Meeting of the Priestley College Governing Body

GB17/3

Priestley College

Meeting of the Priestley College Governing Body

held at 4.30pm on Thursday, 13 July in the Conference Room (P1.16)

Governors met informally with staff leaving at the end of term prior to the start of the meeting.

MINUTES

Present

Mrs J Boyo

Mr Brennan

Mr Grant (Principal)

Mr Hill

Mr Hudson

Mr Lister

Mr Monaghan (Vice Chair)

Mrs Scott-Herron

Ms K Simcock

Mr Whittaker

Mrs Yates (Vice Chair, Chair for this meeting)

In attendance

Mrs McCann (Vice Principal Resources)

Mr Contos (Vice Principal Curriculum)

Mr McGuire (Director of Finance)

Miss Najimi

Mr E Soehren (President of Student Council)

Mr L Packwood (Vice President of the Student Council)

Carole Owen (Clerk)

1 / Apologies for absence
Apologies were received and accepted from Mr Haslam, Mr Dyke, Mr Farquharson, and Mr Mowatt.
2 / Declarations of Interest
There were no declarations of personal interest in any item on this agenda.
3 / Minutes of the Meeting held 30 March 2017
The minutes of the last meeting were agreed as an accurate record and signed by Mrs Yates.
4 / Matters Arising
There were no matters arising from the last meeting which are not included on this agenda.
Governors expressed great sadness at the death of Ann Fones on 11 July. Mr Grant and Mrs Yates represented the College at her funeral. The Annual Art Exhibition was held in her memory in recognition of her significant contribution to present and former students. Mrs Yates quoted from Yorkshire based artist ‘I have a lot to thank Ann for; she inspired me so much. If it wasn’t for her, I wouldn’t be the artist I am today’.
5 / Governance Matters
Chair’s Report
Mrs Yates provided a summary of duties undertaken on behalf of Mr Haslam and the College:
Local Enterprise Partnership Strategic Forum: the meeting comprising College Chairs and council representatives from across Cheshire East, Cheshire West and Chester and Warrington, positively received the information regarding the conversion to academy status and progression to TCAT. Congratulations were forthcoming from Warrington Collegiate in relation Beamont Collegiate Academy’s membership of the Trust. Other mergers across the region are in progress at varying rates. Warrington Collegiate and Mid-Cheshire College are currently consulting on the proposed name for the institution following their merger i.e. ‘Warrington and Weaverham College.’
TCAT Governance meeting: the inaugural meeting of governors from across the schools in the Trust was held at Beamont Collegiate Academy. Mrs Yates was accompanied by several other members of the Governing Body who were able to get to know governors in other institutions. At the first meeting of the TCAT Board, it was agreed that a joint Governor session would be held at least annually to provide training and development.
Recruitment: an interview panel was convened to recruit a temporary appointment to support senior leadership which has been overstretched recently. Three middle leaders were interviewed and an appointment was made; presentations were of a very high calibre.
a)Clerking Arrangements 2017/18
Mr Grant advised governors of the recruitment process for Clerk to Governors for both Priestley College and TCAT. Interviews are scheduled for 20 July for both appointments.
Resolved: To note the arrangements for the appointment of a Clerk to the Board
b)Review of dates of office
The Clerk advised that the term of office of Mr Monaghan is due for renewal next term. The reappointment will be considered at the next meeting. An election for a new Parent Governor will be undertaken in September.
Boyo J 22 Sep 2020
Brennan G 7 Dec 2020
Cannell A31 July 2019
Dyke P 1 Nov 2019
Farquharson A30 Sep 2020
Haslam R 7 Oct 2020
Hill G 13 Dec 2019
Hudson D 21 Oct 2019
Lister O 22 Sep 2020
Monaghan J 31 Oct 2017
Mowat D 21 Oct 2019
Scott-Herron B31 July 2019
Simcock K31 May 2019
Whittaker C22 Sep 2020
Yates S 14 Feb 2020
Resolved: To note dates of Governor terms of Office
c)Agree Committee membership 2017/18
Finance HR & Resources4 minimum
8 maximum
3 quorate
Andrew Cannell
Janine Boyo
Reg Haslam
George Hill
Danny Hudson
John Monaghan
Colin Whittaker
Sheila Yates
Principal
Audit 4 minimum
6 maximum
3 quorate
Alan Farquharson
Philip Dyke
John Monaghan
Gerry Brennan / Quality and Standards 6 minimum
10 maximum
4 quorate
Kelly Simcock
Mike Hartill*
Chris Hillidge
Oliver Lister
Bev Scott-Herron
Yousuf Shaikh*
Student Representatives:
Luke Packwood*
Ewan Soehren*
Strategic Planning &
Governance 5 minimum
8 maximum
3 quorate
Reg Haslam
Philip Dyke
Alan Farquharson
John Monaghan
David Mowat
Sheila Yates
Principal
Resolved: To agree Committee membership for the next academic year.
6 / Principal’s Report including TCAT Update (including College Improvement Plan Update)
The report was preceded by a film compiled by the media team in recognition of the many exceptional individual and team achievements from across all curriculum areas and particularly sport.
Mr Granthighlighted

• This was the first meeting of the Priestley Local Governing Body.
• Beamont Academy has recently been inspected and judged as ‘Good’ for overall effectiveness.
• Penketh South Primary school has now submitted an application to join the Trust.
• Bridgewater High has been designated as a teaching School. TCAT will assist in the development of its offer with Priestley as a strategic partner.
• Several other primary schools have made contact regarding potential Trust membership.
• Budget: the reduction in staffing costs has been achieved through natural wastage.

Mr Brennan asked if staffing reductions were having an impact on staff.
Mr Grant explained that the new MIS system provided efficiencies which enabled a small number of business support posts not to be replaced. Other natural wastage was achieved through the non-renewal of temporary contracts. Other staff changes have been required through a change in the curriculum offer to students. Personal Tutors have been replaced by Progress Tutors. He observed that the sixth form college sector as a whole was delivering outstanding outcomes
The meeting agreed that all educational institutions were experiencing increased budget pressure as income has remained static against a 1% pay uplift and incremental drift.

• A Yr 11 residential has been held at Oxford for More Able students
• Health & Safety: site security will be increased by September with new gate and fencing at the Menin Avenue entrance and additional CCTV installed
• A review of the buildings has been undertaken in light of the Grenfell Tower tragedy with no issues identified as required by the ESFA.
• Attendance has increased by 0.6% showing the impact of Progress Tutors.
• Retention has increased. The Senior North West HMI responsible for post 16 inspections was praiseworthy of last year’s results and has noted this further improvement. Governors noted the continuance of the upward trend in retention and that this will continue to be a priority next year.
• Progression to university: there has been a 4% drop nationally although the Priestley trend is counter to this. 77% of eligible students have submitted applications this year which is above national and is an increase from 2016.
• Presentation Evening: 6 September at St Elphin’s Church with Dame Sarah Storey as Guest Speaker

Miss Najimi expressed thanks to all Priestley staff for the many opportunities provided for her during her time as a student. She particularly noted the support of Mr Salmon, the Nuffield placement, the College Council andposition on the Governing Body as significant in terms of her personal development.
Mrs Yates thanked Miss Najimi for her attendance and contribution to the Governing Body this year.
College Quality Improvement Plan
This was scrutinised in detail by the Curriculum and Standards Committee. The observation process has been reviewed and informed by best practice. Judgements are made on a more holistic basis taking into consideration outcomes, work scrutiny and lesson observations.
Mr Brennan sought clarification of the target setting process as he felt that expected improvements appeared smaller where there were higher learner numbers. He asked if a movement from 83.1% to 83.6% in achievement rates was statistically significant.
Mr Contos explained that targets are reviewed and the number appears to be a small percentage as there is a high volume of outcomes behind the figures. Larger increases would be unrealistic.
Mr Monaghan: might this be also because achievement is already at a high level and therefore small margins are required to ensure progress?
Mr Contos: yes, the context of figures is important for evaluative purposes.
Resolved: To receive the Principal’s Report and College Quality Improvement Plan
7 / Minutes from Committee Meetings
a)Curriculum & Standards Committee held on 22 June 2017
Mrs Scott- Herron thanked Mr Contos for an efficient review of the QUIP. In addition to the previous discussion she outlined the Committee’s scrutiny of Safeguarding and Child Protection procedures as well as student attendance.
b)Finance & General Purposes Committee held on 28 June 2017
Mr Cannell reported the cost of £163,500k as the revised cost for the IT tender which provided a five year warranty with a higher specification and therefore better value. He sought agreement for this contract.
Resolved: To agree the contract for the IT system.
c)Audit Committee held on 21 June 2017
College Risk Management Plan processes will be utilised across the Trust due to their high quality and robustness. A plan for the College and the Trust has been developed.
Resolved: to receive the Committee minutes and note the contents.
Remuneration and H&R Committee held on 13 July
Mr Monaghan gave a brief summary of the meeting held earlier this afternoon. He sought approval for an appeal committee to be formed from the R&HR membership should the need arise. His proposal was seconded by Mrs Yates.
Resolved: To constitute an Appeals panel as required from the membership of the current R&HR Committee.
Mr Monaghan also reported on the outcomes of the staff survey and emphasised the high level of staff satisfaction and confidence in SMT. He stated that he felt this was particularly significant at the end of a period of significant change for the College.
8 / Budget 2017/8
Mr McGuire presented the proposed budget for the new financial year for approval:
Income / £9,390,843
Expenditure / £9,283,628
In year surplus / £107,215

• 97% of the income has been agreed with ESFA
• Salaries include incremental rises and a 1% uplift, apprenticeship levy and pension costs are included
• Capital investments: £80k has been budgeted which appears modest compared to previous years. The College is no longer required to pay VAT. Other efficiencies will be achieved through joint procurement for the MAT however the greatest benefit will be felt by other academies as they reap the reward of procurement through Priestley College.
• The College loan has been repaid
• There will be a continual scrutiny of contracts on renewal to ensure best value

Mr Hudson: when does the fluctuation in student numbers impact on funding?
Mr Grant: funding is lagged for 16 – 18 year olds and is based on the current on roll position.
Mrs McCann: this provides for stability and financial planning. Adult funding is slightly different to this.
Mr Brennan: why is there a reduction in minor works revenue?
Mrs McCann: some of this has been accounted for in the 16/17 budget due to the change in the financial year. The benefits of no VAT liability are reflected in the figures.
Mr Monaghan proposed acceptance of the budget which was seconded by Ms Simcock and agreed unanimously.
Resolved: To agree the Budget 2017/18
9 / Health and Safety Update
Mrs McCann reassured the meeting that the Fire Risk Assessment is nearing completion in line with the annual cycle. This will be reported in the Autumn term along with the accident, trips and slips records.
She reported on serious accident involving a student who fractured their pelvis. Risk Assessment procedures and further training have been undertaken by the relevant staff.
Mrs Yates queried the well-being of the student and was informed that they were making a recovery.
10 / Schedule of Meetings 2017/18
Th / 21 / September / 3.00 / Strategic Planning & Governance Committee
W / 27 / 4.30 / Finance , HR & Operations Committee
Th / 12 / October / 4.30 / Quality & Standards Committee
M / 16 / 4.30 / Audit Committee
Th / 19 / 4.30 / Full Board
W / 15 / November / 4.30 / Finance , HR & Operations Committee
W / 29 / 4.30 / Quality & Standards Committee
Th / 30 / 3.00 / Strategic Planning & Governance Committee
Th / 14 / December / 4.30 / Full Board
Spring
Th / 11 / January / 3.00 / Strategic Planning & Governance Committee
W / 31 / 4.30 / Finance , HR & Operations Committee
Th / 15 / February / 4.30 / Quality & Standards Committee
Th / 1 / March / 4.30 / Full Board
M / 12 / 4.30 / Audit Committee
Summer
Th / 7 / June / 3.00 / Strategic Planning & Governance Committee
M / 11 / 4.30 / Audit Committee
W / 20 / 4.30 / Quality & Standards Committee
W / 27 / 4.30 / Finance , HR & Operations Committee
Th / 5 / July / 4.30 / Full Board
Resolved: To agree the meeting schedule for 2017/18
Date of Next Meeting: Thursday 19 October 2017 at 4.30pm

Carole Owen

20 July 2017