North East Hants Governors' Forum
Date Tuesday 18 May 2004
Time 7.30 pm
Location Wootey Infant School, Alton
Present |
Bentley Primary Bordon Junior Crookham Junior Fleet Infant Greenfields Junior Guillemont Junior Heatherside Infant Mayhill Junior Medstead Primary North Waltham Primary Oakley Infant Oakridge Infant Park View Infant Rowledge Primary St Bernadette's Primary St John's Primary St Mark's Primary St Peter's Tadley Primary Woodlea Primary Bohunt Court Moor Fort Hill Oak Farm Limington House Samuel Cody Also Present Hazel Round Janice Fenner |
Elizabeth Powell Eleanor Robinson Tony Carter Deborah Stephenson Janine Kilroy Wander ter Kuile Karen Carter Peter Neail John Fuller Neil Burchell Beverley Agass Kate Hancock Gill Raper B Harrington Jacqueline Keen Elizabeth Anson Petter Attridge Graham Dorey Susan Powell Felicity Milne Yateley, John Divall Keith Buckingham Yolanda Hooper Jim Duckham Eileen Bishop Marion Wolstencroft Robin Gray Caroline Jenkins Nigel Wilson Steve Newman Governor Services Co-ordinator Administrative Officer, Governor Services |
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Apologies |
All Saints Beech Down Belle Vue Infant Chawton Primary Frogmore Infant John Hunt of Everest Petersfield Infant Robert May's Rucstall Primary Silchester Primary Tavistock Infant Westfields Infant |
Mildred Stocks Glenda Norris Steve Curtis Rosie Bloggs Samantha New Charles Cassell Bubbles Silk Jane Pratt Terry Tillman Keith Chapman John Stocks Trevor Prentice |
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Action
1. APOLOGIES FOR ABSENCE AND WELCOME
Apologies as listed above. Robin Gray introduced himself as chairman of the forum until the next meeting.
2. ROGER MEAD, ASSISTANT COUNTY EDUCATION OFFICER
a) Budget Preparation - where the money comes from
Roger circulated a handout (copy attached). Following his presentations he answered the following questions:
Tadley Primary, schools in significant credit
The school could be challenged as to why the surplus was there. The governing body should have a clear plan as to how they intended to spend the surplus.
Does the fact that a school is in credit affect distribution of funds?
No
Fort Hill. Is capital budget a year at a time?
Delegated money can be rolled forward to assist towards the capital programme.
Does the Council look at Capital Budgets other than year on?
An asset plan has to be published which sets out how it is planned to spend the money over the next 10 years. When schools are improved they are asked what they have in their devolved capital that they could contribute.
Rowledge - Where does SEN money go to?
Every school gets an allocation within its budget share for SEN and through the audit where the need is assessed at a separate level.
A new financial system is being produced which will involve some schools in expenditure to get compatible systems
A few schools will be affected. The new system, SAP, is being used by 20 local authorities around the country. If we hadn't replaced the mainframe system teachers would not have been paid. Training on the new system for administrative officers is provided free.
Samuel Cody - With the pressures on funding for SEN would special schools be affected in next year's budget?
No. It is hoped that schools would work together in geographical areas to serve the best needs of the pupils.
b) Minimising Paperwork - Roger circulated a handout (attached). He said that e-mail communications would remain but there was a dilemma because some schools preferred to receive hard copies. E-mails encouraged the sender to be brief.
Robin thanked Roger for giving such a helpful and informative presentation.
3. ROBIN THOMAS, ACTING ASSISTANT COUNTY EDUCATION OFFICER (INCLUSION)
Robin Circulated a handout to those present (attached).
Robin explained that Hampshire had a higher level of exclusions than the average for the country. Only 83% of excluded pupils received full time education of at least 20 hours a week. Seven education centres were established for a total of 192 pupils. In the past few years, the law has been changed and this has made it more acceptable for schools to exclude young people. By December 2003 there were 52 more excluded pupils than the previous December. Robin explained that the permanent exclusion of a pupil was often the start of a vast downward spiral which was incredibly hard to break. Frequently, it led to crime, prison and drugs etc. etc.
Associated data - It is likely that next year Hampshire will be criticised by Ofsted for not decreasing the specialist school provision.
The following questions were asked:
Does all this mean a zero level of exclusions?
No, we cannot remove, and would not seek to remove, the right of schools to permanently exclude pupils but would like to remove the need to exclude pupils. We want to get to a situation where help will be provided before a child is excluded. We are getting there with primary schools.
In the Green Paper we are given until 2008 to be up and running and fully integrated. In Cambridge it has been agreed by many heads that they will not permanently exclude. This does not mean that children would not move to other schools or go into a PRU.
Robin hoped that secondary schools would start to feel the impact of the Behaviour Support initiative within a few weeks.
Have you got the secondary heads on board?
We have worked intensively with the secondary heads over the last 18 months and the suggested way forward has been positively received.
Why can't a more significant amount than £10k follow a child who goes into a mainstream school?
We have suspended the audit for this year and we are reviewing how funding can be delegated more flexibly. Hampshire is a high delegator of funds for SEN.
The chairman thanked Robin Thomas for his presentation which showed his enthusiasm and commitment.
4. MINUTES
The minutes of the meeting held on 27 January 2004 were confirmed and signed by the chairman
5. MATTERS ARISING FROM THE MINUTES
Item 4 - Letter from Hampshire Constabulary was raised again at County Forum. County are willing to raise this with the Chief Constable but they need some specific examples. Robin asked for examples to be sent to him or Janice.
Item 5 - Catchment Areas are not being reviewed.
6. HAMPSHIRE GOVERNORS' REPRESENTATIVE GROUP (HGRG) AND COUNTY FORUM
a) Feedback from the meetings - a paper had been circulated with the agenda. Point 8 - School Workforce Remodelling - It has been realised that there is a cost implication and it is being decided whether more money will be made available.. Schools have to alter the ratio between teaching staff and non teaching staff themselves.
b) Items to go the next HGRG/County Forum:
Term Dates 2005/6 - How can these have been changed when consultation was still going on?
Classroom Assistants who are brought up to the level of being in charge of a class - Can their pay be raised a year early?
7. TERMS OF REFERENCE
The terms of reference had been distributed with the agenda. Any proposals for amendments to be brought to the Autumn Term meeting.
8. FLEET LOCAL OFFICE ISSUES
1. Choice and Good Practice - Hazel told governors that this has now been published on the Governor Services Website (www.hants.gov.uk/education/governors)
2. Reconstitution - There will be a paragraph in Hampshire Governor about reconstitution. The sooner governing bodies reconstitute the better. Anyone appointed on or after 2 September 2003 to an old constitution has to be re-elected/reappointed to a new constitution. The longer schools leave it, the more re-elections and re-appointments will need to happen. Some governors are disappearing from the system altogether because proper procedures haven't been carried out. Hazel encouraged governing bodies to use the template on the Website when sending in their Instrument of Government.
Delays in the placement of new governors are occurring because Governor Services don't always know what decisions the governing body have made about swapping people around.
Hazel asked governors to let Governor Services know if they need governors.
3. Change of School Name - If a school name is to be changed approval has to be sought from the Education Authority (Ann Begley , Assistant County Education Officer) then a new Instrument of Government has to be drawn up.
9. AGENDA ITEMS
1. Access ideas about where schools use computer technology.
2. Managing litter on school grounds
3. Recognition to be given to the amount of value added between KS1 and KS2. When KS1 children come in with good results the system doesn't acknowledge the amount of value added between KS1 and KS2. (Discussion)
10. DATE OF NEXT MEETINGS
Tuesday 21 September 2004 at Robert May's School (Odiham)
Tuesday 25 January 2005 at Limington House School (Basingstoke)
Both at 7.15 pm for 7.30 pm