North Lincolnshire Association of Governing Bodies (NLAGB)

COVID-19: Sir Kevan Collins on catch-up premium

During the Education Select Committee held this week, Schools Minister, Nick Gibb acknowledged that children’s mental health and wellbeing should be addressed as part of the catch-up package, and stated   decisions made on how to strategise the spending would be guided by recently appointed Education Recovery Commissioner, Sir Kevan Collins.

Speaking to Schools Week, Sir Kevan said that an extension to the school day through virtual classes may be part of the answer, as well as the potential for summer school to address students’ lost learning.

Sir Kevan issued a call “to break out of a slightly old fashioned view”  and look increasingly to more ‘innovative” ways forward, guided by ‘strong evidence”.  He added catch up decisions should be “locally led” with a focus on professional development to allow for high-quality delivery of services and education.

There is a range of information and guidance on how best to support your pupils’ learning during school closures available in our COVID-19 hub. If you would like to raise an issue, or provide feedback about COVID-19 issues affecting your school or trust, then you can do so by emailing covidfeedback@nga.org.uk.

COVID-19: Research reveals wide scale impact on pupils across England

Research conducted by ImpactEd reports on the experiences of more than 62,000 pupils in England over an eight-month period during COVID-19. The research found five key findings:

1. During the first period of remote teaching, pupil wellbeing was stable.
2. Challenges with remote learning were felt more strongly by pupils from disadvantaged backgrounds.
3. Pupils in year 10 and 11 experienced the greatest challenges with motivation for learning.
4. Girls experienced greater anxiety about returning to school and while in school.
5. Children who struggled the most during lockdown were not always those previously identified as vulnerable.

This large-scale study highlights key issues that teachers and school leaders have faced  and aims to be used as wider post-crisis analysis to recover from and move beyond the pandemic.

If you are a parent with school-aged children,  the Child Poverty Action Group would like to hear about your experiences in a new survey asking families and pupils about their experience of this academic year as part of their Cost of the School Day project.

DfE guidance on exams to improve 2020 grades

The Joint Council for Qualifications has published results for all the remaining GCSE exams taken in  autumn 2020 which found that 60% of students who entered improved their summer 2020 grade compared with their centre assessment grades.

The DfE has released guidance detailing the responsibility that schools and colleges have for exams from January 2021 including students from the 2020 exam series who wish to improve their grades. In most cases, students opted to use the grades they received in the summer to move on to their next step, but there was also an opportunity for students to sit exams in  autumn 2020.

Schools are expected to pay the exam fees for students who should be entered as soon as possible so that they can be assigned an exam centre. The guidance relates to all schools and colleges  approved to deliver GCSE, AS/A level and VTQ exams and assessments and should be read along the wider guidance provided on the DfE website.

New teaching school hubs announced

The DfE has announced plans that every school in the country will have access to expert teacher training and development through Teaching School Hubs. The teaching workforce will get best-practice advice on how best to engage pupils, lesson planning and classroom management. The hubs are built around some of the best schools and trusts, coming from £65 million of new funding, set to run for an initial three years.

Richard Gill, Teaching School Council Chair, said the work of the teaching school hubs will “form a national network of excellence in teacher training and development”.

81 new teaching school hubs will join the existing  six ‘test and learn’ hubs across England.  The hubs will be operational  from September 2021 with each hub’s  own geographical patch serving around 250 schools each. 

New NGA webinar - Boards and clerks working together

NGA’s latest webinar, Boards and Clerks working together is now open for bookings.
Join Steve Edmonds, NGA’s Director of Advice and Guidance, on Thursday 25 February at 4.30pm - 5pm, for an overview of how governing boards and clerks and governance professionals develop strong and effective working relationships which strengthen governance.

The webinar will consider how the role of clerks and governance professionals is evolving in schools and trusts and will focus on:

• Why clerking always matters;
• How the board challenges and supports their clerk/governance professional to succeed;
• How those in the clerk/governance professional role can ensure their role is understood and appreciated;
• Effective working relationships and building a good rapport.

You can book your place on the NGA website here.

Using the Framework for Ethical Leadership

In our latest episode of Governing Chatters we are delighted to be joined by some of the key figures involved in the development of the Framework for Ethical Leadership and NGA’s pathfinder project.

Following the two-year report of the pathfinders Nina Sharma, NGA’s policy and information officer, is joined by Carolyn Roberts the former chair of the Ethical Leadership Commission and three of the pathfinders to discuss how the framework has been used in practice in schools and trusts. Listen to the podcast.

Seventeen national organisations have adopted the framework and our chief executive Emma Knights has blogged on the learning from the pathfinders.

The resources to start you thinking about working with the values and virtues of the framework are now available to on our website.

Make governance more visible by taking one small action

As part of our Visible Governance in Schools campaign, we have created a list of practical things you can do at home, at work and in your school or trust to help raise the visibility of governance. By taking one small action, we can help more people understand the role and the difference it can make in improving the lives of children and young people.

Find the full list of actions on our Visible Governance action page along with key resources and more information about how you can get involved with the campaign.

Share your activity and photos with us using #VisibleGovernance on twitter and you can also find us on Facebook and LinkedIn, or email us at visible@nga.org.uk.

Outstanding governance in a multi academy trust award - enter your board now

If your multi academy trust board has created positive outcomes though effective governance and outstanding strategic leadership, we want to hear from you. By entering the Outstanding Governance Awards, you can share your achievements and gain recognition for good practice and success.

Boards can nominate themselves or be nominated by a third party. We encourage academy committees, also known as local governing boards, who are proud of governing in a MAT to nominate their trust board.

Find out more about the category and our other five categories on the Outstanding Governance Awards page. The deadline for entries is 26 April 2021.

COVID-19 - Key sector voices joint response to 2021 exams alternatives

NGA has joined other prominent sector voices including the headteacher unions ASCL and NAHT in supporting a joint statement on principles for this summer’s qualifications. The document sets out the core principles and processes that the organisations agree should underpin the awarding of grades this summer. See NGA’s Latest News for more.

Children's mental health week

Published last Friday, ahead of Children’s Mental Health Week 2021 (1 – 5 February), research by Parentkind found that parents are increasingly concerned about their child’s mental health and wellbeing. Of the parents polled, the concern was especially high for parents of secondary school children, who were also more likely to report anxiety regarding alternative arrangements for exams.

Meanwhile, on Wednesday, the Prime Minister appointed Dr Alex George as Youth Mental Health Ambassador who will be working within the DfE to provide advice and raise the profile of mental health education and wellbeing in schools.

DfE has guidance for subject leads to be used for training teachers on how to deliver mental wellbeing, which has been a statutory part of the curriculum since September 2020. The training may also be used by staff who are currently working with pupils, to support their pupils to maintain good mental health and address issues before they escalate, particularly given the impact of COVID-19.

Governing boards play an important role in promoting good pupil mental health and wellbeing. Visit our Knowledge Centre for information on promoting positive mental health, considering emotional wellbeing, and dealing with bereavement. 

COVID-19 - Research finds pupils with SEND have experienced profound disruption

Recently published research emphasises the emerging negative impact that pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) have experienced during COVID-19 due to the difficulties faced in providing in school or at home provision and support. The research suggests that national education policy has “shown little understanding or regard” for pupils with SEND during the pandemic, and that currently special schools in particular are being “asked to provide the impossible”.

For information and guidance on governing during the pandemic, including monitoring priorities and remote education, please refer to our COVID-19 information page. Additionally, for information on the governing board’s role concerning pupils with SEND please refer to the recently updated SEND guidance. 

Ofsted pauses early years assurance visits

Ofsted has been conducting remote inspections of schools and further education providers since 25 January, but has now announced that it is not possible to provide the necessary level of assurance of early years providers without an on-site inspection of the premises. Therefore, early years assurance visits will be paused until 8 March at the earliest.

Ofsted’s vital regulatory work in early years and children’s social care will continue depending on risk assessments and urgency of the work. NGA has updated its guidance on Ofsted’s remote inspections and guidance on the expectations of remote education and the importance of governing boards scrutinising their school strategy and plans.

NGA would like to hear from members who have experienced recent monitoring inspections on your experience and specifically any engagement between the governing board and inspectors. Please email your feedback to nina.sharma@nga.org.uk

Learning in lockdown - making a virtue out of virtual to support governance development

Our experience over the last year has proved that it’s possible to deliver engaging and practical face-to-face learning and consultancy support via Zoom. An experience which includes meeting face-to-face but with other benefits.  At NGA, we call it virtual face-to-face. 

It’s a real time, live format that works with individuals and small groups using a range of functions for everyone to see and talk to each other, sharing concerns, discussing challenges and finding solutions in pairs or groups.

Instead of the cost and inconvenience of travelling, participants can simply log on at home. Participants can easily get together with peers across the country and this has huge advantages for organisations like MATs and LAs.

With the skill and enthusiasm of our consultants and partner organisations, we’ve delivered virtual face-to-face for Leading Governance programmes and hundreds of governors, trustees and clerks across our range of consultancy and training support. Virtual face-to-face is here to stay. Find the right training and development for you on our website.

COVID-19 - School attendance rises

DfE survey data reveals that school attendance last week rose to approximately 15%. Numbers of key worker children and numbers of vulnerable pupils attending have both increased, particularly in primary and special schools.

As unions continue to raise concerns about safety, governing boards should familiarise themselves with DfE guidance on restricting attendance during the national lockdown, while being mindful of the fact that there is no limit to numbers of these pupils who may attend, and the fact that schools should not attempt to limit attendance of these groups.

The guidance reminds governing boards to have regard to staff (including the headteacher) work-life balance and wellbeing. NGA continues to work with the DfE and other education organisations to bring about solutions. If you would like to provide feedback on this or other issues relating to COVID-19 affecting your school or trust, then you can do so by emailing covidfeedback@nga.org.uk.

School Financial Value Standard (SFVS) submission delayed due to COVID-19

SFVS is a financial reporting requirement for all maintained schools, who must submit it to their local authority (LA) annually.  The SFVS is completed by the school (ie school leader and or business professional), reviewed by the governing board and signed by the chair prior to submission to the LA, who in turn use the SFVS to provide an assurance statement to the DfE.

Due to the COVID-19 outbreak, the DfE has decided that the SFVS return should be delayed this year. This is to take account of the current pressures schools and LAs are facing.

For the financial year 2020-21, schools should submit their SFVS to their LA no later than 28 May 2021.

LAs should submit their assurance statement to the DfE within six weeks, no later than 9 July 2021.

New finance guidance coming soon to NGA’s Knowledge Centre
Later this term, we’ll be sharing new guidance on budget setting and monitoring, which will include advice on how to use the SFVS effectively as a self-assessment tool.

Government appoint Sir Kevan Collins as Education Recovery Commissioner

The government has announced the appointment of Sir Kevan Collins as an Education Recovery Commissioner. The former Chief Executive of the Education Endowment Foundation will oversee a comprehensive programme of catch-up aimed at young people who have lost out on learning due to the pandemic, this will include addressing curriculum content and the quantity of teaching.

Could you share your experiences to help improve board diversity and inclusion?

NGA is conducting qualitative research to better understand the underrepresentation of people from Black, Asian or minority ethnicities and young people (aged under 40) on governing boards. The research aims to understand how governing boards can encourage wider diversity in their composition and develop more inclusive practices, and how those from underrepresented groups and young people can be encouraged to govern.

Through a series of focus groups, current governors and trustees from Black, Asian and minority ethnicities and young people will be asked about their experience of being recruited to the board and of governing in terms of the dynamics and practice of the board, while people from the same groups who do not currently volunteer as a school governor or trustee will be asked about their awareness and perception of the role.

NGA’s equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI) work is informed by the insight and experiences of governors, trustees, governance professionals and education professionals who have lived or professional experience of EDI.

If you are interested in participating in the research, visit the research information page.

COVID-19: Government plans for the full reopening of schools

In a statement to the House of Commons on Wednesday, the prime minister confirmed that it would “not be possible” to reopen schools immediately after February half term. The Department for Education (DfE) has also confirmed that schools will close as usual during the February half term and are not expected to remain open to vulnerable children and the children of critical workers, as happened in last year’s lockdown.  However, staff will be on-call during half term for contact tracing purposes.

The government hopes that if its target of vaccinating people in the four most vulnerable groups is met by February 15, then the safe (full) reopening of schools can commence from Monday 8 March.

If you would like to raise an issue, or provide feedback about COVID-19 issues affecting your school or trust, then you can do so by emailing covidfeedback@nga.org.uk. Members can also continue to visit NGA’s COVID-19 information hub in the Knowledge Centre for the latest guidance on topics essential for boards.

COVID-19: Pupil motivation around remote education is a significant concern

Newly published research by Ofsted has found that pupils' engagement and motivation around remote education is a significant challenge for schools and parents. Of the parents who responded to Ofsted’s survey, the biggest concern highlighted was keeping their child focused on studying, closely followed by motivation, and having enough contact with teachers and classmates. Results show that it is an even greater concern for parents of children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Nearly two thirds of parents of a child with SEND said they had been disengaged with remote learning, compared with almost 40% of parents of children without additional needs.

While remote education is helping to mitigate the learning lost during the COVID-19 pandemic, pupils’ engagement and motivation remain significant issues, which may prove barriers to children’s learning and development.

NGA’s recently updated information sheet on monitoring remote education covers the expectations for remote learning as well providing additional resources and considerations for keeping pupils and teachers safe during remote education and we also explain the role of ‘live lessons’.

COVID-19: Pupils achieving significantly lower due to school closures

An interim assessment published by the Education Endowment Foundation (EEF) this week suggests that primary-school pupils “have significantly lower achievement in both reading and maths” due to the disruptions in the 2020 spring and summer terms.
 
In addition, it was found that the learning gap between disadvantaged pupils and their peers is greater than originally estimated in earlier studies. The findings suggest that disadvantaged year 2 pupils are seven months behind their peers in both reading and mathematics. As a result, the school closures are likely to undo any progress that has been made in closing the gap over the last decade.
 
For information on how governing boards can help to reduce the impact of school closures on disadvantaged pupils, you can access NGA’s information sheet here. 

New guidance: The role of link governors and trustees

If you’re a link governor or trustee, use our new guidance to understand more about your role and how to be effective. Equally, if you’re thinking about creating a link governor or trustee role on your board, you can use the guidance to ensure that new roles add value.

We’ve also provided a link governor/trustee role description template to help boards agree expectations from the outset. 

NGA publishes latest report for Ethical Leadership in Education

NGA’s latest report ‘Paving the Way for Ethical Leadership: the pathfinder schools and trusts’ reflects on the two year-long pathfinder project which has garnered the participation of 314 schools, colleges and trusts, evaluating the impact of the Framework for Ethical Leadership in Education nationally.

The report outlines nine pathfinder stories from various contexts and levels of leadership reflecting on the large variety of ways governing boards and senior leaders use the framework. The communication with pathfinders throughout the project and the pathfinder stories has informed eight key findings that underline the importance of ethical thinking and practice.

As we draw the pathfinder project to a close, the resources and reading materials for the ethical leadership framework that were used for the pathfinder project will be open and available for to all use.

To further support our work on Ethical Leadership, NGA is adding to the collection of Learning link Bitesize modules with an Ethical Leadership planning tool, which will enable you to establish how your school or trust embeds ethical leadership principles in practice and a Governing Chatters podcast discussing the impact of the ethical framework, which will both be available this spring. 

New webinar: What does governance look like?

NGA’s latest webinar on Good Governance, led by Emma Knights (NGA’s Chief Executive) is now available to view on the NGA website and it covers the three pillars of good governance:

Ethical governance
Effective governance
Accountable governance

NGA continues to support governing boards through its series of webinars and we have an exciting programme of webinars planned for 2021.

You can find details of our upcoming webinars and a list of all of our previous webinars on the NGA webinar page.

Has your board had a significant impact in a single school? Enter the Outstanding Governance Awards

If your governing board has demonstrated effective governance and outstanding strategic leadership to create positive outcomes in your school, we want to hear more about your work and practice.

 Find out more about this category or our other five categories on the Outstanding Governance Awards page.  

The deadline for entries is 26 April 2021. Governing boards can nominate themselves for an award or can be nominated by a third party.

Discover how staff experience equality, diversity and inclusion in your schools/trust

Find out how staff perceive and experience equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI) in your school/trust by registering your organisation to take part in a new EDI research survey. All schools and trusts can sign up with Edurio to receive a link to the survey which the school/trust then distributes to all staff.

It is free to take part. Your school/trust will receive a report of strengths and areas for improvement, and the data collected will contribute to a national research report identifying trends and providing benchmarking. The information collected will help your board to understand how staff with different backgrounds, identities, experiences and needs feel in your school/trust then take any action required.

Find out more and register on the Edurio website.

#DiverseGovernance webcast: 'The board's strategic role in delivering an inclusive education'

Sign up for the next free webcast in our #DiverseGovernance collaboration series on the governing board’s strategic role in delivering an inclusive education.

It takes place on Thursday 4 February from 4pm to 5pm and will feature governors, trustees and educators speaking about what their school/trust has done in relation to delivering an inclusive education and some of the key areas for boards to be aware of.

You can book your place on the #DiverseGovernance Eventbrite page.

Catch up with previous webcasts in this series including how to recruit for diversity and how to create an inclusive environment on your board on the Diverse Educators webpage.

COVID-19 - daily contact testing in schools

The programme of daily lateral flow tests for pupils and staff who had been in close contact with a positive Covid-19 case has been paused on the advice of Public Health England. The intention of the programme is to provide an alternative to up to a whole class having to isolate if a positive case is detected, therefore increasing the potential of keeping more pupils and staff in school. However, the decision to pause the programme will enable detailed evaluation of changing circumstances and modelling work with participating schools to understand the benefits of daily contact testing in this new phase of the pandemic.

Schools should continue to test their staff regularly (twice weekly where possible and test pupils twice upon return to school) as has been the case since the start of January. Primary, school-based nursery and maintained nursery staff will be supplied test kits to self-swab, which they are asked to take home and carry out the test twice a week. Staff in secondary including special schools and alternative provision will continue to be tested in school. 

While testing is not mandatory, it is “strongly encouraged” and staff don’t need to provide proof of a negative test to attend school in person.

GOLD members can raise specific questions through the GOLDline.   

If you would like to raise an issue, or provide feedback about COVID-19 issues affecting your school or trust, then you can do so via covidfeedback@nga.org.uk

COVID-19 - full re-opening of schools

In media interviews given on Thursday, the education secretary Gavin Williamson did not give an indication of when schools would be re-opening to all pupils adding only that the decision would be informed by scientific and health advice. However, Mr Williamson did say that the government wants to give schools a clear two week notice period so they can be ready to welcome children back, or can continue to deliver remote education.”

Visit NGA’s suit of Covid-19 related guidance in the Knowledge Centre, including the latest on remote learning,  monitoring priorities for governing boards and virtual governance.

COVID-19 - contribute to NGA's Ofqual 2021 exams alternative consultation response

Following last week’s newsletter update regarding alternative arrangements for the 2021 exams, Ofqual’s consultation on the arrangements for GCSE, AS and A level grades for 2021 has subsequently gone live. NGA will be responding directly and now is your chance to feed your views and concerns discreetly to help form our response. Email NGA’s Director of Policy and Information,  sam.henson@nga.org.uk  with your thoughts by 27 January in order for us to feed your views through our response in an entirely confidential manner by the consultation closing date on 29 January. Tell us your views on the following:  

1. Grades being based on teacher assessment of the evidence of the standard at which their students are performing
2. When and how teachers make their final assessment of student performance
3. The evidence that should be used to make these assessments and any time limit placed on the work used as evidence
4. The use of exam board papers to support teacher assessment and whether this is optional or mandatory
5. The time period for assessments to be made and whether assessments should be taken within the school
6. Both the internal and external quality assurance process
7. Student appeals process, what grounds these should be made on, how and by whom appeals are considered by

 
Please send all feedback to the above points, or anything else in relation to the consultation directly to sam.henson@nga.org.uk  

Early years foundation stage profile non-mandatory in 2021

The government has announced that the early years foundation stage profile (EYFSP), the process by which pupils’ development and learning in their reception year is assessed, will not be a mandatory requirement upon schools in 2021.  Instead, schools are being asked to use their “best endeavours” to carry out the assessment.  The decision to make the EYFSP optional in 2021 is in recognition of the additional pressures faced by reception teachers.

In a normal year, schools and other early years providers must complete and submit to their local authorities the EYFS profile for each child who will be 5 years old on, or before, August 31.

Our information sheet on monitoring priorities that we recommend governing boards pay particular attention to at this time, covers maintaining the curriculum and continuity of learning for all pupils. 

National voucher scheme opens to those eligible for free school meals

On 18 January, DfE announced that schools can now order vouchers for pupils eligible for free school meals.  Vouchers are worth £15 a week per child and schools can order gift cards for supermarkets on behalf of parents and carers. The scheme is run by Edenred, who also ran the scheme between March and August 2020, and ten retailers are part of the scheme.

Further guidance has been produced by the DfE explaining how schools can order and distribute vouchers which can be found here.

Alternatively, schools still have the option of providing lunch parcels instead of vouchers if they wish.

Research finds poorer pupils are struggling most in second period of school closures

The Sutton Trust has published new research on how teachers and parents are responding to the second period of school closures.

The intensity of online teaching has increased since the first lockdown and schools are now better prepared. However, the research shows socio-economic gaps remain: 40% of children in middle class homes are learning for over 5 hours a day, compared to just 26% of those in working class households.

The Trust is concerned that the cumulative impact of school closures on the attainment gap between poorer students and their classmates - on top of 9 months of disrupted schooling – is likely to be of an unprecedented scale.

NGA’s Knowledge Centre provides information on remote learning and how governing boards can monitor their school’s provision. You can also find information on how to reduce the impact of school closures on disadvantaged pupils.

Research finds detrimental impact on parent mental health while supporting with home learning

Research from the University of Oxford has investigated the impact of parents’ and carers’ mental health while supporting children with home learning. The study identified that levels of stress, depression and anxiety have increased with the pressures of providing support to children during the national lockdown.

Many parents expressed that they were worried about their children’s future, particularly those of secondary- age. Higher levels of stress were detected in low-income families, single-parent households, and those with children with special educational needs. Research also found that levels of stress and anxiety fluctuated throughout the year, stress being at its highest before the Christmas break. 

Ensuring stakeholder voices are heard is a core function of governance, and effective communication with parents as an essential component of every schools’ response to, and management of, the COVID-19 pandemic. NGA has produced an information sheet that provides questions and advice for governing boards in relation to parental communication and engagement during this period. Effective communication is essential to provide reassurance and confidence to parents while setting out plans remaining inclusive and sensitive to different cultures and circumstances.

Ofqual publish qualifications review consultation response

This week, Ofqual has released their response to the qualifications review consultation. The government have stated that their intention through this review is to increase confidence in level 3 qualifications to “ensure that there are clear opportunities for learners to progress from high quality qualifications into employment or further study”.

Ofqual recognise these significant proposals of implementing reforms will need careful design processes to avoid negative impact. These risks include the impact on learners and how qualifications in the future should allow a diverse range of learners to access level 3 qualifications. This reform is also predicted to impact the qualifications market, leaving instability and reduced confidence in regulated qualifications. The Department for Education intends to make the first funding decisions by the summer 2022 and plan to publish their finalised policy in due course.

COVID-19 update

Following the national lockdown and partial closure of schools last week, attendance data compiled by the Department for Education (DfE), indicates that 14% of the pupil population were attending school on the 14 January. This compares to approximately 3% of the pupil population attending school during the first week of the national lockdown in March. According to the data, 53% of primary schools had more than 20% of their pupils attending while 2% had more than 50% attending. Special schools on average had 29% of pupils attending.

The increase to the list of eligible children, particularly the broad definition of critical worker and the requirement for only one parent to be a critical worker, has raised concerns about the health and safety risks and logistical challenges associated with the higher number of children in school (compared to the first lockdown) throughout the sector. You can hear what our chief executive Emma Knights had to say about it last week on BBC Radio 4’s World at One programme (from 15.19).

NGA, alongside other education organisations, is calling on the government to prioritise teachers, school and childcare staff for a COVID-19 vaccination. We are making these calls through our direct engagement with the DfE, and you can add your support by signing the petition on the Parliament Petitions website.

We will continue to update and produce additional guidance to respond to this evolving situation. GOLD members can raise specific questions through the GOLDline. If any of you have feedback or requests for particular information then please do get in touch with covidfeedback@nga.org.uk.

COVID-19 - Remote education

On Tuesday, the government announced a further 300,000 laptops and tablets to help disadvantaged children and young people learn at home, taking the total number of laptops and tablets for disadvantaged young people up to 1.3 million.  

Further guidance has been published to support schools to review remote education. The framework is not statutory and can be adapted to suit the school’s context. Meanwhile Ofsted has released some top tips from their findings on what’s working well in remote education.

NGA information on remote education sets out the expectations and emphasises the importance of governing boards scrutinising their school’s strategy and plans for delivering remote education to pupils at home.

COVID-19 - School meals

Schools should continue to provide free school meal (FSM) support to pupils who are eligible for benefits related to FSM whether they are attending or not attending school. This could include providing lunch parcels through the school catering team or food provider; providing vouchers for a local shop or supermarket, or using the DfE national voucher scheme. Schools will continue to receive their expected funding for benefits-related FSM and universal infant free school meals.

While schools have been strongly encouraged to send parcels instead of vouchers, incentivised to do so by receiving an extra £3.50 per week, per child, images posted on Twitter of the contents of these food parcels have raised concerns about standards. As a result, many, including Marcus Rashford, called for the government to review their ‘food parcel first’ policy. The government has now released new guidance, updated on 13 January, and has worked with the Lead Association for Catering in Education and Public Health England to provide guidance on putting together food parcels.

NGA is among the list of signatories, which includes high profile figures including Marcus Rashford, Jamie Oliver, Dame Emma Thompson and Tom Kerridge, on a letter directed to both the prime minister and Secretary of State for Education calling on the government to urgently fix the free school meals system for the long term. 

NGA has produced an information sheet on reducing the impact of school closures on disadvantaged pupils, including information on the continuity of free school meals, which can be found here.

COVID-19 - Testing for pupils and staff

Primary schools and maintained nursery schools should expect to receive a delivery of home testing kits between the 18 and 22 January for testing of staff, although they do not need to start any testing before the week commencing 25 January. Further support and guidance on how to use the tests will follow shortly. 

COVID-19 - Alternative arrangements to 2021 exams

In a letter to Ofqual’s Chief Regulator, the Education Secretary, Gavin Williamson, outlined his expectations for how grades would be awarded to students this academic year, including:

1. Results should be published as late as possible to maximise teaching time.
2. A breadth of evidence should inform teacher’s judgement, including the possibility of externally set tasks or papers for teachers to use to support their assessment of students, which Ofqual have expressed support for.
3. The forthcoming consultation should seek views on ways to “minimise the additional burdens for teachers and schools”
4. Training and guidance should be provided to teachers to ensure fairness and consistency in addition to external checks.
5. Where assessments for Functional Skills qualifications can take place online and where students are ready to take them, assessments should continue as planned.
6. An appeals process should be established for any student that does not believe their grade reflects their standard of work.

NGA will continue discussions with the DfE and Ofqual to establish a process for awarding grades that is fair for all students and minimises the burden for teachers and schools at this already challenging time.

Ofsted to conduct remote monitoring inspections until half term

Ofsted has announced that inspections planned to start next week will now be carried out remotely until after the February half term.

The remote inspections will inspect schools judged as ‘requires improvement’ or ‘inadequate’, focusing on how well children and learners are being educated remotely. Concerns raised in relation to issues such as safeguarding, leadership of a school or the failure to provide education to children will be addressed through on-site inspections. Due to the nature of remote inspections, Ofsted will be unable to cover the full scope of a monitoring inspection and more details of the process are due to be published soon.

NGA support Ofsted’s decision to move this monitoring activity to a remote set up and we hope these online discussions take the form of genuinely supportive discussions that take account of the unprecedented circumstances that all schools currently find themselves in. If you have any feedback from on an online Ofsted inspection, please contact Nina.sharma@nga.org.uk to share your experience with us. 

Visible Governance in Schools campaign re-launched

NGA has re-launched its Visible Governance in Schools campaign to celebrate, champion and raise the profile of governance in schools and trusts.

Our first focus is on recognising the contribution of governors, trustees, clerks and governance professionals. You can get involved by sharing your governance story on social media; nominating your board, clerk or lead governance professional for an Outstanding Governance Award; or nominating an exceptional governor, trustee or clerk for a national honour.

Information about how to get involved in the campaign and resources to use can be found on the Visible Governance in Schools campaign page.

NGA would also like to congratulate the governors and trustees who received recognition for their services to education in the New Year’s Honours list 2021:

• Robert William Lawson – Chair of governors, Education Partnership North East.
• Marilyn Ann Pound – Chair of governors, Cardinal Wiseman Catholic School.
• Bruce Lewis Hamilton Powell – Lately chair of trustees, Haberdashers’ Aske’s Federation and Treloar Trust.
• Frances Hodgkinson – Governor, Brownhills School.

NGA is here to support you in nominating governors, trustees and clerks to be recognised for their commitment and achievements. Guidance for making a nomination can be found on our Knowledge Centre. 

Emma Knights explains why the campaign is needed in this blog.

Could you share your experiences to help improve board diversity and inclusion?

NGA is conducting qualitative research to better understand the underrepresentation of people from Black, Asian or minority ethnicities and young people (aged under 40) on governing boards.

The research developed and delivered in partnership with Inspiring Governance, GovernorHub and The Key, aims to understand how governing boards can encourage wider diversity in their composition and develop more inclusive practices, and how those from underrepresented groups and young people can be encouraged to govern.

Through a series of focus groups, current governors and trustees from Black, Asian and minority ethnicities and young people will be asked about their experience of being recruited to the board and of governing in terms of the dynamics and practice of the board, while people from the same groups who do not currently volunteer as a school governor or trustee will be asked about their awareness and perception of the role.

NGA’s equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI) work is informed by the insight and experiences of governors, trustees, governance professionals and education professionals who have lived or professional experience of EDI.

If you are interested in participating in the research, visit the research information page.

NGA's Outstanding Governance Awards 2021 are now open for nominations

Nominations are now open for NGA’s Outstanding Governance Awards 2021. The awards are the only national education awards to recognise the contribution of governing boards, clerks and lead governance professionals.

They provide an opportunity to share the best practice in school and trust governance and demonstrate the positive contribution that good governance makes to the school system. Governing boards, clerks and lead governance professionals can self-nominate in one of six categories: 

• Outstanding governance in a single school
• Outstanding governance in a multi academy trust
• Outstanding governance in a federation
• Outstanding clerk to a governing board
• Outstanding lead governance professional *new for 2021*
• Outstanding vision and strategy

Entries can be submitted until 9.00am on Monday 26 April. You can find the nomination forms and information sheets for each category on the Outstanding Governance Awards  page.

New issues of Governing Matters out now

The January edition of our Governing Matters magazine is on its way to you! In this issue, we report on the Annual Conference seminar series, where a host of experts and leaders from the education sector discussed the challenges we face. 

We outline how you can celebrate the role of governors and trustees through the Visible Governance campaign, the Outstanding Governance Awards and the honours system. Sam Henson looks at local accountability and how you can serve your communities. 

There is an excellent article on how boards can Think SEND! from Adam Boddison, chief executive of nasen and we explore the Bananarama Principle with an update on the latest research into successful teaching within schools. We also have the latest on Clerking Matters and an update from a discussion with MAT Governance professionals at the Clerks network event last term.

All NGA members can read and download the latest edition of Governing Matters here.

New Year introduction from NGA Chief Executive, Emma Knights

This is not the Happy New Year contribution I expected to be writing for 2021; so I will limit myself to one resolution for 2021: NGA will be listening very hard to what you are telling us about the challenges your schools are facing, so that we can both support you in your governing role and engage productively in the national conversation in order to improve the education and welfare of pupils.

I want to reassure members that we are in discussions at a number of levels with the Department of Education. Yesterday I attended a briefing with a medical panel led by Dr Jenny Harries, Deputy Chief Medical Officer, and later this afternoon there is a meeting with the Schools minister, Nick Gibb MP, alongside the national representative organisations. We will continue to relay your concerns to them and try collectively to find solutions. If any of you have feedback on your experiences or requests for particular information, then please do get in touch with covidfeedback@nga.org.uk

One of the main issues we are currently in dialogue with the DfE is on the number of children who are attending schools despite there being a national lockdown with a stay at home request from the Prime Minister with supposedly schools closed to most pupils: significant numbers of governing boards are reporting that they have between 40 and 70% of their pupils attending in strong contrast to the first lockdown.  We are also aware that there are particular challenges for special schools, alternative provision and those with large numbers of disadvantaged children, but it is helpful to make the case if we have your stories to bring the points alive.
  
We know many of you have been busy supporting your executive leaders as they respond to the partial closure of schools and the move to remote education, not just this week but over the Christmas holidays. Thank you again for your dedication.

COVID-19 update

On Wednesday, the Secretary of State gave a statement to Parliament  following the announcement of a national lockdown and the partial closure of schools.  Early years settings, including nurseries and childminders, will remain open while schools, alternative provision, special schools, and colleges remain open to vulnerable children and young people and the children of critical workers. All other children will learn remotely until February half term at the earliest.

The Department for Education (DfE) has added to its COVID guidance to include guidance for the current lockdown for schools in England.  DfE have also published a blog containing a Q&A on school closures, remote learning, critical workers and nurseries. The key points to date for governing boards to be aware of relate to:

Remote education

• The updated guidance published by the DfE sets out a minimum amount of remote education which must be provided for each key stage. This is referred to in our remote education guidance. 
• Parents can raise concerns about remote education with their school.

School meals

• Schools should continue to provide meal options for all pupils who are in school.
• Meals should be available free of charge to all eligible pupils who are not attending school.
• Schools will provide food parcels or vouchers to families entitled to free school meals, funded by the government.

Exams and assessment

• Statutory key stage 1 and 2 tests and teacher assessments planned for summer 2021 will not take place. This includes key stage 2 tests in reading and mathematics.
• Students are not being asked to sit GCSEs and A-Level exams this summer. The Secretary of State expects Ofqual to consider a teacher assessed system as a replacement for these exams. A consultation will launch next week and conclude swiftly to give certainty to schools, colleges and students.
• The DfE are confident that vocational exams can go ahead next week.

School inspection

• Ofsted’s “supportive” monitoring inspections will go ahead as planned with a strong focus on the quality of remote education. Ofsted can inspect schools – of any grade – where it has significant concerns about safeguarding or the quality of education being provided, including remote education.

Asymptomatic COVID-19 testing for pupils and staff

• The roll out of voluntary mass testing in secondary schools will continue for those on site, with daily testing of close contacts available to pupils and staff and weekly testing available for staff. Primary staff will be included later in January as planned. More detail will be set out in due course.

NGA COVID-19 resources to support governing boards

Following the announcement of national lockdown and partial school closures, NGA has updated the following COVID-19 resources in the Knowledge Centre:

• Monitoring priorities: key areas for governing boards to focus on right now
• Remote education: information on safeguarding, expectations and monitoring
• Disadvantaged pupils: reducing the impact of partial school closures
• Frequently asked COVID-19 questions, including how governing boards should conduct business at this time

We will continue to update and produce additional guidance to respond to this evolving situation. 

Bitesize training is shaping the e-learning of the future

As COVID-19 continues to present unprecedented challenges for schools and trusts, effective governance has never been more important. Since the start of lockdown back in March 2020, e-learning has become the first choice for ongoing development in many organisations.

Our Learning Link bitesize e-learning is proving very popular with governing boards and provides greater flexibility with short, 'just in time' learning modules, supporting governors and trustees during COVID-19, but of course including relevant knowledge for all times, and for those less frequent elements of governance, such as an imminent CEO/headteacher recruitment or appraisal or
Our new bitesize modules include:

• Creating a new vision for your school or trust
• Using integrated curriculum and financial planning (ICFP)

If your school does not yet have access to Learning Link and you would like to find out more,  register for a free trial

NGA's webinar series continues in 2021: Good Governance

Join Emma Knights (NGA’s Chief Executive) Thursday 28 January at 4.30-5pm for an introduction to what constitutes good governance.
 
The webinar will explore the three pillars of good governance
•            Ethical governance
•            Effective governance
•            Accountable governance
And how they need to be built on agreed values and a healthy culture.
To book a free place: see https://www.nga.org.uk/News/Webinars.aspx

#DiverseGovernance webcast: 'How to make your governing board inclusive'

Sign up for the next free webcast in our #DiverseGovernance collaboration series on how to make your board inclusive and how to demonstrate inclusive behaviours.

It takes place on Thursday 14 January from 4.00pm to 5.00pm and will feature four governors and trustees speaking about their experience and how boards can ensure they are inclusive to all.

You can book online for the session on the #DiverseGovernance Eventbrite page.