Miss N Kennedy (Manager, Council Secretariat) Members confirmed there were no conflicts of interests for any of the agenda items.

Transcription

1 COUNCIL Minutes of the one hundred and seventeenth meeting of Council held on Wednesday 24 June 2015 at 10 am in Room 115, 1 st Floor, CCEA HQ, Clarendon Road, Belfast. Present : Mr T Carson (Chairman) Mrs J Mussen Mr M Donnelly Mr R Thompson Mr J Wilkinson Mrs C Harpur Dr A Kerr Dr P Cunningham Ms M Crilly Mrs R Cowan Mr J Edwards (Chief Executive) Mr R Hanna (Director of Education Strategy) Ms AM Duffy (Director, Qualifications) Ms S McClelland Interim Director, Corporate Services) Mr J Daly (Finance Manager) Miss N Kennedy (Manager, Council Secretariat) 1 Apologies Apologies were received from Mr Neill Morton. 2 Declaration of Interest Members confirmed there were no conflicts of interests for any of the agenda items. 3 Chair s Business The Chair welcomed members to the meeting, in particular, Mrs Sheila McClelland, Interim Director of Corporate Services, who took up post on 1 June Tabled Papers The Chair drew members attention to the tabled papers for the meeting. He advised that the agenda was formulated to deal with those items requiring discussion and approval. As previously agreed he confirmed the agenda would be rotated to give due cognisance to all Council s business. Chair s Report The Chair drew attention to the proforma tabled for information. He advised this formed the structure of regular meetings with the Chief Executive. He gave a detailed report on the issues discussed and progressed since the last meeting of Council. He confirmed he had met with Ms Sharon O Connor, Chair of the Education Authority to discuss a range of issues including potential opportunities for joint working. Meetings would be held on a quarterly basis. 1

2 Recruitment of Council Members The Chair confirmed that interviews would take place on 30 June 2015 with a further date to be agreed in July. It was hoped that the recommendations would be made to the Minister before 31 July for consideration. Concern was expressed that the current workload of some members was more than anticipated. Council resources were considerably stretched, particularly with committee business and the need to ensure quorums and adequate discussion took place on issues requiring decisions. The Chair concurred with this and assured members he had raised the matter with DE. The Chair wished to place on record his appreciation to all Council members for their support on all areas of CCEA business. Regulatory Advisory Committee The Chair confirmed the draft Terms of Reference for the Regulatory Advisory Committee would be issued to DE (before 30 June) for consideration and subsequent approval. Chief Executive s Report The Chief Executive provided a comprehensive report on activities across the organisation. This included: Education Strategy Supporting schools in using ICT : 5 primary principals conferences; 14 workshops and 2 Bring It On IT Industry Teacher Engagement conferences have taken place. 6 new primary teaching and learning resources for tablets have been developed across Levels 1 to 5. A C2K Model Classroom has been installed in the William Ritchie Building. This is a direct replica of the C2K system used by all schools. Full training has been provided and welcomed by staff. Should members wish to review the resources, arrangements will be made with the Director of Education Strategy. SEN : teams from the Highlands and Scottish Education Authority visited CCEA on 9 and 10 June to view assessment for learners with profound and multiple learning difficulties. They hope to negotiate with CCEA how to adopt and train on these assessment frameworks. Early Years : 2 pieces of video footage have been completed on Transitions. The materials focus on the transition from Sure Start to Year 1 in a nursery school setting and Transitions from Nursery School to Year 8 in primary school setting. This will be available for teachers from 31 August Guidance to Schools on Relationships and Sexuality Education; and Drugs Misuse and Awareness will be published as an online resource in August Irish Medium : a wide range of bespoke resources, including the use of interactive technologies were highlighted, this included an interactive maths terminology database (first of its kind in Irish). 2

3 Collaborative working continues with schools and teachers to develop ideas and CCEA is also working with educational partners, North and South, to provide quality resources for schools. Qualifications As of 24 June 2015, 1 examination paper (Maths A Level) remained to be taken. All others were taken with 100% accuracy in terms of adherence to timescales and accuracy of examination questions. 598,145 entries were registered for the summer 2015 series. The Chief Executive wished to place on record his thanks to the Director of Qualifications and her staff for the significant amount and quality of work undertaken to date. Modernisation 9 out of 17 products of the Qualifications Technology Roadmap are under development with 230,000 scripts being marked on line this year (an increase of 80,000 from summer 2014). The online marking programme will deliver item level data on GCSE STEM subjects. Data is already available for GCSE Mathematics and components of GCSE English. Over 510,000 marks for controlled assessments have been captured electronically across 22 subjects. The Chief Executive advised that he had briefed the Audit & Risk Assurance Committee on details of a risk which had been identified in relation to a third party dependency. He outlined the issue to Council and advised that the risk had been closed out. Qualifications Design, Development and Revision 22 GCE specifications have been revised and submitted to CCEA Accreditation. Work has begun on revising 39 GCSE specifications. Entry Level Specifications : General and Occupational Studies have been accredited for first teaching September Industry and Higher Education continue to support the 11 new Entitlement Framework qualifications including : - Allstate : provision of training for GCE Systems Software Development; - University of Ulster : competition for Environmental Technology; - Bombardier : supporting events for GCSE Space Science. 300 centre inspection visits have been scheduled on behalf of the Joint Council for Qualifications to date there has been 100% compliance. Regulation Letters have been issued to schools and colleges outlining changes on GCE and qualifications from a regulatory perspective. The provision of clarity has been well received Work continues with DE and DEL on the development of Unique Learner Numbers. 3

4 Corporate Services Increased social media presence. A Klout Score (metric for measuring social media in corporate environment) is being used. CCEA has achieved a 55/100 global benchmark which is above the average of 40/100. New BETA website has been launched with 2.1M hits in the first quarter. Most popular pages, at this time of the year are GCSE and GCE past papers. Revision of Specifications pages are also of interest. ICT has been recommended for accreditation to the new ISO27000:2013 Standard. If successful, CCEA will be one of the first organisations to achieve this standard. Potential Fraud Information has been redacted under section 31 law enforcement of the Freedom of Information Act Facilities Sale of 29 Clarendon Road. Closing date for bids on the premises was 16 June CCEA will continue to be the sitting tenant. Business Assurance The Chief Executive reported CCEA had been successfully re-accredited to all three ISO Standards with no non-conformances and one Opportunity for Improvement. This was the most successful assessment to date. Those re-accredited were : ISO 9001 : Quality Management Standard ISO 14001: Environmental Management Standard ISO 18001: Health and Safety Management Standard He commended to Council the work completed across the organisation to achieve this high level of assurance. Finance The Chief Executive reported the external audit process (carried out by PWC, on behalf of the NIAO) on the 2014/15 Annual Report and Accounts was closed out on 29 May He confirmed a clean audit with a recommendation of an unqualified audit opinion with no report on the accounts. 3 minor observations and recommendations were made. He acknowledged the significant amount of work undertaken by the Finance team and officers across the organisation and congratulated all involved on an excellent performance. The Chief Executive congratulated (name redacted under s. 40 Personal information of the Freedom of Information Act 2000) from the Finance Team on reaching 30 years service in CCEA on 24 June

5 Members welcomed and commended the update and information provided by the Chief Executive, particularly the updates on the full range of Education issues, the appetite for continued improvement and the re-accreditation of all ISO standards. A Council member suggested Council meetings could be hosted in different venues. This would be considered. FOI Requests Members noted the most recent FOI requests. 4 Minutes of the previous meeting held on 29 April 2015 The minutes of the previous meeting held on 29 April 2015 were proposed by Mr John Wilkinson and seconded by Mr Robert Thompson as a true and accurate record. A copy was signed by the Chair. Interim Changes to Committee Membership The Chair thanked Mr Martin Donnelly for moving to the Finance Committee from the Audit & Risk Assurance Committee and Dr Ana Kerr for joining the Audit & Risk Assurance Committee. He confirmed that this would be an interim measure until Council had its full complement of members. Action points Members noted the completed actions and were updated on the following: Item 2 : Chair s Business Training and Development Needs : The Chair advised there had been a delay in taking forward the Review of Council Effectiveness. Once feedback has been received from DE, members will be updated and the planning for future Council Development Days will commence. Closed Sessions at Council : The Chair advised it was not appropriate to hold a closed session at the beginning of each Council meeting, however, it was agreed that should the need arise, a closed meeting could be convened on those matters requiring private discussion/consideration. Item 3 : Actions from previous meeting : Corporate Plan : The Chief Executive confirmed he had written to DE and advised the letter was available upon request. Council Governance : The Chair confirmed the documents were being revised in light of DE suggestions and would be circulated to members outside of the Council meeting. Members noted the information provided. 5

6 5 Correspondence Members noted the following correspondence : 2015/16 CCEA Business Plan Governance Statements 2015/16 Budget Allocation : Irish Medium Provision Digital Skills Progression CCEA Business Managers Pay Remit Approval GCSE Grading TIMSS 2015 Irish Medium Materials CCEA Final Financial Plan 2014/15 Clarification was sought on : the response provided to the GCSE Grading letter. The Chief Executive confirmed he had written to DE providing the assurance they required. Coding for children, in the context of support for digital skills in primary schools. The Chief Executive advised that coding is introduced to children in primary schools and further information could be made available (upon request) on engagement in coding particularly at KS2. Both responses would be made available to members outside of the meeting. 6 Governance and Accountability Report on meeting held on 22 June 2015 The main issues discussed were : Financial Management Update on Delivering the DE Business Plan Targets (2014/15) year end position Business Plan 2015/16 Attainment Targets Corporate Risk Update The issue regarding the 1.36% underspend was raised. DE accepted the assurance that all steps had been taken to reduce the figure. An assurance was also provided that the Executive Team had a range of robust processes in place including advising DE(as soon as possible) of the potential surrendering or alternative utilisation of funding. The Chair confirmed that in the circumstances where a Ministerial decision was taken in England that could have implications for Northern Ireland, CCEA would monitor the situation and provide advice as required. The GAR team recognised the work CCEA undertakes directly with schools during the examinations series and the value of having a local awarding organisation that supports its centres on the various issues which arise during this time. 6

7 The Chair and Chief Executive welcomed the positive manner in which the meeting had been conducted. Members noted the information provided. 7 Finance and Planning The Chair confirmed that all matters relating to finance and planning had been scrutinised and challenged by the Finance Committee. Finance Committee report : meeting held on 10 June 2015 The Chair drew attention to the tabled minutes. He reported on the following: Correspondence Two letters were provided to the committee for information : Budget position 2015/16: issued to primary and post primary schools outlining the changes CCEA would be implementing due to budgetary constraints. Changes to provision of invigilation services: issued to principals of post-primary schools outlining a range of options and seeking views on how to proceed. The Chief Executive confirmed the Minister had been informed that Council, whilst recognising that this would be challenging, had agreed the invigilation element as part of the package which would be implemented due to the budgetary position. The letters would be made available to Council. Members raised the issue of catering at Council meetings. The Chief Executive said that catering had been reviewed as part of the overall package of financial and budget planning. Further consideration would be given to catering requirements. Finance : an update was provided on the revised final end of year position. This was on the agenda for the Council meeting. Procurement and Business Cases The Education CoPE has agreed to extend the current service to CCEA for a further 12 months. This will be presented to the EA Board for approval. One live procurement with CPD : Provision of the Supply of Certificates Business Cases One business case was reviewed by the Committee : Key Stage 3 Textbooks for teaching Irish Language at Irish Medium post-primary schools. Option 5 was approved on the basis that the case was reviewed on an annual basis. Facilities Management : an update was provided on the SERCO catering and cleaning contract. The Chief Executive confirmed he would monitor this situation. 7

8 Within HR: updates were provided on Staff Engagement initiatives; the CORE Brief; and TOIL : Saturday and evening working. Members noted the information provided. Revised Final (Draft) Finance Report as at 31 March 2015 C/117/1 The Finance Manager drew attention to paper C/117/1 and reported an end of year position of 316K, (1.36%) underspend. This represented a slight improvement reported at the previous Council meeting (29 April - 368K 1.6%). Approval of CCEA Final Financial Plan 2014/15 Members noted DE s approval of the 2014/15 Financial Plan on 11 June 2015 (Appendix 1). Finance Report as at 31 May 2015 C/117/2 The Finance Manager reported an underspend of 342K against budget and confirmed this was a reasonable position at this time. The main areas of underspend were detailed in paper C/117/2. The Chair sought an assurance that projects would be reviewed to ensure organisation priorities were kept at the forefront. It was confirmed that a detailed review of the full budget position was monitored by the Executive Team on a regular basis. Clarification was sought on teacher release funding and whether DE would take responsibility for the budget. It was confirmed that various options were being investigated by DE. To date no response had been received. It was noted that the preferred view of Council was for DE to take control of this budget. Statement of Financial Position as at 31 May 2015 C/117/3 Members noted the information provided. Draft Annual Report and Accounts 2014/15 C/117/4 The Chair confirmed that the Draft 2014/15 Annual Report and Accounts had been considered at the Audit and Risk Assurance Committee on 17 June and was being presented to Council for final consideration, and if appropriate, ratification/approval. The Finance Manager confirmed all of the deadlines throughout the process had been met. He advised that some minor changes were required before the document was finalised. Members were satisfied with the information provided and formally approved the Annual Report and Accounts 2014/15. The Chair and Chief Executive signed 3 copies of the Annual Report and Accounts 2014/15. The Chief Executive also signed the letter of representation. It was confirmed that the document would be laid before the NI Assembly during the first week in July. 8

9 8 Audit Audit and Risk Assurance Committee Report : meeting held on 17 June 2015 The Chair of the Committee thanked the Executive for the quick turnaround in producing the minutes. He also thanked Dr Kerr for joining the committee. He referred to the detail provided in the minutes and reported on the following: Draft Annual Report and Accounts 2014/15 : the committee commended the content, change of style and method of reporting. They were content with the information and clarifications provided and recommended the document to Council for final approval. Internal Audit Recommendations: the committee recognised the substantial amount of work undertaken in this area and were content with the number of issues closed out during this period. The Chair confirmed that the committee felt there was a significant degree of confidence that priority issues were being dealt with appropriately. General Conditions of Recognition : On the agenda for this meeting. The committee considered and recommended the documentation to Council for final adoption/ratification. Internal Audit Activity : the committee approved the draft internal audit plan for 2015/16. NIAO Update : draft report to those charged with Governance : a clean audit opinion with 3 low level issues were identified. The Chair congratulated officers on this performance. Updates were provided on : Direct Award Contracts March May 2015 Unauthorised purchases March 2015, April May 2015 DE Update Centre inspection Service : controlled assessment inspections 2015 Assessment (CBA) The Chair confirmed that the Chief Executive had reported the third party issue to the committee and an assurance received that the risk was being dealt with. The Chair of Council wished to place on record his congratulations to the progress made in this area and commended the work undertaken by the Audit & Risk Assurance Committee, the Executive and Internal Auditors. The Chief Executive recognised a challenge with regard to over-use of acronyms and advised that these would be avoided in papers and minutes for future Council and Committees. Members were content with the information provided. 9

10 General Conditions of Recognition C/117/5 Members were content that the Audit & Risk Assurance Committee had fulfilled its scrutiny function in reviewing the documents. Council formally approved the following documentation: CCEA Accreditation Annual Statement of Compliance 2015 Annual Statement of Compliance 2015 Welsh Government Annual Statement of Compliance 2015 For submission to the qualifications regulators: OfQual; Welsh Government and CCEA. The Chair advised that a small number of improvement actions were identified and these would be taken forward as appropriate. He confirmed the independence of the Regulation Team and assured members that a robust approach was taken to the work in this area. 9 Education Education Committee Report : meeting held on 13 May 2015 The Chair of the Education Committee drew attention to the minutes and reported on the following : Regulation : Expert Group : the committee were advised that the final report would be presented to the Minister in June A presentation from the Chairs of the Group would be received at the Autumn meeting. Timelines for Development of A/AS Levels Mathematics : the committee discussed and recommended Option 2 to come forward to Council at this meeting. GCSE Design Principles : the committee discussed and formally recommended the design principles to come forward to Council at this meeting. Updates were provided on : SEN Steering Group : proposals for future development. Revision of Specifications : all actions were on target. Entitlement Framework The Committee also received a copy of a Draft Evaluation Report on the Efficacy of the Levels of Progression in Supporting Pupil Learning. The report was being considered by officers. Members noted the information provided Timelines for Development of A/AS Level Mathematics C/117/6 It was confirmed that this issue was reviewed and discussed thoroughly at the Education Committee. Members were content with the recommendation and formally adopted Option 2. 10

11 GCSE Design Principles C/117/7 The Regulation and Accreditation Manager gave an overview of the process and advised that the information provided was in line with the outcomes of the review of GCSE and A Level qualifications. A Council member asked that reference to Principle 5 which related to consultations taking place, be made explicit in the correspondence informing DE of Council s decision. Subject to the above members formally approved the design principles. The Regulation and Accreditation Manager advised that the document would be updated should there be a requirement to do so. Revision of Specifications C/117/8 The Chair wished to place on record his recognition of the work carried out by (name redacted under s. 40 Personal information of the Freedom of Information Act 2000) who took on the role of Interim Project Manager for the Revision of Specifications. The Chief Executive concurred with this and thanked her for her support during this time. He confirmed that a new project Manager had been appointed and would take up post on 6 July. The Director of Qualifications drew attention to paper C/117/8 and Appendices outlining the latest position on the review. She advised that the new specifications would be available for first teaching September 2016 and a communications strategy was being developed to support schools. A Council member sought clarification on the impact of the timelines for mathematics. The Director of Qualifications confirmed that both specifications would be revised as appropriate and available for first teaching in September 2017 as previously notified. Members were content with the information provided. The Chair thanked the Chairperson of the Education Committee and officers for the reports provided. 10 Any Other Business Update on Summer Series 2015 The Director of Qualifications advised that 253 papers had been completed on timetable which finished on 24 June. To date 99.2% papers had been delivered on schedule and error free. She commended all staff, in particular, those officers in her Directorate for the substantial work undertaken to date. She confirmed that there had been no incidents or breaches involving opening of examinations. This was due to improvements being made to the instructions to centres. To date, 230,000 scripts have been marked on screen. The Chair reported that the Permanent Secretary and Deputy Secretary made positive reference to the way in which CCEA had dealt with the incidents during the Irish Open. 11

12 This had also been recognised by the Minister who commended CCEA for responding sensitively to the issues experienced in the schools at that time. Council members congratulated the Director of Qualifications and her team on the significant amount of work undertaken and for the interaction with schools. It was suggested that a communication be issued to schools thanking them for their contribution to the success of the examinations series, to date. It was agreed a letter would be drafted for the Chair to issue on behalf of Council. Daily News Bulletin A Council member commended the circulation of the daily news bulletin as a good way of keeping members informed of topical and relevant issues. As Chair of the Education Committee, she also wished to place on record her thanks to the Director of Qualifications and her team. 11 Date of Next Meeting The date of the next Council meeting was confirmed as Wednesday 23 September 2015 at am. This meeting would focus on the Summer 2015 Examinations Series. Council Development Days A Council member sought clarification on whether the Council Development Days scheduled for 2 and 3 September had been confirmed. It was agreed that the dates would be reviewed and re-scheduled to later in the year if possible. The Chair thanked members and officers for their contributions during the course of the meeting. 12