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Report of the Second Annual General Meeting
7th June 2004 7pm, Hucclecote Centre, Gloucester
1. Welcome and apologies
The chairman welcomed attendees to the second AGM of the association and
thanked them for what was a higher than anticipated turn out.
Apologies for absence had been received from a number of affiliated
governing bodies and these recorded at the end of the minutes.
2. Minutes of the 2003 AGM
The minutes of the last meeting were accepted by the AGM
3. Reports of First Year
a. Chairman’s Report
A copy of the Chairman’s report was provided to all attendees and is
attached to this report. The meeting voted to accept the report.
b. Treasurer’s Report
The treasurer’s report of accounts was provided to all attendees and
verbally presented by the acting treasurer. The closing balance of £930.44
was higher than anticipated owing to the negligible administration costs
experienced to date. Also a further subscription of £176 is due to the
National Governors’ Council for last year for schools that joined the GGA
after our initial subscription was paid. Should the current year see a
similar surplus, affiliation fees for next year will be reviewed.
Ray Westlake of Primrose Hill C of E School and Pat Kearsey of Lakeside
Primary proposed acceptance of the accounts and this was carried.
c. Membership Report
A report of affiliated schools for the 2003/4 financial year was provided to
attendees. 108 schools had affiliated, 20 secondary and 88 primary and
special schools.
The secretary reported that as at 7 June 91 schools had affiliated for
2004/5 – almost 30% of schools in the county. The number comprises 14 senior
and 77 primary and special schools.
It was noted that a number of schools had not renewed as yet this year and
if this remained the case we should attempt to understand the reason for
this to determine any changes in our approach.
4. Election of officers and Executive Committee
The executive committee comprises a maximum of 16 officers, half of who are
re-elected each year. The four main officers, Chair, Vice-Chair, Treasurer
and Secretary are elected each year.
The following were elected to the committee: Barbara Bridges (Farmor’s
School), Sue Bell (High School for Girls, Gloucester), Sue Padfield
(Christchurch C of E Cheltenham), Gillian Hayward (Hillesley Primary), Alan
Pearce (St John’s C of E Primary), George Workman (Foxmoor Primary) and Paul
Bellingham (Primrose Hill C of E Primary).
Nominations had been received for Chair and Vice Chair, both being the
current incumbents. No nominations had been received for the positions of
treasurer and secretary, with the current incumbent standing down.
The following were re-elected on a show of hands:
Chair: Barbara Bridges Vice Chair: Sue Bell
The following executive committee members were not due for re-election: John
O’Sullivan (St Peter’s High School), Sharon Powell (Whitminster Endowed CE
Primary School), Ian Richings (Belmont School), Anne Bryson (Huntley C of E
Primary), Kevin Walter (High School for Girls, Gloucester) and John Fay
(Warden Hill Primary)
Consequent to the elections, there remained 3 vacancies. The posts of
secretary and treasurer will be filled at the committee meeting in
September.
The chair thanked the outgoing committee members Ray Westlake and Eric
Worrall.
5. Question & Answer Session
A panel of the education leads from each of the three main political parties
on the County Council – Charmian Sheppard (Liberal Democrat), Jackie Hall
(Conservative) and Geoff Wheeler (Labour) - formed a panel to take questions
submitted from affiliated schools
.
Question 1
“What do the panel see as their vision for schools in Gloucestershire in 5
years time? What are the three most significant changes?”
Charmian Sheppard identified the Every Child Matters, Sure Start and
Partnership initiatives, with schools becoming leaders in learning at the
heart of the community. She saw emphasis coming off testing and league
tables, and the Healthy Living Agenda creeping in with removal of reliance
on the ‘3Rs’
Geoff Wheeler saw Equal Access being a key development. Falling roles in
schools along with the review of schools and possible school closures would
be a significant change. The government’s 14 to 19 agenda would see schools,
FE / Colleges and the workplace being the three pillars of addressing the
lack of skills.
We must aim to ensure that the inclusion policy does not just mean that
children are simply excluded within mainstream schools, and that they get
the resources they need - the multi-agency approach to helping children with
behavioural problems.
Jackie Hall firstly saw schools being given resources direct and being freed
from regulation. Secondly, parents should be encouraged to ensure that
schools set wider standards to cover the less tangible issues in education.
Thirdly, fairer funding for Gloucestershire is a goal with a simpler more
transparent funding formula
Comments and issues raised from the floor included:
1. A plea for stability with less change
2. An observation that the proposed new school profile does not pay
attention to the wider aspects of the school
3. A concern about how to support schools with problems when Sure-Start
money is stopped
• Charmian Sheppard responded that Sure-Start provides the evidence and
statistics to measure what is a positive impact on the children
4. Equal access isn’t working because schools are insufficiently resourced.
• Geoff Wheeler responded that his experiences were different and has seen
schools where this has worked well. Charmian Sheppard responded that she has
always maintained that funding must be there for the child and to train the
staff before inclusion is acted on. Also there is very good practice that is
now being shared between schools. Jackie Hall added that the needs-led
funding formula would probably have helped if we had been able to introduce
it.
Question 2
“Following the outcome of the recent 6th form review and in the light of the
forthcoming primary and secondary review, can the panel reassure us that
Gloucestershire is committed to ensuring it's rural communities have
equitable access to local schools?”
Geoff Wheeler observed that rural communities tend to want to hang on to
their local schools, as they are part of the community. We must therefore
look for the use of technology to enable children to be taught locally by
remotely located qualified teachers. However, we must look at how to ensure
this does not prejudice the pastoral role. We will need to look at how to
handle difficulties with subjects needing materials and equipment. Finally
we must use rural schools as much more than traditional schools.
Jackie Hall was unclear about what the objectives of the reviews were. She
quoted OFSTED findings that small schools can be more effective and
efficient. Expressing her commitment to rural schools she also identified
the need to look at the extended school.
Charmian Sheppard confirmed that there is a commitment to equal access for
rural communities. She recognised that the reviews were currently behind
schedule and it was made more difficult because of the concerns over falling
roles. The process will start with a conference involving headteachers and
governors.
Comments and issues from the floor included:
1. The review of Gloucester city secondary schools was quite divisive.
Gloucester City grammar schools are schools of choice for people outside of
Gloucester.
• Charmian Sheppard responded that the question of whether these schools are
county schools or just Gloucester city schools must be addressed.
2. The issue of transport charges to parents of year 12+ students.
• Charmian Sheppard advised that the council had had to take a decision
about how to deal with the rising cost of transport.
• It was noted that there was the EMA of £30 per student, but that this was
means tested.
Question 3
“How do you see the role of Governors changing over the next few years? How
can being a Governor be made so attractive that people with the right skills
are keen to offer?”
Jackie Hall responded that it wasn’t getting any easier. She saw
governors getting more involved in wider community issues, serving the
community, not just the school. The school at which she is a governor
advertises for governors when there is a vacancy using the local community
paper. The advert is made attractive and emphasises the skills being sought.
Application levels are high – 10 from a wide background for the last
vacancy; all applicants were interviewed. She suggested using church
newsletters, parish magazines etc.
Charmian Sheppard believed that word of mouth amongst parents was a powerful
tool to promote the role. Her school tries to get parents involved in
fundraising before coaxing them into governorship. The LEA has used stands
at street-fairs and similar events to advertise and recruit governors. All
new governors are now invited to meet the education team at a meeting at
Hucclecote. She also saw governors having more responsibility for those who
look after children in the county. Schools having difficulty in finding
governors should contact Pauline Miller who has knowledge of contacts and
companies who may offer staff for governor duties.
Geoff Wheeler who admitted to being a “novice governor” believed that
networking amongst governors would be a help in promoting the role and that
local businesses should be approached.
Comments and issues from the floor included:
1. Governors should aim to get the school deeply involved in the local
community.
2. Governing bodies should look to the PTA as a recruiting ground.
3. The headteacher could be asked to identify particular parents who might
have the skills needed through their work. Primary schools should also
co-opt them as governors after their children have left for secondary.
4. Multi-national companies in the area should be targeted. It was noted
that although GCHQ promoted the role of governor for its staff, most were
only keen to serve in their own locality.
Question 4
“With the current fair funding campaign in mind, how do we ensure that all
parties (Council, Heads, MPs, GGA etc) pull together to make the strongest
possible case to Westminster for a more equitable settlement?”
Geoff Wheeler observed that we should already be doing this through the
Gloucestershire Strategic Partnership and the Learning Partnership. We have
to keep making a loud noise at ministerial and MP level and we also need to
work with other counties in the F40 group.
Charmian Sheppard noted that Peter Clarke, Chair of the County Council, was
now chair of the F40 funding campaign. MPs receive regular briefings from
the county council. This is a cross-party issue and all parties do work
together to maintain a high profile on this issue. In summary we must keep
on pressing. Charmian also noted that the county had moved up two places in
the funding “league table” and we were now 129 places down the table.
Jackie Hall concurred, saying that we must keep “battering on the door”
Comments and issues from the floor included:
1. The FF4G campaign now has 6000 signatures to its petition.
2. An opinion that the impact of the F40 group has been very limited and
that governors need to know why.
• A response from the floor observed that because the county does very well
in league tables, the government sees success on very little money and they
are quite happy with this.
• Peter Clarke, who was in the audience, responded that he believed that the
F40 group had made immense strides. It has got the county included in the
area cost adjustment. He mentioned that there is now a group of education
directors working on a needs led approach for the government, but recognised
that it is going to be difficult to shift funds from the “haves” to the
“have nots”. He noted that the government would listen to parents and
governors more than to elected members and that the FF4G campaigners were
doing an excellent job.
Question 5
“Accepting that there is no additional funding for workforce reform, (unless
of course you are a pilot school!), how, does the panel suggest, do
Governors ensure this is implemented, short of upsetting their own work-life
balance even more by doing it themselves? Will we see Councillors
volunteering in schools?”
Charmian Sheppard thought that councillors couldn’t act as invigilators
because they’d never be able to agree on the political composition for the
invigilating group. Looking at the serious side to the question, she
admitted that she didn’t have any magic answers and that there is no quick
solution. Officers will do their level best to get it working innovatively.
Jackie Hall admitted to having no magic wand either noting that the
Conservatives voted against it since no costings had been put forward.
Geoff Wheeler observed that we would need to look at the responsibilities of
LSWs
Comments and issues from the floor included:
1. Is it good value to have trained and motivated LSWs doing photocopying?
• Charmian Sheppard responded that we should look for specific individuals
to do the admin work rather than getting LSWs to do it
• It was also noted that LSWs don’t get any non-contact time
2. Pilot schools are the only ones seen to be doing this successfully and
have admitted that once the funding for this is removed they could not
necessarily continue in this vein.
6. Workforce Remodelling – Jon Sweeny
Jon provided the AGM with his regular update on the progress of remodelling
in the county. In response to the issues raised in the Question & Answer
session he noted that:
• Pilot schools got £250,000 funding each, regardless of size and naturally
they had found this very useful!
• The issue is not with secondary schools but is chiefly with smaller
primary schools with under 200 pupils
• Other than just more money the solutions include collaboration with other
schools. Examples include schools sharing a caretaker and schools sharing an
IT co-ordinator
Regarding the issues concerning LSWs
• Accredited courses have been developed
• The name is changing to Teaching Assistant
• Even though there is no specific allowance of 10% non-contact time for TAs
the aim is to apply the spirit of the act to them
• We shouldn’t just put the clerical work onto the TAs. We should look to
employ clerical level; staff, or buy extra time from existing members of
staff - this might include TAs
Regarding funding
• The government line has always been that the existing budget caters for
the 10% non-contact time
• However, Stephen Twigg has said that there will be new money in 2005/6 and
there will be increased funding
Mike Redman, presently Head at Kingsmill is to head up implementation. A
team of heads are being trained to train schools on workforce reform. They
will use a facilitative approach to help schools develop their own
solutions. Mike will attend the next GGA open meeting.
Lastly, Jon also noted that this is not going to be implemented fully in 6
months or even 12. It will take time.
7. Funding Forum
Brian Sumner from Cotswold School updated the AGM on the work of the forum.
Key points included:
• The big issue is getting a needs led funding formula agreed and in place
• Steve Savory, Head at Bishops Cleeve Primary School, is leading the work
• It is likely that secondary schools will lose some funding in favour of
primary schools
• There is a willingness to adopt the needs led approach but concerns remain
about timing and pace of change
Issues raised from the floor:
• How will the issue of children in rural areas who do not attend their
local rural school be addressed?. Brian responded that this was not in the
remit of the group.
• The representative from Twigworth School noted that the majority of pupils
at the school came from outside the village
8. Any other business
LEA requirement for governors on committees and working parties
Clive Williams of the LEA is putting a list together to identify all
initiatives and committees where governors are required. This will enable us
to co-ordinate requests and organise cover / deputies
SENDIST and Governing Body Liability
Brian Stanley, the representative from Randwick School, explained a
situation his school experienced relating to legal action taken against the
governing body by parents of two excluded children with special needs
consequent to their referring the exclusion to SENDIST (Special Educational
Needs & Disability Tribunal). It appears that the school governing body, as
the responsible body, rather than the LEA, were financially liable for the
legal costs of defending the action. The school had been particularly
concerned by the lack of incisive support from the LEA.
Alan Stubbersfield, recently appointed Head of Service for School
Improvement, was in the audience and set out the position of schools in
relation to the Disability Discrimination Act
• Basically the position of schools and the LEA has changed
• The LEA is not a party in any dispute involving SENDIST. The governing
body is the ‘responsible body’
• The LEA had been slow to respond and react in “new territory”
• The LEA needs now to review its procedures and the approach to Liability
Insurance and delegation
• The legislation has changed the range of checks and balances that
traditionally were used in deciding exclusion issues
• For example, consistency (i.e. adopting the same approach for all
children) is no longer acceptable as an argument supporting a particular
exclusion decision. Schools now have to make adjustments for disabled
children
• The LEA will be publishing new guidelines and procedures
A representative observed that governors are covered if they are acting in
good faith and within LEA guidelines. Brian Stanley noted that this might
not extend to covering legal costs.
Barbara Bridges asked Alan Stubbersfield if he could put the relevant
information together for the next GGA open meeting. Alan agreed to do this
and suggested that he also talk about vulnerable children at the next
meeting. He also reassured governors that they would not be liable as
individuals – it is the governing body that has this liability.
Peter Clarke, leader of the council, stated that he would take this up with
Charmian Sheppard, it being the first he had heard about it.
9. Date of Next Meeting
The dates for next year’s open meetings will be set at the next executive
meeting later in June..
Eric Worrall
Secretary
Gloucestershire Governors Association
June 2004
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