Committee House Style

Academic Office

November 2013 – Updated October 2017

Introduction

All documentation for Senate, its standing committees and their sub-committees, and Faculty Boards, must be produced in the approved housestyle. Templates for agendas, coversheets for agenda papers, minutes and action points are available from the Academic Office and are published at:

The style to be adopted in the documentation produced for other committees or working groups should be determined by the secretary in consultation with the chair. In many cases, it may be appropriate to adopt the house style.

1.General rules

1.1All agendas, minutes and coversheets to be in Arial 11 font.

1.2All agendas and minutes to use the following format in respect of headings:

University logo in top left corner, positioned as set out in the templates

Title of committee in capitals in Arial 11bold font

1.3All agendasto be bilingual, with Welsh and English presented as in the example in Appendix 1. Coversheets and minutes may be produced in English only, except where determined otherwise by the committee.

2.Agendas (see example in Appendix 1)

2.1In advance of each meeting, chair and secretary to discuss items for the agenda. Items to be included only if:

they require formal committee attention (for example, because they relate to the creation or implementation of policy, or because they relate to the committee’s discharge of its responsibilities); and

it is clear that they lie within the terms of reference of the specific committee.

2.2Agenda to carry the name of the committee and the time, date (DD/MM/YYYY) and location of the meeting.

2.3Agenda to carry the name, position and contact details of the secretary in bold and positioned to the bottom right.

2.4Agenda to be divided into items as follows:

UNRESERVED MATTERS

Apologies for Absence
Terms of Reference/Membership (first meeting of each academic year only)
Minutes
Matters Arising/Action points
Matters for Discussion/Approval
Reports from Sub-Committees
Matters for Note/Information
Date of Next Meeting

RESERVED MATTERS (where applicable – see 2.10 below)

Reserved Minutes
Matters Arising/Action points
Matters for Discussion/Approval
Reports from Sub-Committees
Matters for Note/Information

(‘Any other business’ is not to be included as a formal item on the agenda.)

2.5Matters for Note/Information normally require no discussion by the committee and hence should be listed as *starred items – see Appendix 1. Examples include reports of chair’s action and external circulars. Such items will normally only be discussed at the meeting if specifically requested by a committee member in advance.

2.6Oral reports to be permissible only by exception. The working assumption is that if an item is important enough for committee consideration, then a supporting paper must be produced.

2.7Each agenda item to be introduced by one or two of the following:

TO REPORTor TO NOTE (facts)

TO RECEIVE (apologies, or a report or document that does not require active consideration)

TO CONSIDER (an item requiring active consideration)

TO APPROVE (minutes of the previous meeting, or a proposal/report/document that the committee has the power to approve)

2.8Each item for which there is a paper to carry a unique paper number, listed in the column to the right of the agenda item. Page number (where applicable – see 2.11 below) to appear in column to the right of the paper number.

2.9Brief items for report or approval to be listed on the agenda and only accompanied by a paper where absolutely necessary, e.g.:

TO REPORT
that the QAA visit has been confirmed for 17 March 2013
TO APPROVE
the appointment of Dr John Smith as the Committee’s representative on the Senate

2.10Items relating specifically to individual members of staff and students, and to other individuals (e.g. external examiners), to be listed separately on a reserved agenda. In some cases, where committees deal wholly or largely with matters relating to individuals (for example, the Research Degrees Committee), the entire agenda may be designated as reserved.

2.11Where the agenda includes a large number of papers, the full set of papers should be numbered whenever possible. (Generally, most committees now use the Committee SharePoint on MyDay, and it is possible to number papers as part of the process of merging the papers to create a complete set of papers in PDF format, using Adobe Pro. However, for committees that do not use the SharePoint, it is possible to number the pages on a photocopier, providing the papers are received on time. Please contact the Academic Office for guidance.)

2.12Tabled papers to carry a clear indication of the agenda item to which they refer, but to be avoided unless absolutely necessary.

3.Coversheets for agenda items (see examples and guidance in Appendices2, 2a and 2b)

3.1Each agenda item for which there is a paper must be prefaced by a coversheet, formatted as set out in the example and completed in full. The only exceptions are the minutes and the matters arising/action points. Where appropriate, the coversheet may also serve as a paper in its own right without further attachments.

3.2Each coversheet to carry the unique paper number in the top right corner. If the coversheet prefaces a number of supporting papers, it may be necessary to provide each paper with a separate number (and to indicate this on the agenda).

3.3Coversheets normally to be prepared by the individual who has asked for the item to be included on the agenda and/or who will present it at the meeting. Coversheets that introduce a range of linked items (for example, a series of proposals for approval) or relate to routine committee business (such as receipt of the terms of reference) should be prepared by the Secretary.

3.4Coversheets to provide a brief summary of the paper, to summarise the key matters that require the committee’s attention and (under the ‘Recommendation’ heading) to make clear the action required of the committee, e.g.:

Senate is asked to consider HEFCW’s revised approach to student numbers allocation, as set out in the circular, and to determine any specific action required in response.
Faculty Board is asked to consider the proposed new programme and recommend its approval to AQSC.

3.5Name and position of the person introducing the paper, and date (DD/MM/YYYY), to be recorded on the coversheet.

3.6Cover sheets for reports or minutes of sub-committees to make explicit those items that the chair of the sub-committee wishes to bring to the attention of the parent committee, e.g.:

Senate is asked to receive the minutes of the Art and Design Faculty Board and to consider the following matters drawn to its attention by the Faculty:
(i)The need to ensure the accuracy of central data submitted to the NSS.

4.Minutes (see example in Appendix3)

4.1Minutes to be headed with the name of the committee and the time, date (DD/MM/YYYY)and location of the meeting.

4.2Minutes to have a footer containing the committee name, page number, and date (DD/MM/YYYY)of the meeting.

4.3Attendance list to be set out according to the following principles:

Chairperson to be first on list and denoted by ‘(Chair)’

Other members to be listed alphabetically bysurname. Title (academic titles only), first and surnames and status on committee to be recorded (together with initials where these are to be used elsewhere in the minutes – see 4.12 below)e.g.:

Richard Owen, Director of Student Services (DSS)
Eleri Scott, Student Representative (SR)
Dr Chris Thomas, Faculty of Art and Design representative (alternate for Dr John Hall)(FADR)
Professor Paul Williams, Faculty of Business and Management representative(FBMR)

Student representatives to be denoted by position where applicable e.g. ‘President of the Students’ Union’, or by ‘Student Representative’

Name of secretary to appear as ‘In attendance’ at the end of the list

Observers and other non-members in attendance for specific items to precede the name of the secretary, with a specification of the item(s) for which they attended

If a translator is in attendance, this to be indicated at the end of the‘in attendance’ list (after the secretary), with name given where available

IN ATTENDANCE:
Susan Evans, Registry (for items discussed under minutes 13.6 and 13.7)
David Jones, Administrative Officer, Secretary
Gareth Davies, Translator

4.4Apologies for absence to be listed in the first minute, following the same principles as above. Where a member does not attend but sends an alternate or representative, his/her name should not be recorded on the apologies list, but should instead be noted on the attendance list as set out in the example above. Apologies should not normally be recorded for members who did not attend a meeting and did not convey their apologies direct to the Secretary or via a colleague.

4.5Minutes to be given titles that clearly denote the nature of the item, not the category in which it appears on the agenda. For example, if ‘To CONSIDER proposed new collaborative partnerships is listed under ‘Matters for Discussion/Approval’ on the agenda, the minute title should be ‘Proposed new collaborative partnerships’.

4.6Titles of individual minutes to be in bold (not underlined).

4.7Reported speech to be used (i.e. past tense).

4.8Using the same terminology as on the agenda, each minute to contain a clear and concise statement of what was (as applicable):

RECEIVED (a report or document) or REPORTED (facts) or CONSIDERED

NOTED (the basis for the decision or outcome)

AGREED (the decision or outcome, which may include identification of further action required)

APPROVED (a matter which the committee has authority to approve)

RECOMMENDED TO ....(for approval by another, normally higher, committee)

Where appropriate, more than one of these words may be used in an individual minute – see example in 4.10 below.

4.9TheSecretary must be clear about whether the ‘decision’ of a committee is the final decision or only a recommendation to a higher body. If the latter, then this to be clearly reflected in the formulation of the minute.

In the event that the Committee decides not to approve a proposal or recommendation, this to be clearly reflected in the formulation of the minute, e.g.:

Having considered the matter in detail, the Committee AGREED that it was unable to recommend to Senate that the proposal be approved at the current time.

4.10Contents of individual minutes to include the number of any accompanying paper. When summarising the discussion, the minute may simply refer to the paper rather than reproducing its contents, except where the committee disagrees with a proposal in the paper,e.g.

The Committee APPROVED the arrangements for the conduct of the space audit, as set out in CR067, with the exception of the proposal to visit premises on Thursday evenings. Members noted that the latter had the potential to disrupt the external classes held on those evenings. The Committee AGREED that the proposals relating to Thursday evenings should be referred to the Director of Estates for further consideration

4.11Action points and timescale to be recorded in the columns to the right of the text and to identify clearly, by initials, the members of the committee required to take action. (Note that a committee cannot assign actions to non-members; where such actions are deemed necessary, a member of the committee must be identified to contact the member of staff involved and to carry the responsibility for reporting back to the committee). Following the meeting, the Secretary should prepare and circulate an action list using the template provided in Appendix 4, and present the completed action list to the next meeting.

4.12Where an action has been assigned to a committee member, the minute should normally be constructed without reference to that individual, who should instead be identified in the action column, e.g.:

4.13Records of discussions to generally be as brief as possible, recording only the key points under consideration and the decisions reached,except that:

where various arguments have been put forward in a discussion, particularly on a complex or controversial issue, it may be appropriate to record them in the minute, to ensure that there is a record of why the committee has made a decision;

in some cases, primarily those relating to individual members of staff and students, it may be important to have a full record of the discussion.

4.14Where it is necessary to provide a list within a minute, either bullet points or (a), (b) etc. to be used.

4.15Records of discussions not to attribute remarks to individuals. If it is necessary to identify a speaker in order for the significance of the comments to be clear, where possible this to be done by reference to the role they play in the committee (e.g. ‘the secretary’) or the University (e.g. ‘the Associate Pro Vice-Chancellor (Corporate and Quality’).

4.16In the event that a decision is taken by vote, the number of members for, against and abstaining to be recorded in the minutes.

4.17Matters relating specifically to individual members of staff and students, and to other individuals (e.g. external examiners) may either be recorded separately in a reserved set of minutes, or may be recorded as part of the unreserved minutes, providing that the minutes are worded so as to prevent any identification of an individual by a wider audience, for example:

The Committee APPROVED nominations for external examiners, as set out in AQ017, noting that it would be necessary to establish mentoring arrangements for the nominated external examiner for BA English, who had no previous experience of external examining.
The Committee RECEIVED the report on staff development activities, as set out in SD009, noting that the difficulties reported by two members of staff in relation to access to training materials had been resolved satisfactorily.

4.18In some cases, where committees deal wholly or largely with matters relating to individuals (for example, the Research Degrees Committee), the full set of minutes may be designated as reserved.

4.19Exceptionally, where a matter relates to an individual in his or her capacity as a member of the committee, s/he may be named in the unreserved minutes for the purposes of clarity, for example:

The Committee APPROVED the appointment of Dr John Smith as its representative on the Senate.

4.20The status of the minutes is Draft until approved by the Chair of the committee, after which the status of the minutes will be Unconfirmed. Once the committee has approved the minutes at its next meeting, the status of the minutes becomes Confirmed.

4.21If the committee recommends corrections to the minutes of the last meeting, these should be made to a separate file copy and the status changed to Confirmed. The Unconfirmed minutes presented to the committee should remain unchanged in the set of committee papers i.e. the minutes will be held in two locations, the Unconfirmed version (without amendments) in the papers for the latest meeting, and the Confirmed version in a separate minutes sub-folder. Minutes may be published or circulated in the Unconfirmed state, but must be re-published once the minutes have been Confirmed.

5.Numbering of agenda papers and minutes

5.1With effect from November 2013, agenda papers to be numbered consecutively, using the following format:

AP001 (Abbreviated name of committee followed by the unique paper number)

5.2With effect from November 2013, minutes to be numbered consecutively, using the following format:

13.1 (Last two digits of calendar year. unique minute number) (No committee abbreviation is necessary for minutes)

5.3In both cases, the numbering sequence must carry over to the next meeting. For example, if the final minute for a meeting on 3 October 2013 carries the number 13.76, the number 13.77 should be used for the first minute of the next meeting, and so on. However, in January 2014, the first minute will be 14.1 etc.

5.4Sub-numbers (for example AP001.1 or 13.1.1) should not normally be used.

5.5Note that there is no relationship between the numbering of agenda items (or papers) and the numbering of minutes. Although minutes will normally follow the sequence in which matters were presented on the agenda, they may be re-ordered to reflect the sequence in which business was actually discussed at the meeting if this provides a more logical record.

5.6The following abbreviations to apply:

APAcademic Policy Committee

AQAcademic Quality and Standards Committee

CPCorporate Policy Committee

ECEthics Committee

EEExternal Examiner Nominations Panel

FACFaculty Board: Architecture, Computing and Engineering

FADFaculty Board: Art and Design

FBMFaculty Board: Business and Management

FHPFaculty Board: Humanities and Performing Arts

FECFaculty Board:Education and Communities

IAInternational Affairs and Collaborative Partnerships Committee

LFLearning and Teaching Forum

MCMarketing Committee

RCResearch Committee

RDResearch Degrees Committee

RPRecognition of Prior and Experiential Learning Board

SESenate

SDStaff Development Committee

SCSpecial Cases Committee

SUSustainability Committee

WAWelsh Affairs Committee

WMWelsh Medium Education Marketing Sub-Committee

WDWidening Access and Community Engagement Sub-Committee

APPENDICES

Appendix 1: Agenda Template

Appendix 2: Coversheet Template

Appendix 2a:Coversheet Example 1

Appendix 2b: Coversheet Example 2

Appendix 3:Minutes Template

Appendix 4:Action Points Template

APPENDIX 1

ENW’R PWYLLGOR

COMMITTEE NAME

Amser, Diwrnod, Dyddiad / Time, Day, Date(DD/MM/YYYY)
Lleoliad a Champws / Venue and Campus

A G E N D A

MATERION AGORED / UNRESERVED MATTERS
Paper / Page
1 / Ymddiheuriadau am absenoldeb / 1 / Apologies for absence / Oral
2 / Cylch Gorchwyl ac Aelodaeth
(ON yn ofynnol ar gyfer cyfarfod cyntaf y flwyddyn academaidd yn unig / 2 / Terms of Reference and Membership (NB required for first meeting of each academic year only)
I DDERBYN / TO RECEIVE
.1 / Cylch Gorchwyl ac Aelodaeth y Pwyllgor ar gyfer 2013/14. / .1 / Committee Terms of Reference and Membership for 2013/14. / XX001 / P
3 / Cofnodion / 3 / Minutes
I GYMERADWYO / TO APPROVE
.1 / Cofnodion y cyfarfod a gynhaliwyd ar dyddiad. / .1 / The minutes of the meeting held on date(DD/MM/YYYY). / XX002 / P
4 / Materion yn Codi/Pwyntiau Gweithredu / 4 / Matters arising/Action Points
I YSTYRIED / TO CONSIDER
.1 / Materion yn codi. / .1 / Matters arising. / Oral
.2 / Tabl o Bwyntiau Gweithredu. / .2 / Table of Action Points. / XX003 / P
5 / Materion i’w Trafod/Cymeradwyo / 5 / Matters for Discussion/Approval
I XX / TO XX
.1 / Xxx / .1 / xxx / XX004 / P
I XX / TO XX
.2 / .2 / XX005 / P
I XX / TO XX
.3 / .3 / XX006 / P
I XX / TO XX
.4 / .4 / XX007 / P
I XX / TO XX
.5 / .5 / XX008 / P
6 / Adroddiadau gan Is-Bwyllgorau / 6 / Reports from Sub-Committees
I DDERBYN AC, FEL SY’N BRIODOL, YSTYRIED A CHYMERADWYO ARGYMHELLION: / TO RECEIVE AND, AS APPROPRIATE, CONSIDER AND APPROVE RECOMMENDATIONS:
I’w hychwanegu yn ôl yr angen / To be added as necessary / XX00 / P
7 / Materion i’w nodi/er gwybodaeth* / 7 / Matters for note/information*
I DDERBYN / TO RECEIVE
.1 / .1 / XX00 / P
.2 / .2 / XX00 / P
8 / Dyddiad y cyfarfod nesaf / 8 / Date of the next meeting
Amser, diwrnod, dyddiad a lleoliad. / Time, day, date and venue.
MATERION A NEILLTUIR / RESERVED MATTERS
(ON Dylid rhestru’r eitemau ond darparu’r papurau ar wahân. Dylid cadw’r pennawd ond nodi ‘Dim’ isod os yw’n amherthnasol) / (NB list items but papers provided separately. Retain heading but note ‘None’ below if irrelevant)
9 / Materion a Neilltuir i’w Trafod/Cymeradwyo / 9 / Reserved Matters for Discussion/Approval
I’w hychwanegu yn ôl yr angen / To be added as necessary

* Ni fydd materion i’w nodi neu er gwybodaeth fel arfer yn cael eu trafod yn y cyfarfod. Dylai aelod sy’n dymuno trafod eitem â seren roi gwybod i’r Ysgrifennydd o leiaf ddeuddydd cyn y cyfarfod.