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Gloucestershire Governors
Association Newsletter
Issue 26 October 2009
NEXT MEETING: Monday, 23rd November, 'Sustainable Schools'
Our next Open Meeting is on Monday, 23rd November at 7p.m. and covers waste minimization,
the sustainable schools initiative, energy minimization, water conservation and wild life and food.
One focus will be to show how schools can save money! The meeting will be at Shire Hall, Westgate
Street, Gloucester GL1 2TP. Please note access is via steps in the rear car park. Parking is
available in the Shire Hall car park in the evenings.
At the last meeting there were nearly 130 people present. This is brilliant but the numbers
vary so much that it is difficult to plan for refreshments and suitable accommodation. We don’t
want to discourage anyone from attending but it would be helpful if you could let us know you
will be coming. If you can, please email or phone Jennie Leighton at Governor Services (
01452 425846) or email GGA. |
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GGA October Open Meeting: TheNew
Ofsted Framework, ‘Top tips for successful
governing bodies’.
We were fortunate to
have Graham Horton from the LA, two Head Teachers with experience of
the new Inspections (Ian Fergus and Mrs Chris El-Shawk) and an
Ofsted Inspector (Richard Barnard who is also Chair of Governors at Robinswood Primary School).
We are grateful to them for giving us very useful information. One
Chair of Governors told me that he cancelled a forthcoming Inset Day
topic and replaced it with the information he’d acquired at the Open
Meeting! Click for the
slides.
Here’s a link
to Ofsted to get you started:
http://www.ofsted.gov.uk/Ofsted-home/Forms-and-guidance/Browse-all-by/Education-and-skills/Schools
Graham Badman Report on National
Challenge Schools in Gloucestershire
The National Challenge programme is designed to
ensure that by 2011 more than 30% of students at all secondary
schools will achieve five good GCSEs, including Maths and English.
There are currently nine Gloucestershire schools included within
this programme: Beaufort, Brockworth, Bishops’ College, Central
Technology College, Christ College/Kingsmead, Heywood, Maidenhill,
Pittville and Vale of Berkeley College. Badman, sent by Ed Balls,
praised the substantial progress that has been made so far. His
recommendations include closure of the Vale of Berkeley College and
amalgamation of Bishops’ College with the Central Technology College
to form an Academy on the CTC site. These and the rest of the
findings are now open to consultation. The LA has to reply within
the next few weeks.
http://www.gloucestershire.gov.uk/index.cfm?articleid=94950
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Audit Commission – Valuable lessons: a value for money guide for
school governors
One of the conclusions of the Commission was that insufficient
attention was paid to economy and efficiency in schools and that as
a result the Commission could not be sure that the taxpayer was
receiving value for money. The Audit Commission has issued guidance
for school governors, Valuable lessons improving economy and
efficiency in schools, published in July and is available to
download via this link.
NGA news
People: The National Governors’ Association Chief
Executive, Phil Revell, is leaving in the New Year. John Pay has
been confirmed as the South West Regional NGA Director for another 2
years. GGA Executive Committee member Michael Fesemeyer (Northway
Infants School) has accepted an invitation to be Assistant Regional
Director.
Community Cohesion
The NGA has produced a Microsite on Community Cohesion for the DCSF.
The microsite has a series of webpages which aim to help present the
issues that governors should consider.
There is a PowerPoint presentation which helps a presenter deliver a
training session for a governing body or governor's group with
minimum preparation. A collection of paper and online resources,
which might be reproduced and distributed to governors during the
training session or used by the presenter as a background briefing
are available. Case studies demonstrate how schools in different
contexts have approached the new duty.
http://www.nga.org.uk/cohesion/
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NGA Guides
The 4 new NGA Guides are now available:
Welcome to Governance
The Chair's Handbook
Welcome to Clerking
Support and Challenge
Each Guide offers detailed information on the business of
governance. The 'Welcome to Governance' Guide will also act as a
distance learning module, with section summary questions and a final
questionnaire assessment, which will allow readers to test their
understanding. This distance learning element will enable governors
and governing bodies to evidence their training.
You can buy the individual Guides (£10-£12 each), or purchase a
‘pack’ of NGA Guides, including three copies of ‘Welcome to
Governance’, for just £60. Discounts are available for bulk
purchase.
National College
Recruiting Headteachers/Senior Management TeamThe NCSL website will
help governors make decisions about school leadership. There is
guidance about recruitment as part of longer-term planning, a
seven-step recruitment and selection process to help you find a new
headteacher and practical tools to support you. There is a
free down-load publication providing practical guidance.
Schools considering the process of recruiting Headteachers can
also obtain advice from Pauline Miller in Governor Services.
On 15th September the National College for School Leadership (NCSL)
became the National College for Leadership of Schools and Children’s
Services. The change reflects the recent extension of the National
College’s remit to include responsibility for providing training and
support for directors of children’s services (DCSs).
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School Improvement Partners
– relationship with governors
SIPs play an important role in challenging a school and
maintaining improvement. It is good practice for the Chair
and governors to be included in the school’s meeting with
their SIP and that the SIP’s report should be circulated to
all governors (although this does not include the
Performance Management meeting with the headteacher). The
SIP Report (Report A) on the school results and data trail
for pupil progress should be discussed at the next governing
body meeting.
In the new OFSTED framework inspectors are looking for
evidence of governors working with the SIP as well as
working with the headteacher. Governors need to put in place
a development plan for the school and set priorities which
they then monitor and evaluate. Interaction with the SIP is
an essential part of this process.
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Gloucestershire Schools Forum
One of the four Secondary School Governor members of the Forum has
resigned. It is necessary to elect a replacement member whose term
of office will run until April 2011. The Forum has an advisory role
in a number of aspects concerning decisions about school funding and
budgets. The Forum also advises on certain contracts for supplies
and services. More information about the work of the Schools Forum
can be found here
http://www.gloucestershire.gov.uk/index.cfm?articleid=8639
If you wish to put your name forward for the Forum please contact
Alison Wantanaar as soon as possible for the nomination form.
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Every Child Matters: staying safe
Gloucestershire Fire & Rescue Service, Community Safety Team
There has been a significant change to this service. From September
the service will offer visits to schools upon request by telephone
(01452 753280) or via the Glosfire website at:
www.glosfire.gov.uk but
will also be working in District Council areas where they will be
arranging visits to a number of schools, (except during the bonfire
campaign in October and November).
The Glosfire website will also be launching a new Key Stages 1, 2 &
3 resource pack with lesson plans and teacher support material
addressing the ‘Stay Safe’ outcome based on:
- Fire prevention in the home
- Detection of and escape from fire
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Fire setting
-
Calling 999
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Road safety
Full
details at www.glosfire.gov.uk
website or on Schoolsnet:
http://www.gloucestershire.gov.uk/schoolsnet/glosfire
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The Asha Centre
This is situated in beautiful grounds on the edge of the
Forest of Dean near Mitcheldean. One of its aims is to
inspire young people to learn about the environment and
engage in sustainable living. Some local school children are
already learning about organic gardening
http://www.ashacentre.org/index.html.
Contact by email.
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A Carbon Management Strategy
for Schools
The school sector is responsible for 15% of public sector
carbon emissions arising from energy use in school
buildings, school travel and transport, the procurement of
goods and services and the production of waste in schools.
There is a need to reduce these emissions to prevent greater
adverse impact on climate change. The DCSF is holding a
consultation to gather stakeholder views on the “feasibility
and priority of options for action, to reduce carbon and
greenhouse gases arising from the operation of the school
system, while still delivering core business.”
The consultation and responses may be made online by 20th
November to:
www.dcsf.gov.uk/consultations/ or sent by email
SchoolsCarbon.CONSULTATION@dcsf.gsi.gov.uk
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Schools Support Staff Negotiation
Body
The SSSNB (for short) has been set up to look at the pay and
conditions of Schools Support staff. They will focus on
national consistency but also local flexibility. School Crossing
Patrols, Schools Escorts and any support staff on Youth or Soulbury
conditions of service will be excluded. Pupil Referral Units
will be included. Education Welfare Officers and Children’s
Centres are also included, but this is dependent on each individual
LA. The SSSNB have been asked to produce a report by May 2010,
but will be issuing an interim progress report on 30 November.
Implementation of the new pay and conditions framework might be in
September 2010, but could be as late as 2011.
Governor Helpline
One of the important resources available to school governors is
GovernorLine. This provides free, independent confidential advice,
information and support to School Governors, clerks and individuals
involved directly in the governance of maintained schools in
England. Calls are free on 08000 722181 from Monday to Friday 9.00
a.m. to 10.00 p.m., or from 11.00 a.m. to 4.00 p.m. on weekends and
public holidays.
Calls and e-mails are dealt with by four advisors who are school
governors and who undertake all training required for school
governors. They are supported by a wider team of legal, employment
and health and safety advisers. This team also includes several
current school governors. In addition, there is access to members of
the counselling team to assist with issues that may require such
support (e.g. conflict).
http://www.governorline.info/welcome
Useful sources of information and
help
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Governing Body & Committee Year
Planner (from Dorset C.C.)
The following may be a useful aide memoire to help your Governing
Body remember all the duties it has to cover between September and
Christmas. (I’m sure you can find additional ones too!) The scheme
envisages six Governing Body meetings a year.
Autumn term
Meeting1
Legal matters
Hold elections for chair and vice chair, guided by the clerk, having
decided in the summer term the election process and the terms of
office.
Ensure the register of governors’ business interests is up to date.
Review the appointment of governors with responsibility for special
educational needs, literacy, numeracy and other responsibilities.
Appoint governors for the headteacher’s performance management (the
PM governors), and confirm arrangements for the head’s performance
management review process.
Review your committee structure, including terms of reference and
membership, and your standing orders.
Confirm any policies needed to meet new legislative requirements and
consider statutory policies due for review. Assign the
development or review of policies to the head or the relevant
committee.
Other recommendations
Confirm the school’s aims or agree a process of review.
Set dates for the year for meetings of the full governing body.
Confirm governing body priorities for the year in light of
priorities identified in the school development plan.
Review governor recruitment and training and terms of office.
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Agree and implement an induction programme for new governors.
Agree governors’ visits arrangements for the term or year.
Review the school’s self evaluation form (SEF) and update as
necessary.
Publish the annual summary of accounts on the school website by half
term.
Remember that consultations with school over financial matters for
the next financial year take place in October or November.
Meeting 2
Legal matters
Confirm statutory and non-statutory targets (head/school development
group).
Receive the A report (data and results) from the School Improvement
Partner.
Prepare the School Profile for publication on the website, if not
already done.
Other recommendations
Consider the implications of summer’s SATs or exam results,
including their relevance to statutory and other targets (report
from the head and curriculum committee).
Consider the implications of the RAISE online report for future
planning (report from the head and curriculum committee).
Receive a report on the current year’s finances (report from the
head and finance committee).
Receive the preliminary budget for the next financial year from the
head and finance committee.
Receive a report on the progress of the school development plan from
the head and the school development group.
Receive a report on the school’s self-evaluation procedures from the
head and chair.
Confirm acceptance of the school’s self evaluation form (SEF), if
not already done.
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This newsletter was
produced by Ian Marshall on
behalf of GGA. He can be contacted on 01452 831507 or
email. All constructive
comments welcome! |
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