1. Governors Briefings Summer 2019

2. Trustees have approved the proposed diocesan strategy put forward by the working party.
An LCVAP committee to implement the new arrangements from 2020 will be established
Ofsted consultation is now complete new framework to come in, in September
Floor targets and coasting measures will go as from September 2019

3. Hannah Woodhouse is the newly appointed South West Regional Schools Officer
New Relationship and Sex education guidelines and requirements from
The Education Endowment Foundation had produced guidance on how to become an evidence- informed school governor and trustee
Year of Prayer continues through to November

4. ASSURING YOUR SCHOOL AND KEEPING IT SAFE, SECURE AND SOLVENT

5. Aims
A summary of the boards key duties and responsibilities in assuring that it meets its compliance duties.
Understand the possible consequences of non-compliance
General approach to managing non-compliance

6. Finance At the very minimum, governors should ensure the following:
Understand the requirements of the Academies Financial Handbook, which is released annually (Academies Only)
Understand the requirements of the School Financial Value Standard, which is released annually (VA Only)
Demonstrate that they are achieving the 3 key elements of Value for Money:
Economy
Efficiency
Effectiveness
Ensure detailed budget reports are discussed with all governors bi- monthly.
Ensure summary financial reports are shared with the Chair 12 times per year
Clear delegated spending limits
Changes to staffing are agreed and confirmed and pay scales confirmed when appointed.

7. Finance
Budgets:
Ensure that budgets are set at a time which provides an opportunity to interrogate and includes the following:
Realistic Assumptions (reflecting on lessons learned from previous years)
Challenge and accuracy on pupil numbers
Cashflow
Capital Planning
Ideally, budgets should be agreed by:
Academies 10th July
VA 31st May
Governors should ensure that the audit/finance committee undertake a robust discussion of the year end position, including auditors and/or LA accordingly.
Ensure all key deadlines are reported on, as being met.
Plan ahead where there are budget issues try to phase through if possible
Make sure job descriptions and contracts are all in place and up to date in case of redundancy issues
Is coming under more scrutiny

8. The governing body and head teacher must inform all staff of school policies and procedures related to fraud and theft, the controls in place to prevent them and the consequences of breaching those controls. This information must also be included in the induction for new school staff and governors.
Register of business interests
any business interests that they or any member of their immediate family have
details of any other educational establishments that they govern
any relationships between school staff and members of the governing body
publish the register on the school’s website.
Need to provide audit certificates in respect of voluntary and private funds held by schools, and of the accounts of any trading organisations controlled by the school.

9. Admissions
The Governing Body must comply with the School Admissions Code
Must set a clear Admissions policy and it must be published on the school website
Your Policy must be reviewed and adopted annually
Must consult on any changes
Must consult at least every 7 years
Must ensure that the admissions policy and admissions code are followed
The Governing Body should have an admissions panel/committee to offer/refuse places for the School.
The Governing Body are the sole admissions authority within a Catholic School both maintained and Academy (Academy Trust delegate)
Common policy coming into force for 2021

10. Safeguarding
The Keeping Children Safe in Education(2018) guidance places an expectation on governing board to allocate a board member with leadership responsibility for the schools safeguarding arrangements.
Ensure senior member of staff is appointed Designated Safeguard Lead (DSL) with appropriate Job description
Ensure that there are reporting mechanisms in place in the absence of the DSL
Ensure that training takes place across the school for all employee’s at the appropriate level and training log is kept and up to date.
Overseeing the single central record. Is it up-to-date? Is it compliant with current KCSIE (2018)
Ensure safer recruitment – one member of the interview panel has undertaken safer recruitment training.
Annual review of school’s safeguarding procedures
Designated Governor must provide annual report to the full governing body
All governors must have a current DBS.
Must have a policy on supporting pupils at school with medical conditions-must be a named person responsible and plans must be reviewed annually
All governors need to have knowledge and training –on line training form NSPCC is one
Recruitment procedures and evidence along with personnel records
Foundation governors any thing comes back on the DBS check Bishop needs to be informed via the Director

11. Health and Safety
The governing board is responsible for ensuring that risks to staff and pupils are managed in a way that is reasonably practicable. The overall legal accountability for the health and safety of all employees and others belong to the governors.
The governors should ensure that policies are in place to manage health and safety including but not limited to, the following;
Health and Safety policy
Working at height policy
COSHH policy
Fire Safety
Stress management
Governors are also responsible for implementing arrangements that manage the risks to their staff, pupils and visitors who may be affected by school’s activities.
Governors are also responsible for Asbestos management; Legionella testing; Electrical safety testing (PAT).
Risk assessments need to be signed off by head or designated responsible person

12. Whistleblowing
Governing boards are advised to adopt Local Authority whistleblowing policies.
The policy should be published on the school website
It should be included in staff handbooks and all staff should be aware of the policy and where copies of this policy is found.
Governing boards need to review annually.
Need to built a culture of openness – use of staff questionnaires for all staff
Need to agree procedure for questionnaires at governors meeting, agree a panel to look at them and how it will be fed back

13. Complaints All schools must have an up to date policy and procedure
Should include how complaints from parents and governors will be dealt with
Need to designate an investigating officer and is good practice to included in the policy
The policy needs to be reviewed annually
The policy and procedures must be published on the school website
Academies have to have an independent person on any panel
Consider passing a resolution to use governors from another governing body if needed.

14. Information Sharing
The governing board is required to provide information to parents/carers, pupils and the Secretary of State for Education.
The governing board is also responsible for ensuring that the management of personal information held by it or the school complies with data protection law.
There is a statutory requirement for governing boards to share certain information with particular bodies and people: LAs, Diocese, Standards and Testing Agency, Government departments/Agencies, Examination Boards, School Funding Agency and parents.
School Website

15. Equality
The 2010 Equality Act puts a public duty of care on governing boards to prevent discrimination, harassment, and victimisation of those with protected characteristics including employee’s, potential employee’s, pupils and potential pupil’s
Curriculum Access – do all pupils have equal access to the full curriculum
Bullying- Are any particular group of students being targeted?
Exclusions – Are any particular groups over represented in the figure?
Employment law – Are governors aware of their duty of care and wellness of their staff.

16. Special Educational Needs and Disabilities(SEND)
All governing boards have specific legal responsibilities for pupils with SEND.
Legal duties on SEND are set out in the Children and Families Act 2014, and statutory guidance on SEND code of practice, jointly published by the DFE and Department of Health.
In maintained schools the governing board must:
Reassure itself that the key responsibilities of the special educational needs Co-Ordinator (SENCO) are drawn up and that the SENCO has sufficient time and resources to carry out the role.
Monitor the effectiveness of the way the responsibilities are carried out, as set out in the SEND Code of Practice:0-25 years.
All governing boards must ensure that there is a qualified teacher designated as SENCO for a school.
Governing boards appoint a designated governor who has responsibility for liaising with the SENCO.

17. Website School contact details Ethos and Values Admission arrangements
Ofsted, Section 48 & Performance tables
Exam/ Assessment results – Key Stage 2, Key Stage 4 and Key Stage 5
Curriculum
Policies on; Behaviour, Charging & remissions and Complaints procedure
Pupil Premium
PE and Sport Premium
Year 7 Literacy and Numeracy catch up
Special Educational Needs and Disabilities information
Equality objectives
Governors information and duties

18. Website Academies Same as that for Maintained schools but also
Exclusions policy
School annual accounts
Articles and Supplementary agreement

19. Failure with compliance can lead to a special measures ofsted judgment, disciplinary or end up in a court case