National Governance Association Weekly Newsletter 12/01/2024
This week’s recommended NGA resources
- Widening the lens on disadvantage - explore what disadvantage means in your context and identify pupil groups who are at risk of educational disadvantage.
- Support mental health and wellbeing – use our guidance, blogs and tools to help create a happy and healthy school environment for staff and pupils.
- Minimise exclusions – understand the important role governing boards have in reducing the number of pupil exclusions and securing better outcomes.
DfE calls governors and trustees to help drive up attendance
Minister for Schools, Damian Hinds MP has written to governors and trustees thanking them for their dedication to making schools and trusts a great place for children to learn and ensuring they attend school.
The letter asks governing boards to support the Department’s new attendance campaign – reminding parents that moments matter, attendance counts, setting out practical steps governors can take to encourage good attendance.
NGA welcomes the support from the DfE and the acknowledgment of both the challenge and efforts of boards and their schools/trusts in addressing the current attendance crisis. Visit our news page for our full response.
The letter follows the publication of new polling results by YouGov which found that nearly three in 10 parents (28%) agree that the pandemic has shown it is not essential for children to attend school every day.
NGA wants to hear from boards whose school/trust has implemented successful attendance improvement strategies. Email fiona.fearon@nga.org.uk for more information.
Read our guidance for more information on the board's role in relation to improving/supporting attendance.
Minimum service levels consultation – have your say!
The DfE is seeking views on
the most appropriate approach for delivering minimum service levels in
education, as well as evidence on the impact of strike action. The
consultation is open to a wide variety of stakeholders, including
parents, pupils, teachers, and governing boards. NGA will be submitting a
response at the end of January.
Please complete our online poll to help us collect your views and best represent our members.
We also welcome any email responses. You can email sabreen.marashli@nga.org.uk with your contributions.
Join the debate – to pay or not to pay for governance
NGA
is inviting you to join us in a debate on whether renumeration should
have any role in the future of school and trust governance. Ahead of
that discussion, which will be facilitated through NGA’s Governance
Leadership Forum on 8 February at 4:30pm. NGA’s Deputy Chief Executive,
Sam Henson, has written our latest blog on why we think now is the right time for the discussion.
Sign up for the forum here!
Final call for our webinar on governance workload: efficiency and effectiveness
Don’t miss our webinar taking place on 23 January and take away plenty of tips to support your governance practice.
NGA’s
Head of Content, Ella Colley, and Senior Advice Officer, Adelaide
Chitanda discuss the demands placed on governance volunteers and what
can be done to make the role manageable. We will also look at potential
solutions at board level and how the government might address some of
the issues. Don’t miss out, book today.
The webinar also explores:
- understanding the role and remaining strategic
- the impact of board culture
- how boards can become more efficient
- making governance training work
Shadow Education Secretary outlines education vision
Free breakfast clubs in primary schools to drive up attendance,
counsellors in secondary schools to drive up mental health and a united
national curriculum to drive up standards underpinned Shadow Education
Secretary Bridget Phillipson’s speech at The Centre for Social Justice’s event this week.
Also
within Labour’s long-term vision is issuing every child with a unique
ID number to link up “all the services that wrap around [children]”
similar to that of an NHS number.
Ahead of the general election,
we are also calling on governors and trustees to write to your MP to
amplify the voice of the governance sector and the schools, trusts and
communities they represent. This could include a copy of NGA’s manifesto or
the specific challenges and concerns impacting your school or trust.
You can find out who your MP is and how to contact them by visiting Parliament’s website.
New Year, new Governance Professional Jobs
If you are looking for a new challenge, check out the list of current vacancies. As you start the new year, you may be looking for another school to clerk for or a complete change of setting. The governance professional career pathway includes a section on finding governance professional jobs at all three levels detailed in the pathway: clerk, governance coordinator and lead governance professional.
Governance professional vacancies can be advertised for free by completing the online form
with the relevant details. There is flexibility built in to allow clear
details on pay and hours. Documents such as application forms, job
descriptions and person specifications can also be uploaded to accompany
the advert.
If you need any further assistance with recruitment or securing your next position, email clerkingmatters@nga.org.uk
Education Committee: More support needed for teaching children about online harms
The effectiveness of how online safety and digital literacy are taught was examined this week at the Education Select Committee.
As
part of an inquiry into screen time and how children should be taught
about digital literacy and online harm, witnesses called for clearer
guidance and more training on how to best deliver effective PSHE/RSHE
education.
There were also concerns raised about the number of
young people in the UK lacking access to computer devices and the need
for more regulations on edtech in schools.
You can read more about our call for improved digital inclusion for pupils from low-income households and rural areas in our manifesto for schools and trusts: From classrooms to communities.
Registration open for Browne Jacobson’s education conference 2024
NGA’s legal partners, Browne Jacobson are pleased to host their
virtual conference, #EdCon2024: The Power of People, on Monday 28
January – Thursday 1 February 2024.
The free to attend
conference offers both live and on-demand content available online for
four days only. Topics that will be covered include avoiding and
de-escalating parental complaints, policy management and getting panels
right.
For further details on the programme and registration, visit Brown Jacobson’s website.
National Governance Association Weekly Newsletter 05/01/2024
Messages from our co-chief executives for the new term
Thank you for returning to govern in 2024: the school system is truly
beholden to you. NGA is working to make your experience of governance
as fruitful as it can possibly be, by both providing bespoke information
and guidance and lobbying to improve the system you operate within. Our
two new blogs we hope encapsulate those aspects of our work.
Dealing with the rising number of exclusions: present and future
Last month’s NGA report on school and trust governance workload has
been extremely popular, both in terms of the number of downloads and the
feedback we have received. We have clearly hit a nerve.
There
was only one duty we could recommend removing from governance
volunteers: exclusion review panels. Emma Knights explains why here.
NGA’s first governance leadership forum
of 2024, taking place on 30 January, will cover: is the rising number
of exclusions the right response to increasing pupil behaviour issues in
schools? It is resulting in more work for governors and trustees, but
first and foremost what is the right response for all pupils?
New Year’s resolutions: what will you do differently in 2024?
Our governance workload research
revealed that many of you are committed to your governance role but
perhaps unsure how to fit everything in this year. Emma Balchin’s New
Year blog provides tips and resources to get 2024 off to a solid start.
Read the blog
for advice on governing efficiently and explore the most popular 2023
governance topics, including safeguarding, exclusions, complaints and
monitoring pupil premium spending.
Meet your CPD target by attending NGA’s events
Set the tone for this term by attending our governance workload
webinar on efficiency and effectiveness on 23 January. We will look at
potential solutions at board level and how the government might address
some of the issues, and provide plenty of tips to support your
governance practice - so tell your boards not to miss
January
- 23 January, 12.30 – 1.15pm, Webinar: Governance workload – balancing efficiency and effectiveness. Book now
- 30 January, 16.30 – 18.00, Governance Leadership Forum – Exclusions: present & future. Book now
February
- 8 February, 16.30 – 18.00, Governance Leadership Forum – A debate: to pay or not to pay for governance? Book now
- 15 February, 12.30 – 1.15pm, Webinar: Financial Risks and Opportunities in a Multi-Academy Trust. Book now
- 27 February, 16.30 – 18.00, SEND Network Meeting. Book now
- 29 February, 17.15 – 18.00 – SAT Network – The future of Single Academy Trusts. Book now
Visit our events page to find out what else is happening in the spring term.
Labour’s education plan to include “expert teacher in every classroom”
In his first speech of 2024,
Sir Kier Starmer reiterated his commitment to education under Labour
promising “more opportunities” for children. Priorities also include
implementing technical excellence colleges focussed on giving children
future-proof skills and removing tax breaks for private schools to fund
expert teachers “in every classroom”. Better mental health support in
schools also featured in the speech. You can read more about our ‘asks’
of the next government in our manifesto for schools and trusts.
Ahead
of the general election, we are also calling on governors and trustees
to write to your MP to amplify the voice of the governance sector and
the schools, trusts and communities they represent. This could include a
copy of NGA’s manifesto
or the specific challenges and concerns impacting your school or trust.
You can find out who your MP is and how to contact them by visiting Parliament’s website.
Minimum service levels consultation – have your say!
The Department for Education (DfE) is seeking views to
help design an “appropriate approach for delivering minimum service
levels” in education, as well as explore the evidence on the impact of
strike action. The consultation asks for views on the scope of
proposals, design principles of the policy, approaches to remote
education and the impact on pupils on missing a day of school. There
would be an important role for leaders and employers in ensuring the
minimal levels.
NGA will be submitting a response at the end of
January. Please complete our online poll to help us collect your views
and best represent our members.
We also welcome any email responses. You can email sabreen.marashli@nga.org.uk with your contributions.
Governance celebrated in New Year’s Honours list
In His New Year’s Honours 2024 list, the King has named individuals involved in school and trust governance. NGA members recognised for their services to education included:
- Tiffany Crowell Beck OBE, Co-Founder and Chair of Trustees at Maritime Academy Trust
- Jonathan Robert McGoh OBE, Chair and Co-Founder, The Reach Foundation
- Sarah Elizabeth Armitage MBE, Chair of trustees, Embark Federation
- Robert Beaumont MBE, governor at Ravenscliffe High School and Sports College
- David Walker MBE, Chair of trustees, Horizons Specialist Academy Trust
Congratulations from NGA to all those who received awards.
Please do consider nominating a governor or trustee for the next round of honours, which NGA can support with – visit our Knowledge Centre
for guidance on the nomination process. Since it takes some time to
complete, we encourage you start your nomination as soon as possible.
Contact Sean.Cassidy@nga.org.uk for help.
Inspections paused as Sir Martyn Oliver begins term as HMCI
Ofsted’s new His Majesty’s Chief Inspector (HMCI), Sir Martyn Oliver
has begun his five-year term with a package of training for inspectors, a
response to the Ruth Perry inquest and a Big Listen.
Ofsted has announced
that school inspections will resume later in January so inspectors can
undertake training on mental health and wellbeing. The training aims to
help inspectors identify signs of stress and anxiety of leaders and
staff during inspections and take steps to support them.
Sir
Martyn also stated that his immediate priority is to respond to the
concerns of the coroner’s inquest into the death of Ruth Perry and take
time to “listen- to parents, to professionals in the sectors we work
with, and to people with an interest in our work”.
NGA’s Co-Chief
Executive, Emma Balchin shared that NGA welcomes the announcement in
the recognition of the ‘critical need for a more compassionate
approach’. Read NGA’s full response here.
Teachers’ pay and conditions for 2024-25
Education secretary, Gillian Keegan, has issued the remit letter
to the School Teachers’ Review Body (STRB) asking for recommendations
on teachers’ pay and conditions for 2024-25. Every year NGA presents
evidence, written and oral to STRB: if you would like to influence our
submission, please contact sam.henson@nga.org.uk.
Following
the 6.5% pay rise awarded last year, Keegan wrote that “pay review
bodies across government recommended historically high pay awards for
their respective workforces” and urged the STRB to consider the
“historic nature of the 2023-24 award and the Government’s affordability
position” which will be set out further in written evidence.
The
STRB were also asked to take into consideration the cost pressures
schools are facing, evidence on the national state of teacher and school
leader supply, and forecast changes in the pupil population and
therefore demand for teachers.
Welcome to Governance LIVE – don’t miss our New Year sessions
Free virtual sessions exclusively available to both NGA GOLD members and MAT members. Our Welcome to Governance LIVE sessions support new governors and trustees to make a positive impact within their first six months. Dates for the spring term are open for booking:
- 30 January 2024 – new governors in maintained school
- 31 January 2024 – new governors on a local academy committee within a MAT
- 6 February 2024 - new trustees of a SAT board
- 7 February 2024 - new trustees of a MAT board
All sessions held 4.00pm – 5.15pm
The sessions will explore:
- what you can expect (the positives including examples of real-life challenges)
- top tips and the support available to you
- how to make best use of your time to make an impact quickly
Visit our website for more details.
To book your place email: leading.governance@nga.org.uk
Existing standard NGA members can upgrade to GOLD membership to access these sessions.
New Guidance on Supporting Gender-Questioning Pupils
The government has issued crucial non-statutory Gender questioning children
draft guidance for schools. Aimed at supporting schools and colleges,
the guidance emphasises the duty to safeguard and promote the welfare of
all children, urging a cautious approach to requests for social
transition.
Key takeaways
include the importance of respectful environments, parental
involvement, and the need for schools to actively consult on the draft
guidance – the consultation will run for 12 weeks, closing on 12 March.
The guidance highlights the significance of safety and fairness in
sports, maintaining single-sex spaces, and considering alternatives
where needed.
Schools and trusts are encouraged to actively participate in the consultation
process to ensure that their views are heard and taken into account.
NGA will be submitting a response to the consultation, to share your
views please email megan.tate@nga.org.uk.