Glossary for school governors and clerks to governing bodies

Published January 2005

Summer 2006

Updated summer 2007

Introduction

This glossary has been prepared using materials from Wakefield LA. You can find a further glossary in the Guide to the Law.

We hope that you will find this booklet useful, if you have any suggestions or comments please contact the Governor Support Service on 0151 443 3263.

Absence from Meetings

A governor who misses all meetings for six months (beginning with the first meeting missed) without the consent of the governing body may be removed from the governing body.

Action Plan

A detailed plan setting out what is needed to achieve a particular development or project. It should include the people to take action, resources needed, timescales and systems for monitoring and evaluation. After an OFSTED inspection, the governing body must agree on an action plan to address the Key Issues identified in the inspection report.

Admission policy

Community and voluntary controlled schools in Knowsley follow the admission policy determined by the LA, following consultation. The governing body is required to publish the LA’s admission policy in the school prospectus. The governing bodies of voluntary aided schools are responsible for their schools’ admission policies but must consult the LA, other schools and, in certain cases, neighbouring LAs.

Agenda

The agenda is the list of topics to be discussed at a meeting. All governors and the Headteacher (if not a governor) must receive at least 7 days in advance, a copy of the agenda and supporting papers of every meeting of the governing body.

Any Other Business (AOB)

This is usually the last item on the agenda of a governing body meeting. The purpose of AOB is to allow governors to raise issues that have not been discussed under the other items on the agenda. However, it is not good practice for significant matters to be discussed under AOB - it is better for them to be put on the agenda for the next meeting, so that governors know that they are to be discussed and have time to prepare.

Area Partnerships

Grouping of public agencies and schools in areas across the borough that co-ordinates the support of Children’s Services

Associate Member

Governing body meetings are not open to the public by right. The governing body can decide whether anyone who is not a governor, other than the headteacher or clerk, may attend a meeting. Associate members are not governors, they are appointed to committees and may only vote if the full governing body has given them the voting rights and the majority of committee members present are governors. People who are invited to meetings on a regular basis, e.g. a deputy head, are not associate members unless they have been appointed. Associate members/observers may be asked to leave if confidential items are discussed, and must leave in certain circumstances. Associate members/observers may not vote on any occasion at full meetings. The names of Associate members/observers should be recorded in the minutes under “also present”.

Asset Management Plan

A plan which sets out maintenance and improvement requirements for property for the following five years.

Attainment Targets

The knowledge, skills and understanding which pupils of differing ability and maturity are expected to have by the end of keystages of the national curriculum.

Ballot

A method of voting, usually secret.

Baseline Assessment

An assessment of a child’s skills and abilities usually made by a teacher within the first seven weeks of starting primary school.

Beacon Schools

Schools that have been identified as an example of best practice for other schools to learn from.

Behaviour Support Plans

A statement that sets out local arrangements for schools and other service providers for the education of children with behavioural difficulties.

Benchmarking

Ways of judging how well pupils are progressing.

Best Value

The best value framework primarily focuses on the balance between cost and quality in striving to improve services. It places a duty on local authorities to provide the best possible service at a reasonable cost. Best value is based on four principles: Challenging how and why a service is provided; Comparing performance with other organisations; Consulting stakeholders e.g. parents and pupils; and embracing Competition as a means of securing efficient and effective services. Schools are expected to take account of these principles.

Big Lottery Fund

A major source of lottery money available to schools for school and community sports projects. Formerly known as the New Opportunities FundPE and Sports in Schools programme.

Budget

The school’s budget must be approved by the full governing body unless specifically delegated to committee in their terms of reference. The school’s budget must be submitted to the LA by 1st June each year. Governing bodies should bear this in mind when setting dates of meetings.

Building Schools for the Future

The DfES initiativeto transform England’s secondary schools to life educational achievement.

Capital Expenditure

Spending on building projects and large items of equipment.

Casting Vote

An additional vote to be used by the Chair of the governing body if an equal number of votes are cast for and against a motion.

Change for Children

See ‘Every Child Matters’.

City Learning Centre

High technology learning centres based on school sites for dual use by the pupils and the wider community.

Children’s Centre

A one stop shop for the delivery of services to children and families

Clerk to the Governors

Every governing body must appoint a Clerk to Governors. For schools who buy into the Knowsley clerking service the role of clerk is shared by the Governor Support Servcieand a meeting clerk. The team clerk is responsible for preparing the agenda for the governing body meeting and for follow-up work afterwards. The meeting clerk is responsible for attending the meeting, providing the draft minutes and providing advice where requested.

Cognitive Abilities Tests (CAT’S)

These are done by all Knowsley schools by agreement between secondary headteacher’s by Year 7 pupils early in the Autumn Term. They are multiple choice tests that give a measure of a child's capability.

Cohort

Body of pupils entering a school in any one year.

Collaboration

Where 2 or more governing bodies may arrange for any of their functions to be discharged jointly by holding joint meetings and/or having joint committees.

Committee

A committee is made up of three or more governors who have been given delegated responsibility by the full governing body. The powers and membership of a committee must be agreed by the full governing body annually. The governing body may also appoint associate members to committees.

Common Assessment Framework (CAF)

The Common Assessment Framework (CAF) is a key part of delivering frontline services that are integrated and focused around the needs of children and young people. The CAF is a standardised approach to conducting an assessment of a child's additional needs and deciding how those needs should be met. It can be used by practitioners across children's services in England.

Community Area Forums

Regular forums across Knowsley where the general public and local agencies meet to discuss issues in the local area.

Community Governor

Community governors are chosen by the governing body. Community governors are appointed to improve community representation on the governing body and the range of skills and expertise available. Employees at the school cannot become community governors.

CommunitySchool

A state school wholly owned and maintained by the LA.

CommunitySpecialSchool

A state school wholly owned and maintained by the LA providing for pupils with special educational needs. Special schools are very similar to community schools from a legal point of view. However, special schools cater solely for pupils with particular special educational needs (e.g. severe learning difficulties).

Comprehensive Performance Assessment

Assessment of the performance of Local Authorities by the Audit Commission.

Compulsory Education

The law requires parents to ensure that their children receive appropriate full-time education from the start of the term after they become 5 (although in Knowsley full-time education in schools normally begins at the start of the term before a child becomes 5). Compulsory education ends on the school leaving date which is the last Friday in June in the school year in which children become 16 (Y11).

Condition rating

The graded physical condition of a building.

Connexions

A service which provides a single point of access for 13-19 year olds to help them prepare for the transition to work and adult life.

Co-opted Governor

The former name for community governors.

Cross-curricular

A topic covered in a number of curriculum areas.

Curriculum

The subjects and areas taught to children. These include English, mathematics, science, IT (sometimes ICT - information and communication technology), history, geography, art, music, PE (physical education) and RE (religious education).

The Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF)

Responsible for improving the focus on all aspects of policy affecting children and young people, as part of the Government’s aim to deliver educational excellence.

Delegated Budget

All schools have their own budget for day-to-day costs (including staff salaries). The management of this budget is the responsibility of the governing body. Delegated budgets can be spent for the purpose of the school as the governing body thinks fit, within the requirements of the LA's scheme for financing schools.

Delegation

A process where one body or person gives another authority to take decisions in a particular matter. In the case of governing bodies areas of delegation are detailed in the committee terms of reference and can only be agreed by the full governing body.

Desirable Outcomes

The knowledge skills and understanding children are expected to show by the time they finish the Reception class.

Devolved Budgets

Resources devolved to the governing body by the LA or the DfES that MUST be spent for a particular purpose or activity.

Department for Education and Skills (DfES)

See Department for Children, Schools and Families

DFE or DfEE

See Department for children, Schools and Families.

Directed Time

Time when a teacher must be available to carry out dutie.

Disapplication

A term used where parts of the National Curriculum requirements are lifted or modified in relation to a pupil in specified cases or circumstances.

Early Years

Children in Knowsley all have access to Early Years Education from the age of three – in Nursery classes – until they start statutory schooling at the age of five.

Educare Centre

Initial model for integrated childcare and education

Education Action Zone (EAZ)

EAZs are part of government policy to raise standards in areas that face challenging circumstances in terms of underachievement or disadvantage. They receive extra funding from government, business and industry.

Education Development Plan (EDP)

Every LA must produce an Education Development Plan. The plan includes an action programme focussed on raising standards.

Ethos

The character or atmosphere of a school - e.g. is it welcoming, or supportive or does it set high expectations for pupils (or all three)? The school prospectus must include a statement of the school’s ethos and values.

Evaluation

The process of finding out whether a particular development has had the planned effect.

Every Child Matters

Every Child Matters: Change for Children is a new approach to the well-being of children and young people from birth to age 19.

The Government's aim is for every child, whatever their background or their circumstances, to have the support they need to:

  • Be healthy
  • Stay safe
  • Enjoy and achieve
  • Make a positive contribution
  • Achieve economic well-being

Excellence in Cities (EiC)

A government programme that directs additional money to schools in deprived areas.

Exclusion

Banning a pupil from school by the Headteacher, either temporarily or permanently, on disciplinary grounds.

“Ex-officio” Governor

An “ex-officio” governor is someone who is a governor because he/she is the holder of a particular post that brings that governorship with it. All headteacher’s can, if they wish, be governors of the schools for which they are headteacher’s. At some voluntary schools, the local vicar or priest is a school governor “ex-officio”.

Extended School

A school that provides a range of services and activities often beyond the school day to help meet the needs of its pupils, their families and the wider community.

External Adviser

A trained consultant provided by the company CEA to assist governors in the performance management of the headteacher. An external adviser must be involved when the governors’ performance management committee meets the headteacher to agree his/her targets.

Failing School

A school found by an Ofsted inspection team to be failing to give its pupils an acceptable standard of education.

Fair Funding

The scheme of delegating money to schools who then decide their spending priorities.

Federation

An approach to the governance of a school which can either be ‘soft federation’ i.e. governing bodies which join up on certain issues or ‘hard federation’ whereby there is a single governing body for two or more schools.

Form of Entry (FE)

One form of entry equates to a year group of 30 children.

Formula Funding

The method by which funds for school budgets are calculated. The most important factor is the number of pupils.

Foundation Governor

A person appointed to be a member of a school’s governing body to ensure that the school preserves its particular religious character.

Foundation Stage

The Foundation Stage begins when a child reaches the age of three and ends with the start of Key Stage One (KS1) of the National Curriculum. It therefore includes all early years education until the end of the Reception Year.

Children may experience a range of education opportunities in maintained and non-maintained registered settings. However, they will all be working towards the Early Learning Goals for language and communication, mathematics, knowledge and understanding of the world, personal and social, physical and creative development as set out by the DfES.

Freedom of Information Act

The Freedom of Information Act deals with access to official information and gives individuals or organisations the right to request information from any public authority.

GCSE

The General Certificate of Secondary Education is the main examination for pupils at the end of compulsory education (end of Year 11).

GNVQ

General National Vocational Qualifications. Can be taken at a variety of levels from Part One GNVQs at Foundation level, which are equivalent to two GCSEs, to GNVQ level 5 which is post-graduate level. GNVQs are usually studied for on a full or part-time basis in school or college.

Government Office for the North West

Government offices in Liverpool and Manchester for regionalised Government policy functions.

Governors

Schools are run by headteachers, senior managers, teachers and support staff on a day to day basis. They are all responsible to their governors. The Local Authority supports the management of schools by staff and governors.

Headteacher’s Report

There is no legal obligation for the Headteacher to provide a report, but the Headteacher must provide the governing body with “such reports in connection with the discharge of his/her functions as the governing body may require” (School Standards and Framework Act 1998).

The Governor Support Service recommends that the Headteacher should produce a written report to the governing body at least once a term.

Her Majesty’s Inspectors

HMI conduct inspections for Ofsted - notably Local Authority inspections. Ofsted inspectors are not HMIs.

HomeSchool Agreement

A statement, drawn up in consultation with parents, explaining the schools aims and values, the responsibilities of both school and parents, and what the school expects of its pupils.

Information and Communications Technology (ICT)

Individual Education Plan IEP

Individual Education Plan for pupils with special educational needs.

Inclusion

Educating all children in mainstream schools.

Information Commissioner

The independent body set up to oversee and enforce the Freedom of Information Act and the Data Protection Act.

In-Service Education and Training (INSET)

The in-service training of teachersencompasses a wide range of activities which take place in schools, in INSET Centres and at universities and colleges, locally, regionally, in and out of school time, and on both a full-time and part-time basis.

INSET Days

By law, a teacher employed full-time must be available for work on 195 days in any school year, of which 190 days must be days on which pupils will be in school. The LA, as the employer, specifies the 195 days in the school year on which a teacher is required to be available for work. Of these 195 days, two days are specified to be used for INSET activities (normally the first day of the Autumn term in September and election day in May). Governing bodies are required to specify a further three days for specific professional duties (including INSET) from within the 193 days, leaving 190 days on which pupils will attend.

Currently, the LEA has agreed that headteachers, in consultation with staff and governors, may specify the way in which three of the five days may be used, e.g. twilight sessions in lieu.

Instrument of Government

This is the legal document which defines the composition of the governing body of each individual school. All governors should receive a copy of the Instrument for their school.

Joint Area Review (JAR)

A JAR evaluates how local services work together to contribute to the achievements, progress and well-being of children and young people growing up in an area against the five outcomes identified in the Every Child Matters green paper. It incorporates the inspection of youth services and replaces the separate inspections of local education authorities, local authorities' social services, Connexions services and the provision for students aged 14-19. Normally, the JAR is carried out at the same time as the Audit Commission's corporate assessment of the council and is aligned with the inspection of youth offending teams undertaken by HMI Probation.