Autumn 2012 Norfolk Governor Services

Governor Training

Our exciting new Training Brochure will be arriving at your school in early September. There will be a copy for everyone so make sure you pick yours up at your first meeting. There are many courses and briefings covering a wide range of new subjects as well as those that you will be more familiar with.

Also from September you will be able to book a place on our courses on-line as every governor and clerk will be issued with a link to our Schools Data Management System (SDMS) together with an individual username and password. Full details will follow via email.

A copy of the training brochure will also be available on-line on our website

Reconstitution

From 1st September 2012 the new School Governance (Constitution) Regulations will come into force. This is permissive legislation.

Any governing body who wish to reconstitute after this date must do sounder these regulations.

The implications forgoverning bodies are a possible reduction in size, and more flexibility on the appointment of governors. This will allow governing bodies to broaden their skills set and recruit governors with the expertise necessary to become more effective

The new constitution consists of a core group which includes atleast two elected parents, one elected staff governor, one place for the head teacher, and one authority governor. In addition a governing body can co-opt as many other governors as they wish, these can be parents, staff or members of the local community. The only stipulation is that no more than one third of the Governing body can be staff. Foundation schools still require at least two foundation governors for VC schools and a majority of two for VA schools.

The minimum number of governors is 7 with no maximum number set.

Before considering any change, please reflect on what is best for your school and its governing body. Any changes should lead to a better functioning governing body giving a balanced and broader skills range. The change in constitution needs to be an agenda item voted on by the full governing body. Norfolk Governor Services needs to be contacted and a new Instrument of Governanceneeds to drafted and signed.

Changes to the Ofsted framework

These come into effect on 1stSeptember 2012 – it is not a new framework but a change of emphasis especially in terms of governance.

Implications for governors

Grade descriptors make frequent reference to the effectiveness of governors. The Leadership and Management of the school are likely to be inadequate if governors are not sufficiently robust in holding the school to account for pupils’ achievement, the quality of teaching and the effective and efficient deployment of resources.

A governor who is involved in the Performance Management of the head teacher may be requested to be seen by an inspector and will want evidence of the link between school performance, the Head teacher’s Performance Management and any pay awards.

Governors will also be asked as to how the pupil premium has been spent in their school and the impact this has had on the attainment of pupils. Governors need to have an understanding of the impact of all spending decisions.

Shorter notice of inspection will possibly impact on governor availability

The recruitment and retention of governors may change in the future.

When a school is judged as requiring improvement inspectors may recommend that the governing body has an independent review of its effectiveness.

Further information is available on MI Sheet 151/12 at

Norfolk Governor Services Response to these challenges:

  • Comprehensive training offer including core training and a set of briefings
  • Ten essential features of an effective governing body
  • Norfolk Governor Toolkit based on the ten essential features – coming soon
  • New governing body self evaluation document based on the ten essential features – coming soon
  • Termly newsletter of important governor information sent out via the clerks and chairs of governors
  • New ‘Guide to Governor Induction and Mentoring’on our website
  • An independent review bespoke service (outside of our subscription)

Cluster Governance

Most clusters have been working towards greater collaboration. The cluster agreement needed to be signed and returned to Norfolk Governor Services at the end of last term. There are a number outstanding so can we urge these to be signed, ratified and returned as soon as possible.

All documents relating to cluster governance and relevant information can be found via the following link:

Independent Safeguarding Authority checks

From the 10th September the governor role falls outside the scope of regulated activity and as such no Independent Safeguarding Authority checks will be done on governors by Norfolk Governor Services. All other changes to vetting and barring have be notified to governors via an MI sheet. Governing bodies will still be able to CRB check new governors if they wish to do so. In Norfolk, we would strongly recommend that governors have an enhanced CRB disclosure.

Small Schools’ Report

The Local Authority has produced the Small Schools Working Group Final Report in July 2012. A number of recommendations have been adopted.

These include having a Norfolk strategy which supports the creation of federations for all schools with fewer than 100 pupils on roll. This strategy should ensure that all primary schools with fewer than 50 pupils on roll are actively encouraged to form federations. Partnerships should only be temporary, lasting for between three and six terms pending a move to formal federations. School funding arrangements should distinguish between partnerships and federations and provide financial incentives for partnerships to form into federations. Schools with fewer than 30 pupils should be subject to regular formal review to ensure they provide a sound basis for teaching, learning and pupil development.

Implications for governors in small schools

Discussions need to take place to review the direction and status of your school in light of these recommendations. Advice needs to be sought around the options for future collaboration.

A full version of the minutes of the meeting held on 9th July 2012 can be found via the link below:

Changes to Performance Management Appraisal

The current regulations on managing teacher performance will be revoked from 1st September 2012.There arenew regulations - The Education (School Teachers’ Appraisal) (England) Regulations 2012.Under these new regulations:

  • governing bodies and local authorities will have to have a written appraisal policy for their teachers
  • governing bodies will have to appoint an external adviser to advise them with regard to appraising the head teacher
  • objectives will have to be set for each teacher which contribute to improving the education of pupils
  • schools will have to have an annual appraisal process for teachers
  • teachers will have to be given a written appraisal report which sets out:
  • an assessment of their performance
  • an assessment of their training and development needs
  • where relevant, a recommendation on pay progression.

The main changes are that under the new regulations:

  • Most of the prescription in the current regulations will disappear, including the three-hour limit on classroom observation. After September 2012, governing bodies and local authorities will be free to make their own decisions about the amount of observation that is appropriate for their teachers. They will also be free to decide many other matters on which they currently have no flexibility.
  • Teachers’ performance of their role and responsibilities will be assessed against the relevant standards and their objectives. Under the current arrangements, the standards are seen merely as a “backdrop” to performance management discussions.

Further information is available on MI Sheet 156/12 at

Information to be published on the school website by the governing body

From the 1st September governors must arrange for certain information to be published on their school website. In order to provide parents with the information they need at the right time, maintained schools, and academies and Free Schools will be required to publish the following details online:

  • Pupil Premium allocation, use and impact on attainment
  • curriculum provision, content and approach, by academic year and by subject
  • admission arrangements
  • the school's policy in relation to behaviour, charging, and SEN and disability provision
  • links to Ofsted reports and to the Department’s achievement and attainment performance data; and details of the school’s latest Key Stage 2 and 4 attainment and progress measures.

Most schools already make much of this information available online and will only need to ensure that all the areas are covered and details are up to date. Schools that are not will need to make arrangements to go online.

For further details see below:

Exclusions and Appeals

School exclusion arrangements have been revised with effect from

1stSeptember 2012.

“Exclusion from maintained schools, academies and pupil referral units in England” provides a guide for those with legal responsibilities in relation to exclusion, in particular Head teachers and governors. It is statutory guidance which the governing body must have regard to.

Training on the implications of the new guidance is being offered by Governor Services, in a range of venues, to governors and clerks.

A copy of the guidance is available on the DfE website

Further information is available on MI Sheet 168/12 at

Fairfunding Consultation

Don’t forget to look at the Fairfunding Consultation for 2013/14 at the following link – the consultation is open until 1 October 2012 and briefing sessions are being held around the county in the next few days

Governor News

Our first National Leader of Governance in Norfolk – a personal view.

Linda Bennett, Chair of Governors at NotreDameHigh School

According to the NationalCollege for School Leadership “National Leaders of Governance are highly effective Chairs of Governors who use their skills and experience to support chairs of other schools and academies”.

When I first saw the flyer encouraging applications for this role I thought “that’s not me”. It sounded too high powered and scary! However, with encouragement from my school I did apply without any expectations of success. To my surprise I was invited to an assessment day to judge if I had the required skills and ability to undertake the role.

I arrived in Nottingham the night before wondering what I had let myself in for only to discover that most of the other Chairs felt exactly the same. We all saw ourselves as just ordinary governors doing our best for our schools and hoping that the knowledge and expertise we had picked up on our journey could be of benefit to others.

I am now a member of a small group of National Leaders of Governance (NLG) ready to be deployed to offer support to other Chairs who may be facing challenging circumstances, converting to academy status or perhaps wanting a bit of extra support as a new Chair.

Background

This is a role that was developed by the NationalCollege in partnership with the National Governors’ Association, National Co-ordinators of Governor Services and the Foundations, AidedSchools and Academies National Association. The aim is to build on the success of National and Local Leaders of Education who help develop leadership capacity in schools facing challenging circumstances. The role is focused on Chairs working with other Chairs to help raise standards and ensure that improvements are sustainable. Lots of extra information is available on the NationalCollege website.

How do I access this support?

The important thing to stress is that this is governors supporting other governors. The LA or Diocese may feel that a school could benefit from this type of support and perhaps complement the work of a National or Local Leader of Education but a deployment can only ultimately take place with the agreement of the Chair.

Confidentiality is paramount. Support must take place within a framework of trust and respect. Being Chair can sometimes be a lonely role and the opportunity to talk to someone in a similar position may just be enough to see through what

seems an insurmountable problem. NLGs will not have all the answers, the role is one of coach and mentor giving Chairs of Governors a safe environment with the space and confidence to be open and honest about issues and in the process to find solutions that will work for their particular school.

If you feel that this would be something that would assist you in your role you can either contact me directly at or request support through the NationalCollege at . The good news is that the support is completely free! The college provide a grant to NLG schools to cover any expenses.

Could you do this role?

A new round of recruitment is taking place for NLGs ending on 1st October. At the moment I am the only one in Norfolk, it would be good to have another colleague! There is lots of information on the NationalCollege website including the eligibility criteria. If you feel that you would have a few hours to spare do have a look. No financial reward (although any unspent grant can be used by your governing body for training – how nice to have some resources to spend on governors that does not take funding away from the school) but the satisfaction of helping to make a difference.

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