St Benedict’s C of E VA Junior School, Glastonbury Minutes of the Full Governing Board Meeting th
Held on Thursday 15 November 2018 in Leopard classroom Present: Jo Boughen-Hunt (Vice Chair- VC), Mike Derbidge (Foundation Governor), Gemma Hazlehurst (Elected Parent- EP Governor), David MacGeoch (Ex Officio) [left at 6:52pm], Kayleigh Methven (Foundation Governor), Piers Ranger (Headteacher- HT), Rachel Rood (Elected TeacherET Governor, Helen Roper (Chair), Natasha Wardle (Foundation Governor), Paul Winter (Foundation Governor), Sue Wootton (Foundation Governor) Also present: Pauline Dodds (Diocese MAT Education Adviser) [left at 6:27 pm], Natalie Paull (Diocese Education) and Sarah Hamlet (Clerk). The meeting started at 5:33 pm.
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Agenda Item Welcome and Opening Prayer
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Apologies for absence
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Declaration of Interest in any agenda item
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Agree and sign amended minutes of Full Governing Board Voting th meeting of 27 September 2018. Action Points & Matters Arising Academisation
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Action Ex Officio spoke about remembrance and hope. He encouraged governors to reflect on a personal hope for the coming week, before offering a prayer for peace. Absence- Louise Fairbrother, Ann & Roger Parsons. Early departurePauline Dodds and David MacGeoch. All apologies accepted. None. Chair welcomed Gemma Hazlehurst in nd her 2 term of office as Elected Parent Governor and Rachel Rood as Elected Teacher Governor. Agreed by governors and signed by Chair.
None. Natalie Paull gave a PowerPoint presentation which included the following points. She will email this to Clerk for circulation to governors. Academy Landscape Currently working with 14 MATs across the Diocese. 53% of schools will have Academy Orders by the end of this year. History of Bath & Wells Diocese and MATs The Diocese has a long history of working with MATs. St Ben’s has trust deeds. The situation re: Diocese and school buildings would not change after academisation. Continuing ethos of serving all faiths (and no faith); Providing education in a Christian context- not a Christian education. Lines of Accountability These will change, but continuous open dialogue remains. Diocese is still accountable for Church
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NP to email PP to Clerk for circ. to govs.
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School Distinctiveness, and have involvement re: academic standards, admissions and policies. There would be an Approving Foundation representative at all levels. If St Ben’s joins a MAT, this would already be in existence. St Ben’s should benefit from this representation. Pauline Dodds spoke re: ’stand-alone’ academies. Although some exist, they have struggled to be sustainable, thus is not a recommended route. Chair informed that this issue has already been discussed and disregarded this possibility. MAT structure Bound by Trust law. MAT members- made up of a percentage of Foundation members- to be determined. Very high skill basedsign legal documents. The Diocese Board of Education (DBE) has corporate members on each MAT with a Church School. MAT Board of Directors/Trustees work through a scheme of delegation to the Local Governing Boards. Have a 4-year term of office. MAT Accountable Body is made up of MAT members and MAT Board of Directors/Trustees. Local Governing Board (LGB)- 1 per school within the MAT. Doesn’t usually have representation on Board of Directors/Trustees- who tend to be ‘high calibre’ professionals. There can also be an issue of Board size as more schools join a MAT. No Ex-Officio post; take up Foundation Governor role with up to 3 terms of 4 years each. PCC do not formally nominate Foundation Governors. Clerk could still have contact with PCC re: possible Foundation Governor recruits. Kayleigh Methven has also been leading a recruitment drive from the Diocese. Ratio of Foundation Governors remains the same. No necessity for Foundation Governors to have Church involvement or be practising Christians- but must be willing to uphold the Christian ethos of the school. MAT application forms still contain questions re: this. Pauline Dodds may have discussion with a potential Foundation Governor with no Church involvement. DBE will approve all St Ben’s governors. LGBs can delegate e.g. Admissions up to the Accountable Body; pros and cons
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Pauline Dodds left at 6:27 pm.
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of this. Some issues cannot be delegated down. If a school is functioning well, the Accountable Body would probably be happy to let them continue as they are. Mixed MATs comprise Church and nonChurch schools. The Diocese encouraged this early on to reflect the position of the community. Not all MATs have the same structure and may function differently. She advised visiting different MAT websites to view different models. Legal Documentation Instrument of Government is replaced by The Articles of Association- a much longer document. Governors were advised to refer to the MAT website agreed between the DfE and DBE. Church Supplemental (Land) Agreement is approved by the DBE and school trustees; signed by the Church Wardens and vicar. Natalie Paull informed re: scenario of new build on St Ben’s site; buildings and land are owned by Diocese (usually latter owned by LA). Master Funding Agreement & Supplemental FA received from Secretary of State for each school in the MAT. Memorandum of Understanding between MAT and Diocese; articulates which reflect the school’s ethos are selected. Pauline Dodds informed that technically St Ben’s would cease to be a VA school after academisation, though some similarities would remain e.g. SIAMs inspection. St Ben’s would be free to follow own RE syllabus, but this must be discussed with the Diocese. No change is anticipated for St Ben’s. Regional Schools Commissioner (RSC) Lisa Mannell is the Regional Schools Commissioner for the South West. Any academisation has to be approved by the RSC via the Headteachers’ Board as well as by the Diocese. Training There is Diocese support and training; over 80 schools have been supported this year. Post-conversion support is also available. MAT Options Bath & Wells MAT- has 30 schools Midsomer Norton Partnership- has 3 Secondary Schools (including St Dunstan’s), 9 Primary Schools including Church Primary. 6 other schools are
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Natalie Paull left at 6:50 pm.
David MacGeoch left at 6:52 pm.
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looking to join and 5 others are ‘in conversation’. A governor challenged how a nonpractising governor can support the school ethos; Ex Officio clarified the situation. Church School Distinctiveness training is available- a governor challenged the availability of this course- and was encouraged to continue to enrol when possible. Natalie Paull informed re: joining MAT that doesn’t have any Church schools. A governor remarked re: lack of possibilities to explore. Natalie Paull advised re: forming a small governor group with local schools to discuss these. HT reported that a meeting is set th for 28 January 2019. Chair proposed compiling some questions to facilitate this. Governors discussed situation of some local schools. Chair summarised presentation content related to St Ben’s situation and standing. She emphasised the need to find the ‘best fit’ for St Ben’s. MAT information documents Available on the Diocese website at ‘Children & Young People’- School Organisation-Academies. Governors expressed thanks to Natalie Paull for her presentation and support. Post- Presentation Discussion Chair proposed joining a MAT only if we would be making the school better. It was imperative to explore all options; there was a lot to consider. Chair remarked that although it would be a Governing Board decision, staff and parents’ views must be taken into account. St Ben’s was not under pressure to become an Academy. She reminded governors that they had decided to concentrate on St Ben’s becoming a good school before becoming an academy. Governors commented that the RCS’s plans for future schools joining MATs were unclear at the moment. Governors discussed re: joining a MAT together with St John’s as a Federation and the impact of less transition for pupils. HT is meeting with Keith Howard (HT St Dunstan’s) and Alun Williams (Executive th HT Midsomer Norton) on 28 January 2019. He will email details to Clerk for circulation to governors.
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HT to email mtg details to Clerk for circ. to govs.
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7.
Policies
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Any other urgent business
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10.
Meeting Review
Date and time of next meetings:
Non-Teaching Staff Appraisal Approved by governors with a minor typographical correction and signed by Chair. Pay Approved by governors and signed by Chair of Governors/SPA Committee. Teacher Appraisal Approved by governors and signed by Chair. Primary Phase Admissions 2019 Form st nd Chair and HT clarified re: 1 , 2 and nd post 2 Choice Allocations. Chair spoke re: Primary Phase Admissions 2019 Form before completing and signing. Clerk to send to County. Admissions Consultation 2020/21 Chair reminded governors re: previous minuted agreement to reduce PAN. An email has been received from County re: Admissions Consultation advice. Clerk to liaise with County. Business Continuity Plan HT requested that a meeting date be set. He will speak with governors involved after this meeting. Health & Safety (H&S) Walk HT will arrange a date for this with the H&S Governor. Headteacher Vacancy th The advert went ‘live’ on 9 November; there have been several enquiries. th Long Listing will be on 27 November. th th 15 & 16 January 2019 have been allocated for interviews. Academisation Presentation Governors agreed that this had been very helpful, informative and clear. Opportunities for questions and further knowledge had been appreciated. A governor remarked that it was reassuring to know that Diocese support would continue following academisation. HT spoke re: latest Keeping Children Safe in Education (KCSiE) document. He will email the key changes to Clerk; who will circulate these to governors. th Sub Committees- Tuesday 11 December 2018 at 5:30pm th FGB- Thursday 24 January 2019 at 5:30pm
Clerk to send Pri. Adm. 2019 Form to County.
Clerk to liaise with County.
HT to email key changes to Clerk. Clerk to circulate to govs.
The meeting closed at 7:24 pm.
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