Agenda item

 

·         Co-ordinator of Governor Services, School Effectiveness Service, Schools and Lifelong Learning, Children and Young People’s Services, to report. 

Councillor G. A. Russell introduced the Co-ordinator of Governor Services (School Effectiveness Service, Schools and Lifelong Learning, Children and Young People’s Services) to the meeting. 

 

Further to Minute No. C97 of the Cabinet meeting held on 21^st November, 2012 (Response to Scrutiny Review: The Role of School Governors) where the outcomes of the review were accepted, the Co-ordinator of Governor Services had now prepared an update report for the Improving Lives Select Commission that outlined the progress against the sixteen recommendations. 

 

The Co-ordinator of Governor Services referred to a number of factors in relation to National policy that were expected to have an impact on the detail of the specific recommendations.  Where appropriate, action on the recommendations had been postponed pending publication of national policy guidelines.

 

Appendix One to the submitted report outlined each recommendation, whether it had been accepted or rejected, the Cabinet’s response in November, 2012, the responsible Officer, the timeframe for activity and an update on the actions to date in relation to each of the sixteen recommendations. 

 

Task Groups had been established to enable development and actioning of the recommendations.  Since the publication of the report, the educational landscape of the Council had seen the creation of the not for profit ‘Learners First Ltd.’ company that was a collaboration of a number of highly performing Schools across the Borough, along with links to excellent practitioners across the region and nation.  The remit of the Learners First Ltd. was to ensure that schools were improving and to support them to do so.  The remit of the company meant that they were now responsible for a number of the Scrutiny Review’s recommendations. 

 

An overview was provided in relation to each recommendation and the actions that had been undertaken to implement them: -

 

1.               School Governors’ Taskforce

One overarching Taskforce had not been created, but aspects had been selected and groups of Governors had been tasked with certain areas and identifying and developing areas of good practice.

 

This approach had responded to the development of the school-on-school support model that Learners First Ltd. were working towards, including the use of peer mentoring and training opportunities. 

 

A toolkit had been developed to identify good practice which would be available on the internet for Governing Bodies in September, 2013.

 

Relevant areas where this was taking place included safeguarding issues.  It was noted that national legislation and guidance was due to be published in the area.

 

2.            Recruitment – development of a generic person specification

Production of this had been postponed whilst the Department for Education was updating the ‘Handbook for Governors’.  The handbook was delayed from the expected date of publication in May, 2013. 

 

It was envisaged that the updated material would be available from September, 2013. Work would then commence and the template person specification would be published.

 

3.            Each School be encouraged to develop a more specific role description

This had already been completed and had been published in January, 2013. 

 

The guidance would be reviewed in September, 2013, following publication of the ‘Handbook’.

 

4.            Local Authority Officers to be encouraged to become Governors

This would be an on-going communication to Rotherham MBC employees. 

 

5.         Payment of expenses

National government guidance had recently been published relating to this area. A review of Rotherham’s policy would take place in light of the revised guidance and any changes would be published in the Autumn Term, 2013.

 

6.            The Cabinet Member for Children, Young People and Families clarifies what expectations the Local Authority has of its appointees, including attendance at learning and development events

Actioning of this had been postponed pending receipt of the National Government’s guidance.

 

7.            Prior to recruitment, LA appointed Governors complete an expression of interest form and undergo a recruitment process that clearly outlines the roles and responsibilities of LA Governors

Actioning of this had been postponed pending receipt of the National Government’s guidance.

 

8.            Induction and Training

The Local Authority was continuing to publish opportunities available to Governors, ensuring that updated training programmes and e-learning modules were available.  Learners First Ltd. were also developing and communicating a programme of training opportunities

 

Usually at their autumn term meeting, governing bodies reviewed their training and development needs and how these would impact on the school.

 

9.         Programme for Continued Professional Development be developed, including the greater use of e-learning and resources from the National College. This programme should include learning resources to support any specific roles or responsibilities (eg performance management, HR, chairing skills

See update in relation to Recommendation 8. 

 

10.       Headteachers to receive training or guidance in working with Governing Bodies

This work would be led by Learners First Ltd.  This would intend to support Governors to assess strengths and weaknesses and ask challenging questions of Headteachers. 

 

11.       Training in Self Evaluation techniques should be undertaken by all Governing Bodies with a view to undertaking this exercise every two years in line with National Governors Association criteria

Guidance on self-evaluation would be provided to Governors to help them to challenge and assess their own performance. 

 

12.  A Personal Development Review (PDR) to be undertaken (by appropriate staff/governor in school or through peer arrangements) ideally every two years with each Governor

This recommendation had been rejected as it would be difficult to implement and monitor. 

 

13. Greater use should be made of online training by all school governors through the NGA and Modern Governor

The training resources available through Modern Governor were raised at a recent Chairs and Vice Chairs meeting.  Clerks to Governing Bodies would also be asked to circulate the information in their September Briefing. 

 

14.  Further work should be undertaken by the Governor Development Service, with the Rotherham Schools’ Forum, to look at options to provide enhanced support to clerks. The review group suggest that this role could be undertaken across a cluster of schools by one ‘adviser’, whilst each body retained its clerk to undertake administrative tasks.

Learners First Ltd. were developing this offer. This was already taking place in some Learning Communities. 

 

15. The review supports the continuation and strengthening of the Governor Development Service within the current learning communities and other partnership arrangements.

No update provided. 

 

16. That the web pages hosted on the Council’s own and associated websites (e.g. Rotherham Connected Learning) are updated to ensure that relevant resources (such as role descriptions, guidance and links to other sites) are available online

This issue was ongoing and continual monitoring would take place. 

 

Discussion ensued on the information presented and issues raised included: -

 

·           How had the Scrutiny Review’s Recommendations been received by Governing Bodies? – Overall very well, schools were increasingly working collaboratively and sharing good practice was increasingly used to make improvements.

 

·           How were Rotherham’s different types of Schools engaging in incorporating the Recommendations? – All Schools were engaged, the Governing Body’s responsibilities were the same regardless of their status/category and they required the same access to support resources.  

 

·           Who had responsibility for policing the expectations and standards of individual Governors and Governing Bodies? – Individual Governing Body had the responsibility for conducting a skills audit and addressing any gaps in expertise.  Local Authority Governors were appointed by the Cabinet Member for Children, Young People and Families’ Services.  The Local Authority was also able to intervene when there were instances of critical concern in Schools/Governing Bodies.  The Local Authority did not have powers of intervention in Academy Schools, but could report their concerns to Ofsted or the Department for Education.   

 

·           Were Clerks to Governing Bodies given opportunities to undertake Personal Development Reviews? – Yes.  Individual and collective opportunities for reflective development were offered to improve practice.   

 

The Chairperson of the Improving Lives Select Commission thanked the Co-ordinator of Governor Services for their informative presentation and contribution to the discussion. 

 

Resolved: -    (1) That the report be accepted and the content in relation to the progress made to date in implementing the recommendations of the Review into the Role of School Governors be noted. 

 

(2)  That the Governor Development Service and Learners First Ltd. be supported in continuing to implement the Review’s Recommendations.