Minutes of the Additional Full Governing Body Meeting

Transcription

1 Child Protection & Safeguarding Training for Governors took place from 6pm Liturgy for Governors for the New Academic Year from 7pm As a way to begin the new academic year, the school s Chaplain arranged a short Service for our Governors which was held in the school s Chapel prior to the full GB meeting. The Cardinal Wiseman Catholic School Minutes of the Additional Full Governing Body Meeting Wednesday 16 th September pm Present at the meeting: Name Category of Governor Information Noeleen Bell Foundation Clare Eastmond Foundation Elected Vice Chair of Governors at this meeting Tricia Ibe Foundation Jim Moreland Foundation Maggie Pound Foundation Elected Chair of Governors at this meeting Michael Kiely Staff Headteacher Robin Dann Staff Introduced and welcomed at this meeting Nicole Charles-Morrell Parent Lystra Luke Parent Michelle Samuel Co-Opted Roz Smith Clerk to the Governors The meeting was declared quorate. PART A MINUTES 1/ The meeting opened with a prayer. 2/ Apologies for Absence The following is a record of Apologies received from the following Governors by 7pm on the day of the meeting: Name Category Apologies: Received / Not Received Authorised / Unauthorised Absence Betty Bonnardel-Azzarelli Foundation Apologies Received Authorised Leo Lambe Foundation Apologies Received Authorised Fr John Egan Foundation Apologies Received Authorised Welcome to New Staff Governor Following the Staff Governor Election held during the 2015 Summer term, Robin Dann was the only nomination received by the deadline. As a result, Robin has been appointed Staff Governor from 1 st September 2015 to 31 st August Robin was officially welcomed to the GB and, as a courtesy, those in attendance introduced themselves. 3/ Governing Body Membership The Clerk advised that The Cardinal Wiseman Catholic School s Governing Body membership needed to be fully represented as per the Instrument of Government and confirmed that: i) The Diocese of Westminster had written to the Clerk confirming the appointment of Father John Egan from 1 st September 2014 until 31 st August Originally, the Diocese had advised that his appointment would commence from 1 st March 2015.

2 2 Action: The Clerk will notify the LA of Fr John s revised term of office. ii) Other Governors Terms of Office: Name of Governor Type of Governor Term of Office Ends Action Noeleen Bell Foundation August 2016 Governor will contact the Diocese of Westminster to confirm their availability. Tricia Ibe Foundation August 2016 As above Betty Bonnardel- Azzarelli Foundation August 2017 As above Nicole Charles- Parent Parent Governor Election to be Morrell November 2017 held in 2018 Lystra Luke Parent November 2017 As above Clare Eastmond Foundation August 2018 Governor will contact the Diocese of Westminster to confirm their availability. Leo Lambe Foundation August 2018 As above Jim Moreland Foundation August 2018 As above Maggie Pound Foundation August 2018 As above Michelle Samuel Co-Opted November 2018 Recruitment via SGOSS Michael Kiely Staff (H/Teacher) Continuous iii) The following vacancies exist for the current academic year (2015/16): 1 Foundation Governor 1 Co-Opted Governor 1 LA Governor Foundation Governor: The DoW has introduced new procedures which require the prospective appointee to go through DBS clearance prior to their official appointment. Schools are due to carry out and finance that task. The Clerk will contact the prospective appointee in order to initiate the DBS check. Co-Opted Governor: The school had signed up to SGOSS for the recruitment of Co-Opted Governors. The Chair advised that a recent applicant was interviewed but declined to take up the vacancy. Arrangements were currently being made with SGOSS for applicants to come forward. The Chair and the Head would meet future prospective applicants. Local Authority Governor: Ealing Council had recently notified that following our request for the recruitment of a LA Governor, the 14 week period had passed since informing them of the vacancy and, as mentioned in the Guidance point 11; our governing body could now actively seek to appoint a LA Citizen Governor of its choice or through SGOSS. Decision: The GB acknowledged the above information and agreed for the recruitment of Co-Opted Governor and LA Citizen Governor to continue through SGOSS. Action: The Clerk will put the above in action. 4/ Election of Chair The Clerk confirmed that only one nomination had been received: Maggie Pound

3 Those in attendance unanimously voted to elect Maggie Pound as the Chair of Governors at The Cardinal Wiseman Catholic School for a period of one year. This was seconded by T.Ibe, Foundation Governor. 5/ Election of Vice-Chair The Clerk advised that only one nomination had been received: Clare Eastmond Those in attendance unanimously voted to elect Clare Eastmond as the Vice Chair of Governors at The Cardinal Wiseman Catholic School, for a period of one year. This was seconded by N.Bell, Foundation Governor. 6/ Declaration of Business Interests 2015/2016 New format The new Declaration of Business Interest form had been sent to each member of the Governing Body and they had been asked to read the guidance notes, complete the form and return it to the Clerk at this meeting. Those in attendance handed in their Declaration forms. A discussion took place regarding the new format and the additional personal information that was expected to be provided by governors. Governors expressed their concerns regarding the publication of such personal information on the school s website. Decision: The GB agreed that they were unhappy about having their personal information in the public domain but wished to highlight that the school kept a record in the Governors Register of Pecuniary Interests. Action: As per LA guidance, all Governors must declare any changes to their Declarations at each FGB and Committee meetings. Action: The Clerk will maintain the Register of Governors Pecuniary (Business) Interests. 7/ Minutes of Last Meeting Agreed. 8/ Matters Arising from Last Meeting The Head advised that training on Admissions would take place at our school on Wednesday 7 th October from 10.30am to 12.30pm. Training would be provided by M. Ryan from the Diocese of Westminster and governors were welcome to attend. Action: Governors to contact the Clerk to notify attendance. The Head advised that a new form had been created for applications to the GB for residential trips. Action: The Head will the GB a copy of the new form. Headteacher s Review: The Chair advised that a training session would be held on 24 th September 2015 at Ealing Education Centre. Governors were encouraged to attend. The date for the Head s Review would be confirmed by the SIP shortly. The Review Panel would be advised accordingly. Terms of Reference: The Clerk advised that the amendments had been actioned. GB Self-Review Tool: The Chair advised that this would be completed in time for the next full GB meeting. 9/ School Policies: Ratification The Chair advised that GWilkinson, Director of School Operations (DSO), had ed to those Governors in the School Policies Working Panel the policies that needed reviewing and updating this year. The Panel had read and sent back their suggested changes to the DSO for actioning. 3

4 The following policies had been provided to the full GB and were taken as read prior to this meeting: Behaviour Policy Child Protection & Safeguarding Policy Equality Statement Final Combined Assessment Marking feedback and HW Policy-July 2015 Pupil Premium Statement Staff Code of Conduct Policy The following issues were raised by the governors: Behaviour Policy : An amendment was required on page 24 as highlighted to read legal highs. Child Protection & Safeguarding Policy A governor asked when staff received Child Protection & Safeguarding training. The Head advised that training took place at induction and during training days. A governor asked if staff signed a document to confirm they had read the school s policies. The Head advised that teaching staff signed it during their performance management meetings in September. A governor asked if the same applied to support staff. The Head advised that he would verify this with the DSO. A governor pointed out that this was a particular concern as highlighted at the Safeguarding training they had attended earlier. A governor queried if a member of staff was away for a long period of time, would this person sign at any other time. The Head advised they would, particularly when staff returned from maternity leave. A governor suggested that it was very important this took place. Governors raised a number of queries following the Child Protection & Safeguarding training they had attended prior to this meeting. Action: The Head agreed to investigate further the additional issues flagged up by the governors: Is there a mobile policy covering staff and pupils and, if so, where can it be found? Peer on peer abuse Unfounded outcomes On behalf of the School Policies Working Panel, the Chair recommended to the GB to agree and ratify the above-mentioned policies. Decision: After careful consideration, the GB agreed to ratify the policies as recommended by the Chair on behalf of the School Policies Working Panel. Action: The Head will ask GWilkinson to amend and upload these policies onto Frog and the school s website, as applicable. 10/ Additional Policy (not reviewed by the Working Panel) for Approval & Ratification: The Attendance and Punctuality Policy had been provided to the full GB and it was taken as read prior to this meeting. 4

5 Decision: After careful consideration, the GB approved the contents and amendments made to the Attendance and Punctuality Policy and unanimously agreed to ratify this document. Action: The Head will ask GWilkinson to upload this policy onto Frog and the school s website, as required. 11/ New Lettings Policy & Update on Lettings Project The draft of the New Lettings Policy had been provided to the full GB and it was taken as read prior to this meeting. The governors raised the following issues: 5 Hasn t the school got the capacity for after school activities during the week? Is the required deposit along with the rental cost realistic figures? Would it be possible to vacate the school premises by 1pm in order to avoid the fire alarm being set off? What if people overstay? Would there be a charge for resetting the fire alarms? Wouldn t it be costly if damage occurred to the school premises? Would there be a cut off time so the deposit made is cleared by the bank(s) before the lease commences? Should this be written in the policy? The terms and conditions should be made tighter regarding the payment of the lease. The school needed to see the hirer s Safeguarding Policy and for this to be included in the draft policy. When would this project be expected to start? The Head advised that this would be a pilot scheme to run for one year on a non-profit basis. The purpose of this project was to provide a range of activities to the children of the local community at weekends. The Head advised that hirers would provide their own insurance policy cover. The cost of resetting the fire alarms would be kept to a minimum and the school was currently waiting for a quotation from a specific company. The Head confirmed that there would be two members of staff on site to ensure people leave at the required time. The Head agreed that a note should be included in the policy regarding the submittal of the hirer s Safeguarding Policy. The Head agreed that the policy should include a deadline for the payment of hire fees. The Head advised that the project, if approved by the GB, would commence in January Decision: The GB agreed in principle with the draft policy and asked for the abovementioned changes to be made. Action: The Head will liaise with the DSO to amend the policy as requested by the GB. 12/ 2015/16 List of Statutory & Non-Statutory School Policies for approval and ratification The List of School Policies had been updated by the DSO and had been provided to the Governors in advance of this meeting. The document was taken as read. The Chair recommended, on behalf of the School Policies Working Panel, to agree and ratify this document. Decision: The GB unanimously agreed to ratify the 2015/16 List of Statutory & Non- Statutory School Policies as recommended by the Chair on behalf of the School Policies Working Panel. Action: The Head will notify the DSO so this document is uploaded onto Frog and the school s website, as applicable.

6 13/ Admissions Policy 2018/19 The CoG advised that, in three years time, an additional 90 pupils would be applying for a place at our school. The timeframe for consultation had been changed and the GB needed to be ready if any changes to the 2018/19 admission criteria were to be made. For that purpose, the Admissions Panel would need to meet this Autumn term to consider this carefully and bring the proposal to the GB with a recommendation to either alter the criteria or not. The CoG confirmed that it was a FGB decision if there was an increase in the number of pupils admitted to the school. The school currently had places for 300 children. The options would be to: a) stay with the current intake of 300 children or b) accommodate children who would come from a distance away. The CoG invited those governors not currently on the Admissions Panel to join the meeting. Decision: An additional Admissions Panel meeting to be held in the Autumn Term to discuss the admissions criteria for 2018/19. Action: The CoG and the Chair of Admissions will select a suitable date in October at agenda point / Update of Finance Procedures 2015/16 plus other finance matters The following documents had been made available to Governors to read prior to this meeting and were taken as read: a) Assets Register The Head advised that the annual update of our Assets Register had taken place. b) Authorised Cheque/BACS Signatories Removed one signatory: N Whitby A new signatory had been appointed: Jane Griffiths Action: The Head will ask the DSO to notify our Bankers and to request a new mandate in order to identify the new signatory. c) Finance Procedures for: Main Account & Governors Updated as per b) above. d) List of Bank Accounts Updated as per b) above. e) Scheme of Delegation: Main Account Updated as per b) above and those new in post. f) BACS & Cheque Payment Procedures Updated as per b) above. Decision: The GB agreed to approve and ratify the updated documents listed above. Action: The Head will notify the DSO of the GB s decision. 15/ Confirmation of the following: a) Membership of Committees and Panels - Agreed -LLuke asked to be added to the School Policies Working Panel and Pay Review Panel -MSamuel asked to be added the Catholic Life Committee -RDann will advise b) Governors Meetings Cycle for 2015/16 - Agreed 6

7 7 The following changes were requested by governors: Autumn Term -Additional Dates: Admissions Panel will meet on Monday 12 th October 2015 from 6.00pm Admissions Panel will meet in November for the Scrutiny of Applications of Admission to Year 7. Date to be confirmed asap. Spring Term - Revised Date: Catholic Life Committee will meet on Wednesday 3rd February 2016 from 6.00pm Summer Term: Revised Dates: Wednesday 18 th May 2016: Catholic Life from 6pm Tuesday 24 th May 2016: Human Resources from 6pm Pay Review from 7pm (if required) Finance & Premises from 7.15pm Thursday 26 th May 2016: Curriculum from 6pm Wednesday 29 th June 2016: Full GB from 7pm Action: The list of Governors Meeting Dates and Committee and Panel Membership to be updated and ed to governors by the Clerk as soon as possible. c) Link Governors - Specific Responsibilities The following governors agreed to continue as governors with a specific responsibility : Child Protection: Literacy: Looked After Children: Religious Education: Numeracy: Maggie Pound, Noeleen Bell, Michael Kiely Tricia Ibe Maggie Pound, Noeleen Bell, Michael Kiely Noeleen Bell Nicole Charles-Morrell Sex, Relationships, Teenage Pregnancy: Special Educational Needs: Jim Moreland Training Link: Michelle Samuel Michelle Samuel 16/ Training for Governors The Chair reminded that those governors wishing to take part in the Headteacher s Performance Review must attend the Headteacher Appraisal training provided by Ealing CPD on 24 th September Governors were reminded about other training available by Gel E-Learning, login and other relevant information had been placed on Governors Frog. The Head reminded Governors of the Admissions training session to be held in the school on Wednesday 7 th October from 10.30am to 12.30pm. Governors were asked to send confirmation of attendance to the Clerk. 17/ Other Projects Update

8 The sculpture will be put in place in the Garden of Remembrance during the half-term week. Governors queried if the work would be ready for Remembrance Day in November. The Head confirmed it would be ready. Governors thanked the Headteacher and members of the SLT for the summary of headlines of GCSE and A Level results. The Governors wish to congratulate pupils and staff for their excellent exam results. 18/ Date of Next Meeting: Wednesday 14th October pm 8 Meeting closed at 9.05 pm Part A Minutes Approved by: Maggie Pound Chair of Governors Roz Smith Clerk to the Governors