All Saints’ Church of England Primary School

MINUTES OF A MEETING OF THE BOARD OF GOVERNORS HELD AT THE SCHOOL ON 24 SEPTEMBER 2015

PART 1 GOVERNORS PRESENT: Andy Barnes, Valerie Brewis, Alex Corner, Pat Dickens, Chris Eyden, Daisy Gardener, Gill Goodwin, Julia Gracey (Chair), Caroline Lloyd, Clare Lovell, Andy Olding, Alan Pepper, Charles Roberts, Sian Ross Russell, Greg Sendell (Vice Chair), Claire Wood (Headteacher), Sophie Wybrew-Bond IN ATTENDANCE: Marinus Viljoen (Deputy Headteacher), Helen McCahon (Clerk)

1.

WELCOME AND OPENING PRAYER Prayers were led by Chris Eyden.

2.

APOLOGIES All governors were present at the meeting. Chris Eyden left at 20:00.

3.

BOARD OF GOVERNORS MEMBERSHIP Julia Gracey was delighted to report that Alan Pepper had been reappointed by the PCC following the completion of his term of office in July 2015. Since Sian Ross Russell’s and Greg Sendell’s terms of office would be expiring in January 2016, parent governor elections would be held after half-term, with a view to having 2 new governors in place by the start of next term. Greg had agreed to continue as a governor and the PCC would be asked to approve his appointment at the appropriate time. Julia advised that Alex Corner and Gill Goodwin, as associate governors, had no voting rights on decisions taken by the Board of Governors. However they could be given voting rights on the committees on which they sat (Alex – Health and Safety and Personnel, Gill – Curriculum and Standards) and this was duly agreed. Helen McCahon offered to update the list of governors. Action: Helen McCahon will update the list of governors.

4.

ELECTION OF CHAIR AND VICE CHAIR(S) Julia Gracey was nominated as Chair and unanimously elected. However, she plans to step down when her term of office expires in January 2016, so a new Chair will be required at that point. Julia reported that she and Claire Wood had met with Carol Jerwood, SDBE, to discuss options for finding a

replacement Chair, and Carol advised that the position could be successfully shared between 2 Co Chairs, providing their roles were clearly identified. As no current governor had come forward to fill the role an advert will be placed in the Parish news flyer with the objective of seeking a suitable replacement. Greg Sendell was nominated as Vice Chair and was also unanimously elected.

5.

DECLARATION OF INTERESTS AND UPDATE OF BUSINESS INTERESTS REGISTER Governors were asked to declare any interests relating to any item of the agenda. None were disclosed. Julia Gracey advised committee Chairs that in future they should ask for a declaration of interests at the beginning of any committee meeting and this should be minuted. Helen McCahon had updated the business and pecuniary interest form to include additional statutory information required on governorships of other educational establishments and relationships with members of the school staff. The forms were completed by all governors and Helen offered to collate the responses for inclusion on the website. Action: Helen McCahon will collate the business and pecuniary interest responses for inclusion on the website.

6.

MINUTES OF THE PREVIOUS MEETING (PART 1) The minutes of the meeting held on 1 July 2015 were agreed and signed by Julia Gracey as an accurate record.

7.

MATTERS ARISING FROM THE PREVIOUS MINUTES Item 3: Claire Wood planned to include an article in the school newsletter shortly before half-term, reminding parents of the regulations on granting leave of absence and the required process for requesting leave. Item 3: This is covered under Item 16 below. Item 7: Chris Eyden had signed the sheet to confirm that he had read the “Keeping Children Safe in Education” document. Item 8: Claire Wood had sent out details of the drinks party for staff on governors on 17 July 2015. This had been a happy occasion, enjoyed by all. Item 8: Caroline Lloyd confirmed that it was not mandatory for primary schools to provide sex education and parents therefore had the right to withdraw their children from the sessions which were offered. Item 11: Greg Sendell and Claire Wood had discussed epipen training dates and Greg would attend at a suitable time. Item 14: Claire Wood had not yet been able to confirm whether the Year 5 and 6 School Journey account could be reported to the Finance and Premises committee but she would advise governors when she had done so. Action: Claire Wood will find out whether the Year 5 and 6 School Journey account should be reported at a meeting of the Board of Governors, or whether the Finance and Premises committee is a more appropriate forum. Item 15: Governors had emailed Julia Gracey and Claire Wood to clarify their concerns on the after school provision proposal and to suggest ways to progress it. Alan Pepper and Greg Sendell had offered to participate in a working group on this subject.

8.

ELECTION OF OFFICERS Caroline Lloyd was nominated and unanimously elected as the governor responsible for leading Safeguarding and Child Protection. Daisy Gardener was nominated and unanimously elected as the governor responsible for leading SEN. Andy Olding was nominated and unanimously elected as Treasurer, in place of Alan Pepper who had stood down from this role. Julia Gracey thanked Caroline, Daisy and Andy O for taking responsibility for these areas and Alan for his significant efforts as Treasurer in previous years.

9.

COMMITTEE MEMBERSHIP AND TERMS OF REFERENCE Governors agreed that the committees and working parties which had been set up last year had operated effectively and should remain unchanged as far as possible. The committees and working parties will therefore be made up of the following members: Finance and Premises Committee – Andy Olding (Chair), Julia Gracey, Alan Pepper, Charles Roberts, Sian Ross Russell, Claire Wood Personnel Committee – Caroline Lloyd (Chair), Valerie Brewis, Alex Corner, Julia Gracey, Clare Lovell, Claire Wood Health and Safety Committee – Andy Barnes (Chair), Alex Corner, Claire Wood Admissions Committee – Clare Lovell (Chair), Chris Eyden, Caroline Lloyd, Charles Roberts, Claire Wood Curriculum and Standards Committee – Claire Wood (Chair), Valerie Brewis, Pat Dickens, Daisy Gardener, Gill Goodwin, Julia Gracey, Sian Ross Russell, Greg Sendell Faith Group – Claire Wood (Chair), Andy Barnes, Chris Eyden, Daisy Gardener, Greg Sendell Communications Working Party – Sophie Wybrew-Bond (Chair) Pupil Disciplinary Committee – Valerie Brewis (Chair) Julia Gracey reminded Chairs of committees that they were responsible for reviewing terms of reference if appropriate and reporting back to governors if any changes were made. Claire Wood advised governors that the Pupil Disciplinary committee now had terms of reference, based on those developed by SDBE. Helen McCahon agreed to update the list of committees and work groups. In recent years, governor monitoring roles had been focused on year groups to enable governors to become better acquainted with their designated teacher and children. It was considered that this had been successful and should be continued and it was agreed that governors should remain linked to the same cohort of children as last year, where possible. Year groups were therefore assigned as follows: Nursery Reception Year 1 Year 2 Year 3 Year 4

Valerie Brewis Sophie Wybrew-Bond Greg Sendell Alex Corner Daisy Gardener Andy Barnes

Year 5 Year 6

Andy Olding Caroline Lloyd

Julia urged governors to continue to visit the school at least twice a year in order to monitor their year group and reminded them to complete a Governor Visit Form on each occasion. She suggested that they should also focus on a strand from the SIP when they visited. It was planned to assign curriculum monitoring roles at a later date, following the development of curriculum “hubs”. Julia concluded by advising governors that in future their attendance at meetings of the Board of Governors would be published on the website, since this was required by statute. Action: Helen McCahon will update the list of committees and workgroups.

10.

GOVERNORS’ CODE OF CONDUCT The proposed Governors' Code of Conduct had been circulated in advance of the meeting. It is based on a SDBE model and remained unchanged this year. Governors agreed that the model continued to be valid and agreed to adopt and approve it.

11.

DELEGATIONS OF FINANCIAL AND PERSONNEL AUTHORITY It was proposed that Claire Wood should continue to have financial and personnel authority up to £6,000. This was adopted and approved.

12.

CHAIR’S REPORT Julia Gracey summarised her key activities since the last meeting in her role of Chair. She and Claire Wood had attended an Ofsted briefing organised by SDBE on 9 September 2015. She, Chris Eyden, Marinus Viljoen and Claire had participated in the Eucharist service at Southwark Cathedral on 10 September 2015. This had been a lovely evening and Julia recommended it to governors in future years. At the end of last term, she and Claire had responded to 3 parents who had written to express their concerns on staffing for the upcoming year. She had met with Alan Pepper and Claire to discuss issues raised by Anthony Stevens, Chair of 4th Putney Common Scouts, on locking up procedures following Beavers and Cubs meetings in the school hall. Alan was working towards a solution which would be acceptable to all concerned.

13.

REPORTS BY COMMITTEES AND WORKGROUPS Finance and Premises Committee Alan Pepper had circulated a financial summary in advance of the meeting and he took the opportunity to highlight the key points. The Finance and Premises committee was due to meet on 29 September 2015. As reported under Item 8 above, Alan planned to stand down as Treasurer and also as Chair and Andy Olding would be taking on these roles with immediate effect. The position of the Governors’ Funds remained largely unchanged with an amount of £4,000 pending to SDBE.

The works to the Scout Hut roof had been completed and formal confirmation of asbestos removal is expected shortly. Alan had raised the possibility of contributing to the refurbishment of the floor in return for use of the hall. The garden of School Keeper’s House had been cleared and a gardener had been engaged to maintain it. The nursery refurbishment had been completed with the exception of some snagging works and had been well received. The upgrade of the IT suite and the external redecoration and maintenance remain ongoing and further capex projects will be considered in due course. The standing order payment method for the maintenance contribution had been rolled out and a Mydonate site had been established. Charles Roberts reported that all parents had received a standing order, with the exception of those with Year 6 children, and the response was already good. He planned to send a follow-up letter shortly to those who had not yet responded. Governors thanked Charles for his efforts in developing a more efficient process for collecting the maintenance contribution. It was anticipated that this would reduce administration and increase the level of contributions. An update on the current year expenditure is awaited and a mid-year review will be undertaken once the figures are available. Alan is working with June Heard to put together a longer-term forecast. Personnel Committee The Personnel committee had not yet met. Health and Safety Committee The Health and Safety committee had not yet met. Andy Barnes advised that he was aware of the possible existence of asbestos in the Scout Hut, although there was some doubt whether the material in question was indeed asbestos. In any case, it had now been safely removed. Admissions Committee Clare Lovell reported that the Admissions committee had already met to discuss the proposed changes to the admissions criteria for 2017/18 entry for those seeking a foundation place. Chris Eyden summarised the proposals as follows: •

Baptism would be dropped as a requirement.

•

In line with the Diocese of Southwark’s objective to develop a clustered relationship between All Saints’, St Mary’s and St Margaret’s churches, St Margaret’s would be given equal access to the church schools.

•

Active contribution in the worship of the church would be limited to liturgical activities.

Governors agreed that the Admissions committee should launch the consultation. The next step was for the 3 churches and 2 church schools to agree to the proposals and for SDBE to be consulted. Consultation must then be carried out in the local area for a 6 week period between 1 October 2015 and 31 January 2016. Curriculum and Standards Committee The Curriculum and Standards committee would be meeting on 8 October 2015. Faith Group The Faith group was in the process of scheduling a meeting.

Communications Working Party Sophie Wybrew-Bond updated governors on the website project she had been working on. She had contacted 3 experts in providing primary school websites and they had carried out an audit of the site. This had shown that the platform was outdated and not fit for purpose, particularly on a mobile device. She had obtained costings, both for updating the site and for creating a new site and governors debated the merits of the 2 approaches. A new website would take 6 to 8 weeks to develop and would cost approx. £1,800 to £3,000. Sophie highlighted a number of advantages of this option; it would readily accommodate the large amount of new material which it was either necessary or desirable to add, it would showcase the school more effectively, which might prove particularly valid in view of the new school being built nearby, and it had the potential to become more embedded for parents than the current website. Julia Gracey added that Ofsted were very supportive of an effective website and Greg Sendell commented that a more efficient site would free up some of Lisa Stone’s time. Alan Pepper however expressed a concern about website expenditure costs recurring within such a short time frame, and felt that governors should be realistic about its use by parents. In response to a question by Sian Ross Russell, Sophie advised that a new site would be made “future proof” by including automatic updates within the Service Level Agreement. After some debate, governors agreed that Sophie should follow the due diligence process necessary to set up a new website. Alan asked her to provide 3 quotes for the Finance and Premises committee.

14.

REVIEW OF KS1 AND KS2 RESULTS The results across KS1 and KS2 had been circulated in advance of the meeting. These had been presented this year in a different, more detailed format, which was based on that used by St Paul’s in Kingston, which Daisy Gardener and Julia Gracey had visited last year. It included data on “vulnerable groups” and a summary of “reasons to celebrate”. Governors welcomed the changes and discussed the results at some length. Claire Wood reassured governors that where results were lower than those of the previous year, this only represented 1 or 2 children and was not a cause for concern. Indeed the results were very good both within the borough and nationally and she planned to publish them on the website shortly in a more summarised form. She added that it would be useful to carry out further analysis on gender trends and she planned to do this in the future. Julia Gracey commented that it was helpful to have vulnerable groups split out and to have included anonymised pupil case details to enable tracking, while Alan Pepper asked whether it might be possible to quantify the mobility effect, since this was becoming an issue again, and he requested in future an actual number comparison versus the previous year, as well as a percentage comparison. Claire agreed that this would be useful, although it was not yet clear how the results would be measured in future years and whether a comparison would be possible. Governors congratulated Claire on the positive results, particularly amongst the Pupil Premium group. These would be discussed in further detail by the Curriculum and Standards committee.

15.

OFSTED COMMON INSPECTION FRAMEWORK Claire Wood talked governors through the Ofsted Common Inspection Framework which had been introduced from 1 September 2015. Schools such as All Saints’ which had been most recently judged as outstanding on overall effectiveness were now exempt from routine inspections. Risk assessments would be carried out on a regular basis via a desktop analysis. This would take into account Raise Online data, statutory information on the website and any safeguarding issues. If any concerns were raised, a 1 day inspection might be carried out, which in turn might trigger a full 2 day inspection.

Overall, the new approach is a more collaborative one and is intended to take the form of a professional dialogue. The focus should be on ambitious vision and driving schools forwards and there is an increasing emphasis on safeguarding issues. Julia Gracey talked about the importance of being able to articulate the vision and the culture of the school and she asked governors within their committees to pick up any relevant issues within the SDBE briefing note she circulated. She planned to set up appropriate work groups shortly.

16.

VISION AND STRATEGIC DIRECTION Following feedback from Angela Rundle, Julia Gracey had made some minor amendments to the paper summarising the school’s vision and strategic direction for the next 3 to 5 years, which she shared with governors. This would be used to articulate the vision and strategic direction on the website. Julia urged governors to focus within their committees on the vision and strategic direction and to ensure that it remained at the heart of their workings within the school.

17.

SCHOOL IMPROVEMENT PLAN Claire Wood shared with governors a status review of the 2014/15 SIP objectives and a summary of the key achievements under each of the identified priorities, which had been circulated in advance of the meeting. Where identified actions had not yet been completed, these would be carried over into the current year. She went on to discuss the 2015/16 SIP. While strands are still being developed, the main priorities are as follows: • • •

Alongside continued embedding of the new National Curriculum and the delivering of topics in Cycle B of our foundation subjects, to strengthen assessment in the core subjects and implement assessment of the foundation subjects. To focus on pupils’ emotional health and well-being and to implement a new PSHE curriculum (this includes achieving the Healthy Schools London award and moving forward with either Rights Respecting Schools or the Global Learning Programme). To raise the profile of reading, both in terms of teaching and learning through Guiding Reading and Reading for Pleasure.

Claire informed governors that a further priority related to RE would also be included but had not yet been confirmed. The SIP will be discussed in more detail within the Curriculum and Standards committee.

18.

PERFORMANCE MANAGEMENT Claire Wood informed governors that review meetings with staff would be held shortly to close out the 2014/15 performance management cycle. The 2015/16 cycle will then begin and objectives will be set in line with the SIP and individual development requirements. Caroline Lloyd talked governors through the annual Headteacher appraisal process, which is also in hand.

19.

SCHOOL INVENTORY RECORDS Governors delegated authority for reviewing and approving the school inventory records to the Finance and Premises committee.

20.

YEAR 5 AND YEAR 6 SCHOOL JOURNEYS

Governors approved the proposed Year 5 and 6 journeys to Hooke Court and Mill Rythe respectively. Claire Wood added that a very short residential trip in Year 4 is being considered for future years and further research will be carried out to decide whether this would be beneficial.

21.

SCHOOL POLICIES Medical Conditions Policy The proposed medical conditions policy had been circulated in advance of the meeting. Since this is a new policy, Claire Wood particularly welcomed governors’ comments. Sophie Wybrew-Bond queried the process for dispensing medicine and Charles Roberts asked whether a stand-alone medical form had been considered. Claire confirmed that a detailed healthcare plan was completed for children who had particular medical issues. In response to a question from Julia Gracey, Claire confirmed that all appropriate third party providers, for example those who ran after school clubs, were aware of any children who had medical issues and knew how to access the necessary medication and equipment. Subject to minor editing, governors agreed to adopt and approve the medical conditions policy. Adoption of WBC Human Resources Handbook Governors agreed to adopt the WBC Human Resources Handbook. Adoption of WBC Financial Management Handbook Governors agreed to adopt the WBC Financial Management Handbook.

22.

TRAINING FOR GOVERNORS Governors had in the past expressed an interest in participating in the Bishop’s Certificate in Church School Governance, offered by SDBE, and it was felt that the timing was now appropriate to progress towards accreditation. The Bishop’s Certificate comprises 9 modules on key issues affecting church schools and a minimum level of participation is required. A number of governors had already indicated to Julia Gracey that they would be prepared to attend particular modules relevant to their areas of interest and Julia agreed to circulate the details by email to enable other governors to sign up. She requested that each governor commit to attending at least 1 module each. Andy Barnes and Andy Olding discussed the module which they had attended the previous evening on the nature, purpose and ethos of church schools. They had found this very useful and Andy B planned to discuss it further within the Faith group. Helen McCahon offered to update the training log to ensure that participation in the Bishop’s Certificate modules was captured alongside other training undertaken by governors. Caroline Lloyd informed governors that safeguarding training for the full Board of Governors would soon be due again. She was hoping to arrange this for the full Board of Governors for the January 2016 meeting. Action: Julia Gracey will circulate details of the Bishop’s Certificate modules to enable governors to sign up. Helen McCahon will update the training log to include participation in the Bishop’s Certificate modules. Caroline Lloyd will organise safeguarding training for the full Board of Governors.

23.

GOVERNORS’ VISITS At this stage in the year, there were no visits to report on.

24.

NEXT MEETINGS The following dates have been set for meetings of the Board of Governors for the 2015/16 school year: 19:00 on 19 November 2015 19:00 on 21 January 2016 19:00 on 16 March 2016 19:00 on 4 May 2016 29 June 2016 (07:45 breakfast, 08:00 meeting, 09:30 assembly)

25.

ANY OTHER URGENT BUSINESS Julia Gracey showed governors the new lanyards which had been ordered for them and requested that they wear them when in school. These could be found in the pigeon holes in the school office. Julia reminded governors that the Harvest Festival would be held on 30 September 2015. On the same day, Oasis Academy planned to hold a consultation event at the church. Claire Wood asked governors to add their names to the display in the foyer. This focused on the contribution made be every child, member of staff and governor to the All Saints’ masterpiece. Claire also read out extracts from an email written by a parent, who described how her children had flourished at the school and the wonderful experience they had enjoyed. Sian Ross Russell offered to organise this year’s letter to the parents of leavers seeking feedback on their experience. Julia commented that this activity must be handed over on Sian’s departure from the Board of Governors. Greg Sendell informed governors that June Heard was currently calculating all money spent over the last 2 years on the Big Society grant, as required. He, Andy Olding and Alan Pepper agreed to seek out other suitable opportunities for grants. Action: Sian Ross Russell will organise the annual letter to the parents of leavers seeking feedback on their experience. Andy Olding, Alan Pepper and Greg Sendell will seek out suitable opportunities for grants.

______________________________ Chair

______________________________ Date

Summary of Meeting Actions Minutes Reference

Action Details

Action By

Item 3. Governor membership

Helen McCahon will update the list of governors.

Helen McCahon

Item 5. Business Interests Register

Helen McCahon will collate the business and pecuniary interest responses for inclusion on the website.

Helen McCahon

Item 7. Matters arising

Claire Wood will find out whether the Year 5 and 6 School Journey Claire Wood account should be reported at a meeting of the Board of Governors, or whether the Finance and Premises committee is a more appropriate forum.

Item 9. Committee membership

Helen McCahon will update the list of committees and workgroups.

Item 22. Training

Julia Gracey will circulate details of the Bishop’s Certificate modules Julia Gracey, to enable governors to sign up. Governors

Item 22. Training

Helen McCahon will update the training log to include participation in Helen McCahon the Bishop’s Certificate modules.

Item 22. Training

Caroline Lloyd will organise safeguarding training for the full Board of Governors.

Caroline Lloyd

Item 25. Any other business

Sian Ross Russell will organise the annual letter to the parents of leavers seeking feedback on their experience.

Sian Ross Russell

Item 25. Any other business

Andy Olding, Alan Pepper and Greg Sendell will seek out suitable opportunities for grants.

Andy Olding, Alan Pepper, Greg Sendell

Helen McCahon