps be sent out from the North Lincs Council acknowledging the hard work of Governors (perhaps by Pete Thorpe). AD would ask Governor Services if they could e-mail Governors with the thank you from the Association. The Association also wished to recognise the support given by Governor Services to Governing Boards during this time.
2. Minutes of the meeting 4th December, 2019 – these having been circulated were approved. Angela was asked if she had managed to get in touch with HB about joining the Association. She said she thought it was better to wait until things got back to normal. There were no other matters arising.
3. Treasurer’s Report – Mrs. West reported that no monies had recently been spent or received. £3,553.81 was the balance in the bank. Shelley and Pet said they were prepared to travel to events when able to. Angela suggested a celebratory event for Governors when such events are allowed to happen. The only foreseeable expense will be £25 for the audit of the accounts. The NGA have not billed us for the speaker at the AGM.
4. Post AGM/Virtual Governance – (two members of the Association apologised for not attending the AGM). A discussion took place on the importance of not excluding people from governance due to their circumstances as well as disadvantages of virtual meetings.
5. Ofsted update- Remote follow-ups for some schools had taken place virtually and there was talk of inspections starting in the summer term. It will be interesting to see what they will focus on.
6. NGA update – members congratulated Angela on her new role as Regional Development Officer for the NGA Angela reported that the NGA are very keen to support local Associations. This is the reason why affiliation fees are being kept low. It is important to look at and share good practice. The Learning Links provided by NGA are popular. It was agreed that Angela continue in her role as Chair of NLAGB.
7. SEND – PW is a member of the Special Schools Advisory group (NGA). They look at good practice e.g. sensory tool kits from Local Authorities. However, they have opened up the group to all schools with SEND pupils and she now feels the group has lost its value as special schools are different schools to mainstream schools with SEND pupils. AD said she had contacted the NGA about this and they are looking into this point.
At a local level,
Questions had also been raised concerning whether laptops/i-pads that had been given to pupils had to be returned to schools or whether the pupils could keep them.
A discussion took place concerning the length of time it was taking for CAHMS referrals to go through and ensuring pupils received support in a timely manner. Evidently this was due to staffing problems.
PW’s term of office is due to come to an end on the Scrutiny panel soon and the question was raised as to who would take her place.
8. Schools Forum – DW reported that the last routine meeting was on 21st January 2021 where Early Years was discussed and central services were approved. However, no minutes had yet been received. Yesterday’s meeting was cancelled due to lack of business. The next meeting is due to take place on10th June 2021.
9. Education Standards Board – DW reported that a moderating panel decides which schools should be recalled. There are some schools that are still in scope and two will have to come in. For some schools, a successful Ofsted inspection is the exit strategy but this is now being looked at in light of the current situation. As an aside, the term “exclusion” may now be replaced by “expulsion”.
10. Any other business -
Governor network – nothing further has been heard on this.
Covid – DW was invited to join a committee with 2 secondary Heads, 2 primary Heads, Darren Chaplin, Jemima Flintoff and Peter Thorpe to discuss the covid situation.
Additional funding for extra costs incurred by schools due to Covid is not yet a clear picture. Some schools may not have received any additional monies.
The Integrated Children’s Trust ran an event for Head Teachers to discuss “Recovery and Renewal” and hopefully they will run this for Governors.
Website- Rob is keeping the website up to date mainly with information from the NGA. However, some links need a membership password to access the information. NGA has previously said they did not have an issue with this but AD said she would confirm with NGA exactly what NGA information can be published on our website. Thanks were expressed to Rob for his work in keeping the website up to date.
Complaint Policy/procedure – The Association had been asked by Governor Services to have a look at this. It was felt that the additions to the complaints procedure were very good. However, it was noted that the complainant could be assisted by an advocate. Does this mean a Solicitor? If this was the case, it was felt that the Governing Board may also need legal support. The question was to be asked whether a Local Authority Solicitor would be able to support Governors. The Clerk should be informed as to who was attending the hearing so Governors could ask for legal support if needed. There was no mention of virtual complaint hearings. The sentence dealing with complaints against governors… was not finished off. As far as time limits were concerned, it was felt each school should make their own decision on time limits. It was agreed that DW pass these comments to Governor Services.
Safeguarding audit – there were no issues with this.
However, it was felt that the NLAGB is not the forum for looking at these documents and it should be stressed that we only had a cursory look at them.
Schools’ Catering Service -it has come to the attention of the Association that some schools have seen a massive increase on bills for this year (up to £10,000 rise in some schools) and this has caused extreme pressure on budgets especially for those schools who are already financially stretched. It seems that private catering companies are charging less for larger secondary schools as opposed to the cost to smaller primaries through Schools Catering. Many primaries are now looking to going out to tender for catering services. AD will ask Pam Hodge for an update to be given at the next Leadership Briefing.
11. Date of next meeting - It was agreed that this would not yet be set.
NORTH LINCOLNSHIRE ASSOCIATION OF GOVERNING BODIES
Minutes from Committee meeting held:-
Date: 4th December, 2019 Time: 7 p.m.
Attendance:
Angela Dunkerley (chair)
Peter Raspin
John Speyer
Barbara Spencer
Denise West
Rob Smith
Eleanor Wasley
Apologies:
Pet Whittaker and Shelley Thomas
HB has expressed an interest in joining the Committee and Angela will contact her.
AGENDA
1. Minutes – The Minutes of the previous meeting were approved. Any matters arising will be dealt with by agenda items. Angela reported that she had not heard anything further from Jemima Flintoft other than an e-mail thanking us for inviting her to a productive committee meeting.
2. Treasurer’s report – the bank statement of the 20th November, 2019 showed a balance of £4051.51. However, NGA fees of £159 had been paid on the 25th November and we are still to receive the invoice for holding the AGM at Melior. Last year this was £35. Also, three expense claims totalling £103.28 were being paid. It was reported that 49 schools had paid their fees to affiliate this year. 12 schools had not yet paid and Denise was sending out reminders. 3 schools had confirmed they were not joining this year.
3. AGM – It was disappointing to see that only 25 people attended the AGM despite Emma Knights from the NGA speaking. A discussion took place as to whether it would be better to have the AGM at another time of the year – September was suggested. It was also suggested whether to hold the AGM at the start of a conference as these were well attended. Both of these ideas will be pursued for the future.
4. Feedback from Conferences - Angela had attended two NGA conferences. The first was on MATS particularly community MATS where local schools come together to form a MAT and secondly the NGA Annual meeting where they presented their manifesto for the coming year. Their focus (amongst others) is SEND, time commitments for Chairs and demands on Governors. There were discussions concerning Ofsted and the concerns about “deep dives”. The NGA would like to receive feedback from schools who have been inspected under the new framework.
5. NGA conference – as above. There were good networking opportunities and it was a very positive conference. The NGA are trying to develop regional conferences so that more people may attend. A report on both conferences will be put onto the NLAGB website.
6. SEND - A report had been circulated by Pet and Shelley. This has been sent to the LA for inclusion in Governors’ News and it will also be on the NLAGB website. A focus for the NGA is exclusions and off-rolling.
7. Schools’ Forum – A new Free School is to be built by 2021. The Dedicated Schools Budget had also been discussed. Although there had been an increase this was due to the fact of increasing numbers rather than extra funding. Discussions had taken place concerning special needs funding. 150 children are home schooled in North Lincolnshire and questions were raised as to why these children are home schooled, what could be done to get them back into school and how they are monitored.
8. Education Standards Board – DW reported that the moderating panel had met to look at which schools should be called to the Board. The system is working well and less schools are being called in.
9. Any other business – There had been an issue about 128 checking. Schools should ensure that 128 checks are carried out. This can be done by the person who is responsible for carrying out DBS checks in school. Once carried out this should be noted on the SCR. These should be carried out for all Governors who have been appointed since September 2018. A discussion should take place as to how often these checks should be carried out.
DW reported that she had been invited to take part in a quality assurance review of Governor Services to look at aspects of their work and value for money.
10. Date of Next meeting – 26th February, 2020 7 p.m.
NORTH LINCOLNSHIRE ASSOCIATION OF GOVERNING BODIES
Minutes from Committee meeting held:-
Date: 9th October 2019 Time: 7 p.m.
Attendance: Angela Dunkerley (chair)
Peter Raspin
John Speyer
Barbara Spencer
Denise West
Rob Smith
Jemima Flintoff (Local Authority – Head of Standards and Effectiveness)
AGENDA
1. Apologies were received from Eleanor Wasley.
2. Jemima was welcomed to the meeting. An outline of the history, aims and work of the NLAGB was given. It was emphasised that although the Association works with the Local Authority, it remains independent of it. Angela, although not a Governor presently in North Lincolnshire, works at a national level with the NGA. At present, the Association funds two local Governors to sit on the SEND Advisory Group in Birmingham. The majority of schools within the Authority affiliate. We have a constitution which states our aims. The Association represents Governors on various groups e.g. Schools Forum and includes Governors from all types of schools. Angela is presently working with Community MATS in other areas and keeps abreast of the national picture. The Association does not normally take up individual school issues and Governance Matters was set up to deal with generic issues. The Association hopes to compliment and support governance in North Lincolnshire. Governor Services now are able to e-mail out communications from the NLAGB to Governors and Rob Smith maintains our website. Governors can contact us through our website. Our committee minutes are also published on it. The Association encourages peer to peer support.
3. Minutes of the Meeting held on 12th June, 2019 having been circulated were approved.
4. Matters Arising (not being an Agenda item)
a) Move It – drop-in sessions are now being advertised and held to deal with issues with Move-It which is now getting better. Concerns are still being raised as to whether Governors should download documents onto their own computers.
b) Printing of papers –- some Governors are receiving documents totalling over 100 pages (often relating to Appeal Panels). The Local Authority are saying that they cannot supply paper copies and Governors should print them. If the LA has requested the governor to attend a panel should the governor or school really be expected to print the papers? JF said she will take this back to the Authority.
New Ofsted Framework
This was discussed at the summer conference. Amanda Spielman had
stated in her speech that governors should be sure that the Single
Central Register was being correctly maintained but this did not mean
checking the register themselves. Delegates at the conference
expressed considerable concerns about this and the NLAGB Executive
share these. The NGA are keeping an eye on the situation.
Concerns had also been raised about the new Inspection reports in that
they will not justify grades and they are very brief. It is now
recommended that as many governors/trustees as possible attend the
feedback meeting and that they arrange for detailed notes to be taken.
A discussion was taking place as to how the new framework affected
Inspections last term. Governors’ role in the curriculum is also being
monitored.
The DfE ran a workshop at the conference that focused on their aim of
trying to improve communication with Governors.
5. Treasurer’s Report
The account books are presently with the Auditor. Expenses will be paid when the cheque book is returned. The Committee agreed that a £25 voucher should be given to Wilf Baker as a thank you for auditing the Association’s accounts.
The closing balance was £3,037.75. There was an income of £1,425 and expenses totalled £911.71. Invoices have been sent out to schools for their affiliation fees. Cheques totalling £775 have been received and these will be paid into the account as soon as paying in book has been received back. There are two new federations within the Authority so 66 schools now should be affiliated to the Association. AD explained that the Association’s main costs are the fees paid to the NGA to affiliate with them and also travel expenses paid when attending events/conferences on behalf of the Association.
It will be recommended at the Annual General Meeting that our fees remain the same as last year.
6 AGM
This will be held on Wednesday,13th November, 2019 at Melior. Emma Knights of NGA will be the speaker. PR will arrange the refreshments and AD will ask if Angela Kipling still wishes to help with refreshments on the evening. A flyer has already been sent out and the date was advertised at the Leadership Briefings. AD suggested an article in the Scunthorpe Telegraph to raise awareness of Governance. JF will take this back to PT and his team. This could be discussed at the Advisory Group in November. AD will find out what is needed for Emma’s presentation. All members of the Committee indicated a willingness to stand again.
7. NGA UPDATE.
Angela is booked to attend a Community MAT event and the Annual Conference both in November and she will feedback in due course.
8. SCHOOLS FORUM
This has been re-scheduled for the 6th November, 2019.
9. EDUCATION STANDARDS BOARD.
DW was unable to attend this meeting and as yet has had no feedback.
10. FEEDBACK FROM ANY OTHER MEETINGS.
DW, PR AND JF will look at the current groups and their remits.
AD sits on the HR advisory group that looks at Policies that will be put to Governors so that they are school specific. Unions are also involved and they appreciate Governance input. The polices (with any amendments from these meetings) then go to Governors’ Advisory Group and this system means that most schools now adopt these policies without the need for further queries.
Leadership Briefings – more attended the breakfast meeting this time.
Locality groups – still meeting but questions are being raised as to whether there is a better way of getting Governors together e.g. a conference.
11. ANY OTHER BUSINESS.
JF thanked PR and DW for meeting with her. She understood that the Association does deal with sensitive issues. It was agreed that working relationships were important and anything that could be done to improve them would be done. AD thanked JF for her time in coming to this meeting.
12. DATE OF NEXT MEETING
Wednesday 4th December at 7 p.m.
NORTH LINCOLNSHIRE ASSOCIATION OF GOVERNING BODIES
Minutes from Committee meeting held:-
Date: 12th June, 2019 Time: 7 p.m.
Attendance:
Angela Dunkerley (chair)
Peter Raspin
John Speyer
Barbara Spencer
Denise West
Eleanor Wasley
Rob Smith
AGENDA
1. Apologies were received from Pam Hodge, Governor Services who had been invited to attend.
2. Minutes of the Meeting held on 3rd April 2019, having been circulated, were approved.
3. Matters Arising (not being an Agenda item)
a) Move It – there are still issues around Move It and Governors being expected to print off documents. These documents also disappear after a certain length of time. This matter will be raised with Jemima Flintoft.
b) Parental complaints appeal – a member had been asked to sit on an appeal panel at short notice. Local Authority would not print off these papers totalling 135 pages. This is regarded as a significant issue and an unreasonable expectation.
4. Treasurer’s Report
Mrs. West informed the Executive that there was presently £3,395.91 in the bank. However, some expenses were still to be paid £16.20 and £154.65.
Mrs. West also reported that so far nothing had happened concerning the Bank proposing to charge a monthly fee.
5. Schools Forum
This had been cancelled.
6. Education Standards Board
Mrs. West had attended the meeting of the ESB this afternoon. She felt that it was a fair and interesting meeting. They looked at the schools in focus and received updates for those schools in scope.
They also received reports from the Fair Access Panel concerning school exclusions.
They also received a report concerning children that were home educated in North Lincolnshire.
7. Feedback from any meetings with officers/Governance Matters/Leadership Briefings and Locality meetings.
DW and PR were due to meet with Jemima Flintoft but unfortunately this meeting had to be re-arranged. A priority for this meeting was to define the purpose of each governance group. As far as the Forum meetings were concerned, papers had been sent out to all Governors.
It was agreed that AD would attend meetings such as Governance Matters and meetings that were being held to arrange a Governor conference as she continues to have strong links to the NGA.
It will also be suggested that venues for training must be given in advance rather than with a couple of days’ notice as this causes problems for many governors.
At the Leadership Briefings, there will be a “national slot” to enable AD to inform Governors of the national picture.
There was also a discussion as to the viability of locality meetings.
8. New Ofsted Framework including feedback from NGA summer conference when Amanda Speilman was keynote speaker.
AD attended this conference. AD has written a full report and this will be published on the NLAGB website. There will also be a small report in Governor News.
AD reported that the conference was very good with a wealth of information being shared by the speakers and a variety of people attending with different views.
Ofsted will be focussing on the quality of the curriculum which must be broad and rich. It was also emphasised that there will in future be less focus on data.
Substance and integrity will be at the centre of inspections and the curriculum must be adapted to local need and should be relevant to the community and the area. There should be a long-term vision and the curriculum must also meet the needs of SEND and disadvantaged children therefore meeting the needs of all.
Safeguarding – if the culture of the school is right, safeguarding should not be an issue. It was noted that Miss Speilman said there is no need for Governors to inspect the Single Central Register.
The NGA are working on questions that Governors should be asking about the curriculum.
AD reported that the DFE workshop was very good especially the Governance section. The newly appointed policy adviser from the governance unit posed a number of questions for table discussion and definitely gave the impression that he was taking on board all of the points made by delegates.
Emma Knights highlighted work concerning MATS and what good governance looks like whatever the structure of the organisation. She explored what is meant by ‘The right people around the table’.
9. SEND (NGA Advisory Group)
This was attended by PW and ST. Much was discussed concerning funding for SEND and campaigning for this. They are seeking evidence of what schools have had to do because of funding issues. A report will go on the website.
10. NGA
The NGA team is expanding enormously. Significant funding is now becoming available from the DfE for development programmes.
11. AGM
This will be held on the 13th November, 2019 at Melior at 7 p.m. – 9 p.m. A suggestion was made that the focus of this AGM should be on the curriculum. AD to enquire if NGA would replicate the workshop delivered at their summer conference.
12. Governors’ News
Pam at Governor Services is aiming to have this published online and also the publication of the training booklet for Governors.
13. Any other business
The Local Authority are consulting on sick pay for teaching staff.
14. Date of Next Meeting
9th October, 2019 7 p.m.
NORTH LINCOLNSHIRE ASSOCIATION OF GOVERNING BODIES
Minutes from Committee meeting held:-
Date: 3rd April 2019 Time: 7 p.m.
Attendance:
Angela Dunkerley (chair) Barbara Spencer
Peter Raspin Eleanor Wasley
Rob Smith John Speyer
Denise West
AGENDA
1. Apologies – none
2. Minutes of the Meeting held on 12th December 2018 having been circulated were approved subject to a home address being removed.
3. Matters Arising
a) A conference will be discussed with Jemima and Pam and will be dealt with later.
b) Move It – there are still issues particularly around changing passwords, documents being removed after a certain time and threatening to close accounts if they are not used. This is causing further time commitments for Governors.
4. Treasurer’s Report
Mrs. West informed the Executive that there was presently £3,539.18 in the bank. However, some expenses were still to be paid.
The Yorkshire Bank had sent a letter saying that as from the 1st June there would be a rise in the monthly fee to £6.50. It was felt that this was a mistake as no monthly fees had been paid in the past. It was agreed to see if this fee would be charged before any action was taken.
NGA fees – an invoice had been requested in November 2018 but it was not until February 2019 an invoice had been received and paid on 9th February, 2019. The payment was not acknowledged but the cheque had been cleared. However, members had been having trouble accessing the NGA members’ section and this is still continuing. AD to follow this up with the NGA.
57 schools have paid their fees to the NLAGB.
It was unanimously agreed that the fees for next year would remain at £25.00.
It was also noted that no invoice had yet been sent for the speaker at the November AGM.
5. Schools Forum
There had been two meetings scheduled. However, the meeting for March was cancelled. At the January meeting the Dedicated School Grant funding formulae was discussed. High Needs funding is not ring fenced in the Local Authority’s delegated schools’ budget.
It will be discussed with Jemima that in the past, figures were circulated to all Governors concerning other schools’ budgets. It was felt that this was not appropriate.
6. Education Standards Board
The moderating panel met on the 11th January 2019 to decide which schools would come into scope of the ESB. Denise gave an overview of the work of the ESB.
There had been an update to the Signatures of Risk document but as yet this had not been circulated to schools.
The Fair Access Panel is more established and levels of exclusions are looked at. A discussion took place concerning off-rolling.
7. Governance Matters meetings.
Proposed changes to the Leadership Briefings were discussed together with peer leader update as well as Governor support programme where Governors were asked to help other Boards e.g. by mentoring a new Chair, sitting on an appeals panel or by joining another Board. The Governor development offer was also discussed. The next meeting will be in June.
8. Leadership Briefings and Locality meetings
The locality meeting for Brigg met recently. Pam Hodge and Tracey Sawyer attended. Tracey gave an up date on the new Ofsted Framework and discussions took place concerning MATS and Ofsted inspections.
Leadership briefings may be scheduled for 8.30 a.m. to see if Heads would attend. It was intended that they be a very short briefing.
9. Website
Thanks were expressed to Rob for updating our site regularly.,
10. New Governance Handbook
Gives the Policy and legislative updates.
There is stronger emphasis on:
Parental engagement
Accountability
Robust oversight
Raise on line
Criminal records checks
Compliance
11. NGA update.
In the latest edition of Governing Matters there is an interesting article on Reporting to the Board as well as the new Ofsted framework.
There is a MAT networking day in May. The Executive agreed that Angela should attend if she felt it would be of benefit.
Summer Conference in June – Amanda Speilman is the speaker and it was agreed that Angela should attend.
Any Other Business
Pam Hodge will be invited to one of our meetings with a view to developing good working relationships.
Date of Next Meeting
Wednesday, 12th June 2019 at 7
p.m.
North Lincolnshire Association of Governing Bodies
Minutes of the Committee meeting 12th December 2018
|
Present |
Apologies |
|
Angela Dunkerley (Chair) |
Barbara Spencer |
|
Peter Raspin |
Pam Hodge (LA) |
Rob Smith
John Speyer
Eleanor Wasley
Denise West
1. Apologies
Barbara Spencer and Pam Hodge
2. Minutes of the meeting held on 19th September
These were approved but it was noted the meeting between Peter Raspin and Denise West planned for 25th September had to be cancelled. A new date will be fixed by Peter.
3. Minutes of AGM held on 7th November at Melior Community Academy
It was a good meeting although turnout was disappointing. Dai Durbridge was an excellent speaker and governors found his input useful and informative. The minutes were approved and will be available on the NLAGB website and a copy sent to the LA.
The committee thank the LA for all their support in publicising the meeting and sending out fliers.
Governors at the AGM had asked if there would be another Governor Conference and it was agreed that NLAGB will pursue this with officers.
4. Treasurer’s Report
Denise has banked £1400 in fees and 56 schools have paid. As more schools federate, income is dropping although we pay NGA less due to the fact that our affiliation cost to them is based on the number of establishments affiliated to us.
Several schools have not replied, despite being sent reminders. Denise will send a letter to the chair of governors of these schools with a self-addressed envelope after Christmas.
It is hoped in future that the LA, through Pam Hodge, may send out letters direct to the chair of governors of all schools as it appears from discussions with individual governors at schools that have not paid, that the governors themselves have not been aware and it may therefore be the head or member of the administrative staff making the decision on whether to pay.
Denise reported that none of the Catholic schools had joined this year and 6 other schools have not joined as yet. Two of these did not join last year either, one has left after joining a MAT, 2 have simply not responded and only one has actually said they do not wish to affiliate this year.
Epworth Primary who are federated with South Axholme have re-joined this year, and Coritani have joined this year.
5. Working with the LA
It was agreed NLAGB needed to stay independent of the LA (as advocated by NGA and stated in the NLAGB Constitution) but work in close partnership with officers whenever possible. Executive members look forward to building positive relationships with the newly restructured governance team at the authority.
Executive members were unanimously concerned about changes that had been made over the last two years to the purpose and format of Governance Matters and the Leadership Briefing sessions. It was agreed that it would be useful to discuss and clarify the function and purpose of these with officers so that they provide mutually beneficial forums for developing support for all governors.
Governors are still reporting problems with MOVEIT although IT support is responding much quicker now.
6. SEND
Funding is an increasing problem with more pressure being put on schools/academies and the LA to fund children with special needs and particularly those with health problems. Very often there is little or no funding for children who may have severe health problems.
NLAGB are funding travelling expenses for Pet Whittaker and Shelley Thomas, who are governors at special schools in North Lincolnshire, to attend meetings of the National Governors’ Association SEND Advisory Group. This will provide an opportunity to raise issues about problems in North Lincolnshire, learn about developments nationally and contribute to influencing policy. They are also finding out what other LAs are doing and can feed back ideas and information to both the LA and NLAGB. They have written a brief article to highlight the focus of their discussions at these meetings for Governor’s News (but the detail that can be included has to be balanced against the need for confidentiality when discussing sensitive issues).
it was agreed that this was an appropriate use of NLAGB funds as it is an area of considerable concern for governors. The executive wish to express their thanks to Pet and Shelley for their time and commitment to this task on behalf of all governors.
7. Schools Forum
There was nothing of significance to report.
8, Education Standards Board
This now has a Moderating Panel with Denise West sitting on it to represent governors. They are responsible for deciding which schools should come to the Education Standards Board. Criteria are now much more transparent and focus on identifying schools that have a downward trend in performance over several years rather than a one-year dip.
9. Governance Matters
The group was originally set up for NLAGB and the LA to meet to discuss issues and concerns raised with them by governors. Without consultation with NLAGB this group has been opened up to all governors, and its remit is no longer as clear. It is much more of an informal chat session, with the LA putting a focus on the Locality Meetings.
10. Leadership Briefings and Locality Meetings
The format of these has also changed. It is no longer an update of what is happening over the term, focussing on clarifying issues to be discussed in the termly Governing Body meeting. Darren Chaplin gives a brief SEND report but meetings can include a lot of general information of varying relevance to governors. There is now little advice on what chairs and governors are being asked to do with the various papers they are sent each term from the authority.
Attendance at Locality Meetings is variable. The town groups have a few regular attendees, although there is a feeling that many governors regard these as another unnecessary meeting.
11. Website
There had been an email from Parentkind, an organisation wanting exposure on the website. As no-one knew anything about the group, it was agreed we pass this to Pam Hodge to investigate with the possibility of asking them to do an article for Governor News.
12. NGA
Angela had unfortunately been unable to attend the conference in Birmingham and hasn’t had any feedback from it as yet.
The NGA development programmes for chairs, clerks and MAT’s are proving very popular. These are highlighting some of the difficulties in establishing agreed governance structures and accountability within Multi-Academy Trusts.
The clerking programmes are highlighting how important it is to have professionally trained clerks who can advise governing bodies and boards. MATs are now thinking about this too.
NGA are increasingly moving to the use of Webinars to bring consultants covering the entire country together to discuss support for governors through the NGA programmes without consultants having to travel to Birmingham
13. AOB
Angela thanked Peter (and Jane) for hosting the executive meetings this year which means that costs for running the association are minimised.