1. Clerks’ Information Update Spring Term 2019 8 January 2019
Clerks’ Information Update Spring Term January Presented by Tina Weavers

2. It is concerning that despite the prominence of the need for effective clerking rising in recent years, 9% of respondents still either did not have – or did not know if they had – a clerk who could provide the board with advice on governance, constitutional and procedural matters.
2018 NGA Annual Survey
Clerks’ Information Update Spring Term January Presented by Tina Weavers

3. Clerks’ Information Update
Summer Term 2018
DRAFT
SPRING
TERM
AGENDA
Presented by
Tina Weavers

4. Should all policies be manually signed by the Chair of Governors?
QUICK QUESTIONS
Could the wife of the Chair of Governors apply to become the school’s Clerk or could the daughter of the Clerk become a Governor?
Do all Governors need to have Section 128 checks or is an enhanced DBS check sufficient?
Should all policies be manually signed by the Chair of Governors?

5. INFORMATION UPDATE
Schools are being urged to stop using single-use plastic items and consider environmentally-friendly alternatives
Education Secretary stresses importance of basic life-saving skills and first aid – under plans for health education to become compulsory in all schools
Activity ‘passport’ to inspire schoolchildren and boost resilience - 'Passport' of activities launched to enrich children's experiences and skills, backed by the Scouts, Girlguiding and National Trust.
Update to ‘Find and Compare Schools in England’ (changes to information on SEND)
Government and top sports bodies to help children play more sport - Education Secretary Damian Hinds calls on leading sporting bodies to work with schools and help more children play competitive sport
‘Preparing Your Board for the Future’ – an NGA publication on succession planning
Proposals for secondary school pupils to learn life-saving skills and defibrillator use, due to be rolled out in 2020, will be part of the Department for Education’s plans to improve health, sex and relationships teaching
NGA launches a new Learning Link module on arts and cultural education for governors and trustees – short introductory film available at
Updated Privacy Notices from DfE
NGA published Career Guidance for Governing Boards
2017/18 Ofsted Annual Report
Chief Inspector sets out vision for new Education Inspection Framework

6. INFORMATION UPDATE
The Education Endowment Foundation (EEF) has released guidance to help schools engage with their parents to “improve children’s academic outcomes”. This guidance pulls together the most recent research on parental engagement supplemented with a survey of 180 schools in England and interviews with 16 educational professionals - stakeholder engagement is a core part of the governing board’s role and the NGA are seeking for this to become the forth “core function” of school governance.
ESFA Academies Planning Calendar
Ten Steps Towards Staff Wellbeing – this resource aims to support senior leaders in schools to promote wellbeing.
DfE’s guidance on controlling access to school premises
DfE’s updated guidance on Health and safety: responsibilities and duties for schools
DfE’s updated guidance on Deals for schools: hiring supply teachers and agency workers and Other Deals for Schools
DfE’s updated guidance on Mental Health and Behaviour in Schools
NGA guidance on how to develop good communication between MAT trustees and local academy committees
DfE’s guidance on information for primary schools about the development of an online times tables check to be administered by schools to year 4 pupils from the 2019/20 academic year onwards
DfE launches multi-million pound investment to support children's early communication skills - projects launched to improve children's early language and literacy, and boost parents' confidence with home learning

7. INFORMATION UPDATE
Joint letter to all school leaders including Headteachers, Leaders of Academy Trusts and Governing Boards from the Secretary of State for Education re reducing Teacher Workload
Institute of Directors (IoD) launched a report “ Back to School – common challenges facing school governors and company directors”
The Office of National Statistics published reports on pupil absence in primary, secondary and special schools in autumn and spring terms of the 2017 to 2018 academic year
The Key published a report on the challenges of running a rural school
Trends in School Spending:
Health and safety on educational visits
Teachers' pay grant methodology : Guidance for schools and local authorities on the teachers' pay grant for the financial years 2018 to 2019 and 2019 to 2020
Academies: making significant changes or closure by agreement: Guidance for academy trusts planning to make organisational changes or close an academy by mutual agreement with the Secretary of State
School organisation: local-authority-maintained schools: Statutory guidance about making organisation changes to local-authority-maintained schools, including school closure
Update to Schools financial efficiency: metric tool - a tool to provide schools in England with an indication of their efficiency compared with similar schools
Update to “What academies, free schools and colleges should publish online” online
Update to “What maintained schools must publish online”

8. QUICK QUESTION
If you had a performance review meeting in the next week, what three objectives would you consider setting yourself?

9. OFSTED UPDATE
Formal Consultation on new draft Framework opens on 16 January 2019 with implementation from September 2019
The new inspection framework will have the curriculum as the central focus – Ofsted has placed too much weight on test and exam results
Amanda Spielman, October 2018

10. OFSTED UPDATE
The 5 Key Things you should know about the proposed 2019 Ofsted Inspection Framework
Outcomes will no longer be a standalone judgement.
The existing quality of teaching, learning and assessment judgement will be broadened to include a quality of education judgement based on the curriculum and outcomes.
There will be a new judgement isolating behaviour and attitudes.
There will also be a new judgement isolating personal development.
Leadership and management are to remain as a key judgement.

11. SURVEY OF INFORMATION ON THE WELLBEING OF CHILDREN & YOUNG PEOPLE IN ESSEX
Register your interest to take part here:
Contact if you have any general queries about the survey
The survey will run in the Spring Term between mid-January to March 2019. o

12. NGA CLERKS CONFERENCE IN BIRMINGHAM ON 20 FEBRUARY 2019
DATES OF INTEREST
NGA CLERKS CONFERENCE IN BIRMINGHAM ON 20 FEBRUARY 2019
2019 ESSEX GOVERNORS’ COUNTY CONFERENCE ON 25 JANUARY 2019 AT COLCHESTER STADIUM
ECA CLERKS CONFERENCE ON 10 MAY 2019