Monday 8th February 2016, 5.30pm for 6pm
Minutes
Present:ChairVal Bottomley (VB)Co-opted Governor
Alison Stephenson (HT)Headteacher
Dr Barbara Pavey (BP)LA Governor
Richard Hazelrigg (RH)Co-opted Governor
Rev Andy Bowden (AB)Co-opted Governor
Nicole Hingley (HH)Parent Governor
Mandy Barnett (MB)Parent Governor
Nigel Cotterill (NC)Associate Governor
In attendance: ClerkLaura Waites (LW)
Apologies:Jenna Lahiff (JL)Parent Governor
Allyson MiltonStaff Governor
Minute / Detail / Action1.0216 / Welcome and introductions
VB welcomed all to the meeting and the new parent governor Mandy Barnett. VB proposed and BP seconded that Nigel Cotterill be appointed to the governing body as an associate governor; all agreed.
VB referred to the new governor folders which had been produced. They include an induction pack, letter of welcome, reference to the governor’s handbook (section 1) and other information for governors. Folders are being developed for all governors and will be made available at the next meeting. / VB/HT
2.0216 / Apologies for absence
LW reported that apologies had been received from AM and JL; governors agreed that the apologies be consented to. Proposed by NH, seconded by MB.
3.0216 / Declaration of interests, pecuniary or non-pecuniary.
VB reminded governors to declare any interest in matters which are the subject of, or are connected with, any item on the agenda. HT reported an interest in SherburnSchool; VB reported an interest as governor of West Heslerton school; AB reported an interest as governor at Weaverthorpe school. LW to send business interest forms out to any governor who has not completed one. / LW
4.0216 / Confidential Agenda Items
VB reminded governors of the need to determine whether any proceedings should be treated as confidential and excluded from the publicised minutes; HT raised an item on staffing. VB gave a reminder of the protocol regarding confidentiality until minutes have been finally approved by the governing body and can be published.
5.0216 / Minutes of the last meeting
The minutes of the last meeting held in October 2015 were agreed as a correct record with an amendment to 11.1015 and the question from RM, which is to refer to £ and 7K. RH proposed and NH seconded.
6.0216 / Matters Arising and review of actions
- Minute 7.1015 – BP - has a meeting been held to discuss the attendance reward scheme? A. HT advised that JL had arranged the meeting and recommendations had been made.
- VB – Are the recommendations going to be put in place? A. Yes the school will be making some improvements and monitoring the impact of these closely.
- RH – Has attendance improved? A Yes it has improved.
19.1015 – BP/RM were to draft the business continuity information and BP reported that this has now been done.
7.0216 / Governing Body Update
VB reported that with the appointment of MB and the re-appointment of NH as parent governor, all parent governor positions were now filled.
VB has received a letter of resignation from BP who will be standing down as LA governor at the end of this term. Governors noted their appreciation for BP’s work with the school, especially on the finance committee. The school can make a recommendation to the LA if a suitable candidate can be identified locally.
- NH – what are the credentials for an LA governor? A. LW to forward details.
VB noted that NC had been appointed as an associate governor and this was part of the succession planning for the GB to provide continuity and fill positions vacated by co-opted governors when they leave.
There are no terms of office up for renewal over the rest of this school year. / LW
08.0216 / Head Teacher’s Report
HT referred to the pre-circulated HT report which is based on a joint school format and reported on the main headlines.
100% of pupil premium children made expected progress. The homework club was referred to and how it was having an impact.
- RH – Why only three pupils attending and not 4? A. It is not compulsory.
- AB – Is the homework club effective? A. It is having a good impact and helping with performance.
Governors noted that it was interesting to see the comparison between the two schools. HT confirmed that Sherburn has more pupil premium children and that the funding available is £1900 per pupil. The funding is available for 6 years from the time they start getting the funding.
- VB – What is VCOP and how does it impact on Writing?
- A It is ‘Vocabulary, Connectives Openers and Punctuation’.
- VB – What are KIRFs? A HT said that these were ‘key instant recall facts’ and explained how they were used.
- AB – Regarding the church school status, is there any requirement to be doing RE?
- HT advised that the report had covered the priority actions for this period from the School Development Plan which is why not all subjects were shown in the report.
- NH – What are the EYFS learning journeys and what do activities entail?
- A HT gave examples of the learning journeys.
HT gave a staffing update as part of the HT report. It was agreed that this item be minuted confidentially. Minute 8.0216c refers.
09.0216 / Head Teacher’s Safeguarding Report
HT advised that a safeguarding audit is completed every year and referred to the pre circulated document. It is kept in school for the school’s own record but is now also required to be submitted to the Safeguarding Children Board. HT presented the document on screen and covered the key points. HT advised that the main purpose of this document is to check that the school has the procedures in place to ensure a vigilant approach to safeguarding.
HT responded to a number of questions from governors on the format of the document, DBS checks, and whether there had been any safeguarding issues. The school’s internet service was discussed and HT confirmed that it is managed by the LA’s school ICT service and the filters are checked and updated regularly.
Governors discussed measures in place in the school to ensure pupil safety during unstructured times in the school. HT advised that checks are done at playtime and lunchtime.
Governors noted the safeguarding audit. / ALL
10.0216 / Pupil Progress
HT referred to the autumn term progress data which had been pre circulated and shared a document on pupil attainment. This demonstrated that most children are at expected levels or have exceeded expectation
The GB discussed the focus on reading and writing and how this was being managed in the classroom. Governors noted the good results and congratulated HT and staff. HT reported that the two children who have not met expected progress have interventions in place to support them.
- NC – If there is a focus on two children, does this have a detrimental effect on the remaining children? A No. The children are closely monitored in small groups which are given differentiated tasks.
- VB – What is the impact on assessment with withdrawal of NC Levels that the teachers and pupils were used to?
- A –Staff are familiar with the tracking systembeing used to show years achievement and expected progress.
The GB thanked HT for the report.
11.0216 / SEND Update
BP referred to the pre circulated paper and explained that it was a finished draft which came out of a visit last term and the need for an update on SEN support. It was a complete reworking of the latest guidance. 18 months ago the SEN guidance was produced and schools who did their updates quickly, such as Luttons were then found to be using an out of date version as guidance was revised again shortly after. This meant the school had to redo the document. BP has been through the new guidance carefully and produced the updated version. Governors noted that it was a very detailed report.
- AB – referred to point 6 which was good to see as it is important to acknowledge the concerns of parents and care givers.
- BP – can anyone provide a translation service to enable the documents to be accessed in other languages if required?
- A HT advised that the school can use the LA translation service.
The change to healthcare plans is not proving smooth when making transition to secondary education and the GB discussed the issue. HT advised that the school will keep pushing to ensure the transition goes as well as possible from the school.
BP advised that the school does have an application in hand for SEN support and HT reported that there had been a delay due to issues with the file size in email but this was now resolved and in hand.
BP reported on a visit made to class 2 in December to look at the chrome books and to see how they were working. There were problems with the internet speed that day and the teacher had to refer the children back to their books as the chrome books were unusable.
- BP asked what the current situation was and if that was a frequent occurrence.
- HT advised that usually the chrome books worked well so that had been an uncommon incident.
- BP queried if there was scope to look at readability of screens and lighting especially at the back of the classroom.
- HT will look into this.
12.0216 / Policy Review
BP advised that the joint policy review group had met in September. RM queried how the policies would be dealt with once reviewed and BP was going to make the amendments. BP had not been able to do this and there was a discussion about the approach to be used. The joint policy review group had met in January to review a number of further policies. Policies for approval by the GB had been distributed with the Agenda in the form of a zipped file.
- Joint Adult Aggression Policy
- Joint Anti – Bullying Policy
- Joint Pupil Premium Policy
- Joint Medical Needs Policy
- Joint Freedom of Information Policy
- Joint DBS Policy
- Luttons General Complaints Policy
- Luttons Charging and Remissions Policy
- Luttons Behaviour Policy
- Luttons Attendance Policy
- BP – how is the joint policy review committee set up?
- A LA policies and existing school policies and new policies are covered. It is a working party that makes recommendations to each FGB. It was agreed that the GB would formalise the arrangements and TOR at the next FGB.
13.0216 / Governor Visits
VB reported that she had a report from Nicole on her visit and will circulate the details. NH summarised the visit and had observed a group of very young children doing a variety of learning activities – lego, computers, reading; sometimes in groups and individually; she saw them fully engaged and happy. The TA invited the children to the learning table to look at shapes and all were fully engaged except one and the TA ensured they were not left out and tailored the session to their needs. Saw good engagement from older children within the cohort.
VB had visited class 1 and observed a well organised classroom with a well-planned lesson and that TAs were being well used; good engagement from all. Talked about handwriting afterwards and how it was a continuing focus in the classroom.
AB visited class 2 and noted it was good to be involved in the class and he was impressed with what he saw in terms of the learning environment, teaching and TA support and gave example of how engaged all of the children were. He was impressed with how they got into groups and were given tasks very quickly so had more time to do what was needed. Was good to see a caring atmosphere.
VB also visited a science day joint event with Sherburn and noted it was good to see the collaboration and interaction; children are starting to make friends across schools and there were very well planned activities on the day. / VB
14.0216 / Governor Training
VB and RH went on a course on performance related pay and reported that it is key that the school has appraisal and pay policies in place and documented standards for teachers at particular levels. The Pay panel should include the same governors as those doing the HT appraisal.
VB flagged up ‘WRAP’, a more detailed 2 hour “Prevent” based training – MB and VB are to do this.
Bite sized finance for governors and staff – VB is attending this at Pickering.
GSIN meeting at Downe Arms 9 March – VB and NH are to attend.
At the next meeting it was agreed that there would be a roundup of latest training opportunities available. / MB/VB
LW/VB
15.0216 / Future conduct of business
VB made a proposal that all meetings are clerked rather than having a planning meeting informally. There is a long gap between FGB meetings which can be a vulnerable position for the HT. For example the next FGB is not until June. VB would like to see GB meetings more synchronised with Sherburn as this will support the HT and also the joint collaboration work which needs more coordination.
Governors discussed the timing of meetings and the proposal that the GB does what many schools have done and have all governors collectively involved in finance and school improvement and planning. It was proposed to incorporate resources and school improvement in a planner for the year and include this within the FGB meeting.
VB proposed and AB seconded the proposal that the GB move to 6 FGB meetings a year incorporating finance and school improvement; meetings to be held twice a term; all agreed:-
LW / VB are to produce a planning document for consideration.
The schedule of meetings will be:
Tues 8th March – finance and resources committee
Wed 20th April – FGB at 4.30 – see if bursar can attend as first item at meetings
13th June – FGB – time tbc
6th July FGB time tbc
MB left the meeting at this point. / LW/VB
16.0216 / Joint collaboration update
VB reported on the meeting of the joint strategic development committee (JSDC) held in January and the pre circulated minutes. VB advised that the committee has been established with a clerk; VB and LW, chairs from each school,as co-chairs and draft TOR were considered. It is proposed that the committee explore the implications of federation with Sherburn and report back to FGB meetings. NH proposed and AB seconded that these arrangements be approved. VB advised that Sherburn school GB approved the scope at their FGB meeting also. The JSDC will next meet on 29 February.
NH left the meeting at this point.
17.0216 / Finance update
BP gave an update on the financial position and circulated a summary. The balance to be c/f in the budget is currently c£85k. Due to the prudent approach taken by the finance committee over recent years the financial position of the school is now healthy. At the last meeting of the finance committee in November, governors heard a presentation on school hall development. It was proposed that the GB agree the transfer from the revenue budget to capital of a sum not in excess of £75k for the development. Proposed by BP and seconded by RH; all agreed. It was recommended that the capital will be spent on the proposed development of sports hall and dining provision and the principle of investigating community hub facilities. The formation of a working group and membership on it of representatives from the GB is to be taken forward.
There was a second presentation given at the meeting on proposals to develop the school entrance. A working group is to be established to look at the options and make a recommendation to the FGB. BP proposed and RH seconded; all agreed.
The committee had also considered the business continuity and disaster recovery plan and the asset management plan.
A report on the latest budget monitoring position was given and the revised budget had been presented. BP proposed and RH seconded that the revised budget be approved. All agreed.
Governors noted that BP leaves the school in a healthy budgetary position following her work on the finance committee.
18.0216 / Clerks update
LW referred to information about the Modern Governor application which could be used for online learning by governors. Details have been circulated. The GSIN information for future sessions will be shared as soon as it is available.
19.0216 / Close and next meeting
The next meeting of the FGB will be held on 20th Aril 2016 at 4.30pm.
Future agendas are to include a regular item on the impact of GB decisions on children in the school. / LW
2015/2016 Luttons School Full Governing Body Attendance