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:
Special Educational Needs & Disability and the Governing Board (G18-SEN-Cov-01)
Tuesday 15th May 9.30am – 11.30am The Welcome Centre, CV1 2HG
Clerks’ Induction (G18-C1-NB-01)
Tuesday 15th May
9.30am – 3.30pm
Bulkington Village Centre, CV12 9JB
Governors’ Conference
Wednesday 16th May
9.00am – 4.30pm
Honiley Court Hotel, CV8 1NP
Preparing for Ofsted Inspection (G18-OFST-E-01)
Wednesday 16th May
7.00pm – 9.00pm
Boughton Leigh Junior School, CV21 1LT
Head teacher Appraisal & Teacher Pay and Performance (G18-HTA-C-01)
Thursday 17th May
7.00pm – 9.00pm
Aylesford School & Sixth Form Centre, CV34 6XR
Health & Safety (where WCC is the employer) (G18-HSM-S-01)
Thursday 17th May
3.00pm – 5.00pm
Stratford – Upon - Avon College, CV37 9QR
SENCo and the SEND Governor (it is expected the SEND Governor and SENCo will attend together) (G18-S&SG-C-01)
Thursday 24th May
5.00pm – 7.00pm
Aylesford School & Sixth Form Centre, CV34 6XR
Induction to School Governance (G18-IG-E-01)
Thursdays 7th, 14th and 21st June
7.00pm – 9.30pm
Stratford – Upon - Avon School, CV37 9DH
Induction to School Governance (G18-IG-Cov-01)
Monday 11th June
9.30am – 4.30pm
The Welcome Centre, CV1 2HG
Finance Part 1 – Introduction to Budget Planning and Monitoring (G18-FR-S01)
Tuesday 12th June
7.00pm – 9.00pm
Stratford – Upon - Avon School, CV37 9DH
Effective Classroom Visits (G18-ECV-Cov-01)
Thursday 14th June
7.00pm – 9.00pm
Hearsall Community School, CV5 6LR
Click here to view our new Training and Support Programme (April 2018 – March 2019)
If you would like to book on a course, or for further information please:
Email your booking or enquiry to governors@warwickshire.gov.uk,
Telephone Governor Services on 01926 745120
Book via the WES website at www.warwickshire.gov.uk/wes
When booking a course, in addition to quoting the course reference number, title and date. Please provide the following information: the name of the person attending the training event, the school they are from together with a contact email address and telephone number.
Dates for your Diary
Governors’ Conference:
The Governors’ Conference will take place on:
Date: Wednesday16th May 2018
Venue: Honiley Court Hotel, Meer End Road, Honiley, Kenilworth, CV8 1NP
Time: 9:00am – 4:30pm
Topics will include:
• GDPR Training for Governors
• Dealing with Complaints
• Exclusions
Being Strategic (New Guidance)
To assist governors and trustees in their strategic role, the NGA and Wellcome have published Being Strategic: a guide for governing boards, three years after the popular original guide – A Framework for Governance – was released.
A printer-friendly pdf version of the guide is available at www.nga.org.uk/beingstrategic
A copy of the document has been uploaded to WES document library and to GovernorHub.
Changing Articles of Association
The NGA’s advice team receive a lot of queries from trustees and clerks who are interested in changing their articles of association. They have published a new short piece of guidance which sets out the reasons why trusts change their articles and the process which needs to be followed. The guide is available in the NGA Guidance Centre.
Prevent Toolkit for Schools (London Borough of Ealing)
This toolkit includes ideas, resources and practical approaches to support primary and secondary school practitioners to understand the principles of the Prevent strategy and implement the Prevent duty as part of a whole school approach.
Download the toolkit here: www.egfl.org.uk/services-children/safeguarding/anti-radicalisation-prevent-duty
Data View Update
Data View was relaunched on January 29th and it allows users to explore inspection data for children’s social care, early years, further education and skills, initial teacher education providers and schools.
Data View shows Ofsted inspection data in simple graphs that make the data quickly and easily accessible.
You can compare and contrast performance in inspections between regions, local authority areas and parliamentary constituencies.
To read more about the website please click here.
Ofsted News
Ofsted School Inspection Update: March 2018 – Issue 13
Ofsted recently released their latest ‘School inspection update’ to its inspectors. It looks at a number of issues, including the inspection of ‘exempt’ schools, the inspection of schools with a religious character, and what inspectors should look for in relation to careers provision in schools.
On March 8th the Ofsted School inspection handbook – “Handbook for inspecting schools in England under section 5 of the Education Act 2005” was updated.
The following amendment was made:
- Paragraph 17 has been amended to clarify the position for inspecting exempt schools.
Schools rated ‘good’ will be re-inspected every 4 years and schools judged ‘requires improvement’ will be re-inspected within 30 months.
Ofsted’s Inspection handbook now says that schools rated 'good' will be re-inspected every 4 years instead of every 3 years. This also applies to 'good' or 'outstanding' pupil referral units, special schools and maintained nursery schools. These schools will still be subject to short inspections.
The inspection frequency for schools graded ‘requires improvement’ (section 8) has also changed. These schools will have their next section 5 inspection “usually within 30 months” of their inspection report being published. Previously it would have been no later than 24 months. 'Requires improvement' schools may still receive section 8 monitoring inspections in this time.
Additionally, academies judged to have serious weaknesses or requiring special measures that are not rebrokered to a new trust will now be re-inspected within 30 months. This previously happened within 18 or 24 months respectively.
A copy of the updated documents have been uploaded to WES Governor Services Document Library and to GovernorHub.
7b) Role of Ofsted in the inspection of MATs
A new report published by Forum Education details the role of Ofsted in the inspection of Multi Academy Trusts. The report focuses on the form this inspection could or should take.
The report suggests that an inspection of MATs should include consideration of:
- the MAT’s documents detailing its structure, vision and strategy
- governance as a “central pillar”, including consideration of the skills and knowledge of the board, its committees and the support and challenge provided
- the sustainability of a MAT, including its leadership and financial management
- the relationship between the MAT and individual schools
Click here to see the report.
GDPR Updates
Preparing for Ofsted
The DfE have talked more about preparing for the GDPR in their blogs for schools.
- Twelve steps to take now, or twelve steps to take then?
- Talking with Staff on GDPR
- GDPR Readiness: Focus on Catering
You can find all the articles here: https://teaching.blog.gov.uk
Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO)
The ‘twelve steps to take now’ guidance referred to above can be found here: https://ico.org.uk/media/1624219/preparing -for-the-gdpr-12-steps.pdf
An ‘at a glance’ guide and checklist about GDPR can be found here: https://ico.org.uk/for-organisations/guide-to-the-general-data-protection-regulation-gdpr/accountability-and-governance/documentation
Data Protection: Toolkit for Schools
On April 23rd the DfE produced a Data protection: toolkit for schools; a guidance document to support schools with data protections activity, including compliance with GDPR.
(A copy of the document has been uploaded to the WES Document Library and to GovernorHub).
Privacy Notices for all schools to issue for 2018 - 19 academic year
Every year the DfE release privacy notices for schools to issue to all pupils. The latest version of the privacy notice was issued by the DfE in January 2018 in preparation for GDPR. It is recommended that schools issue this notice in line with their usual privacy notice distribution for 2018/19.
As usual, schools should issue this by the end of the Autumn Term 2018.
There are some gaps in this edition of the privacy notice to allow schools to insert their own information; the DfE has provided links to key guidance to help schools to do this.
In terms of including the retention information, we recommend that schools include details of the link on their website to their retention policy rather than trying to replicate it in the privacy notice.
The ICO has a link which will help schools populate the gaps in the privacy notice:
See Privacy notice – suggested text for pupils:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/data-protection-and-privacy-privacy-notices
Record Retention Schedule
The Information and Records Management Society (IRMS) is a professional association for those who work in records or information management. It has produced an information management toolkit for schools.
A table on pages 37 - 56 shows the retention periods for different types of school records, and the actions to take at the end of a record's administrative life.
For some records, there are statutory retention periods. For others, the table shows retention guidelines following best practice
The IRMS also says that the toolkit has been designed as guidance and should “not be quoted to users as being a ‘standard’”.
Recommendations from the IRMS
In its information management toolkit for schools, the Information and Records Management Society (IRMS) recommends retaining some governing board documents permanently.
These documents are:
The principal set of signed minutes
- Instruments of government
- Trusts and endowments
It recommends retaining some other documents for 6 years. These are:
- Reports from meetings
- Complaints files
- Annual parents' meeting papers
The IRMS also advises that:
- One copy of the agenda for meetings be retained permanently with the master set of minutes, and all other copies to be disposed of
- Policy documents be disposed of 3 years after they expire
- Action plans be securely disposed of 3 years after they expire
- Inspection copies of minutes be securely disposed of after 3 years
- Annual reports to the DfE be kept for 10 years
It notes that these retention guidelines are considered to be "normal processing" under the Data Protection Act 1998 and the Freedom of Information Act 2000.
If records are to be kept for longer or shorter periods, the reasons should be documented.
Governing Board Tasks
Maintained schools
April - July – All maintained schools to complete their 2016 / 17 consistent financial reporting return and submit by the deadline set by their LA
April – Update published information on how the school is complying with the Public Sector Equality Duty and its equality objectives
30th April – Deadline for many head teachers to hand in notice to leave at the end of summer term 2018
14th - 18th May – Key Stage 2 National Curriculum tests (SATs) week
17th May – Summer census day
May – A-level and GCSE exams
31st May – Deputy Head teachers who wish to leave at the end of the summer term 2018 must have handed in their notice by this date
June 11th – Phonics Screening Check Week
Academies and MATs
April – Update published information on how the school is complying with the Public Sector Equality Duty and its equality objectives
14th – 18th May – Key Stage 2 National Curriculum tests (SATs) week
17th May – Summer census day
18th May – Submit your 2017/18 budget forecast return: outturn (BFRO)
31st May – Deadline for most trusts to file audited financial statements to Companies House (9 months from the end of the accounting period)
31st May – deadline for resignations of deputy head teachers and permanent teaching staff who wish to leave at the end of the summer term
May – ESFA issues the 2017/18 academies accounts direction
May – ESFA issues guidance on the 2018/19 budget forecast return (BFR)
May – A-level and GCSE exams
June 11th – Phonics Screening Check Week
June – ESFA issues the 2018 Academies Financial Handbook Payment
June – ESFA – makes final payments for Universal Free School Meals (UIFSM) for 2017 / 2018 academic year
Amendment to School Information Regulations
On April 18th the government published an amendment to the School Information Regulations which will come into force from 1st September 2018.
From this date, schools are required to publish the following information about their careers programme:
- The name, email address and telephone number of the school’s Career Leader
- A summary of the careers programme, including details of how pupils, parents, teachers and employers may access information about the careers programme
- How the school measures and assesses the impact of the careers programme on pupils
- The date of the school’s next review of the information published
Full details of the amendment can be found here.
Reducing teacher workload: What the government is doing to reduce unnecessary workload for teachers, including details of the workload challenge.
Damian Hinds: There are no great schools without great teachers
Education Secretary addresses the Association of School and College Leaders’ annual conference in Birmingham.
School performance measures: about the data: Guidance and information to help you analyse the data that we report in the school and college performance tables and in the analyse school performance service.
School and college performance tables in England: 2016 to 2017:
The attainment of 16- to 18-year-old students at the end of advanced level study in England.
Code of conduct for board members of public bodies: The Code sets out, clearly and openly, the standards expected from those who serve on the boards of UK public bodies.
Free School Meals: guidance for schools and local authorities: Guidance about free school meals and transitional protection arrangements for them under Universal Credit.
Free school meals and pupil premium: model form for schools: Model form that schools can use to determine which children are eligible for free school meals and the pupil premium.
Schemes for financing schools: Statutory guidance for local authorities on producing and amending school financing schemes.
Changes have been made to School Funding agreements to reflect recent legislative changes, the inclusion of a new land clause and to provide additional clarity on existing clauses. The updated documents are listed below: