By Brook Valley Academy Trust (Company Registration Number ) Academy Board Meeting Thursday 21 September Minutes

Transcription

1 By Brook Valley Academy Trust (Company Registration Number ) Academy Board Meeting Thursday 21 September 2017 Minutes Present: Bev Ball (Head teacher) ( BB ), Anton Campbell ( AC ), Keith Ernest ( KE ), Deb Henshall ( DH ), Joanne Jardim ( JJ ), Lisa Nicolson ( LN ), Rosie Jago ( RJ ), Beth Borthwick ( BeB ), Andrew Wylie ( AW ), Vicki Rees ( VR ) and Carrie Davies ( CB ) In Attendance: Michelle Hocking (Clerk) Apologies: David New ( DN ) and Martin Lowe ( ML ) Item Minute Action 1 Introduction: (a) Welcome and Apologies BB took the chair, opened the meeting at 7pm, declared the meeting quorate, formally welcomed everyone to the new academic year and in particular welcomed BeB, the newly appointed foundation governor. Apologies were noted and accepted from DN and ML. (b)elect Chair/Vice Chair Procedure Acknowledged (a) It was formally noted that the process for nomination of the chair and vice-chair was: (i) All governors are made aware of the need to elect chair and vice-chair of governors in the first meeting of the academic year, each for a term of office of one year; (ii) All governors are given the opportunity to nominate themselves for either of these roles (both before and during the first meeting of the academic year); (iii) In order that governors feel able to vote freely, persons nominating themselves are identified and are invited to leave the room whilst the remaining governors vote on their appointment; and (iv) Self-nominated individuals must then be nominated and seconded and then their appointment to the role of chair or vicechair is put to the governing body as a whole to vote upon. (b) Each governor present confirmed that they had been made aware of the need to elect people and invited to nominate themselves to the roles of chair and vice-chair of governors by prior to the meeting, attaching the agenda. The clerk asked if anyone wished to nominate themselves for either of these roles. Clerk to update records accordingly The board briefly discussed the existing structure and concerns regarding the potential workloads involved for those taking on these roles in their current format. It was unanimously agreed that the work required needed to be clearly set out and appropriately delegated to members of the team best qualified to complete certain elements. On this basis, KE confirmed that he would be prepared to stand and chair and RJ and LN each confirmed that they would be prepared to stand as joint vice-chairs. KE, RJ and LN were invited to leave the room but all present deemed this unnecessary. Page 1 of 7

2 AC proposed, AW seconded and it was unanimously agreed that: (i) KE be and is appointed as chair of governors and chair of the board with immediate effect for a term of one academic year. (ii) BeB proposed, CD seconded and it was unanimously agreed that RJ and LN be and are appointed as joint vice-chairs of governors and joint vice-chairs of the board with immediate effect for a term of one academic year. The board noted that any re-delegation of functions of the board needed to focus on the collective quality of governance and growing and sustaining the team/the school. It was further noted that the core purposes of the governing body needed to be maintained, namely: Clarity of vision Holding the headteacher/senior leadership to account Clear oversight of financial matters (via strong F&P committee) Strategy/strategic direction It was noted that Anne Hilton had stepped down for personal reasons and, with the departure of several experienced people from the board over the summer it was pertinent to reconsider a skills audit summary to establish areas of strength and skills gaps in order to recruit appropriate and effective replacements. 2 Pecuniary and Business Interests Register It was noted that all present had completed the annual Related Parties Declaration of Interests forms and, save as completed in the register by staff in relation to Pay Policy discussions, no interests were declared in the business of this meeting. N/A 3 Approval of minutes of meeting held 13 July 2017/Matters Arising not covered elsewhere/summary of Action Points There were no comments raised on the previous minutes and so KE initialled them by way of confirmation that they were approved as a true and accurate record of that meeting. The following matters arising were noted: All governors to personally review/rag rate their personal performance against the Must, Could Should document and complete their Skills Audit and return both to LL by as noted above, it was agreed that (following LL s departure) the clerk would complete the summary of these. Clerk to check all policies for reference to IB by name circulated to sub-group chairs to check no other changes required to these policies Management group to arrange further collaboration with local schools as appropriate carry forward under new structure AW to report to next F&P re parking restriction outside school AW confirmed that there was no further update to the village hall parking discussions but the council had erected sign and painted yellow lines parking restrictions (a) Clerk to arrange for signature of the last minutes by Ian Banister as chair of that meeting and place a copy of the signed minutes onto File Manager (b) Clerk to complete skills summary based on skills audit forms completed (c) AC, DN and ML to consider IB policies for next sub-committee meetings (d) KE and BB to consider further collaborative opportunities to explore/pursue Other matters complete or part of this meeting s agenda. 4 Agree Committees. Panels, Working Parties and Named & Nominated Governors It was noted that the team s current skills set needed to be fully audited and gaps identified and filled. Page 2 of 7

3 BB emphasised that the breadth of experience, backgrounds and interests of those around the table was to be applauded but she was a little concerned at the proportion of those with children at the school and recommended recruitment of additional governors from the wider community in order to maintain appropriate balance in approach. She also stressed that this should help provide another level of strategic support and challenge. After some discussion, it was unanimously agreed that avenues for recruitment be explored with local secondary schools and local business networks. Membership of Committees was unanimously agreed as follows: F&E: AC (chair), DH, BeB and LN F&P: ML (chair), BB, KE (vice-chair), RJ, AW, VR and JC-O/ED T&L: DN (chair and BB further educationalists to be appointed as soon as possible Membership of Panels was unanimously agreed as follows: BB to local secondary headteachers to enquire about potential recruitment of governors KE to check with secondary school staff contracts interest/availability to join the governing board VR to canvas interest at a local business network event she is attending on 9 th October KE/MH to collate details to write to local banking institutions for volunteers Clerk to update records accordingly Pay Panel: AC, LN and KE Pay Panel Appeals: Decided if/when required Staffing Panel: Decided if/when required Staffing Appeals: Decided if/when required HT Review Panel: DN, RJ and BeB Named and Nominated Governors were unanimously agreed as follows: Health & Safety Governor: VR SEN(D)/PP Governor/Looked After Children: DN Safeguarding/Child Protection Governor: LN EYFS Governor: AC Whistleblowing Governor: AC Equality & Diversity (Including Community Cohesion) Governor: BeB KE thanked all volunteers to these committees, panels and named and nominated positions. 5 Headteacher Update It was noted that BB s update report had been circulated prior to the meeting and it was presumed that all present had read it. N/A BB highlighted as follows: A TA (who was covering maternity leave) had resigned and the role had been filled by a good candidate who had initially applied for another TA role this was the only staffing change since the previous report DH and the school s SENCO had both recently completed their Specialist Leaders of Education ( SLE ) training congratulations were extended to them both 6 Management Committee Update BB explained that: the Management Committee had originally been formed at a time when the school lacked a fully formed senior leadership team and primarily provided appropriate support and challenge to the headteacher over time the Management Committee evolved into a central strategic group which fed from and into the three main sub- Page 3 of 7

4 committees (F&P, T&L and F&E) and latterly further evolved into a predominantly organisational group The board noted that careful consideration and clarification of the continuing function and composition of the Management Group was required and whether the operational structure and cohesion of the sub-committees/groups going forwards required retention of this separate group or not. 7 Teaching & Learning Committee Update It was noted that there had been no T&L Committee meeting since the last FGB and, in the absence of DN, there were no comments or queries. 8 Foundation & Ethos Committee Update It was noted that the F&E minutes had not been circulated prior to the meeting as they had only been available for upload this afternoon. AC summarised as follows: F&E had drafted a preliminary Action Plan, but its finalisation awaited publication of the School Development Plan ( SDP ) The diocese was advertising for a new local priest on 20 th October with a view to the new appointee being in post from the New Year The Parent Questionnaire responses were reviewed and matters raised by them fell into three broad categories: (i) those where rectification of issues was in progress (ii) those now dealt with and (iii) generic matters raised every year about which, unfortunately, there was little to be done. The team were focusing on Christian Distinctiveness and there were plans to develop a Trinity experience event Clerk to upload F&E minutes to File Manager Volunteers to assist with Experience Easter to come forward AC to confirm F&E meeting dates for the year and the Clerk to populate Governance Calendar accordingly There were no comments or queries on the F&E report. 9 Finance, Premises, Staffing & HR Committee Update BB explained that she had been unable to attend the meeting but was concerned that the minutes may be construed as linking the decision to award a pay rise to the health of the budget she cautioned that any such link would be inflammatory. RJ who was present at the meeting emphasised that the issues were distinct and had been discussed separately, although the committee did consider how much extra cost would be incurred in relation to pay increases considered. In ML s absence, AW highlighted as follows: Accounts: c 55K surplus (although this was subject to auditor checks) predominantly attributable to increased income from After School Club and BB s consultancy work. Reserve: As there were periods of the month during which the total in the school s current account continued to exceed the compensation limit under the Financial Compensation Scheme and the auditors had recommended 1 months expenditure (c 60K) should be placed in reserves, F&P now recommended that a further amount on top of the existing 35K be placed into a separate, instant access account with a different financial institution. It was unanimously agreed that an amount of 45,000 be added to the separate designated account as reserves. Pay: AW summarised an ML had sent to and approved by Clerk and ML to amend F&P minutes to further clarify the distinction of issues Page 4 of 7

5 the F&P committee following their inquorate meeting, as follows: o One of the roles of the Finance Committee is to determine the school s Pay Policy and recommend it to the FGB for approval. o Part of determining the Pay Policy is setting the pay for each of the various teacher levels and scales (Main Range, Upper Range, Leadership Range). To help us, the Department for Education (DfE) provides standard terms, conditions and pay levels ( STPCD ) each year, but Academy schools are free to set whatever pay they consider appropriate. By Brook Valley has always followed the STPCD guidelines when setting our Pay Policy, both in the pay levels and more general terms and conditions. As part of the annual review of the Pay Policy, we need to decide whether to do so again and what pay levels to adopt. o The latest STPCD has been interpreted by Integra (our new payroll and HR providers) and guidance has been provided to the academies that Integra supports. Three Options for pay are proposed. The first is to implement a 2% pay rise to all pay points on the Main Range, and 1% to all other pay Ranges. This is the recommendation of the teaching Unions. The second Option is to apply a 2% rise to the top and bottom points on the Main Range, and 1% to the other Main Range pay points and to the other pay Ranges. This is the basic recommendation of the STPCD. The third Option is to set our own pay levels. o The unions have issued joint advice on the STPCD recommending a 2% pay award to all points within the main pay range (Option 1 above). This approach will aid recruitment and retention where there are issues, however it will add significant budget pressure to many schools and any decision must be balanced against the potential impact on staffing. The F&P committee recommend adoption of Option 1 (as recommended by the unions). It was unanimously agreed that Option 1 (2% pay award to all points within the main pay range) be and is adopted. AW explained that the committee had also identified that the school did not currently have a distinct support staff pay policy and were investigating rectification of this. AW reported that the remainder of the F&P meeting, as can be seen from a review of the minutes circulated, related to continuing matters such as solar panel options and setting up a routine of scheduled maintenance for the school buildings. There were no comments or queries on the F&P report. 10 Scheme of Delegation It was noted that this would require serious consideration and updating as part of any restructuring of the board and its members and committees functions. KE, RJ and LN volunteered to form a working party to consider and revert on structure/suggested changes. This was unanimously agreed. Clerk to collate and provide word versions of relevant documents to the working party and add update to the next agenda 11 Ratification of Policies: It was noted that all policies listed in the agenda had been circulated Clerk to incorporate discussed amendments and file approved Page 5 of 7

6 prior to the meeting and it was presumed that all present had read them. (a) Code of Conduct AW suggested that the Gifts & Hospitality Policy simply be crossreferenced rather than copied in part within this policy. It was unanimously agreed that, subject only to the amendment suggested by AW above, the Code of Conduct be and is approved and adopted in the form produced to the meeting. Code of Conduct, CPD Policy, Child Protection Policy and Freedom of Information Policy as appropriate. ML to update/personalise Pay Policy and circulate for final review and approval. (b) CPD It was unanimously agreed that the CPD Policy be and is approved and adopted in the form produced to the meeting. (c) Child Protection It was noted that the Child Protection Policy was a model policy provided by the Local Authority. Minor personalisation amendments were discussed and noted by the Clerk. It was unanimously agreed that, subject only to the minor personalisations discussed, the Child Protection Policy be and is approved and adopted in the form produced to the meeting. (d) Freedom of Information It was noted that, during the F&P Committee s review of this policy, RJ had suggested that the definitions used in this policy needed to be amended to reflect legislative updates and the policy was recommended by F&P in a form incorporating these updates. It was unanimously agreed that the Freedom of Informa tion Policy be and is approved and adopted in the form incorporating RJ s legislative references updates. (e) Pay Following on from the discussions above, it was noted that ML would update the model policy accordingly and circulate for final review and approval. 12 Collaboration Workshops Update/Review BB emphasised that the political climate remained turbulent but three key elements of schools self-improvement remained constant i.e. development: within between schools (give and receive school to school support) of vision beyond the school itself BB explained that she considered the governing board s primary role was to support and challenge in these three key areas. BB reported that Malmesbury Primary School a large, C of E, Ofsted Outstanding school - had expressed an interest in meeting to consider collaborative opportunities with By Brook. She had made a provisional appointment to meet with the headteacher and chair of governors 4-5pm, Thursday 5 th October 2017 at Malmesbury Primary School and invited governors to join that meeting. KE and BB to attend meeting in Malmesbury on 5 th October 13 Governor Training and Skills Analysis It was noted that VR and BeB were booked to attend New Governors training on 9 th October. As noted above, the Skills Audit analysis would be completed and reported at the next meeting. Clerk to add New Governor Training Summary and Skills Analysis to next agenda Page 6 of 7

7 12 AOB: (a) Online Safety Policy It was noted that F&E had reviewed and recommended the form of policy circulated prior to the meeting. It was unanimously agreed that the Online Safety Policy be and is approved and adopted in the form circulated prior to and produced at the meeting. (b) Responsible Use Policy CD was thanked for reviewing and updating this policy. It was unanimously agreed that the Responsible Use Policy be and is approved and adopted in the form circulated prior to and produced at the meeting with an annual review date (c) PAN The PAN of 30 was unanimously agreed. (c) SIAMS Training AC requested that BB booked him on SIAMS training with her. Clerk to add review dates and file Online Safety Policy and Responsible Use Policy as approved policies as appropriate BB to despatch PAN confirmation BB to book AC on SIAMS training 13 Working Groups discussion: Governance Structure/Roles As noted above, it was agreed that detailed discussion be deferred until the November meeting, following consideration and recommendations from the working party comprising KE, RJ and LN. Clerk to add Working Group discussion: Governance Structure/Roles to next agenda 14 Working Groups plenary: Share templates/new steps Deferred until the November meeting as above. Clerk to add Working Groups plenary: Share templates/new steps to next agenda 15 How have we added value today to the school and children at By Brook Valley? Added Value: It was noted that the FGB had added value with the matters considered at tonight s meeting by: secured the appointment of a new chair and vice chairs of governors; acknowledged and emphasised the importance of harnessing and maximisation of skills in the new structure ; carefully considered the importance of succession planning; stringently reviewed, updated and adopted policies. N/A 16 Date of next meeting: 16 November 2017 (including AGM 6pm start) Note The Chair closed the meeting at 8.40pm Signed.. Date Page 7 of 7