Diocese of Portsmouth

Department for Schools
Park Place Pastoral Centre
Winchester Road
Wickham
PO17 5HA
Tel: 01329 835363 /

21stJuly 2015

To all headteachers, governors and clerks

School Governance Bulletin No:15.15

This Bulletinis sent electronically to all headteachers, governors, directors and clerks for whom an email address is held in the Department for Schools’ office. No hard copies will be issued. Bulletins will be circulated as and when appropriate and will be numbered for ease of reference. The bulletin will also be available on the diocesan web-site.

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In this bulletin:

1. / Information from DfE / 2. / Information from EFA
3. / Schools Direct Bulletin / 4. / Information for NGA members
5. / Important guidance for all charity trustees / 6. / Training for chairs and clerks
7. / Thank you / 8. / Catholic education
  1. Information from the DfE
    i) Secretary of State speaks on the importance of school governance
    Nicky Morgan, the Secretary of State for Education, was speaking at the National Governors’ Association summer conference. She said
    “As we move towards an increasingly school-led, profession-driven system, the importance of your role will only continue to grow. Because a school-led system doesn’t mean schools as islands, making their own way. It means schools fully integrated with the local community, responsive to local parents and, crucially, connected with, learning from and supporting other schools. And you as governors will play a crucial role in this; ensuring your school is fully linked with the world outside.”

She mentionedpossible further changes to the current model of governance: “What that doesn’t necessarily mean is a stakeholder model of school governance, and I should be clear now that I intend to look further into how we can move away from that model over this Parliament - because what makes your contribution so important isn’t the particular group you represent, it’s the skills, expertise and wisdom you bring to the running of a school.”
She also spoke on coasting schools. “Schools that think that ‘just good enough’ is enough. Schools lucky enough to have high-attaining intakes, but who don’t push them to achieve their potential. Schools for which the C/D borderline has been everything to the detriment of the very many young people on either side. But I want to be very clear - our commitment to improving coasting schools doesn’t mean automatically sacking heads and governors, nor does it mean automatic academisation. What it does mean is that we will expect to see - from the leadership and governors of the schools in question - a clear and sufficient plan for improvement.

It means that, having developed this plan, schools in this category will potentially work with national leaders of education to get themselves back on track. And let me be clear - it is only where schools prove themselves unable to do this, that regional schools commissioners will consider if the leadership needs to be changed.”

She thanked governors for all they do. “So I hope that I’ve been clear about the importance I place on the job that you do, and how grateful I am, and the Department of Education is, for all that you give to the schools in your charge. And I know that you do what you do, not because of some imagined badge of status that being a school governor brings, but because, like me, you genuinely believe in the power that education has to transform young lives.”

The full speech can be read at
ii) Coasting Schools defined
For the purposes of the legislation, a coasting school will be an LA maintained school where, over a three year period, pupils are making insufficient progress and, at least for the first two years of the measure, are not meeting the required standards in exam/test results.

iii) Prevent Duty in Schools
On 1 July the Counter-Terrorism and Security Act 2015 came into force. This puts an emphasis on the proprietors of schools (i.e. the governing board) to ‘have due regard, in the exercise of their functions, to prevent people from being drawn into terrorism’. Because of this, the Department for Education has issued advice which governors will need to follow. The advice outlines that schools will need to:

  • Assess the likelihood of pupils being drawn into terrorist organisations
    “This means being able to demonstrate both a general understanding of the risks affecting children and young people in the area and aspecific understanding of how to identify individual children who may be at risk of radicalisation and what to do to support them.”
  • Work in partnership with the Local Safeguarding Children Boards (LSCBs) and families.
    “It is important to assist and advise families who raise concerns and be able to point them to the right support mechanisms.”
  • Train staff
    Equip staff to identify children at risk of being drawn into terrorism and to challenge extremist ideas. “The Home Office has developed a core training product for this purpose – Workshop to Raise Awareness of Prevent (WRAP). There are a number of professionals – particularly in safeguarding roles - working within Local Authorities, the Police, Health and Higher and Further Education who are accredited WRAP trained facilitators. …..As a minimum, however, schools should ensure that the Designated Safeguarding Lead undertakes Prevent awareness training and is able to provide advice and support to other members of staff on protecting children from the risk of radicalisation.”
  • Have adequate IT policies to protect children online.
    Schools need to“ensure that children are safe from terrorist and extremist material when accessing the internet in schools. Schools should ensure that suitable filtering is in place.”
    The DfE has also produced new guidance on social media and radicalisation. See
  • Build children’s resilience to radicalisation
    “by providing a safe environment for debating controversial issues and helping them to understand how they can influence and participate in decision-making.”
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    2.Information from EFA
    i)Pupils Premium funding allocations
    The EFA has published final pupil premium funding allocations for the 2015 to 2016 financial year. The information can be accessed at

ii) Academies Financial Handbook
The EFA is currently finalising the Academies Financial Handbook 2015, which will come into force from 1 September 2015. The EFA expects to publish this later in July and would like to apologise for the short delay.
iii) Online training videos
The EFA will shortly publish a series of online training videos on the financial framework, covering the Academies Accounts Direction 2014 to 2015, the Academies Financial Handbook and lessons learned from analysing trusts’ financial statements for the year ending 31 August 2014. For details see

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3.Schools Direct bulletin
“With the summer break approaching, there are important choices to make about your recruitment for initial teacher training (ITT) places in September. This month’s bulletin reminds you of the support tools still available if you plan to continue recruiting over summer and what you need to do next if you are not. It also updates you on the new arrangements for recruitment for trainees starting in September 2016.” Paul Cohen Deputy Director – Initial Teacher Training and Fieldwork Division See

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4.Information for NGA memberson recruiting and inducting new governors
Some governing bodies are members of the national Governors Association through their LA service level agreement. The NGA has published “The right people around the table: a guide to recruiting school governors and trustees”

It contains

  • Evaluating: composition and current practice
  • Recruiting: who to look for and how to get them
  • Appointing: interviewing and references
  • Inducting: support and training
  • Preparing: succession planning and exit interviews

“This new guidance is a bumper pack of tips, key questions and practical advice for finding new governors.” Governing bodies may wish to download the information from the NGA website however, it is important to remember that there are particular processes and requirements for Foundation Governors that will be different from the information given by the NGA

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5.Important guidance for all charity trustees
The Charity Commission has published a new version of The Essential Trustee. This will help academy trustees to avoid difficulties and comply with their legal duties. It can be accessed at

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6.Training for Chairs and clerks

i)Chairs of Governors’ Leadership Development Programme:
This NCTL course is for aspiring chairs of governors, new chairs or existing chairs who would like to develop their skills further. The programme is delivered through workshops, school-based activities and includes the support of a mentor. It focuses on the role of the chair, leading the governing body and leading change and continuous improvement – all of which can help your governing body build capacity and support succession planning. The RRP for the programme is £399 and it is delivered through NCTL approved licensees. However, scholarships are available of £320 for small schools and £200 for all other maintained schools towards the cost of the programme.

ii)Clerks:
NCTL has a clerks development programme aimed at new and experienced clerks wanting to develop their skills. Scholarships are also available for this programme.

If your governing body or clerk is interested in any of the above, they can find out more details about the programmes and workshops and how to book a place here
If you have any questions, please e-mail .

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7.Thank you

Many thanks to all our governors for all that you do to support our schools, the pupils and their families as well as the teachers, support staff and all who make up our family of Catholic schools. We wish you a happy and enjoyable summer.

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8.Catholic education

“At all times the school is to serve as a witness

to the Catholic faith in Our Lord Jesus Christ.”

Instrument of Government, Diocese of Portsmouth

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Diocese of Portsmouth – Department for Schools

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