1. SWALSS CONFERENCE 19th May 2017
Gillian Douglas
SEND Consultant/Senior Babcock Adviser

2. How do you know children are getting a good deal?
Key Question…….
How do you know children are getting a good deal?

3. (Lord Nash, Under Secretary of State for Schools, in his introduction to The Governance Handbook 2017)
“Governing boards have a significant degree of autonomy in our increasingly school-led system. They are the vision setters and strategic decision makers for their schools. They play a vital role in ensuring the best possible education that takes every child as far as their talents allow.
I want everyone involved in governance to be confident in tackling underperformance, challenging mediocrity, and setting the highest of expectations; refusing to accept second best for any child…”

4. Context The School Governance Handbook –Jan 2017
A Competency Framework for Governance – Jan 2017
School Inspection Handbook –Aug 2015
The Rochford Review

5. Purpose of Governance
….to provide confident, strategic leadership and to create robust accountability, oversight and assurance for educational and financial performance
Key actions must include:
Understanding the school
Commissioning action on improvement targets
Performance management of school leaders
Setting strategic direction

6. The essentials of effective governance….
Ensuring clarity of vision, ethos and strategic direction
Holding the Headteacher to account for the educational performance of the school and its pupils and the performance management of staff:
Overseeing the financial performance of the school and seeing it is well-spent
How?
Meetings
Visits
Being visible

7. C+S+M+R =FOCUS
CHALLENGE and SUPPORT
MONITORING and REVIEW

8. Areas for challenge and support
1. Admissions
Needs and numbers
trends, transitions and induction
2. Curriculum – (differentiated as appropriate)
Balanced, broad, meeting the individual needs
Variety of cultural experiences
Sex and relationship
Outdoor/adventure
Those educated off-site

9. Challenge and Support (continued)
3. Quality of Leadership
Established culture
Culture of high expectations
Challenge and support to leadership
Effective appraisal
4. Quality of T&L
Consistently high expectations
Effective planning
Monitoring
Parents and progress

10. Assessment and progress
Key Change: The Rochford Review –
7 aspects of engagement for learning that pupils can be assessed against
Responsiveness
Curiosity
Discovery
Anticipation
Persistence
Initiation
Investigation
Schools should decide their own approach to making these assessments according to curriculum and needs. No requirement for reporting these to DfE – but evidence and dialogue with parents, governors, Inspectors…..
Behaviour and attendance (Exclusions)
Safeguarding
Finance
Pupil and parent “voice”

11. Assessment and progress- continued…
Assessment policy
Baseline assessment procedures
National benchmarks
Pupil’s flight path and narrative
Progress of social and emotional development
Formal accreditation to match needs

12. 6. Behaviour – exclusions
DDA- you are the “responsible body”: numbers of fixed term and permanent exclusions
Consultation around new exclusion guidance
Recording of physical restraints
Bullying
7. Personal development and welfare
The school promotes all aspects of pupils’ welfare Pupils feel safe and healthy and know how to keep themselves safe
Prevent strategy: on-line safety; healthy options
Mental Health – could be an agenda item. Are there enough resources to meet this need? Is a mental health professional accessible to the school?

13. Safeguarding
Defined as “ protecting children from maltreatment; preventing impairment of children’s health or development: ensuring children grow up in circumstances consistent with the provision of safe and effective care; and taking action to enable all children to have the best outcomes.” DfE, 2016
Staff and Governor training
Induction for all staff and Governors
Strong PSHE curriculum tailored to the pupils’ needs that teaches how to keep pupils safe – how to recognise abuse and how to ask for help:
CSE
FGM
Bullying and sexting.
Clear Child Protection records
SCR up-to-date: safer recruitment
Are outcomes of monitoring safeguarding provision recorded, analysed and followed up?

14. 9. Finance
Resources should be allocated in line with the school’s strategic priorities with a clear budget forecast and sufficient reserves to cover major changes.
Pupil Premium –how much does the school receive and how is it being spent – what difference is it making?
10. Attendance
Good attendance drives good attainment.
Does your school have a “whole” approach?
Quality data should be routinely monitored and analysed. School total %: Year Group attendance : Persistent Absence

15. 11. Pupil and parent voice
Parents are a key stakeholder and governors should engage effectively with parents as this will help inform strategic planning, improve pupil outcomes, promotes community cohesion and there is an increased emphasis on transparency and accountability.
Pupil School council
Newsletters
Surveys
Governors attending parent evenings
Governor notice-board

16. What do you really know?
Please see handout

17. Thank you for listening! Gillian Douglas