North Lincolnshire Association of Governing Bodies (NLAGB)

National Governance Association (NGA) Weekly Newsletters 2020

National Governance Association Weekly Newsletter 10/07/2020

Ofsted Announce Autumn Plans

Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector Amanda Spielman, has set out Ofsted’s plans for the autumn term.

Routine inspections are suspended until January 2021. Instead Ofsted will start to visit schools from September to reassure parents, ministers and the public about how schools are managing the return to full education of their pupils and students. As part of a full programme being rolled out in October, all ‘inadequate’ schools will be visited, along with a “sample” of schools with other grades. Ofsted will use the visits to hold collaborative discussions with school leaders the outcomes of which will be published in a brief letter so that “parents can understand what steps are being taken to help children back into full time education”. The outcomes of the visit will not be graded

Amanda Spielman has also announced that Ofsted does not intend to return to area SEND inspections in the autumn, but instead it will focus on other ways we can help and support local areas to strengthen the SEND system in future.

Comment from our Chief Executive, Emma Knights

Many of you will already have received and held governing board meetings to review the risk assessments for full opening in September, accompanied by a Plan B in case of a local lockdown. The National Schools Commissioner, Dominic Herrington, who engaged with NGA’s Community MATs virtual network yesterday commented that lessons were being learnt from having had to do just this in Leicester.

Thank you to everyone who fed back to us their views and queries on last week’s DfE guidance on full reopening. The guidance itself has been generally well received overall with comments that it is comprehensive and easy to use. Members made clear that the issue is the sheer weight of work which has still to be undertaken to get ready for September, especially by school leaders. Governing boards are generally very concerned about the relentless nature and critical importance of the work school leaders are having to carry out and are determined they should get a summer holiday: NGA has been feeding this message back to the DfE at every opportunity, along with other comments you have given us. I apologise for not having answered each of the comments sent direct to me, but I can promise you that they are all read and influence our thinking and lobbying.

The DfE is prioritising working with other agencies to provide final clarity of the guidance about vulnerable people and to ensure transport to school is possible and safe. This week at the request of DfE, members of their advisory group, drew on examples from school leaders to show how they will implement DfE guidance for the full return to school.

We have been asked many times since its announcement last month when the school’s allocation of the £650 million catch up fund will be known: we understand this may be announced next week. We remind you that if there any particular issues which continue to frustrate you or your school leaders, that one of you can contact the DfE COVID-19 team for information: EYSG-Schools.COVID19@education.gov.uk Please do continue to use GOLD@nga.org.uk as well, but it can be helpful for the DfE to hear directly from you too.

We are also making representation to Ofsted about the details of the planned supportive visits in September: many of you have made it very plain that a published letter with next steps might not feel collaborative and supportive during an exceedingly busy term. Collecting and sharing information about how the return is working could be hugely useful, but it is less likely to happen with full disclosure if the results of that conversation are shared. We hope to influence the format of that letter to parents and I would welcome any views: emma.knights@nga.org.uk

National Governance Association Weekly Newsletter 03/07/2020

DfE guidance for the full opening of schools

The Department for Education’s (DfE) Guidance for full opening of schools in September was released yesterday . Gavin Williamson, Secretary of State for Education told the House of Commons that “education recovery is critical for this generation of school children." The guidance seeks to answer a huge number of questions, covering a wide ranging number of areas that leaders and those governing will want to seek assurance over ahead of September. The majority of the guidance is of an operational nature, with it being left to school/trust staff to implement locally, but there are some key strategic considerations that emerge as a result of following the guidance, here is a quick summery of the key areas impacting the role of the governing board:

Risk – the guidance acknowledges that as increasing numbers of schools have been welcoming back more pupils since 1 June, schools have already been busy assessing risk and implementing proportionate control measures to reduce the risk of infection on school premises. However it stresses it is a legal requirement to revisit and update that risk assessment for autumn term planning. This includes a monitoring process that seeks to ensure controls are effective, working as planned and updated taking account of changes to public health advice. While this remains the responsibility of executive leaders, this should be shared with the governing board and there should be an ongoing conversation with the board regarding how robust the assessment is, with boards building in regular space on their agenda to review it.

Attendance – Attendance will once again be mandatory from September. This is an area that has already generated a significant amount of media attention and leaders, staff, and parents are understandably keen to understand how this will work in practice. There are a few exceptions – if pupils are self- isolating in line with public health advice, if rates of infection rise in local areas and they are advised to shield as a result, and pupils in the care of public health professionals. While parents could not be penalised or sanctioned for their child’s non-attendance at school during lockdown itself, the government is clear the circumstances have now changed. Absence fines will begin to be issued again in the autumn and headteachers continue to have legal discretion as to when to issue them a last resort where there is no valid reason for absences.

There is likely to be some parents who remain reluctant to send their children to school, and governing boards will need to continue to work with leaders to ensure that communications going out to parents are clear and as reassuring as they can possibly be. It is vital that parents are given the opportunity to share concerns and have their questions answered. Much of this will be done by the Senior Executive Leader who will also want to find a way of gauging the appetite amongst parents about their children returning to schools. Parents and carers may also look to the governing board for reassurance and so boards should consider supporting the communications from the school. This could involve the co-signing of a letter that goes out to parents. Governing boards should ask leaders what steps are being taken to encourage all children, and especially vulnerable children to attend school .

School workforce - The guidance states from September the DfE expects that most staff will attend school, , with the relaxation of shielding measures, including those deemed clinically extremely vulnerable being advised they can return to work from 1^st August. More guidance is expected on this pause in shielding, However those in the most at risk categories are advised to take particular care while community transmission rates continue to fall, School leaders are urged to be flexible with how these staff are deployed. In fact there is generally a recommendation to be open to more flexible approaches to staffing. Schools may need to alter the way in which they deploy their staff, and use existing staff more flexibly to welcome back all pupils at the start of the autumn term, with leaders urged to avoid increases in unnecessary and unmanageable workload burdens. Staff recruitment should continue, although the recommendation is to continue to recruit remotely over the summer period. Governing boards should also seek assurances that appropriate support is made available for pupils with SEND, through the deployment of appropriate specialist staff.

There is a reminder that governing boards should be mindful of staff work-life balance and wellbeing; this means governing boards working with school leaders to ensure that organisations are doing all they can to explain the measure being put in place to staff, delivering strong, clear communication that provides staff with the confidence they need to carry out their roles. The guidance also reminds governing boards of the key role employers play in providing a duty of care that takes account of mental health and wellbeing. Clearly every school, and every member of school staff will have faced a different lockdown experience, some will be far more traumatic and difficult than others. The impact of COVID-19 will continue to be felt for some time to come and focuses governing boards on the duty of care they have to school/trust leaders and their staff. The logistical, safety and safeguarding issues attached to the full re-opening of schools may well increase levels of pressure and anxiety.

It is likely that your headteacher/CEO will have reported on these issues from their operational perspective, but they may be less forthcoming about any personal issues and their own wellbeing. Now is the time for governing boards to reflect how the culture of their school or trust promotes the wellbeing of everyone involved in making it what it is. We encourage governing boards to consider their wellbeing strategy in the light of current circumstances

Extra curricular activity – schools are encouraged to resume breakfast and after school provision, while it is recognised a degree of flexibility is needed as disruption may continue as the new academic year begins. However, schools will need to consider carefully how after school provisions will work alongside wider protective measures, which means keeping children in year groups or bubbles “where possible”. It is important that school leaders feel equipped to set realistic expectations with stakeholders including parents, and governing boards will need to be mindful that initially there may be some disruption to extra curricular activity and this may lead to some disappointment from parents and pupils.

Curriculum and its delivery – the guidance specifies that the curriculum should remain both broad and ambitious, and that means a wide range of subjects continue to be taught, and where remote education continues to be needed, it is of high quality and aligns closely with in-school provision. This means schools will need to continue to develop their capacity and that of pupils to engage in remote education where it is necessary. The government expects an ambitious curriculum to be in action from the start of the autumn term. The guidance acknowledges some schools may be considering revisions to their curriculum for the new academic year, and making use of ” existing flexibilities” to create time to cover the most important missed content”. The aim is for everyone to return to the school’s normal curriculum in all subjects by the 2021 summer term.

Governing boards should seek assurance from their headteacher/CEO that the COVID-19 pandemic will be incorporated appropriately into the school’s curriculum, building pupils’ understanding of all its implications. The essential role of the board in curriculum continues to be about providing confident, strategic leadership and robust accountability, as well as oversight and assurance. It is crucial that the curriculum is responsive to culture and the needs of students - governing board should continue to ask the question does the curriculum provide a rich and engaging learning experience.

Contingency plans for outbreaks – The guidance contains specific advice for putting in place plans in the event of a local outbreak. The DfE will be involved in local discussions in the event localised community spread, and will provide support in such an event. The guidance states remotes education plans should be in place for individuals or groups of self-isolating pupils, which should meet current expectations for pupils not yet back to school. Localised spread may result in the LA or PHE health protection team advising schools to close, in which case, schools will be expected to immediately have a plan for remote education to continue, with schools expected to build on recent experience and improve the quality of their existing offer by the end of September. Governing boards should seek assurances from executive leaders that this is the case, and question how recent experience is being reviewed and how the remoted education offer can be improved further.

Accountability, data and exams – the school performance tables remain suspended and no school will be judged on 2020 exams and assessments. However the DfE have confirmed within the guidance that they need to be able to assess the impact of Covid 19 on pupils, are will therefore continue with plans to conduct statutory primary assessment in the summer of 2021. Meanwhile, GCSE’s and A levels will also take place in summer 2021, but “with adaptions” which seek to free up teaching time. Ofqual will be launching a consultation to tie in with these potential adaptions. Despite calculated grades being used for exams missed in 2020, students will be offered the opportunity to sit exams in the autumn term. Of course this will present a number of key considerations for governing boards, not least as they consider the huge amount of disruption to learning that pupils have faced, and how ready pupils will actually be to face exams in 2021. The start of the exam season may be moved to June, increasing teaching time, but this in reality does not compensate for the amount of teaching time lost, and governing boards will therefore need to ask leaders what other options there are to equip students ahead of examinations next year, especially as the likelihood of more disruption in the autumn remains a prevalent threat.

Ofsted – The guidance states the intention is for routine inspection to resume from January 2021, meaning inspections will remain suspended during the autumn term. Instead, inspectors will be visiting a sample of schools, through a one day visit, to “discuss how they are managing return to education. These will be collaborative discussions, taking into account the curriculum and remote education expectations. While the visits will not result in formal judgements, “a brief letter” will be published following the visit, although at this stage it is not clear exactly what will be included, and how schools will be held to account with what the letter includes. There are some key questions that have emerged as a result of this announcement, including how schools will be selected for these visits, and exactly how the information gathered will be used, although the guidance does make it clear that “insights that inspectors gather will also be aggregated nationally to share learning with the sector, the government and the wider public”.

NGA has already shared its view on the matter of resuming inspection, in episode two of our new Governing Chatters podcast series – Examining the new Ofsted inspection framework. If you haven’t yet had a chance to listen, you can access it here, Sam Henson, NGA’s Director of Policy and Information explains why NGA thinks Ofsted should not resume inspecting schools until January 2021 at the earliest.

Comment from the Chief Executive Emma Knights:

We absolutely agree with the Government’s ambition that “education is not optional: all pupils receive a high-quality education that promotes their development and prepares them for the opportunities, responsibilities and experiences of later life.” I imagine that all of you do too and that is why you volunteer. The long awaited guidance published yesterday should help your schools finalise options for bringing all pupils back to school full-time in September. There will be a lot more work, especially for school leaders, in translating this guidance into practical plans, but at least the parameters have been narrowed. You will need at least a plan B to deal with a potential local outbreak or lockdown as we have seen this week in Leicester. You will of course not be able to explain to parents the full arrangements for September until the public health situation regarding the spread of COVID-19 is known in late August, but there is sufficient to explain that almost all pupils will be expected to attend school. The shielding rules are being changed (a more detailed guidance from public health will be forthcoming on this) which will also enable more staff to be back in school too.

We continue to be involved in discussions both bi-laterally and in DfE stakeholder groups, bringing our own expert feedback and representing the concerns and questions of our members. These continue, as does the dialogue with Ofsted. We have expressed some concerns about the proposed Ofsted visits next term and we are awaiting further details.

Over the coming week we will be updating our own guidance and adding to our FAQs, and if you have further questions you would like us to cover or comments to raise with the DfE, please send them to GOLD@nga.org.uk Thank you for all your engagement with us, and for what you are going to support your schools and your leaders in order to provide an education to our children and young people.

NGA continues to produce up to date COVID-19 specific guidance in our knowledge centre, including guidance for governing boards on reducing the impact of school closures on disadvantaged pupils. Along with regularly updating our FAQs on coronavirus, NGA also continues to offer access to our GOLDline advice service for all governing boards on specific queries relating to coronavirus. To contact the GOLDline, please email gold@nga.org.uk or call 0121 237 3782.

Watch the NGA webinar on “planning for September and beyond – what governing boards need to know”.

https://www.nga.org.uk/News/Webinars.aspx

NGA is looking for a Professional Development Officer

We are currently looking for an organised and enthusiastic individual to join our growing team in Birmingham. With a large and growing membership base, NGA has a vacancy for a Professional Development Officer who provide logistical and administrative support for NGA’s Professional Development service.

The postholder will assist with coordinating the accurate and efficient delivery of our Leading Governance programmes designed to build strong governance across England’s state schools.

Strong personal, organisational and communication skills are all essential, as is attention to detail. The ideal candidate will need to demonstrate at least two years’ experience within an administrative role in the workplace.

To download the application form and job application pack, please visit nga.org.uk/workforus. The closing date for applications is 9.00am on Wednesday 22 July 2020. Interviews are due to be held on Wednesday 29/Thursday 30 July 2020 (please keep these dates available).

National Governance Association Weekly Newsletter 26/06/2020

Spotlight on disadvantage and catch up

Many schools across the country are seeking answers on how they should address the attainment gap and wider impact on disadvantaged pupils created by COVID-19. While we reported last week on the new £1billion catch up programme announced by the government, an increasing number of questions have emerged around how the funding can be used and where it is coming from.

The Secretary of State confirmed that the £650 million catch up funding for schools what we welcomed last week is for all pupils and not just those who are in receipt of pupil premium or otherwise disadvantaged. The DfE is expected to announce further information about this funding including how and when it will be distributed. NGA, and other key sector voices continue to ask for reassurance that schools will be given autonomy to decide how to spend these funds and are not simply expected to use it all for tutoring and small group work.

Concerns have been voiced by some headteachers that funds are not being recycled, calling for confirmation this is in fact new money, with it since being reported that the £55million catch-up grant for Yr7 students who start secondary school academically behind their peers has been scrapped.

A few details regarding the National Tutoring Programme (NTP) begin to emerge. The CEO of the Education Endowment Foundation, Professor Becky Francis has stated that schools “will be able to buy heavily-subsidised tutoring from an approved list of partners” while schools in the most disadvantaged areas “will be supported to employ trained graduates to provide intensive catch up support”. You can read more in the EEF blog.

Meanwhile, the Department for Education (DfE) has released what it describes as ‘ambitious’ plans to benefit disadvantaged children across England with healthy meals and enrichment activities across the summer. The scheme is funded through the £9 million Holiday Activities and Food programme, which will operate across 17 local authorities and support up to 50,000 children. The programme includes a variety of activities that will be delivered through virtual and direct means. This scheme, in conjunction with the Summer Food Fund, aims to provide extended support over the six-week summer holiday.

Comment from our chief executive Emma Knights

This has been another week in which there has been much speculation in the press and media more widely about what the forthcoming changes in the lockdown and social distancing will mean for schools. The Government’s ambition is for all children to return to school full-time from September. But unfortunately, there are not yet any other firm details I can share with you, although we are expecting amendments to the guidance to allow that to happen within a fortnight. Last week I wrote about the need to plan options for September, but now we know a little more about the versions of possible plans school leaders will need to be considering while confirmation is awaited:

For primary, increasing bubble sizes to 30 without any physical distance requirements
For secondary, increasing bubble sizes to a whole year group and reducing social distance requirement to 1m OR removal of the physical distance requirement

In all scenarios the protective measures such as handwashing, cleaning and removal with symptoms will need to continue, and there will need to be procedures in place in case of a COVID19 outbreak within the school or an increase of incidence in the local community. Provision of remote learning will still need to be made for those pupils who are not able to attend due to having to be isolated or shielding another member of their household. The shielding rules are also being changed so this should mean more pupils and more staff should also be able to return in September. If you have any questions about planning for September, please send them to GOLD@nga.org.uk; even if we cannot yet answer them, we can ask the DfE to include in its guidance.

It has been disappointing that after the needs of disadvantaged pupils were very much trailed in the press over the past month, they have not figured as much in the funding announcements made over the past ten days as we would have hoped. The nationally funded summer activity programme has not been increased to the extent we thought it might be; however we are aware that some schools and trusts will be working with local partners to provide activities or simply a site for activities to be provided by other agencies. We know that governing boards are keen to ensure school staff do have a summer holiday.

Black Lives Matter: NGA takes the issue of racial equality very seriously. Valuing the voices and contribution of all is one of NGA’s organisational values, but as a white-led organisation we seek to learn from the experiences of black, Asian and minority ethnic volunteers and amend our approach in the light of that. The Everyone on Board campaign was formally launched two years ago and we have been pleased right from the planning phases to have had the input and support of BAMEed. The faces of the campaign were of course themselves BAME and young.

We are continuing to seek advice as the campaign moves into its next phase, and if you are a BAME governor, trustee or clerk, please do contact Kirstie.ebbs@nga.org.uk and we would be thrilled to have you join our advisory group. Please do pass this invitation on to other members of your board who are BAME. Thank you.

Essential website maintenance is taking place on Sunday 5th July 2020

NGA will be carrying out essential work on our systems on Sunday 5th July 2020; we have chosen this day to minimise disruption to our members.

Between 9:00 am and 1:00 pm, NGA’s website will be taken down in order to carry out this work and members will be unable to view or log in to the website.

NGA recommends saving or downloading any information members may need from the website prior to this.

Members will still be able to log in to their Learning Link account during this time using the Learning Link log in.

We apologise for any inconvenience this work may cause and thank you for your patience in helping us to improve the service you receive.

National Governance Association Weekly Newsletter 19/06/2020

Updated NGA guidance on Governing in COVID-19 times: preparing for the next stages

NGA has updated its COVID-19 guidance for governing boards on business continuity with new content that looks forward to September when schools begin to gradually welcome back more pupils and governing boards will also be return to more normal business routines.

The guidance recognises that board’s cycle of meetings, reports, monitoring and decision making are informed by high level strategic priorities for the school/trust and for the time being at least, boards will also be maintaining a strategic overview of their school/trust plans for ensuring that as many pupils as possible can return safely from September based on the government advice, which may or may not allow for all pupils to return safely in September. It also considers the strategic planning governing boards and school leaders will be undertaking to ensure that COVID-19 does not create a damaging legacy for your school/trust vision

Governing boards should be considering how their annual schedule of business will work in practice, if the national guidance, which advises against the governing board meeting in person, remain in place beyond September. We anticipate that boards will continue to hold virtual meetings and mix them with face to face meetings to aid efficiency.

Comment from our Chief Executive Emma Knights

In the first two weeks of June the number of primary schools open rose to approximately two-thirds, but only about one-third of pupils invited in did actually attend. It therefore makes sense that there may well be space for some children from other years to be invited back in to fill those ‘bubbles’ that your school leaders assessed as being safe, and we are pleased that this week the DfE amended its guidance to allow that. However the scientific advice has not changed and therefore the DfE cannot and will not expect you to invite further primary children to attend school where this would involve amending the health and safety arrangements in a way which no longer complied with the DfE’s own guidance. I appreciate that there is a mounting campaign in the press to invite more children back, and that this speculation has confused some governors and trustees. It really is a case of not acting on what you read in newspapers or social media! It is not the defiance or recalcitrance of schools – teachers, leaders or governing boards – which is holding back the full return of pupils to school: it is simply impossible to do given the current DfE guidance in the light of the COVID pandemic. NGA is hugely frustrated by the amount of school that pupils are missing as I am sure all of you are too. I have just heard the good news that the national COVID alert level has been reduced from 4 to 3, and this might in due course lead to a change in DfE guidance. There is no need for your school leaders to amend your risk assessments until DfE guidance is amended. However what we do need to do now is to begin to plan for September, and I have blogged about that here.

NGA, ASCL and NAHT publish joint guidance on professional and organisational matters

Schools being closed to most pupils has caused significant disruption to the conduct of a wide range of professional and organisational matters within schools and trusts including performance management and appraisal, pay progression decisions, restructuring decisions, disciplinary and capability procedures. NGA, the Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL) and the National Association of Headteachers (NAHT) have provided joint guidance on the conduct of schools on professional matters in light of Covid-19. Underpinning it is an expectation that governing boards and school leaders will respond flexibly with care, due diligence and concern for the mental health and wellbeing of those working in schools.

National Governance Association Weekly Newsletter 12/06/2020

Further plans to return more pupils to school

As the Secretary of State for Education, Gavin Williamson MP announced this week that primary schools would no longer be expected to welcome all pupils back for a full month before the summer, more questions have emerged on how and when all school pupils in England will return to class.

Williamson has urged those primary schools with the capacity to bring back more pupils in those smaller class sizes to do so if they are able to before the summer holidays. The process for deciding whether schools should bring back more pupils will be the same as previously discussed by Emma Knights in her blog, ‘responsibility and decision making during COVID-19’.

Meanwhile the Prime Minister promised a “catch-up operation” stating in Wednesday’s coronavirus briefing that there would be a “huge amount of catch-up for pupils over the summer months” but giving no further details, which he said would instead be provided by the Secretary of State for Education next week.

The announcement came as the DfE release school attendance data of returns to 4 June from 18,500 schools and other educational settings, showing that as predicted by the BBC/NGA governors’ poll, 52 per cent of schools that provide for nursery, reception, year 1 or year 6 pupils opened to at least one of these year groups following the wider reopening of schools.

As England begins to see up to 25% of specific year groups in secondary schools return for face- to- face support with teachers from next Monday, remote learning remains the main format of education and there has been an increase in concern voiced on exactly when all secondary school pupils could expect to return to school. On Friday, the BBC reported concerns from school leaders that an adherence to the 2m social distancing rule could lead to a maximum of 50% of secondary school pupils returning to class at the start of September.

Comment from our CEO Emma Knights: I am pleased that the Government agreed with primary governors and trustees that it was not possible with current public health guidance for all pupils to return to school for a month before the school holidays. The risks can be reassessed as that public health information changes and public health guidance amended, but we are waiting for that to happen. I had hoped to write more about that this week, but we are expecting more guidance from the Government imminently and therefore I am delaying my comments to make sure it is in line with the latest advice on how schools/trusts need to use any conflicting scientific and medical advice.

Senior leaders with their governing boards’ support need to begin planning for September, but this is difficult while the limitations on group sizes and social distancing remain as they are today. You may however need to look at scenario planning and not rule out the possibility of blended learning - some remote digital learning and some school attendance - continuing until into September.

You will also want to ask about the summer holiday provision available to the pupils of your school/trust. We are pleased to hear that there will shortly be an announcement on catch-up tuition, but there is also the separate issue of holiday clubs and activities. The term ‘summer school’ is not a helpful one and we understand school staff need their summer holiday; holiday clubs provide a different function to term-time school and are not provided by school staff. We have asked the Government to acknowledge families’ need for holiday clubs and to provide some funding to help that happen this summer. We await an announcement of cross-departmental discussion on this, but time is fast running out. There may already been some local planning happening.

Spotlight on Disadvantage - Education Secretary speaks at the House of Commons

This week the Education Secretary, Gavin Williamson, addressed the House of Commons and was specifically questioned on plans to introduce catch-up provisions for pupils over the summer, Mr. Williamson spoke of the importance of considering the longer- term plans for pupils to catch up rather than just focusing on the summer period. However, during the daily government briefing on Wednesday, the Prime Minister stated that plans will be set out next week for pupils to catch up over the summer months.

While the Education Secretary highlighted the success of online platforms such as the Oak National Academy, which has now streamed around 10 million lessons so far, MPs continued to question Williamson on why there are still many students that have not been provided with devices to be able to learn from home. Those who were considered most at disadvantaged and vulnerable were prioritised but more devices are on schedule to be delivered by the end of this month, delivering a total of 350,000 devices.

Free school meals were also in the line of questioning with growing concerns that the free school meals programme would not be provided over the summer period, leaving many without access to food. The Education Secretary stated that the free school meal scheme does not usually run over the summer period and an extra £6.5bn has been invested to support those in need.

Despite the best efforts of schools to provide continuity of education for all pupils during lockdown, there is no doubt that disadvantaged pupils and their families will have experienced greater challenges than most of their peers. These complex issues require leadership and governance decision-making to support schools to close the attainment gap, and to provide access to the pastoral and mental health support needed by pupils who have suffered neglect, abuse, anxiety or bereavement during the pandemic. It is important governing boards target a two fold approach to disadvantage; to ramp up the strategic conversation and approach at board level to to challenge disadvantage generally, while working with executive leaders to address the impact of lockdown itself.

NGA’s latest COVID-19 information briefing published last week sets out the strategic approach governing boards can take to reduce educational disadvantage caused by COVID-19, while our webinar on 'Disadvantage - considerations for the boards response to a widened attainment gap' is available to watch online. In our most recent issue of Governing Matters, Director of Policy and Information, Sam Henson, discusses 'Closing the gap – addressing the attainment gap created by COVID -19'

Learning Link user survey 2020

The 2020 Learning Link survey is now live. If you are a Learning Link user, please spend a few minutes answering some short questions about your experience with the platform. Your responses will be used to help us improve the service and develop new content.

Take the survey here. It should take no more than 15 minutes to complete and will be open until 11:59pm on 6 July.

If you don’t already have a Learning Link subscription, and would like to find out more about how e-learning can support your governing board, why not sign up for a free trial to explore the platform and get a preview of five modules.

National Governance Association Weekly Newsletter 05/06/2020

BBC questionnaire provides snapshot of primary school governors on further reopening of schools

This week many children returned to primary schools across England following the prime minister’s announcement stating that pupils in Reception, Year 1 and Year 6 could be invited back from 1 June. Last Sunday the BBC published the results of the questionnaire completed by primary school NGA members which covered the feasibility and timing of reopening to pupils in early years, reception, year one and year six from 1 June. About half of schools responding were opening to more pupils on 1 June and just over a third were inviting all the eligible children back full-time. The majority of schools were planning to use a rota system of some sort to allow for part-week returns for children, quite often with a deep clean between groups on a Wednesday or a Friday. Fewer than a hundred schools has chosen a week on, week off rota. The proportion of children invited back who were expected to arrive varied considerably from under 10% to over half. Thanks again to those 2,350 primary school governors who responded to the snapshot questionnaire from the BBC

NGA has urged the government to review and drop its ambition to have all primary children return to school for a month before the summer holidays, stating in a letter to the Secretary of State ‘it is not practically possible to achieve this return in most schools’. In the snapshot poll around 3 in 4 primary governors said that it is unlikely that all pupils will be able to return at all before the summer. The full news story is available here

Meanwhile, an NEU survey found that 44 per cent of primary schools did not open more widely on 1 June, compared to 35 per cent which opened to all year groups requested by the prime minister, and 21 per cent who extended re-opening, but not to the extent requested. While a TeacherTapp survey found just over 50 per cent of primary schools have opened to more year groups by the end of this week, with a further 28 per cent starting re-opening next week, meaning over 80 per cent of primaries will have re-opened to some extent by next week.

Comment from our chief executive Emma Knights: the BBC news story about the difficulties of primary schools opening fully for a month was picked up by the broadsheets and we heard that this ambition is now under review. We are advising governing boards not to plan for this contingency at this point; school leaders and governing boards need to continue to use the current Department for Education (DfE) guidance which allows a maximum of 15 children within a classroom. It would require a substantial change in the scientific and medical advice on COVID19 and a significant drop in the cases of inflection to enable amendment to that guidance which would allow all pupils back into the buildings at one time.

Although I have not had a response to our letter from the Secretary of State for Education, Gavin Williamson MP has for the first time written to governors and trustees thanking you for your contribution on the publication of the long awaited DfE guidance for governing boards.

We are disappointed that the Government communications for the secondary school invitation to some pupils in Y10 and Y12 discussed in last week’s newsletter to attend from 15 June continue to suggest more young people will be returning than is possible within the DfE guidance and the 25% cap. Please test those risk assessments carefully, ensuring transport is covered and that remote education remains the main offer for all.

Other suggestions are being made that every pupil could perhaps be invited back for a few days before the summer holidays in a staggered way, so that the number in school on any one day was safe. This option merits discussion with your senior leaders who may well have been considering this with their professional associations, ASCL and NAHT. Lastly senior leaders will already be thinking of plans for September, and governing boards will be sounded out on the range of options. It is difficult to prepare fully now as so much is unknown about the risks that will remain and how much recovery from COVID19 will be necessary. However we cannot expect that the routine will have returned to the old normal even then.

To support those governing, NGA has published an information sheet on re-opening and a webinar outlining the role of governing boards. We are interested to know what information would be useful from NGA to help with this next stage of planning: please continue to contact our GOLDline.

Ofsted ratings and pupil educational achievement

A study conducted by the University of York has found that school’s Ofsted ratings “account for less than one percent of the differences in students’ educational achievement”. The study also identified that Ofsted ratings had minimal bearing on student wellbeing at a school. Students attending lower rated schools reported ‘similar levels’ of happiness, bullying and satisfaction with the schools than schools with an ‘outstanding’ rating.

The Education Inspection Framework revised from September 2019 pledged to be more focused towards parents, making inspection reports clearer and helpful to ‘inform choices about children’s future education’. However, the findings from The University of York have called into question how useful Ofsted ratings are as a guide for parents who are looking to make informed choices for their secondary school choices.

In a report released in March, NGA has analysed the inspection framework and the usefulness of the inspection reports in relation to effective governance and the school’s improvement strategy. NGA’s recommendations ask “for a return to a more informative format” which includes information for those responsible for school improvement.

National Governance Association Weekly Newsletter 29/05/2020

Government confirms plans to reopen schools to more pupils will go ahead

Following the formal review of lockdown measures yesterday (Thursday 28 May), the government has confirmed that its five tests have been met, and therefore:

it intends to go ahead with a phased reopening of schools beginning with early years settings, reception, Year 1 and Year 6 in primary schools as planned from 1 June, and then
from 15 June, secondary schools are able to provide some face-to-face contact for some Year 10 and Year 12 students

The Department for Education (DfE) guidance for secondary schools was published on Bank Holiday Monday 25 May and confirms that from 15 June schools are able to have up to 25 per cent of Years 10 and 12 in school at any one time. This 25 per cent includes vulnerable children and children of critical workers in those year groups, who are still encouraged to attend full-time. Remote education will remain the predominant mode of education during this term for pupils in these year groups and should be of “high quality”. It is up to schools to decide how they want to use face-to-face support in the best interests of their pupils e.g. additional pastoral support, academic support, practical support, or a combination of these. The guidance confirms that schools can focus support on pupils with most need: “There may be some pupils who would particularly benefit from more face-to-face support, such as disadvantaged pupils or pupils who have not been engaging in remote education.”

The planning guide for primary schools was also updated on the 25 May.

An addendum has been made to the NGA information briefing on the safe reopening of schools to acknowledge the DfE guidance. NGA’s FAQs on coronavirus have also been updated this week to include information on whether schools should share their risk assessment, how individual characteristics should be considered in the risk assessment and a reminder of the funding available for schools for costs incurred as a result of COVID-19.

These answers provide broad guidance rather than legal or procedural advice. For specific queries relating to your board’s own circumstances, please contact the GOLDline by emailing gold@nga.org.uk or calling 0121 237 3782.

Message from our chief executive, Emma Knights:

I would like to thank all the trustees and governors who have taken so much care in supporting senior leaders and testing their risk assessments and plans to mitigate those risks. All the contact NGA has had with you over the past weeks has confirmed just how conscientiously governing boards are taking their responsibilities. This is a good thing you are doing in these anxious times.

We know primary schools are taking different approaches next week, and that is right in the context of the buildings and the communities. Many of you will have heard the Chief Medical Officer and the Chief Scientific Officer at the Number Ten briefing yesterday afternoon expressing the need for caution in the way the lockdown measures are being eased, and their continued and strenuous emphasis on the protective measures set out in the DfE guidance:

avoiding contact with anyone with symptoms
frequent hand cleaning and good hygiene practices
regular cleaning of settings
minimising contact and mixing

There has been so much guidance coming from the DfE that is easy to forget the centrality of these four bullet points in providing the safest environment possible and that the Government is not expecting small children always to be 2m apart: “We know that, unlike older children and adults, early years and primary age children cannot be expected to remain 2 metres apart from each other and staff. In deciding to bring more children back to early years and schools, we are taking this into account….It is still important to reduce contact between people as much as possible, and we can achieve that and reduce transmission risk by ensuring children, young people and staff where possible, only mix in a small, consistent group and that small group stays away from other people and groups”. Although the guidance mentions a maximum of 15 pupils in groups, we are aware that due to their classroom constraints some schools are limiting those groups, sometimes being called ‘bubbles’ to as few as six pupils in primary schools. It is up to school leaders to apply this guidance to their own buildings, staff group and communities.

In carrying out their risk assessments, senior leaders should have considered the availability of their staff, and relevant additional risk factors, and discussed these with the governing board. One of those risk factors is ethnicity, and BAMEEd network has published guidance for BAME staff and their employers. You will probably be aware that men also seem to be more affected by COVID-19 than women, and that the scientific and medical advisers have stressed that greatest risk factor is increasing age.

Travel to school can pose a greater risk for secondary school pupils and transport should feature in risk assessments. The official communications have perhaps not focussed sufficiently on the limited further openings for secondary school pupils: remote education remains the main mode of delivery, including for Y10 and Y12, with the use of face-to-face support where there is most need for support. We are interested to know whether your disadvantaged pupils have begun to receive the government funded laptops/devices as there appears to be delays on delivering these. Conversations of secondary school governing boards will be different from the ones which primary schools have been having, with even more emphasis on ensuring the remote offer is as good as it can be and how limited face-to-face support will be best targeted, while bearing in mind the need to minimise mixing of groups and the number of contacts each young person and teacher has.

School leaders will of course be updating the risk assessments over the coming weeks, continuing to consult governing boards. However unless there is a very significant change in the medical/scientific advice very soon which seems highly unlikely, the government’s ambition of all primary pupils returning to school for a month before the summer holidays will not be possible. I have written to the Secretary of State asking him to acknowledge this.

To finish, many thanks to those of you who have taken the time to complete a number of different surveys. We have had more responses to our Annual Governance Survey this year than ever before, and that provides us with a host of information which will be well used. We have also had an excellent response to the joint research with Ofsted and the BBC request to hear from primary governors. We expect there to be coverage of those responses very shortly.

Nick Gibb addresses concerns of the Education Select Committee

Schools minister, Nick Gibb, spoke on Wednesday to the Education Select Committee regarding the safe reopening of schools and the support that the DfE are providing to aid the closing of the attainment gap which many have speculated will widen significantly as a result of COVID-19.

Throughout the meeting, Nick Gibb affirmed that certain government decisions and steps are made on the basis of “what the science tells us”. In order to maintain safety for all those returning to schools, year groups need to follow the measures set out in guidance, such as limiting classes to 15 pupils and maintaining respiratory hygiene.

The schools minister reiterated the importance for children to return to school as they should have the “best approach to education”. The DfE will work closely with schools and local councils that are “reluctant to reopen schools”. The tracking and tracing method in schools enables pupils to self- isolate accordingly and localised issues will be easier to address.

Concerns relating to dissatisfaction of results were acknowledged; the agreed method of awarding grades prevents the delay of exams by a year. Ofqual’s consultation found that all grades had to be approved by the headteacher, who is still accountable for ensuring that grades are accurately awarded.

The schools minister also highlighted the impact of the investment in technology, online resources, and continual guidance to the well- being of pupils, noting that the Oak National Academy had over 8 million views on their resources to date. A SchoolsWeek article outlines other topics discussed in the committee meeting.

National Governance Association Weekly Newsletter 22/05/2020

Education Secretary gives statement on the phased return of schools in government daily briefing

Last Saturday, Gavin Williamson, the secretary of state for education, delivered the government’s daily briefing on coronavirus and spoke on the government’s plans for how pupils can return to school safely. The briefing acknowledged those “who have been going above and beyond the call of duty to care for smaller groups of children […] as well as making sure there are resources available at home for children to learn” and outlined the first steps that are to be taken following almost eight weeks since schools and other educational settings were partially closed.

As we have reported in previous weeks, a “very limited return to schools for some pupils” will begin as early as June 1 2020 as pupils in Reception, Year 1, Year 6 and those in Year 10 and Year 12 will be allowed to return to school in smaller classes. The education secretary emphasised that these actions were of particular importance for vulnerable and disadvantaged young people and that these steps would provide pupils with more face-to-face time with teachers, and support pupils while recognising “there are children from difficult or very unhappy homes for whom school is their happiest place”.

Message from our chief executive Emma Knights: this week does seem like a long one. We have spent rather a lot of time explaining to journalists about who has to take what decision in the re-opening of schools, but we have also had a number of queries from trustees and governors concerned about who has liability for what. So I have written a blog which covers this in a bit more detail, but I am concerned that all those additional words risk losing the clarity of last week’s original synopsis! And our FAQs also cover the issue of personal liability. Your headteacher might have received a letter from staff unions reminding them of their employers’ health and safety responsibilities with a reference to ‘potential liability’. This has understandably caused some headteachers some anxiety and their own professional associations are ready and able to advise them: ASCL (Association of School and College Leaders) and NAHT (National association of head teachers).

It looks increasingly likely that the DfE’s governance guidance may not appear again this week, and I hope NGA’s has filled that gap. The SAGE papers I mentioned in last Friday’s newsletter have literally been published this afternoon . We haven’t yet had a chance to wade through, but while these will very much interest some of you, they are not obligatory reading: we will of course pull anything essential out of them for you early next week. Please enjoy the Bank Holiday.

NGA’s aim throughout this period has been of course to provide governing boards with information, advice and guidance, but also to keep a focus on the facts ‘the knowns’ while there are still so many unknowns. There has been much heat and speculation, which can confuse and distract from the difficult decisions which need taking. I am not going to repeat the content here of our latest information on testing the robustness of their headteacher/CEO’s risk assessment, but I would like to applaud the diligence of the work of school leaders being reported to us and also that of the governing boards considering their assessment and the operational solutions to mitigating the risks. I know you do not do this work for applause, but we are very conscious of the stress this has been for many of you. In a week when thank a teacher day lifted the spirits of the teaching workforce, I just want to note that your efforts do not go unnoticed by us here at GovernanceHQ, and I hope not within your community either.

It has also been mental health week and Madison Gough from our Policy and Information Team blogs here. Governing boards and school leaders will have been considering the welfare of all those concerned in their deliberations about re-opening, including the most vulnerable pupils and those with SEND. The care that is being taken is humbling. Thank you for what you are doing, and please keep those questions coming.

Final chance to fill in the annual school governance survey!

The annual school governance survey looks to capture a snapshot of governance in 2020 and asks for your opinions on key and current educational topics, including how your school or trust has responded to the COVID-19 crisis.

Click here to take part!

The survey will close on Tuesday 26 May at 5.00pm so if you would like to contribute your thoughts and experiences to this vital piece of research, please do so before this deadline.

NGA will use the results of the survey to raise your concerns with the officials and organisations who can effect change. We will also use the results to produce the best resources and tools to help and support governing boards in delivering excellent and effective governance, whether that be through our knowledge centre, training and development programmes or advice.

Thank you to all those who have filled in the survey so far and to those who have shared the survey with their networks, your time and thoughts are appreciated.

Click here to take part!

National Governance Association Weekly Newsletter 15/05/2020

NGA’s message regarding the safe reopening of schools

Responding to the government’s announcement that from the week commencing 1 June 2020 at the earliest, schools can begin to open safely for more pupils, NGA’s chief executive Emma Knights sent a message to governors and trustees which confirms to readers where responsibilities lie in relation to that safe phased reopening of schools. The message highlights the important role that governing boards have in supporting school leaders in their decision-making process that includes testing the robustness of risk assessments.

To give further clarity on matters arising from the announcement, we have created a frequently asked question (FAQ) section on our Knowledge Centre which will be updated on a regular basis. These answers provide broad guidance rather than legal or procedural advice. For specific queries relating to your board’s own circumstances, please contact the GOLDline by emailing gold@nga.org.uk or calling 0121 237 3782.

Message from our chief executive Emma Knights: Considerable speculation and anxiety continues this week, at least in part because the official information and guidance has not arrived as quickly as would have been helpful. Further to my email on Tuesday, I think is important to emphasise that decisions do not need to be rushed into and furthermore school leaders should be given the time that they require to assess confidently the risks to pupils, staff and the community. I was pleased to be part of the meeting trailed in this morning’s news where stakeholder organisations were able to listen to the Government medical and scientific advisers and to ask some questions of them. A summary of some of the relevant scientific information has been published this afternoon, which we wanted to include here and is why we are sending this newsletter a little later than usual. There was not enough time for all stakeholder questions to be covered, but the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (SAGE) papers relating to schools reopening will be published and we have all stressed the need for that to happen as quickly as possible.

Remember that the Government’s aim is for schools to begin opening further from 1 June and not on 1 June. We already know that not everyone will be ready to do so from 1 June; we also know the ask is very different for infants, primary, secondary and special phases. The Government’s ambition for all primary school children to return for a full month before the summer holidays seems highly unlikely for many, if not almost all schools. It is important to recognise that the Government guidance is just that, guidance, and although it mentions groups of 15 children, it may be your headteacher/trust executive assesses that your premises are not large enough to take that many children in a group safely in the first instance. That is a decision they are able to use their discretion to take. The assessment of risk will be need to constantly updated as circumstances change.

Have your say in the annual school governance survey

Last year’s school governance survey revealed the views, experiences, practice and demographics of almost 6,000 school governance volunteers across all school types, phases and regions across England and this year, we are on track for an even bigger response.

We want as many governors and trustees as possible to contribute their thoughts and share their experiences of governing. Whatever your role on the governing board, however long you’ve been involved in governance, we value the views and experience of all governors, trustees and local academy committee members in England. You do not need to be an NGA member to take part and we ask everyone to share the survey with their wider networks.

Thank you to all those who have filled in the survey so far and to those who have shared the survey with their networks, your time and thoughts are appreciated. If you haven’t but would still like to take part, please click here to complete the survey.

National Governance Association Weekly Newsletter 07/05/2020

Thoughts from across the sector on the potential re-opening of schools

The Department for Education (DfE) has been consulting with many sector bodies, including NGA, on the potential options for future partial school re-opening and how those might happen safely. We were asked to share concerns and questions that our members had. The leadership professional associations, Association for Schools and College Leaders (ASCL) and the National Association of Head Teachers (NAHT) have also been working closely together. ASCL published their findings here and National Association of Head Teachers’ were reported here. These show the variety of responses, and the wide range of concerns about the practicalities and logistics of any approach.

The National Education Union and Parentkind have written to the Secretary of State for Education, Gavin Williamson, expressing their concerns about re-opening schools too early and provide five key tests which form the criteria for the return of schools. Additionally, in a survey of over 250,000 parents across England, Wales and Northern Ireland, Parentkind found that 90% of parents do not want their children to return to school immediately after the government ends lockdown with the largest proportion (40%) saying that they only want their children to return to school once the government or school leaders determine it safe.

Message from our chief executive Emma Knights: Over the last week, there has been considerable speculation in the press about when and how schools will begin to reopen. This has not been helpful as the many rumours circulating have acted to raise the anxiety of many school staff and many parents about the safety, particularly in terms of catching COVID-19. After our call for members’ thoughts on the situation, many many questions were raised by those governing. I cannot sufficiently cover here the weight and richness of your responses, but the main bulk of concerns fell into one of these categories:

The need for clarity on the purpose of, and scientific evidence for, reopening schools;
Safety concerns for pupils and staff, including social distancing and shielding the vulnerable;
The well-being of all concerned on the return to school and those out-of-school, including deprived and vulnerable pupils;
Other support and extra provision which would be required (mental health, bereavement, SEND, catch-up sessions, wraparound childcare etc.);
Communication and dealing with parental concerns and choices about attendance;
Staffing rotas and what can be reasonably expected;
Curriculum delivery and alternative offer ie home-schooling/remote learning and
Financial support and funding implications

Any return to school will be phased and will not happen overnight; a number of weeks will be given for schools and trusts to plan after the government announcement is made. Local authorities (LAs) will also need to be involved in terms of related services, including transport. Pupils will need to attend in smaller groups. NGA has reported repeatedly to the DfE the very clear message we received from governors and trustees that the well-being of communities, pupils and their families has to be the driving force behind any re-opening plan, and that in order to support a plan to reopen further we, the governance community and the wider public, would need to understand the evidence behind the decision to be assured of its safety.

I can say no more at this juncture, but I am sure many of you will be watching the Prime Minister’s briefing on Sunday afternoon. NGA will continue to work with the DfE and others in the sector to ensure that all issues are raised, and that adequate support and guidance is available prior to any return to schools for pupils or staff.

Have your say in the annual school governance survey

We are at the half-way point of gathering responses to this year’s annual school governance survey. As always, this important piece of research looks to capture a snapshot of governance in 2020 and asks for your opinions on key and current educational topics, including how your school or trust has responded to the COVID-19 crisis.

We appreciate that this is no ordinary year and it was with careful consideration that we chose to run the survey as it allows us to continue to spot yearly trends and changes and still engage with the governance community during a period of lockdown, as outlined by NGA chief executive Emma Knights in a statement.

Thank you to all those who have filled in the survey so far and to those who have shared the survey with their networks, your time and thoughts are appreciated. If you haven’t but would still like to start part, please click here to contribute your voice to those governing across England.

The survey is due to close 26 May at 5.00pm.

National Governance Association Weekly Newsletter 01/05/2020

The Children’s Commissioner highlights profiles of child vulnerabilities

While lockdown has been implemented with the priority to protect all citizens from the harm of the coronavirus, Children’s Commissioner has published local area profiles of child vulnerability to help better identify vulnerable children. Commenting on her office’s most recent report We’re all in this together?, the Children’s Commissioner Anne Longfield says that many vulnerable children are currently being “exposed to a cocktail of secondary risks” such as “a lack of food in the house, sofa-surfing or cramped living conditions, neglect, or experiencing acute difficulties due to parental domestic violence, substance abuse and mental health problems”.

The report outlines the various profiles of child vulnerabilities and how life in lockdown can affect these groups of children in particular. Alongside the document is a spreadsheet which has an array of detail on each local authority’s ‘profile of vulnerability’ showing the estimated prevalence of underlying needs in an area to help councils better understand what groups of children at currently at risk and the number of these children in their area to establish need. There are also local area maps displaying the projected proportion of children in families at risk.

National Governance Association Weekly Newsletter 24/04/2020

Why sharing your view in the annual school governance survey is important

Earlier this week, we opened the annual school governance survey for responses. It’s open to all governors, trustees and local academy committee members. Regardless of your position on the board or how long you have been governing, your views and experiences are valued and welcomed.

Now in its 10^th year, the findings of the survey provide crucial insight and information for NGA, policymakers and education organisations about who governs, your views on education policy and the practice of governing boards.

With last year’s findings, we:

published a comprehensive report and shared and discussed these findings directly with representatives from the DfE and education sector organisations at our roundtable
secured national media coverage of your concerns around additional support for pupils
represented the view and experience of school governance volunteers in conversations with ministers, officials and representatives, and at events and roundtables
used your insights and views to underpin our work on funding, staffing, parental engagement, disadvantage, diversity and more
shared your collective view through our responses to key consultations and inquiries
further improved and tailored NGA’s guidance, advice, consultancy, and training to your needs

The more responses, the stronger the voice of governing boards in national education policy – don’t miss the chance to have your say!

You can take the survey at https://www.smartsurvey.co.uk/s/NGAsurveyn/ and help spread the word by sharing our Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn posts.

Thank you to those that have already responded and to everyone who has promoted the survey within their local area, networks or trust.

On NGA’s decision to carry out the survey this year, Emma Knights, chief executive of NGA said: “After careful consideration, we decided to go ahead with this year’s survey to capture the immediate views and experiences of those governing our schools in such an unusual and testing period. This survey – the only one of its kind in the education sector – gives us the opportunity to share your feelings and concerns directly with the government and policymakers, one of which will certainly be the impact of COVID-19 on your school or trust. This is the tenth consecutive year of the annual survey and its longevity adds to its weight as we can spot trends and changes, so we did not want to have a gap in 2020. Given the cancellation of our events it is especially important that we have this route of engaging with you and listening to what you need – and you may also welcome the distraction. I do understand that everyone has their own experience of the COVID period and there will be many different reactions to the survey – so of course please do only complete it if you are able to.”

DfE to temporarily halt ‘all but essential’ data collections

The coronavirus outbreak has led to much change in the education sector allowing education and care providers to focus on ensuring the well-being of students and staff. This week, DfE has stated that all but essential data collection is to be paused until the end of June 2020 to reduce the burden on educational and care settings.

The published guidance suggests that settings should cancel or pause data collection if they do not meet these five principles: they are not essential for understanding the current COVID-19 position, it’s not crucial for the running of education settings, to update guidance of business continuity, the information is already collected elsewhere and staff are likely to travel to collate the information.

The guidance lists the collections that are due to be cancelled for the academic year, paused and reviewed or to continue as normal. A decision on data collections or services which are not due to go live until later this year will be made in due course. Governing boards should seek to adapt to these arrangements when identifying what their school data means for future planning and data collection that either no longer needs to be submitted this year, is on hold or will continue.

National Governance Association Weekly Newsletter 17/04/2020

Entering the summer term: Welcome back from our chief executive

And what an unusual summer term it is. Like everyone else’s, our work plan for the term has had to change dramatically, with our focus remaining for now on supporting governing boards responding to the impact of COVID-19 on schools. We will continue to provide governing boards and clerks with the practical advice they need to continue with urgent business and to support their school as they begin to plan to reopen – however and whenever that is.

Information sheets in the pipeline include bereavement support, responsibilities as an employer and support for disadvantaged pupils. We remain in regular liaison with the Department for Education (DfE) as well as partners from across the education sector including Association for School and College Leaders, National Association for Headteachers, Institute for School Business Leadership, the Local Government Association, the Chartered College for Teaching, and the teaching unions (NEU and NASUWT) raising our own questions and those from boards, bringing the governance perspective to conversations and guidance issued. Do continue to share with us your questions and what further guidance would be useful. All members are welcome to use our GOLDline via gold@nga.org.uk or calling 0121 237 3782 to ask questions and give feedback on any issues you or your senior leaders are facing. If the advice team cannot answer your question immediately, they are able to obtain information from the DfE. The Department is fully aware of the ongoing issues with vouchers in lieu of free school meals and attempts are being made to rectify those.

You will know that we have had to cancel our extensive programme of member events including our hugely popular summer conference. I am delighted that instead we have successfully introduced a series of webinars, and as they have proved hugely popular, they will run once a week during COVID-19. We are attempting to increase the audience limit for them, but capacity is of course in high demand at present. You can of course view each of them after the event.

The last webinar on Virtual Governance: connecting with and recruiting volunteers was presented by Simon Richards, NGA’s Chairs Development Manager, and can be seen here. It offers tips on how to interview remotely as there are volunteers ready and waiting on Inspiring Governance to be contacted about filling vacancies. Some prospective volunteers will be pleased to hear from you while staying at home and considering what they may be able to do to support.

One part of NGA’s offer which is extremely well suited to remote governance is Learning Link, our e-learning platform for governing boards. For its third birthday, I have celebrated the development of Learning Link in this blog. Time, timeliness and cost make e-learning a great value, convenient option for governors, trustee and clerks staying at home, and of course a green one! Over 8,000 governing boards do subscribe: if you haven’t yet, please do have a look. If you are a subscriber already, but haven’t completed a module recently, please don’t forget it is there whenever you need to.

I welcome feedback and comment on any issues: emma.knights@nga.org.uk

National Governance Association Weekly Newsletter 03/04/2020

NGA at your service: a message from our chief executive

At this point in the term, I had intended to provide a potted summary of the work NGA staff had been involved with at national level, influencing current and future policy and provision. But given the extraordinary weeks we – and our schools – have just lived through, this seems a little like self-indulgence. Instead I want to say thank you for the support I am sure you have been showing to your school leaders while they had such enormous changes to implement in such anxious times.

ForumStrategy held on-line seminars for trusts in six regions last week and reported that a key theme which emerged from trust executives was for “Trust boards to be there for them, ready with support and guidance as necessary, but without adding to the immense pressure of the situation”. I know governing boards across the country will have been striving to get that balance right.

We have seen many messages of admiration from trustees and governors for the hard work that their school leaders and staff have been doing over the past few weeks, especially those providing the essential service to the children of key workers and vulnerable children. The NGA team and I are humbled by the heroic efforts which have been made by school staff, no doubt with your support and encouragement. Thank you all.

We decided to concentrate NGA’s contribution on providing governing boards with the bespoke information, advice and guidance you need to continue governing during the coronavirus. This puts our governance expertise to best use, leaving colleagues in other national organisations to concentrate on their specialist areas and local governance support services to concentrate on working with schools. Our coronavirus resources have been viewed over 46,000 times, but they might not have reached every school and trust, so please do share that link. We will continue to add to those as the situation evolves, just as we have today with the latest information sheet on safeguarding.

Suffice it to say that we have good links with relevant parts of the Department for Education and have been impressed by their efforts to communicate with all stakeholders; it has been a collaborative effort. Please do keep letting us have your thoughts and requests: we can pass them onto the DfE and if we can’t answer your questions, then we will know someone who can.

We wish all of our members a happy and safe Easter, with best wishes to those close to you.

As always, I can be contacted via emma.knights@nga.org.uk

Continuing governing board business webinar recording

Last Friday, 27 March, NGA held a webinar for members on the topic of continuing governing board business effectively and proportionately during the pandemic. You can view our latest guidance and the webinar in the knowledge centre.

To continue to support you in the coming weeks we are developing a full programme of webinars and podcasts that will explore our research on the new Ofsted inspection framework, the governance of SEND and the latest advice and guidance. If there is any particular subject you would like to see covered, please email Richard.crabb@nga.org.uk with suggestions

National Governance Association Weekly Newsletter 27/03/2020

Extra support for Inspiring Governance-placed volunteers

From 1 April 2020, volunteers appointed to your governing board through the Inspiring Governance recruitment service will benefit from additional support and expert guidance from NGA as part of the 12-month free support package.

Volunteers will now be able to access over 50 modules on NGA Learning Link where the most popular topics include key functions of the governing board, visits to schools, pupil premium and understanding school finance. These newly available modules cover a greater range of topics and are of varying lengths. Each appointed volunteer will also be able to book a free place at one of NGA’s annual regional conferences when they resume in the autumn term. This will apply to all new volunteers as well as volunteers currently receiving support.

All existing benefits will remain in place including a monthly ‘hot topics’ email especially for new governors and trustees, a complimentary copy of one of NGA’s induction guides and access to a dedicated email and telephone support service from a professional adviser to answer any queries new volunteers may have.

This support package is designed to complement the induction and ongoing face-to-face training provided by your board and provides the essential knowledge and skills that volunteers need to govern effectively.

Inspiring Governance is a Department for Education funded online service that connects volunteers who are interested in becoming governors and trustees with schools that need them. Governing boards can sign up to use the service by visiting www.inspiringgovernance.org/recruiting-governors.

National Governance Association Weekly Newsletter 20/03/2020

School closures and the coronavirus – information for governing boards

The latest information update for governing boards on the coronavirus covers the announcement by the government that all state schools will close to almost all pupils until further notice. The closure will take effect from the afternoon of Friday 20 March. Nurseries, private schools and sixth forms should also follow this guidance. The closure will apply to all children, except those of key workers and those who are “most vulnerable”, including those with social workers and education, health and care plans. The cabinet office has published a list of the key worker categories.

Schools and settings are being encouraged to stay open for this purpose throughout the Easter holidays.

Where schools and, in particular special schools, are unable to provide this reduced provision, local authorities will work with the DfE’s regional teams to ensure an alternative option is available.

Primary school assessments or secondary exams will not go ahead this summer and the government will not be publishing performance tables. The government will work with the sector and Ofqual to ensure children get the qualifications they need. The government will also give schools the flexibility to provide meals or vouchers to children who are eligible for free school meals and will launch a national voucher system “as soon as possible”.

This is an unprecedented and extremely difficult situation. It will lead to more questions than there are answers over the coming days and weeks. Those governing will want to support their schools the best way that they can at the same time as dealing with their own personal circumstances. They will also be considerate of the enormous task that staff have in ensuring continuity of education and making the reduced provision work on the ground.

As well as the immediate priorities for governing boards the information update covers the approach that should be taken towards maintain the urgent business of the governing board and dealing with time bound processes such as complaints and exclusions. It also refers to further support that NGA is planning, which includes guidance and a webinar on managing urgent business and making virtual meetings work.

NGA is on the phone, online and here for you!

NGA has made its GOLDline advice service provided to GOLD governing boards available to all governing boards that have questions relating to the information sheet. We will also be bringing you a series of both webinars and podcasts over the coming weeks and months. We will be sending an email round to all our members shortly to invite you to join our webinar next Friday on the practicalities of governing in these difficult times.

DfE announces further details on grades following exam cancellation

The Department for Education has confirmed that teachers will work with the exam regulator Ofqual and exam boards to provide grades to students whose exams have been cancelled this summer.

Exam boards will be asking teachers, who know their students well, to submit their judgement about the grade that they believe the student would have received, if exams had gone ahead. There will also be an option to sit an exam early in the next academic year for students who wish to. Ofqual will work to ensure that the grades awarded reflects students’ performance as fairly as possible, and will work with exam boards to ensure this is consistently applied for all students.

To produce the grades, teachers will consider a range of evidence and data including performance on mock exams and non-exam assessment – clear guidance on how to do this fairly and robustly will be provided to schools and colleges. The exam boards will then combine this information with other data, including prior attainment, and use this information to produce a calculated grade for each student. The aim is to provide these calculated grades to students before the end of July.

The DfE says its priority is to “ensure affected students can move on as planned to the next stage of their lives”.

More information is available here.

National Governance Association Weekly Newsletter 13/03/2020

DfE funded Development Programmes Leading Governance for Chairs, Clerks and Boards

Those interested in improving their leadership and governance knowledge and ability should secure their place on our DfE funded professional development programmes. By working in partnership with local authorities, we provide comprehensive country-wide courses for chairs, clerks and boards. The next 2020 start dates are coming up, so sign up today and begin your development journey.

Development for Chairs

This programme for chairs, vice chairs, committee chairs and future chairs provides opportunities for developing leadership skills and confident governance.

Cost: Two fully funded places - worth £1,000 in total – are available for the Development for Chairs programme for each governing board in England.

Next step: Find out more and book your place here.

Area	Deadline	Pre-work begins	First face-to-face session
Blackpool 1	7 April	March	7 May
Darlington 1	7 April	March	7 May
Lancashire 1	2 June	May	Late June -TBC
Norfolk 1	22 September	September	28 October
Solihull 2	5 May	April	22 June
Wakefield 1	12 April	April	28 May
Walthamstow 1	5 May	April	10 June

Development for Clerks

This ICSA accredited programme is designed for new and experienced clerks currently working in all school settings to develop the knowledge and skills required for high-quality clerking.

Cost: In most cases the DfE provides £350 of funding for each clerk, with only a £75 contribution required from the participant.

Next step: Book your place here.

Area	Deadline	Pre-work begins	First face-to-face session
Lancashire 1	26 May	May	6 July
Lincolnshire 3	17 March	March	22 April
Newcastle 2	7 July	June	23 September
Sheffield 2	5 May	April	6 June
Walthamstow 1	28 April	April	25 June

Development for Boards

To find out more about this bespoke programme, please click here.

Please see our FAQs to learn more about the funding criteria and what you need to have ready to book your place.

National Governance Association Weekly Newsletter 06/03/2020

NGA joins the calls for a for long-term funding plan for schools

Over three quarters of respondents to our annual governance survey said in 2019 that they could not manage funding pressures without any adverse impact on the quality of education provided to pupils in their school/trust.

NGA’s funding the future campaign was instrumental in the government accepting that schools need additional funding, which has led to a £7.1 billion increase being promised over the next three years, the first part of which will actually reach schools by April 2020. However it falls short of the estimate of the £12.6 billion that is needed to deliver a sustainable world class education for every child.

In advance of next week’s budget a broad coalition representing all those across the school sector and includes NGA, has written to the treasury welcoming the additional funding but calling for further investment to meet the growing demands and costs in schools and trusts. It also calls for a long-term funding plan, similar to that given to the NHS, along with:

An adequately funded National Funding Formulae that leaves no child disadvantaged and enables nurseries, schools and colleges to deliver a quality education
A sufficiently funded, national, High Needs Funding Formula that reflects the cost of provision identified to meet the needs of those with SEND
Increased funding for wraparound services for all children: social care and health, including mental health and emotional wellbeing.

We will continue to work with governing boards and the wider sector to ensure that education funding remains on the political agenda and that your voices are heard by politicians. Our renewed focus is on those areas that are under most pressure, specifically high needs, early years and 16-19 funding. We are also committed to supporting those who govern to make the most effective use of what we have and ensuring financial sustainability.

Professional clerking is one of NGA’s eight elements of effective governance. New research into clerks’ pay, conducted as part of NGA’s Clerking Matters campaign, has highlighted that too many clerks/governance professionals are being under-paid, including in some cases not being paid for all the hours they work.

While being clear that there are circumstances where a higher rate of pay is justified, the report points to an hourly rate equivalent of no less than between £12.85 per hour and £14.74 per hour (uplifted for London) as being proportionate and reasonable for fulfilling the duties set out in NGA’s model job descriptions for clerking maintained school governing boards and academy trust boards. NGA suggests all governing boards ensure they are paying at least this minimum rate.

As well as significant regional variations, the report reveals that, on average, those employing clerks underestimate the actual amount of work involved in providing professional governance support by approximately two hours per meeting, leading to significant shortfalls in pay. Those employing clerks/governance professionals should ensure that contractual arrangements cover the actual number of hours worked in order to deliver the full role. The report also emphasises the importance of clerks/governance professionals receiving an annual appraisal.

You can view the research in full on the NGA research page. We are now continuing this work by examining in detail the role of other governance professionals working in schools and trusts. If you have any comments, please contact Samuel.tranter@nga.org.uk

Ofsted consultation: Revision of post-inspection arrangements

Last week, Ofsted revealed plans to reconsider the process of complaints handling against school inspection judgements. Ofsted have since released their consultation to seek the views of education providers, with an aim to enhance Ofsted’s current arrangements to deal with any queries or concerns about an inspection, before it is finalised. To strengthen the complaints- handling arrangements, the consultation proposes to:

implement new and consistent post-inspection timelines that will apply across all inspection remits;
allow all inspected providers 5 working days to review their draft report and submit any comments about issues of factual accuracy and the inspection process for us to consider before we finalise the report;
consider and respond to formal complaints from inspected providers before we publish their inspection report, if these complaints are submitted promptly;
retain current arrangements for internal reviews into complaints handling, including the scrutiny panel.

The consultation is now open and closes on 31 March 2020 and the full findings will be published on 8 May 2020.

National Governance Association Weekly Newsletter 28/02/2020

Revised secondary IDSR released

Ofsted has released the secondary inspection data summary reports (IDSR) for 2019, which have revised updates on key stage 4 data, destinations and data for disadvantaged pupils. The service is linked through DfE’s Analyse School Performance (ASP) which you can access by logging in here to find Ofsted’s IDSR - make sure to access the latest version which is dated 25 February 2020. There will also be a full refresh of all IDSRs with full year absence data, which is scheduled to be released April 2020.

For guidance on how boards can best use ASP to self-evaluate a school’s performance, NGA members can visit the knowledge centre for guidance. Additionally, the Department for Education has a guide specifically for the IDSR available here.

National Governance Association Weekly Newsletter 14/02/2020

National Governance Association Weekly Newsletter 07/02/2020

Update from Emma Knights: influencing education policy

All of us at Governor HQ work hard to promote the interests of the school governance community and amplify the voice of those governing at a national level. We also bring governance expertise, evidence and perspective to many education policy discussions where it might otherwise be missing. This new monthly update is not just to keep members informed of topical issues but also to give you another opportunity to tell us what you know or would like to see.

Our relationship and regular dialogue with colleagues in the Department for Education (DfE) governance team helps ensure that the experiences and concerns of our members are reflected in a number of areas, such as the design of communications and guidance, system leadership, governor and trustee workload and governance in MATS. As a result of our relationship with the DfE they are attending our annual clerks conference on 2 March to gain valuable insight from those attending and discuss the support and professional development required in order to make clerking more consistently effective.

Last month I attended the launch of Ofsted’s annual report, where I not only heard with interest from HMCI Amanda Spielman about the activity of Ofsted over the past year and her current priorities, but also obtained a commitment from Ofsted to work with NGA on their research and review of the new education inspection framework. We continue to monitor governing boards’ experiences of inspection and will be publishing a report with recommendations for some change next month.

I am a member of the Department for Education’s headteacher standards review group which is doing what it says on the tin. As part of that work, NGA organised consultation groups with governors and trustees in London and Birmingham for the DfE to hear their views on the proposed changes, currently still confidential. This input will help shape the final version of the standards which will require Government ministers to sign off.

Steve Edmonds, our director of advice and guidance, participated in Education Support and National Association of Headteachers’ (NAHT’s) roundtable on managing the mental health and wellbeing of school leaders and staff during these compulsory changes. Governing boards will have an instrumental role to play in the new Relationships and Sex Education curriculum, especially in engaging with parents.

We have also responded to the consultation by the School Teachers' Review Body (STRB) on teacher and leaders pay. This year policy on remuneration is higher profile than ever. We expect most NGA members would welcome, as we did, the Government’s intention to increase teacher’s starting pay to £30,000 a year nationally by 2022, but might be wondering about affordability and the knock-on effect for more experienced teachers. The governing board’s role in overseeing the school/trust’s budget may be in sharp relief with the role as the employer of staff in many schools. We would very much welcome views on this; this is only the first step in a significant consultation process.

I was also pleased to represent the governance perspective in the Youth Sports Trust consultation about wellness in schools, and to attend a meeting of NAHT’s School Improvement Commission which is considering how schools can be best supported to improve.

If you have views on any of these issues, please email me at Emma.Knights@nga.org.uk

Places remaining at NGA Midlands regional conferences

The first regional conference of 2020 is fast approaching and there are a final few places available to members in the Midlands who want to join us in Nottingham on Saturday 29 February.

We are delighted to welcome Professor Toby Greany, Chair in Education at the University of Nottingham, who will be delivering our keynote presentation, and Katrina Gueli, Ofsted Regional Director for East Midlands.

Places are also available at our South East regional conference in Reading on Saturday 28 March, which will include a presentation given by Christopher Russell, Ofsted Regional Director for South East.

To secure one of the remaining places, please visit nga.org.uk/Events.

National Governance Association Weekly Newsletter 31/01/2020

NGA’s SEND advisory group

NGA will be hosting its termly Special Educational Needs and/or Disabilities (SEND) advisory group which is open to all NGA members that are interested in SEND governance on Wednesday 1 April 2020.

The SEND advisory group provides an opportunity for those governing to network and exchange information and good practice. It also provides a platform to discuss issues relating to special provision, how to meet the needs of pupils with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) and current policy in this area. NGA takes into account the views of the SEND advisory group when developing policy, guidance and responding to consultations that relate to SEND provision. We welcome suggestions for the agenda and discussion topics for the next meeting.

For more information or to book your place, please contact Adelaide Chitanda

National Governance Association Weekly Newsletter 24/01/2020

National Governance Association Weekly Newsletter 17/01/2020

Education secretary looking for more free schools outside of London and the South East

Free schools are set up by charities, universities, independent schools, community and faith groups, teachers, parents or businesses. The free school programme allows for the creation of new schools in England and has a significant impact on competition and educational provision in a local area. Multi academy trusts (MATs) have been amongst the most engaged in setting up free schools.

Concerns were raised this week that free schools are disproportionately situated in London and the South East. The secretary of state for education, Gavin Williamson, has called for more free schools to be “rolled-out, spread much more widely through the midlands, the north and the south west of England”. Schools Week has, however, suggested that expansion of the programme outside of the South East has been hindered by “other structural issues”. Of all free schools that have needed to close since the programme began, 87% were established outside London.

Those governing may be interested in the free school’s programme for a number of reasons, ranging from trustees of a MAT looking to set up their own free school, to others who are interested to know how the programme may affect provision in their area. More information can be found here.

National Governance Association Weekly Newsletter 10/01/2020

NGA spring events

Bookings are now open for our spring conferences. With an exciting line-up of speakers focusing on the challenges and opportunities for school governance at local and national levels.

Regional conferences

29 February – Midlands regional conference, Nottingham
21 March – London regional conference
28 March – South East regional conference, Reading

Clerks’ Conference

Places are booking up fast for the Clerks’ conference on the 2 March. To secure one of the remaining places visit nga.org.uk/Events.

Save the Date

Looking ahead to the summer term, we can now confirm the dates for our summer conferences.

NGA summer conference - 6 June, Manchester
SEND conference 4 July, Birmingham

Tuesday 22 September	4.00pm - 6.30pm	London/South East regional virtual conference
Tuesday 29 September	4.00pm - 6.30pm	Northern regional virtual conference
Tuesday 13 October	4.00pm - 6.30pm	South West/East of England regional virtual conference

Tuesday 22 September	4:00pm-6:30pm	Virtual regional conference: London/South East
Thursday 24 September	4:00pm-4.30pm	Webinar: Senior executive leader recruitment
Monday 28 September	4:00pm-6:30pm	Virtual regional conference: North East & North West
Tuesday 6 October	4:00pm-6:30pm	Virtual regional conference: South West & East of England

Who attends?	Who decides?	How to follow up:
Children and young people who have a social worker	The social worker can decide if they are at less risk at home or in their placement eg due to underlying health conditions.	Absenteeism to be followed up with the parent/carer and social worker/local authority where appropriate.
Children with an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHC)	A risk assessment can be conducted by the local authority to decide whether it is safe for them to attend.	Absenteeism to be followed up with parent/carer and social worker/local authority where appropriate.
Children and young people who are vulnerable	Educational settings can use their discretion to encourage the attendance of these children and young people if they (and others such as local authorities or the police) feel they would be safer attending.	Absenteeism to be followed up with parent/carer and other partners where appropriate.

North Lincolnshire Association of Governing Bodies (NLAGB)

End of year

Announcement of COVID-19 testing for secondary school staff and students in January

Further COVID-19 update

Resource management training webinars available to those governing

Flexible working guidance updated

Four new Learning Link modules released

DfE extend period product scheme for another year

Farewell to 2020: final podcast of 2020

NGA Knowledge Centre resources: 2020 highlights

Watch now: webinar on using ICFP to benefit your school or trust

Ofsted's final briefing notes find significant loss of learning

NGA is recruiting

COVID-19 update

One in four schools will not be able to meet COVID-19 costs, study reveals

Children's commissioner calls for billions to be invested to support vulnerable families

Ofsted release operational note for inspections from January 2021

Take part in the Talk/together survey

NGA's Visible Governance in Schools campaign to relaunch in January 2021

Sign up for the next Young Governors' Network event: influencing and persuading

New chair of NGA's board elected

Last few places for ICFP webinar

Build skilled, confident chairs, clerks and boards

COVID-19 update

NGA Chief Executive's annual address, NGA annual report and AGM

DfE school governance update

Ofsted reflect on the year and announce inspection plane for 2021

Government announce plans for examinations in 2021

NAO publishes investigation of free school meals voucher scheme

Share your governing board's experience: Private Finance Initiative (PFI)

NGA and BAMEed steering group on governance and race

Final webinar of 2020 - Book your place now

LGBT-inclusive training to fit your schedule

NGA is recruiting - Regional Leads

Annual Conference Seminars - available to watch

COVID-19 update

Government spending review

HR self-assessment tool

Annual Teacher Wellbeing Index published

Research shows that disadvantaged pupils have insufficient access to remote education

Environmental sustainability: New NGA guidance encourages whole school approach

Publication of new research aimed at benefitting young people with SEND

Ofqual release reports evaluating summer 2020 qualification results

Calling all clerks - looking for funded CPD* and an accredited Level 3 qualification in clerking?

Community MATs Network meeting

99% of users would recommend our new Learning Link modules

Free webcast - #DiverseGovernance tips for recruitment

COVID-19 update

Covid-19 recovery: Monitoring priorities and board reporting

Spotlight on Disadvantage

Fair Education Alliance hosts virtual annual summit

NGA's MAT network is back!

Trust mergers - free webinar and Governing Matters article

Seven days left to vote on AGM resolutions

Leading Governance: final spaces available - book your place today!

Education Secretary announces plans to review current university admissions system

Book your place on next webinar: Using ICFP to achieve your vision

NGA Membership Survey closes Monday 16 November 12pm

Check out NGA’s latest blog!

COVID-19 update

Managing COVID-19 costs

Government announces winter support package for children and families

Does your school or trust need more money?

Academy trusts could face tougher finance checks

Ofsted release second briefing note on findings from interim visits

Questions continue regarding pathway for 2021 exams

An invitation to attend NGA’s 2020 Annual Conference Seminars

Clerks’ network

NGA’s SEND Advisory Group

Embrace arts and creativity for pupil and staff wellbeing

New blog: Supporting military children in school

New issue of Governing Matters out now

Your chance to vote on the AGM resolutions

Pre-AGM question and answer now on our website

DfE publish guidance for education settings on new COVID-19 national restrictions

COVID-19 – Governing board meetings

New NGA guidance on virtual governance

NGA is recruiting - Clerking Development Manager

NGA events: AGM and Annual Address 2020

Book your place at our Annual Conference Seminars