Governors
Training
We provide a comprehensive training programme for all school governors, clerks and head teachers, whether in maintained or academy schools. Places on training sessions are available to all schools.
For subscribing schools these will be free of charge and for non-subscribing schools there is a charge per delegate.
If your governing board does not subscribe to Warwickshire Governor Services and you think it would be useful to do so, please contact Gurby Dhesi to discuss your requirements:
Email - gurbydhesi@warwickshire.gov.uk
Telephone – 01926 745 137
Courses being delivered this term are:
Effective Classroom Visits (G18-ECV-Cov-01)
Thursday 14 June
7.00pm – 9.00pm
Hearsall Community School, CV5 6LR
Effective Clerking (G18-EC-NB-01)
Monday 18 June
9.30am – 3.30pm
Bulkington Village Centre, CV12 9JB
GDPR - Are you prepared for it? (G18-S-GDPR/01)
Monday 18 June
10:00am to 11:30am
Stratford-Upon-Avon College, CV37 9QR
Engaging with Parents and the Community (G18-EPC-Cov-01)
Tuesday 19 June
7.00pm – 9.00pm
Walsgrave C. of E. Academy, CV2 2BA
Pupil Premium – The performance of vulnerable pupil groups (G18-PP-Cov-01)
Wednesday 20 June
9.30am – 11.30am
The Welcome Centre, CV1 2HG
Child Protection & Safeguarding (G18-CP-S-01)
Thursday 21 June
10.00am – 12.30pm
Stratford Upon Avon College, CV37 9QR
Health & Safety for all Academies & Schools where the school is the employer (G15-HAS-S-01)
Tuesday 26 June
9.30am – 11.30am
Stratford Upon Avon College CV37 9QR
Refresher Course for Experienced Governors (G18-GE-C-01)
Tuesday 26 June
7.00pm – 9.00pm
Aylesford School & Sixth Form Centre, CV34 6XR
GDPR - Are you prepared for it? (G18-C-GDPR/01)
Tuesday 26 June 2018
7.00pm – 8.30pm
Aylesford School & Sixth Form Centre, CV34 6XR
Clerking Panel Hearings (G18-CEA & C-C-01)
Wednesday 27 June
9.30am – 12.00pm
The Welcome Centre, CV1 2HG
Induction to School Governance (G18-IG-E-01)
27 June, 4, 11 July
7.00pm – 9.30pm
Boughton Leigh Junior School, CV21 1LT
GDPR - Are you prepared for it? (G18-NB-GDPR/01)
Thursday 28 June
5.00pm to 6.30pm
Bulkington Village Centre, CV12 9JB
Finance Part 2: Budget Management – a Closer Look (G18-FR-S01)
Thursday 5 July
Stratford School, CV37 9DH
Click here to view our Training and Support Programme (April 2018 – March 2019)
If you would like to book on a course, or for further information please:
When booking a course, in addition to quoting the course reference number, title and date, please provide:
- the name of the person attending the training event
- the school / setting they are from
- a contact email address and telephone number
Dates for your Diary
NGA / DfE - Development for Clerks:
Level 3 Certificate in the Clerking of School and Academy Governing Boards
The new development programme for Clerks of all school and academy governance boards has been launched and is being delivered in Warwickshire; the first cohort is scheduled to start in September 2018 at The Honiley Court Hotel, Kenilworth, CV8 1NP.
The course attracts DfE support funding which for eligible schools & clerks could see a cost reduction from the full price of £350.00 to £75.00.
Course content, dates, time, venues, support funding and booking information can be found here
NGA / DfE Development for Chairs
The new DfE funded development programme for all in a Chairing role or aspiring to be as part of succession planning is being delivered in Warwickshire with the first cohort starting in S2018 at The Honiley Court Hotel, Kenilworth, CV8 1NP.
The programme offers a blend of flexible learning attracts DfE funding with full funding of £500 available for the Development for Chairs in most circumstances. Please see here for funding and registering requirement, FAQ’s and to book your place.
Safeguarding
ESFA publishes information on enhanced DBS checks for chairs of academy trusts.
The ESFA (Education and Skills and Funding Agency) has published information on the enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) certificate that chairs of academy trusts must have. Chairs are also required to have their application countersigned by the secretary of state for education.
The information is also a reminder that all new chairs require a new enhanced DBS certificate even if they were previously chair elsewhere; only those chairs that hold an enhanced DBS certificate from the same school prior to converting to an academy trust are exempt.
Clerks of trust boards should ensure that their Chairs have obtained an enhanced DBS certificate and that their application is countersigned by the secretary of state. Clerks may also want to use this as an opportunity to ensure that other trustees have an up-to-date enhanced DBS certificate although these do not need to be countersigned by the secretary of state.
Enhanced DBS disclosure checks for chairs of academy trusts: Information and forms for academy trust chairs of trustees applying for an enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) certificate.
Updated Safeguarding Guidance from September
The Department for Education (DfE) has published an updated version of the statutory guidance, Keeping children safe in education which will come into effect on 3 September 2018. Until that date, the current guidance (published in September 2016) is still in force.
‘Keeping children safe in education’ is the key document setting out schools’ safeguarding responsibilities and governing boards should ensure that it is reflected in the school or trust policies and understood by all staff.
Download the Keeping Children Safe in Education (2018) guidance here. Please remember that this document is FOR INFORMATION ONLY. REVISED GUIDANCE WILL COMMENCE 3 SEPTEMBER 2018. UNTIL THAT POINT SCHOOLS / SETTINGS MUST CONTINUE TO HAVE REGARD TO THE 2016 KCSIE
DfE advice on sexual violence and sexual harrassment
The DfE has also published separate advice on sexual violence and sexual harassment between children in schools and colleges.
The advice covers schools’ legal responsibilities, a whole school approach to prevention, and responding to a report of sexual violence or harassment.
Free weekly safeguarding briefing
A reminder that Governors / Clerks can sign up to receive a free weekly safeguarding briefing from Andrew Hall (Safeguarding in Schools).
“Helping schools and colleges do all they can to keep children safe in education. The safeguarding briefing provides practical information and resources for anyone with responsibility for safeguarding.”
You can sign up to the weekly safeguarding briefing here - www.safeguardinginschools.co.uk/
Free safeguarding and governance email course
In addition to this you can also enrol on a free safeguarding and governance email course and strengthen your understanding of Safeguarding and Governance.
The course is aimed at governors in maintained schools and academies, but has value for MATs, independent schools and free schools too, although some legislative requirements around governance might be different.
The course consists of ten units that will help all governors, but particularly the safeguarding governor, understand their role and how it helps keep all children safe. https://www.safeguardinginschools.co.uk/understandingsafeguardingandgovernance2/
Free monthly e-safety newsletter
You can also subscribe to receive a free monthly e-safety newsletter on this website: http://www.esafety-adviser.com
GDPR News & Updates
A Teacher Tapp poll has revealed that 42% of the 2,452 teachers who responded haven’t received any training to prepare them for the introduction of the new GDPR laws.
Governor Services have been sharing GDPR information and advice with Governors since July 12th 2017 we hope you are aware of what your board needs to do to ensure you and your school are compliant. We have uploaded a “Governors and Trustees Checklist to help to prepare for the GDPR” to WES and to GovernorHub.
Governor / Clerk Email Accounts
As a governor, the personal data you send over email must be kept secure. Using a secure school email address will help you to meet the GDPR requirement to prevent a data breach and respond to subject access requests quickly.
As we continue to advise, GDPR does not specifically require governors to use a school email account when communicating on governing board matters. However, the GDPR does mean Governors / Clerks should be doing everything in their power to prevent a breach of personal data. This means the use of secure school email accounts by all governors / clerks is strongly advised.
- We continue to receive GDPR advice / updates which we share with you. The latest being:
- If a school email addresses isn’t an option available, you could use a service like Gmail or Outlook. Both of these will allow schools to set up email accounts for free.
In Gmail, emails will be encrypted if both sender and recipient(s) are using Google apps, such as Google Chrome or the Gmail phone app.
However, if you have any questions regarding GDPR, we would strongly advise you to seek advice from or question your school / academy / setting DPO as they should be able to answer any questions you have.
We too are aware of the extra work GDPR is causing, but the main aim of the law within a school context is the need to protect sensitive information about the children in our care, particularly those who are most vulnerable.
To ensure Governor Services comply with the GDPR legislation, as we have mentioned in previous emails we will only be sending emails to a secure / school / academy based email address. If the Chair or Clerk does not have a secure email address we will forward our communication to the Head teacher / school admin email.
GDPR Update for Clerks:
With support from the Chair of Governors and School DPO review your understanding of best practice.
- Clerks will have a role in processing personal data used by the governing board, such as data contained in confidential minutes, as they will often be in charge of sharing, storing and disposing of it.
- As clerk to the governing board all clerks should understand what is best practice for keeping the data you handle secure.
Actions for clerks:
- Ensure you have an understanding of the GDPR
- Review (with help from your school or trust) how you share, store and dispose of personal data.
- For clerks not on the school or trust's payroll (such as those employed through the local authority or an agency), talk to your school or trust about ensuring that your contract’s terms meet GDPR requirements.
This is explained in more detail in the ICO guidance:
How will governors and trustees monitor GDPR compliance?
To monitor GDPR compliance from May onwards some of these monitoring methods may work for your school and governance structure.
Possible actions:
- Add a standing agenda item to full governing board meetings to scrutinise the risk register, which will include the data protection section
- Designate a data protection champion who can liaise with the DPO and relevant school staff before each meeting
- Make sure your governing board receives reports from the DPO (a requirement under the GDPR)
- Request a 6-monthly update from the DPO on how the GDPR is working in practice (throughout the school / academy).
- Ask the relevant committee to present to the full governing board on the effectiveness of your data protection procedures and IT controls
- Incorporate questions about data protection into your school visits:
- Ask staff what training they receive on data protection, if they know what counts as a data breach, what procedures they should follow to keep personal information safe, and if they understand how data protection fits in with safeguarding
- Ask pupils how they learn about keeping information safe and how they learn about the internet
Local governing bodies in MATs: Need to check how the trust is preparing
In a multi-academy trust (MAT), the trust is the legal entity responsible for the processing of personal data and compliance with data protection law in all its schools, provided that the schools do not have any legal status separate from that of the trust.
However, at school level, it's worth being aware that if there is a serious breach involving one school, any resulting fine will apply to the MAT as a whole – not just that school.
Actions:
If you’re on a local governing body, seek assurances from the board of trustees or relevant central staff members that the MAT as a whole is preparing for the new law.
How you check that your trust is preparing will depend on the trust's communication arrangements, it may involve:
- The school’s IT technician, who as well as supporting other schools in the trust, is attending the local governing body meeting to discuss the GDPR at school level
- The chair of the local governing body attending the MAT’s regional board meeting to ask about the trust’s GDPR preparedness
- The local governing body asking the board of trustees for assurance that the MAT central staff team will be arranging a moderation of data protection processes and controls in each school in the MAT
It would be usual for the MAT central staff team and the board of trustees to be organising this moderation work. The MAT finance or business director will normally be the person co-ordinating this internal data protection audit, with an external audit arranged when appropriate.
Schools ‘breaking rules’ on Clerks
Schools ‘breaking rules’ on Clerks (Schools Week 30th April)
Some schools are not using a professional clerk for their governing boards, and are therefore in breach of government rules. The national schools commissioner has called for a greater number of clerks to be recruited and for existing clerks to be developed.
Ofsted News
You can sign up to Ofsted news to receive a free monthly newsletter.
Ofsted has announced changes to its inspection timeframe - click here for more information
- schools previously judged ‘good’ will now receive a short inspection approximately every four years rather than every three years
- schools judged ‘requires improvement’, ‘serious weaknesses’ or ‘special measures’ will be re-inspected within 30 months (previously the timeframes were 30, 18 and 24 months respectively) while monitoring inspections will continue as before
Inspecting schools – A leaflet for schools and a leaflet for parents
The Future of Small Rural Schools
The Church of England Education Office has published a report entitled “Embracing Change: Rural and Small Schools” in which it re-emphasises the conclusion of its previous publications that “small rural schools could not continue to operate as stand-alone units” and highlights the need to come together in formal groupings such as federations or multi-academy trusts (MATs).
It states that the key message for governing bodies of small local authority maintained schools primary schools is that “doing nothing is not an option”.
The report calls for further research into what ‘outstanding’ looks like in this context and also highlights a number of key challenges for small schools:
- recruiting, supporting and retaining high quality staff
- maximising available funding
- working with available physical resources, such as older buildings
Finance
Deadline for academy trusts to submit their budget forecast return
The Education and Skills Funding Agency (ESFA) has updated information to help academy trusts submit their budget forecast return.
The deadline for academy trusts to submit their budget forecast return is Monday 30 July 2018. The online form will go live for users to complete on 21 June 2018. This year, trusts are required to provide three-year forecast data and advice on compiling the data can be found here.
ESFA will also be publishing the budget forecast return Excel workbook by 1 June, which will outline what information is required.
Trustees should ensure that the budget forecast returns are prepared and submitted in time.
Dedicated Schools Grant (DSG) and Capital Funding Allocation
The ESFA have published updated information with regards to the DSG allocations for 2017-18 and 2018-19 as at March 2018.
Similarly, they have also updated the published information relating to school capital funding allocations up to 2019 which can be viewed here.
Consistent Financial Reporting (CFR) Framework and Schools Financial Value Standards (SFVS) 2018/19
The ESFA have published CFR guidance for 2018/19 and SFVS guidance for the same period.
The CFR provides a standard template for schools to collect information about their income and expenditure in the financial year 2018 to 2019. The information collected is used to support benchmarking and enables comparative reports to be produced for governors and local authorities (LAs).
The CFR framework applies to maintained schools and pupil referral units. It is optional for nurseries and non-maintained special schools.
The SFVS helps schools to manage their finances and to provide assurance to the local authority that they have secure financial management in place and applies to maintained schools.
As governing boards have formal responsibility for the financial management of their schools, the standard is primarily aimed at them.
Governing Board Tasks
Maintained schools
16 August – A Level results released to candidates
23 August – GCSE results released to candidates
DfE Updates / Documents / Guidance
Charging for school activities: The guidance which applies to all local authority maintained schools outlines what schools can charge for including voluntary contributions and reduced charges.
Data protection: privacy notice model documents: Suggested privacy notices for schools and local authorities to issue to staff, parents and pupils about the collection of data (15th May update.
Sexual violence and sexual harassment between children in schools and colleges: Advice for schools and colleges on how to prevent and respond to reports of sexual violence and harassment between children.
Summer-born children: school admission: Guidance about school admissions for children born in the summer.
Staffing and employment: advice for schools: Guidance for managing staff and employment issues.
What academies, free schools and colleges should publish online: The information that academies, including 16 to 19 colleges and any educational institution that has academy arrangements, should publish on their websites.
What maintained schools must publish online: The information that schools maintained by their local authorities must publish on their websites.
School land: decisions about disposals: A summary of the decisions about the disposal of school land.
Good estate management for schools: Tools to help you make sure your organisation has the right skills, processes and policies in place.
Enhanced DBS disclosure checks for chairs of academy trusts: Information and forms for academy trust chairs of trustees applying for an enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) certificate.
New free website for schools to advertise vacancies: Education Secretary launches crackdown on “excessive” teacher recruitment costs.