Appendix 9
GOVERNING BODY MEETING PLANNER
Contents / Page No(s)Introduction / 2-4
SECTION 1
Governing Body Meeting Planner – Standard Items / 5
Governing Body Meeting Planner – Autumn Term / 6-11
Governing Body Meeting Planner –Spring Term / 12-15
Governing Body Meeting Planner –Summer Term / 16 - 18
If you have any queries about information in this leaflet or on any governance matters please contact:
Governor Support Services, Children and Young People’s Services, County Hall, Northallerton, North Yorkshire, DL7 8AE
Tel 01609 532377
Email:
Governing Body Meeting Planning
Governing Bodies need to plan their work to be effective. The easiest and most straightforward way of doing this is by preparing and regularly updating a schedule of the work that the governing body needs and wants to do throughout the academic year.
Many of the tasks that a governing body needs to complete are required by statute and relate to its key role of setting aims and objectives and then monitoring and evaluating outcomes. Other tasks are those that governing bodies adopt because they are examples of good practice.
Included in the work planner are items referring to Inspection Reports. These include Ofsted and any Diocesan reports. These reports should drive the school self-evaluation plan and the governors’ action plan. They are key to ensuring the governors know the strengths of the school and what areas need improvement. The headteacher report should provide enough information in terms of data to ensure all governors are clear about school priorities and as such headteacher reports should always be very high on any agenda and circulated with the agenda 7 days in advance of the meeting.
The Governance Handbook sets out the following role for governing bodies:
Ø Ensuring clarity of vision, ethos and strategic direction;
Ø Holding the headteacher to account for the educational performance of the school and its pupils, and the performance management of staff; and
Ø Overseeing the financial performance of the school and making sure its money is well spent.
The governing body will support and challenge the Head teacher, who is responsible for the ‘internal organisation, management and control of the school’.
Overview of key activities (Governors’ Handbook May 14)
Overview of School Governance
Key Activities Typical Inputs
To assist governing bodies and clerks the format of the Planner has been created to suggest responsibility for ensuring that items and the requisite papers are produced in a timely fashion for inclusion on the agenda. Timescales have also been included to try to ensure that governors receive the agenda and associated papers in good time to enable them to read and consider the papers prior to attending the meeting. Such an approach can reap considerable rewards for the governing body and its committees by ensuring that governors are well informed and briefed thus enabling views to be considered and questions formulated prior to the meeting. This also enables governors to fulfil their very important role as a ‘critical friend’ to the Head teacher. A well organised agenda with all the requisite papers provided prior to the meeting can also have the very considerable benefit of making the meeting more effective and shorter. The converse is that Governing Bodies should not expect Head teachers to produce papers for agenda items at short notice. If governors require specific information they should give Head teachers plenty of notice.
Whilst the model meeting planner has been prepared taking into consideration the current responsibilities of governing bodies it is not meant to be prescriptive or exhaustive. It does not include items that individual governing bodies might choose to place on agendas. It does, however, offer a model for consideration and adaptation to suit the particular needs of individual governing bodies and can be expanded or contracted accordingly and can form the basis for agenda preparation.
The planner is set out on the basis of and assumes that there will be two governing body meetings per term. Many governing bodies will operate with a different meeting pattern and they will need to adapt the work programme to fit in with their own particular circumstances. Governing bodies that have adopted a committee structure will need to construct the planner to take account of the terms of reference of its committees and adjust the model planner accordingly. Guidance on committees is available from Governor Support Services and is included in the pack for Chairs of Governing Bodies. It is also available on the website http://cyps.northyorks.gov.uk/index.aspx?articleid=13430.
Page 4 of 18
Annual Planner issued April 2013 – update Jan 2017
Governing Body Annual Meeting PlannerNote: Items indicated by an asterisk are statutory requirements
The following items should be included on each agenda
Item / Information required for meeting / Who to provide/do. Otherwise Clerk to initiate / Date information to be provided to GB
*Hold governing body meeting / Agenda / Chair/Head/Clerk / At least 7 clear days before the meeting
*Receive apologies for absence and consider whether absence(s) should be consented to. / See guidance in the Clerks Handbook / Clerk / At meeting
Remind governors of the rules about confidentiality and determine which items on the agenda will be treated as confidential. / See guidance in the Clerks Handbook / Clerk / At meeting
Remind governors about the need to declare interests, pecuniary or otherwise. / See guidance in the Clerks Handbook / Clerk / At meeting
*Consider and approve the minutes of the previous meeting of the GB and consider matters arising / Copy of the previous minutes to be provided to all governors / Clerk / At least 7 clear days before the meeting
Consider including items which are currently highlighted by Inspections e.g. Safeguarding and Pupil Premium, Pupil progress points etc. / Agenda / Head teacher / At least 7 days before the meeting.
Headteachers’ report which should include pupil data and information on the development of all pupils in school. / Headteachers are currently only required to provide one report per year to GBs in statute.
However it is strongly recommended that they report at least 3 times per year on pupil data, results, any groups which may be falling behind etc. Schools in special measures would require more reports to ensure rapid improvement. / Head teacher / At least 7 days before the meeting.
Page 5 of 18
Annual Planner issued April 2013 – update Jan 2017
AUTUMN TERM – FIRST MEETINGItem / Information required for meeting / Who to provide/do. Otherwise Clerk to initiate / Date information to be provided to GB
*Review Terms of Office of Chair & Vice-Chair if at end of current term of office / Current terms of Office and options available to governing body – See Clerks Handbook / Clerk / At meeting
*Review procedure for election of Chair & Vice-Chair if at end of current term of office / Current procedure – recommended procedure in the Clerks handbook. / Clerk / At least 7 clear days before the meeting
Determine position in event of Chair/Vice-Chair not completing term of Office / See Clerks Handbook. / Clerk / Information at meeting
*Elect Chair if at end of current term of office. / Agreed procedure (see above) and Clerks Handbook. / Clerk
*Elect Vice-Chair if at end of current term of office. / Agreed procedure (see above) and Clerks Handbook. / Chair
*Review Committee Structure and composition / Details of current committee structure and composition and Leaflet on School Committees, appendix 6 School “Leadership and Management, Chair and Head teacher” on website. / Clerk / At least 7 clear days before the meeting
*Appoint Governors to Committees / Committee composition (as amended if appropriate) / Chair
*Review terms of reference of Committees. / Current terms of reference of committees / Chair/Clerk / At least 7 clear days before the meeting
*Consider or Review, as appropriate, the Scheme of Delegation to the Headteacher / Current Scheme of Delegation or if considering see Budget Monitoring Policy for suggested Scheme also Decision Planner at Appendix ‘1’ of the Chair of Governor’s Information on CYPS.info. / Chair/Clerk / At least 7 clear days before the meeting
*Determine if committees are to elect their own Chairs/Vice-Chairs or if they are to be appointed by the GB / Details of previous practice. / Chair / At meeting
Item / Information required for meeting / Who to provide/do. Otherwise Clerk to initiate / Date information to be provided to GB
Consider adoption of Standing Orders and Code of Practice or review if already adopted / Sample Standing Orders and Code of Practice are available in the Clerks Handbook – Appendix ‘5’. School Leadership etc., CYPS.info / Chair/Clerk / At least 7 clear days before the meeting
Consider adoption of Roles and remits for Link Governors or review if already adopted / Sample Roles and Remit for Link Governors are available in the Clerks Handbook. / Chair/Clerk / At least 7 clear days before the meeting
Appoint Governors to Link Governor posts / Details of previous years appointments / Clerk / At least 7 clear days before the meeting
Establish a programme of visits to the school by governors / Schedule of visits made in previous year and recommendations about curriculum or other areas that would benefit from a visit. The focus for visit should include school priorities identified through school improvement plan. / Head/Chair / At least 7 clear days before the meeting
*Completion of new Register of
Business Interest forms by all governors / Model Form is available in the School Finance Manual / Clerk / At least 7 clear days
before the meeting
Remind all governors of Register of Hospitality requirements / Details of Register and requirements available in the Clerks Handbook – Chapter 3. / Clerk / Register to be available at meeting
Review and take action to fill any
current or upcoming vacancies on the GB.
Include succession planning for Chairs and Vice Chairs. / Schedule of Governors with details of vacancies and
terms of office(s) of governors / Clerk / To be available at
meeting
Item / Information required for meeting / To provide. Otherwise Clerk to initiate / Date information to be provided to GB
Remind the Governing Body of the aims and values (ethos) of the school and review if necessary. / Statement of the Ethos of the School / Clerk / At least 7 clear days before the meeting
Set the objectives for the GB to achieve in the current academic year include Pupil Premium spending if applicable. / These are what the GB itself wishes to achieve e.g. to fill all vacancies on the GB, plan for future changes to the GB, developing skills for Chairing meetings etc.
Governors should also consider school priorities form the school development plan. / Chair / At meeting
Agree a Policy formulation and review timetable for the current academic year / Schedule of Policies to be formulated and/or reviewed – See also section 3 of this booklet. / Head / At least 7 clear days before the meeting
Consider what training for governors should be undertaken over the current academic year.
Undertake a skills audit of the GB to identify any gaps etc. / Governor Training Opportunities Booklet distributed to all GBs in the previous Summer Term plus details of any other notified training opportunities.
Skills Audit see Appendix 10 School Leadership etc Information pack on CYPS.info / Chair or Link Governor (Training) / New information at least 7 clear days before the meeting
AUTUMN TERM – SECOND MEETING
Item / Information required for meeting / Who to provide/do. Otherwise Clerk to initiate / Date information to be provided to GB
Consider committee minutes/reports, if any. / Committee minutes/reports / Clerk / At least 7 clear days before the meeting
Consider the report of the Headteacher – Note this may contain many of the items detailed hereunder / Report of the Headteacher
This should always be very high on the agenda. / Head / At least 7 clear days before the meeting
Consider the SIA report key issues. / HT and Chair (or governor with responsibility for liaison with SIA) will report to GB on Key issues for development. / HT/Chair / At least 7 clear days before the meeting
Review School Development Plan / Review progress on School Development Plan and consider revised plan, fully costed, incorporating priorities established through school self-evaluation and issues arising from OFSTED inspection. Include Pupil Premium spending. / Head / At least 7 clear days before the meeting
Review OFSTED key points from previous inspection. / Review progress on all areas of development for school improvement. / Head / At least 7 clear days before the meeting
Review statutory and other policies in line with agreed timetable / New draft policies for consideration and existing policies for review with recommendations / Head / At least 7 clear days before the meeting
Receive written reports on governor school visits and address any issues arising / Copies of the written reports / Head/Governors who undertook visits. / At least 7 clear days before the meeting