Governor Services

Hampshire Governor

Summer 2006. No. 31

This Edition of Hampshire Governor

All the articles from the Summer 2006 edition of Hampshire Governor have been reproduced on this page. You can also view Hampshire Governor in its original format using the following link:

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This Plan Will Help Your School To Do Even Better

The Hampshire Children and Young People Plan, already published in draft form, is a major step forward in putting into practice the principles of the Children Act. The definitive Plan is expected to be finalised by the end of May. It will provide an ‘umbrella’ for many initiatives by schools and the other organisations that deliver services for children.

John Coughlan, director of children’s services for Hampshire, says schools’ own activities and self-evaluations should reflect the Plan. ‘They should use it to challenge their current arrangements and assumptions and to explore whether they are really addressing the five main aims of the Children Act for every one of their children and young people.’

Those aims are: be healthy, stay safe, enjoy and achieve, make a positive contribution, and achieve economic well-being.

For governors, key performance indicators to measure how well schools achieve their desired outcomes will include:

• percentage of 11-year-olds achieving level 4 plus in English and maths;
• percentage of 14-year-olds achieving level 5 plus in English, maths, science and ICT;
• percentage of 16-year-olds gaining the equivalent of five A*-C GCSEs;
• half-days absence from school;
• educational achievement of looked after children at ages 11 and 16;
• permanent and fixed-term exclusions.

There are also expected to be performance indicators relating to bullying and obesity.

The development of extended schools and of children’s centres – important elements of the Plan – will expand school-based services and therefore the educational vision of both staff and governors.

John Coughlan stressed the importance of early intervention to prevent problems developing in a child’s life. ‘It is often early years, school or further education staff who are first to sense something is wrong. It is vitally important that they have the skills to intervene, and know where to turn for support.’

He also cautioned that: ‘There is no new money to help deliver this Plan. To achieve it, all organisations providing services to children will need to align their resources to the plan, and work together.’

Happy Pupils More Likely to Succeed

One factor behind the improvement in GCSE results in Hampshire is that children are enjoying school and are more motivated to succeed. In an attitude survey carried out late last year among Year 9 pupils, 51.5 per cent said they usually or always enjoyed being at school – up from 49 in 2004 and 47.7 in 2003. Only 7.6 per cent said they never enjoyed school. Year 7 pupils were more positive still – 56.4 per cent said they enjoyed school, against 55.8 in 2004 and 55.5 in 2003.

In total, 7,864 pupils in Year 9 and 7,951 in Year 7, at 51 schools, responded to the survey. Other findings were:

• 58.2 per cent of Year 9s and 67.6 per cent of Year 7s said their teachers were usually or always fair.

• 77.8 per cent of Year 9s and 85 per cent of Years 7s said they did their best at school always or most of the time.

• 7.8 per cent of Year 9s and 10.5 per cent of Year 7s found their work always or often too hard for them.

• 8.7 per cent of Year 9s and 9.4 per cent of Year 7s found work always or often too easy.

• The percentage claiming to use the internet to help with school work or homework rose to 88 of Year 9s and 86.1 of Year 7s.

MBE for 40-years governor Grace

Forty years of service as a governor in Hampshire have been rewarded for Grace Morgan, above, with an MBE from the Queen in the New Year Honours. At the age of 86, Grace still chairs two secondary governing bodies, Test Valley School at Stockbridge and John Hanson Community School, Andover.

It was her own four children who originally inspired her desire to get involved in education. ‘I was a governor of St Swithun’s Girls School, and of Andover Grammar before it went comprehensive – and I have been at Test Valley ever since it opened,’ Grace remembers.

How has governance changed in her time? Much more is expected of governors today than used to be the case, she says. ‘You have to take it seriously. There are committees to get involved in and so much more to do. On top of that there is too much red tape which gets worse every year.’

Grace expects to step down ‘very shortly’ but her example will continue to be an inspiration to other governors. Wendy Morrish, headteacher at Test Valley, says: ‘Grace takes a full part in school life. She always seeks to pursue what is best for all those in the community she serves and has  a down to earth approach which we all value.’

Does Your Headteacher Need A Better Work-Life Balance?

The National Agreement on raising standards and tackling workload introduced a statutory right for all teachers, including heads, to enjoy a reasonable work-life balance. In many schools the introduction of PPA time and other remodelling has improved work-life balance for teachers. However, in few cases have these benefits been realised for headteachers. Many heads have reported an increase in workload and pressures.

Failure to address these issues can undermine recruitment, retention and effective leadership. Already in Hampshire, workload is putting off future school leaders. Filling headship vacancies is an increasing challenge.

ALREADY IN HAMPSHIRE, WORKLOAD IS PUTTING OFF FUTURE SCHOOL LEADERS.  FILLING HEADSHIP VACANCIES IS AN INCREASING CHALLENGE

Governing bodies have a statutory responsibility for the work-life balance of their headteacher.  There are no universal strategies to adopt because work-life balance must be defined and ultimately managed by the individual.  However, there are steps that governors can and should take.

You may find it helpful to discuss these potential strategies with your headteacher to determine which will have the greatest impact:

• reviewing the timing and duration of governor meetings;
• requesting only essential headteacher reports;
• considering clerking and administrative support to the governing body to ensure the clerical burden is not falling to the head;
• considering personal administrative support for the head, separate from the general administrative support for the school;
• discussing workload and work-life balance at performance reviews and considering setting targets in this area;
• considering reducing teaching time for headteachers with substantial timetables or cover commitments;
• reviewing the Hampshire booklet ‘Headfirst – strategies for coping with the job’ and using this as a basis for further discussion.

For more information, visit the Hampshire school remodelling website at www.hants.gov.uk/education/eps/workforce-remodelling

ANOTHER 16 Hampshire schools have taken part in the Well Being initiative during the past year.

They identified the following priorities: to open up channels of communication, acknowledge their own achievements more, improve and balance workloads, forge closer links between managers and staff, and get a better work-life balance.

Following a self-review process, many schools have seen marked improvements in relationships, communication, working environment, health and safety, and work-life balance.

A total of 34 schools have so far taken part in the Well Being programme.

Sandy Gregory

Personnel adviser

Children’s Management Team Complete

Pam Robinson has joined Hampshire Children’s Services Department as deputy director, children and families.

Pam has broad experience of more than 30 years in children’s services. Most recently she was a lead consultant on social care. Before that she was head of performance development at West Berkshire Council, assistant director for children and families at Portsmouth City Council, and principal adviser on child care with Hampshire County Council.

Felicity Roe, head of planning and communications for Children’s Services, has been appointed assistant director, performance and resources. Felicity started in the County Treasurer’s Department in 1994. moved to the former Education Department in 1995 where she helped manage the change process for local government reorganisation, and took up her planning role in 1995.

These appointments complete the management team of the new department, which is led by John Coughlan, director of children’s services.

John Clarke’s appointment as deputy director, education and inclusion, was reported in the last issue of Hampshire Governor.

New on your website…

The Hampshire governors’ website, www.hants.gov.uk/education/governors, is constantly being updated as national and local decisions impact on governance.

Recently added links from the A-Z index allow governors to look at published schools’ profiles (under S), read the latest governors’ guide to extended schools (under E) and check that they meet the Financial Management Standards in Schools (under F).

In response to requests, a term-at-a-glance training summary for each local office is now available on the training part of the site and forum minutes and all Governor Services newsletters (including Hampshire Governor) can be read online. Further information about most of the topics covered in this publication can be found via the A-Z index. but anyone without access to a computer can ask for a paper copy from their local office.

Reconstitution

At the time of going to press, only six schools in Hampshire remained under old constitutions. Schools and councillors will be working hard this term to make sure processes are complete so governors are appointed or reappointed to the 1,700 posts which otherwise become vacant on 31 August.

Protecting pupils

There has been low take-up of Safer Recruitment training, nationally and in Hampshire. Fewer than 10 per cent of schools have a governor who has even accessed the online training course, let alone completed it. If governors are experiencing problems with this programme, the National College of School Leadership needs to know. The contact number is 0845 601 3032.

SPECIAL FOCUS ON THE CHILDREN AND YOUNG PEOPLE PLAN

Extended schools… the education of looked after children… child protection… These are among the priorities of the Hampshire Children and Young People Plan. Hampshire Governor examines how they are being implemented.

‘We Asked: What Will Make A Difference? These Were The Answers’

Brune Park Community College serves central Gosport, where some areas have high rates of crime and poverty, and where many parents who failed at school themselves see little value in their children’s learning.

Over the years, as a secondary school, Brune Park always tried to counter deprivation by reaching out into the community. Then two things happened to make it redouble its efforts. In 2004 it was designated a specialist college for the performing arts. And in April 2005 it was chosen, together with its cluster of nine primaries, to take part in a three-year pilot of the ‘full service model’ extended school.

The pilot brought with it funding of £105,000 a year for three years and a raft of new initiatives to generate commitment to learning in the community.

Yoga for children at St Mary’s Primary: part of health and fitness activities within the Brune Park cluster.

‘First we asked ourselves: what is it that will make a difference? The main answers were: to increase attendance, raise achievement, and get more parents to see learning as important,’ says Ian Johnson, principal and governor of Brune Park.Governors’ chairman Father John Draper, rector of St Mary the Virgin, Rowner, points out: ‘These are all issues that have come up in previous Ofsteds. The fact is that in some parts of Gosport schooling is perceived as low priority and needs to be raised up personal agendas.

We are trying to reach parents who didn’t necessarily have a good experience of school themselves.’

Work with the primary cluster, which historically had focused on admissions, broadened out on many fronts.

‘We now facilitate additional learning support in each primary; also attendance monitoring and intervention. For health education, we send a school nurse into primary classrooms to talk to children about teeth, hygiene, and bodily awareness. One of our PE staff does fitness work in the primaries,’ says Ian. This June, Brune Park will be introducing French and Spanish teaching into the primaries.

Involving parents is the toughest challenge, and Brune Park has introduced a programme of family learning to tackle this. ‘It is vital to engage the families,’ says Ian. ‘Parents won’t sign up to do a course for themselves but they will attend family learning courses, such as a six-week course on computers, where they come with their child and have a go themselves.’ The most popular family learning course has been ‘Coping with your teenager’.

John says that for the governing body one of the main issues will be monitoring and evaluating the success of the extended school programme. Performance measures will include attendance levels, Key Stage results where additional learning support has been provided, and numbers of parents enrolling on short courses.

Finance will then raise its head. The extra funding lasts for three years. After that Brune Park will be expected to consolidate its progress, working within its normal budget. ‘Sustainability’ will be the watchword. ‘It will be a challenge,’ says John. ‘But one the governors must face up to.’

ith other pupils in Hampshire schools. But despite their faster progress, they still have a lot of catching up to do. Schools and their governing bodies, as ‘corporate parents’ of these children, have a responsibility to help them succeed.

Hundreds of looked after children are being educated in our schools at any time, a significant minority of them having statements of special educational needs. Many are subject to care orders.

The leadership role of governors, with the headteacher and the senior management team, is vital in relation to looked after children. You and your school need to work with health and social care services to determine how best to meet their needs as part of the Every Child Matters agenda.

It is essential to cultivate high expectations for looked after children, rather than assume that they are less able because of their care status. They may require greater support or more formal planning processes than their peers, but they do not want to be treated differently. If it wouldn’t be good enough for your own children, it shouldn’t be good enough for a looked after child.

Governing bodies should ensure designated teachers of looked after children and other relevant staff can access statutory guidance. Some governing bodies have nominated one governor or a pupil welfare committee to champion the needs of these children. Training is available.

Look out for a new publication ‘Supporting Looked After Learners’ – a practical guide for governors which should be sent out shortly.The County Council promotes and supports the education of all children and young people in public care in Hampshire schools as well as Hampshire children placed in other local authorities.

To find out about the support the team can offer your school, contact Rachel Hughes on 01962 845232. For more information, look under L in the A-Z index on the governors’ website.

Lack Of Clarity Can Create Risk For Children

As governors, you’ll be well aware of the high profile of child protection issues in schools, ranging from national vetting and barring lists through to cases of staff being convicted of offences against children. Getting child protection wrong is everyone’s worst nightmare.

Unfortunately, we know from a series of cases in Hampshire that, although we generally have a high awareness of such issues, things can easily go awry through lack of clarity about procedures.

One area that often confuses governors and heads is what processes to follow and questions to ask when appointing staff, to minimise the risk of child abusers getting ‘through the net’. There has also been confusion about what information can be shared with colleagues in a school, and other schools, about staff conduct with children. Furthermore, heads are not always clear what to do if they have a concern about the conduct of a member of staff but no specific allegations are being made.

It is essential that we all take steps to minimise risk to children. Education Personnel Services has been working on revised draft procedures and guidance to help schools with safe recruitment and dealing with child protection allegations against staff. Barbara Piddington has been appointed as ‘allegations officer’ in the Education Welfare Service and will be working closely with schools, Education

Personnel Services and external agencies. We hope to finalise the draft guidance this summer. If you want to look at the draft documents, go to the A-Z of the governors’ website. If you have any queries or views, please contact Graham Ault (023 9244 1431) or Anna Rowen (01329 316228).

Staffing reviews are going well

Most Hampshire schools hit the deadline of 31 December 2005 for reviewing their staffing structures and preparing a plan to implement changes by the end of 2008. Nearly all the remainder will have done so by the time you read this.

If your school is one of the very few where the governing body has still not agreed its staffing structure, you should ensure that your head is seeking help from the local authority urgently.

The staffing review takes account of new legislation, the workforce remodelling agenda and the need for the replacement of management allowances by teaching and learning responsibility (TLR) payments.

Work is being undertaken to provide schools with an updated model school pay policy as a result of the above changes. Schools will be advised when the updated version is available following consultation with headteacher groups and the trade unions.

Briefing sessions have been held for governors and heads have been given support all through the review process. Please contact your headteacher for more information.

dennis platt

Education personnel adviser

Opportunities for support staff

Opportunities for development of school support staff include: training and assessment for higher level teaching assistant status; free training in numeracy and literacy as part of the national Skills for Life initiative; a pilot scheme for a vocational qualification in support work in schools; a new qualification in ICT for support staff, being trialled in Fareham and Gosport.

For information about any of these, contact Patricia Langley on 01962 874828 or patricia.langley@hants.gov.uk

Health strategy for school meals

In spring 2005, the Government announced plans to ‘transform school meals’ across the country and backed this up with a targeted school meals grant.

The grant will be used to raise nutritional standards; to ensure that all schools in Hampshire can offer a hot school meal service by 2008; to undertake training of school catering staff to a minimum level; and to ensure that the improvement can be sustained at the end of the three-year grant period.

Grant funding has also been delegated to schools so they can contribute to transforming school meals.

A School Meals Strategy Group has been set up, backed by the Schools’ Forum.

Promotion of school meals and encouraging parents to choose school meals will form a part of the strategy. This will also be linked into the work on the Healthy Schools Programme and the work of the Primary Care Trust, in focusing on childhood obesity. The DfES has suggested all schools should increase their school meal uptake by a minimum of 10 per cent. In Hampshire we are trying to exceed this.

For further information please contact Glyn Wright (Healthy Schools), Amanda Frost (School Meals) or Terry Rath (Children’s Services).

A SURVEY by the National Governors’ Council found the overwhelming majority of governors agreed that schools should have policies to encourage healthy eating. However, far fewer reported that they played a role in developing or monitoring such a policy. The NGC is strongly encouraging governing bodies to address healthy eating as a strategic issue.

If your governing body has relevant experience or can provide an example of good practice in this area, please submit it to Claire Bailey, claire.e.bailey@hants.gov.uk

MYPs Hit The Campaign Trail…

Six young people have been elected to represent Hampshire as members of the UK Youth Parliament. They have opportunities to meet MPs, MEPs, ministers, councillors and other decision makers, to learn about citizenship and to influence political thinking.

So what are the issues these MYPs care about most? What do they think about school governance?

INSERT PHOTOS

MARIA GREENSMITH, 15, Park Community School, Havant. Maria is campaigning for better sex education in schools. She says young people are taught ‘the basic outline but not the emotional side of relationships and all that that entails’. She is also urging schools to commit more firmly to Fairtrade principles, starting with the tea and coffee in the staff room.

She feels pupils should have more influence in school affairs. ‘School councils should be better structured, with students serving as chair, vice-chair and secretary. In my school, meetings of the school council have been chaired by a teacher. I would also like a student to have a place at meetings of the school governing body.’

CORRINA GROVES, 16, Ringwood School. Corrina is promoting the concept of the ‘eco-school’. Conserving fuel, by cycling to school or sharing lifts, and improving public transport in the New Forest are high on her policy list.She says that in her school the pupils have ‘quite a lot of influence’. She is trying to set up a link between the school council and the governing body and would like a governor to attend school council meetings each term.

NATALIE WITT, 17, Farnborough Sixth Form College.Natalie’s big issue is lower prices on public transport for 16 to 18-year-olds. ‘We are asked to pay adult prices but we are not considered adults in the eye of the law,’ she says. ‘It’s really unfair.’  She says her college is run ‘fantastically’ well, with the students having a big say, but the school she attended in Surrey was different. As for awareness of governors, she said: ‘I never had any contact with governors. We didn’t have much idea of how the school was run and whenever we made a complaint it wasn’t listened to.’

… And PM Hears Governors’ Concerns

Almost 150 school governors and members of the National Governors’ Council were at a reception hosted by Tony and Cherie Blair at 10 Downing Street on 16 January.

Tony Blair with Robin Gray, centre, and other governors at the 10 Downing Street reception

They included Robin Gray, chairman of Hampshire Governors’ Representative Group, invited to represent the governors of the county.In welcoming everyone, the prime minister paid tribute to the work of governors.  He said it was the first time he had held a reception for governors at No 10 and he was delighted to be able to recognise the contribution of such a large and unsung group of volunteers.

Robin said afterwards: ‘Although it was very much a social event and there was not the opportunity for anyone to engage Mr Blair in a lengthy debate about education, the prime minister and Jackie Smith, the schools minister, could have been left in no doubt about the very real concerns of governors on a wide range of issues.’

34,000 reasons to be cheerful

‘P’ day and ‘S’ day finally arrived! Yes, these were the days on which the admissions team sent out more than 20,000 primary and over 14,000 secondary offer letters to parents. Given that this was the first time the local authority rather than primary schools had to send out these

letters, the process went remarkably smoothly. The only serious difficulty has been our inability this year to avoid schools having to record data again once offers are made.

Work is under way to ensure an improved system next year. Thanks go to all schools for the excellent co-operation with the admissions team.

2007 sees the implementation of online admissions (a statutory requirement). Parents will be able to apply via the traditional form or via the web. Full details of the system and the way it will affect existing procedures will be available later in the year.

During the summer term, schools are being consulted on potentially very significant changes to the way that school places are allocated in Hampshire.

ALEX MUNRO

Education officer, admissions

About HantsFish

HantsFish is Hampshire’s web-based Children’s Services Directory. It provides a signpost to all sorts of information for children and families – from something fun to do in your free time to finding someone to talk to about a specific problem.

HantsFish includes services provided by the local authority, voluntary groups, local and national support groups and others who work with children. There’s lots of local information for children, teens, families and practitioners and links to useful sites all over the UK and beyond. If you want to go fishing visit www.hantsfish.org.uk

These Employers Are Top Of The Form

Employers who encourage their staff to be school governors were recognised at an award ceremony, pictured above, at The Castle in Winchester, hosted by Councillor John West, chairman of Hampshire County Council.

They had been nominated by individual governors as a ‘thank you’ for supporting them in their voluntary roles. Each received a certificate and a plaque.

Councillor West said: ‘Without their employers’ encouragement and flexibility many governors would not be able to take on governor duties and schools would miss out on the business perspectives they provide.’

At Hook with Warsash C of E Primary, governor Lesley Powell nominated Sainsbury’s supermarket in Hedge End. Elson Infant: Martin Bailey nominated the Royal Navy Personnel and Logistics Division, Portsmouth, and Lindsey Borritt nominated HMS Collingwood, Fareham. Riders Junior: Peter Emmonds nominated Christie Intruder Alarms, Waterlooville. Hiltingbury Infant: Brenda Hawkins nominated IBM UK Laboratories Limited, Hursley. Neville Lovett Community: Angela Wilson nominated Coffin, Mew and Clover, Fareham. Fort Hill Community: Rachel Cato nominated Accenture, Farnborough.

To nominate your employer for a future award, find the form on the governors’ website or ask at your Local Office for a hard copy. The deadline is the October half-term.

More Music For All At Key Stage 2

There will be more music-making soon by Key Stage 2 pupils in Hampshire primary schools. The County Council’s Music Service is piloting ‘Wider Opportunities’ projects to give more pupils the chance to play an instrument.

Nationally, over the next two years, £26 million is being distributed through local authorities to pay for such projects. If this level of funding continues, we can expect all schools with Key Stage 2 pupils to have a broader programme of curriculum music-making in place by 2010.

The grant for 2006-07 is a small one and will be used to develop and trial four pilot schemes in up to 15 Hampshire schools. These will include whole-class learning of violin, keyboard, fife, samba, recorder, ukulele and other instruments.

In 2007-08 a major roll-out will begin. Further details will be shared with all schools as soon as possible and opportunities arranged for staff and governors to meet and to hear more of this exciting and challenging initiative.

Meanwhile, all Hampshire primary schools continue to be part of our Primary Music Curriculum Project, which offers free curriculum resources, music planning documents, courses and conferences to schools.

For more information on our work, visit www.hants.gov.uk/education/hms

Richard Howlett

Head of Hampshire music service

Make use of this vocational help

The Learning and Skills Council (LSC) was created as part of the Government’s drive to encourage young people to continue learning beyond compulsory school age. It promotes collaboration between secondary schools, colleges and work-based learning providers to offer broader opportunities to Year 10 and 11 students.

Increased Flexibility Programmes enable students to follow vocational courses with part of each week spent with an employer. In addition to preparing students for their chosen careers, they seem to encourage better behaviour and attendance.

Young Apprenticeships are designed to prepare students for the post-16 apprenticeships.

Working with local businesses, the LSC organises work-related learning and is responsible for the Enterprise Advisory Service, which promotes enterprise in the curriculum. Local businesses are encouraged to offer placements for work experience, vocational training for students and placements for teachers.

Schools will need to provide excellent advice and guidance to enable students to access courses which match their needs and aspirations. Governors should ensure that Key Stage 4 students have a range of opportunities available.

The text of Hampshire Governor can be made available in larger size on request to Governor Services, tel 01962 845846.

Hampshire Governor, Hampshire Governor Services, Hampshire County Council Education, The Castle, Winchester SO23 8UG. Tel 01962 845846.

Prepared and published by

Hampshire County Council

Education Department.

Edited and produced by Bob Poulton, WordWright, Fareham.

Mailed to governors in Hampshire LEA.

Views expressed do not necessarily coincide with those of the LEA.