Westminster Schools Administrator’s Forum

Reception Room, St Vincent’s Primary School

9thNovember 20102.30 – 4.00pm

Present

City HallVertex:
Graham Reed (GR) / Schools Finance Team / Fiona Andrews (FA) / Senior HR Adviser
Andrew Hutton (AH) / Schools Finance Team / Nisha Shah (NS) / HR Adviser
Adam Wells (AW) / Admissions Planning Manager / Anita Sheilds (AS) / HR Adviser
Alison Yeomans / Supplier Relationship Officer / Keith Mortimer (KM) / CRB Officer
Frances Eisen / Supplier Relationship Officer
Schools:
Theresa Brady / All Souls / Pierre Gosselin / Barrow Hill
Linda Vass / Burdett Coutts / Janet Palmer / Christchurch Bentinck
Pat McCullough / Dorothy Gardner Centre / Joana Meredith / Essendine
Carne Cadony / Essendine / Rkia Benkacem / Essendine
Jean Batten / Edward Wilson / Liz Roach / George Elliot
Brenda Foran / Hallfield / Ann Little / Hallfield
Jill English / Hampden Gurney / Rebecca Watkins / Millbank
Tina Coleman / Our Lady of Delours / Rodney Bell / Paddington Green
Rodney Bell / Paddington Green / Kim Calder / Robinsfield
Kim Carter / St Clement Danes / Sharon Dudley / St Clement Danes
John Foudy / St Edwards / Margaret Browning / St Mary Bryanston
Vera Chan / St Mary Magdelene / Linda Poulastides / St Peters Eaton Sq
Sheila Kirby / St Saviours / Maureen Kirby / St Vincents
Diane Watson / St Vincent de Paul / Margaret Smith / Tachbrook
Vivian Maker / Westminster Cathedral / Wendy Hardcastle / Wilberforce
Rosemary O’Connor / Wilberforce

Apologies

Eliane Pimm / College Park / Tina Cavanagh / St Georges Hanover Sq

Action

1.Welcome and Introductions

  • GR announced this was the last schools admin forum run by the schools finance team, but thata new arrangement to allow schools to meet with finance staff was being proposed - AH will explain.

2.Minutes

  • HR items were discussed under HR part of meeting

  1. School Meals accounting + Finance Team Surgeries (Andrew Hutton)
School Meals accounting
  • AH outlined that at present all income goes to an ‘F85’ cost centre; schools will now be given access to their own code and will have to clear the account each month.
  • In the past the schools finance team sent a statement to schools – now schools can see this for themselves on WIMS without the need for a statement from city hall.
  • An electronic version of the BGC4 form will be sent to schools (by Georgina Nash).
  • During closedown procedures at the year-end if the school has not fully cleared its’ own code the schools finance team will clear any outstanding balance (debit or credit) to the main school cost centre.
  • The new arrangements will be introduced from January 2011.
  • The new arrangements will give schools more control over their own figures.
  • AY confirmed that the BCG4 still needs to be completed for Scholarest. AY is setting up a central e-mail account as she needs this information to work out meal numbers.
  • Schools should print-out the BCG4, sign it, and give it to the contractor.
Schools Finance Surgeries
  • AH outlined proposals for schools finance team to hold termly surgeries with bursars at city hall.
  • There was general disagreement from administrators with the proposals – this was mainly concerned with the discontinuing of schools admin forum arrangements.
  • GR said he would feedback the sentiment of the administrators to colleagues at city hall.GR said he was moving from the schools finance team, so would definitely not be running it.
The future of the admin forum was discussed at the Heads Executive meeting on 23 November 2010 – the Heads Exec members will report back to the schools finance team about what they feel school requirements are, going forward.
  • AH informed that Pierre Gosselin had now left the Schools Finance team and joined Barrow Hill as their new Business Manager. The schools finance team was being bolstered by two new members, Edda Nualmanee and Omrana Malik.
  • The full list of schools finance team members would be in the next schools bulletin with details of who was the contact for each school.
  1. Admissions (Adam Wells)

  • In year admissions – the LA is co-ordinating so LA must be told of in-year applications.
  • Staffing and IT issues are being resolved. AW apologised for the lag in time taken to get school waiting lists on the system.
  • AW confirmed problems with busy telephone lines and suggested schools use extension number 5597 (in the mornings) for emergency queries. All lines would be open in the afternoons.
  • AW said that admissions had been inundated with applications – that was the reason they were taking longer than usual with year 2 and year 6 pupils.
  • IT team is working on getting the capital one system to feed into the SIMS system.
  • AW confirmed that admissions do checks on why parents want to change schools. If there was a place being sought between an out-of-school pupil –v- a nearby pupil, priority will be given to the out-of-school pupil.
  • Wilberforce asked whether the new reception classes were all full – AW confirmed not, the classes were approx 20+
  • Wilberforce confirmed that they were 10 down on their reception class and had never had such a low waiting list for their nursery – and queried the effect the new free school would have on them.
  • AW suggested this was dependent on whether the site was ready by September 2012. AW confirmed the sponsors would be ARK and it would operate the same as an academy.
  • Wilberforce also expressed concern that the recent changes to Housing Benefit rules could lead to falling place demand in the area – AW confirmed it would be difficult to factor this in and that the current trend was for rising rolls.
  • For reception admissions applicants must apply to their home authority. The benefit of this will be multiple offers across London will be reduced – and reduced turnover after the initial offer date.
  • Re the Secondary transfer – a list of applicants has been sent to secondary schools for them to consider. A list has been sent to primary schools to chase parents who haven’t yet made a preference.
  • The Choice Advisor post has been vacant since September – the admissions team are currently struggling to cover this work temporarily.
  • Term dates have been sent out. Schools should get back to AW if they have queries.
5.HR issues (Fiona Andrews + Keith Mortimer)
  • A handout on the Equalities Act was given out.
  • Effective from 01/10/10 :
-This requires changes to school’s recruitment practices.
- Health related questions should only be asked following the interview when a conditional job offer is made.
- Interviewers should no longer ask questions about health or attendance.
- A new form ‘work-health assessment’ has been produced by WCC. This form replaces the current pre-employment medical questionnaire with immediate effect. It should be given to the successful candidate when a conditional offer is made..
- references which include questions about attendance should only be sought for successful candidates
  • The new requirements conflict with the Independent Safeguarding Authority (ISA) requirements which advise that references should be taken up for all shortlisted candidates. It should be noted that the Equality Act supercedes this safeguarding advice. If references are sought for short listed candidates, there must be NO reference to attendance or health. Thus a second reference would need to be sought for the successful candidate to specifically request details about their health and attendance.
  • 9 discrimination laws are encompassed in the new Act
  • If there is a gap in employment the interviewer can ask for safeguarding reasons what the candidate did during that period
  • Wilberforce asked what would be the turnaround for the new assessment by occupational health – FA check with Occupational Health as to their SLA and let schools know. Not advisable for a candidate to commence before the work-health assessment has been completed and cleared.
  • HR will be putting together a newsletter including full details on the Equality Act and updates on pay freezes, guidance on statutory entitlement to be paid holiday pay and sick leave for supply staff and agency worker rights.
  • Barrow Hill raised a query on whether to put peripatetic music teachers on the payroll @ zero hours contracts or whether they can be treated as contractors. Jan Wilson is currently telling the teachers to invoice schools. FA to liaise with Jan Wilson to clarify position and include guidance in the newsletter.
  • KM outlined the latest position re CRB checks + related issues
  • The new government suspended the old plans for the ISA in May and promised to review them, but has still not announced its’ own plans. These are expected in the mew year – together with a review of the CRB rules.
  • There is a CRB code of practice that requires only the employees manager to carry out the checks – so for agency staff the agency must carry out the check, individual schools mustn’t carry out their own checks on agency staff as it would be illegal.
  • If agency staff are made permanent then the school must then do its own CRB check.
  • If the police want additional information to be made available (not seen by the employee) they will inform the CRB officer who will then inform the school.
  • KM’s colleague working on CRB is Michelle Noronha ()
  • Schools should e-mail KM or Michelle if there e-mail address changes so that they have an up to date list and can ensure schools of disclosures as soon as possible.
  • Clear Disclosure letters go to the specific e-mail address provided to the CRB team by the school. Unclear Disclosure letters must go direct to the heads.
  • List 99 checks must be done on all governors. PM thought CRB checks should be done on all Governors (KM will check and notify schools).
  • Wilberforce queried that only governors in contact with children need to have a CRB (again KM will check and notify schools)
  • St Edwards queried whether all agency staff should be on the single central register, even if they were only at school for one day – KM confirmed that they should (he would double check re staff in only for short term, and notify schools. (Please see Keith Mortimer’s Schools Bulletin for the amended position regarding short term supply staff and the SCR).
  • KM re-confirmed that everyone should be on the central register no matter how long they were in the school. (Please see Keith Mortimer’s Schools Bulletin for the amended position regarding short term supply staff and the SCR).
  • Clearance letters should be destroyed after six months
6.AOB
  • No AOB.
/ FA
FA
FA
KM
KM
KM

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