New Forest Governors' Forum
DateTuesday 10 February 2004
Time 7.30 pm
Location Lyndhurst Park Hotel
Present |
Margaret Cooper, Manor Infant Dave French, Hythe Primary Ed Gurd, Burley Primary Pat Swadling, Eling Infant Graham Pike, Bartley Junior Mary Short, Forest Edge Ken Hayward, Fordingbridge Junior M Hughes, Arnewood M Jackson, Arnewood Carolyn Millar, Orchard Infant Alison Winnik, Orchard Infant Neil Pettit, New Milton Jnr Alastair Duncan, New Milton Infant Kate Patience, Calmore Inf & Jnr; Carl Calvert, Calmore Junior; Mike Salt, Burley Primary; Dee Carr, Marchwood Jnr; Peter Hoare, Marchwood Jnr; Martina Humber, Pennington Jnr; Jill Torrens, Lymington Infant; Tom Rayner, Lymington Infant; Anne Bene, Our Lady & St Joseph; Lesley Sinfield, Holbury Infant; Cathy Hains, Holbury Infant; Cathy Cook, Hounsdown; Tony Jerrett, Oakfield Primary & Testwood |
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In Attendance |
John Wilkinson, Assistant County Education Officer Phil Hand, Governor Services Co-ordinator Carole Gibbs, Governor Services, Clerk |
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Apologies |
Chris Hummerstone Arnewood; Ann Arscott, Foxhills Jnr; Sarah Crsosley, Ashley Jnr; G Etherington, Calmore Infant; E Cook Arnewood |
Action
1 Welcome
In the absence of John Seymour, Chair of New Forest Governors Forum, Martina Humber, Vice Chair took the meeting.
2 Minutes of 24 October 2003
Under Item 6, Election of Officers, under Service Review Group it should read Alison Winnik and not Martina Humber. Another member is needed for this group and Alison gave a brief overview of the purpose of the meetings.
3 Matters Arising - None
4 Every Child Matters - Presentation on the Green Paper by John Wilkinson
Social Services and Education formed a working party who are looking at the green paper on Every Child Matters. Draft legislation is expected by end of February (published 4.3.04) and Children's Trusts are expected to be established by 2008.
Young people who look like they may be at risk are to be targeted and Child & Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) are piloting this with the Health Service.
Early years intervention is crucial, early support will be offered to vulnerable parents to support their role. Multi disciplinary groups are working together. Schools may extend the day by offering breakfast clubs and after school clubs.
Youth Service and Connexions are working on outside activities which help with retention in education, training or employment and with reducing re-offending rates. Schools have an ongoing challenge in dealing with poor behaviour, which will require further support. Schools also have a major role to play in ensuring that children are healthy and fit.
A Parent Support Team has been put in place working with the schemes such as "Confident Parents Confident Kids". "Surestart" is developed and working in Blackfield. "Homestart" is working with families in distress. The Government is setting up parenting orders.
There is a need to share information between agencies to avoid past mistakes. Children may be allocated a unique number. One person will be responsible for pooling information on a child.
There are recruitment issues within Social Services and Child Protection. Some vacancies stand at around 40%. The climate must change to make this job more rewarding. Training for all those working with children will be important. There are 1000 providers of Early Years Education in Hampshire, two thirds of these are in the voluntary and private sector. Level of qualification needs to be raised and training continuously improved.
In Havant, The Family and Schools Support Team (FASST) have links to all schools in Leigh Park and each school has designated a liaison person. This has been working for a year and there has been a significant decrease in referrals to Social Services as FASST pick up this work.
John took questions from the Forum.
Q. Is there some way of fast tracking problems within a Team if expertise is missing in the Team?
A. The FASST team has to be quick in responding to need.(hence its name). They are balanced to ensure needs are met. Each team will be different in composition and size due to geographical locations. Skills will be pulled in from other teams if required.
Q. Who will make the referrals?
Schools should have policies. They should have a named liaison person. Concerns go via the Headteacher who would contact the service.
Q. As Social Services are under-funded, where is the funding coming from?
A. We have to ensure that funding is used effectively. School funding will not be cut to fund this. Hampshire have asked the question nationally and we are awaiting a response.
Q. Does salary and housing have an effect on recruitment?.
A. Yes, we must improve the level of key worker housing. We are restrained by national pay award strategies. The problem lies mainly in the north of the county as no London allowance is paid in Hampshire but it is paid across the border in Surrey.
Q. As schools are judged mainly on results and targets how will this work?
A. If schools are judged merely on academic performance, we tend to exclude children even more. Schools should be rewarded on all the work they do with children and not just on results.Self evaluation under the new Ofsted regime may help redress the balance in this respect.
Q. Can the LEA make more schools community focussed?
A. Schools are self managed but accountable to the community both locally and County wide There is a South East Hants Federation of Schools (7 secondary and all cluster primaries). They have a principle of not excluding a child from the federation. There is a high level of collaboration between all schools. This is a model that we should be reaching for.
Q. New Forest is not seen as a deprived area - will the teams be adequate?
A. There are pockets of deprivation in this area, hence Surestart in Blackfield. It will be important to match teams to the needs of the area.
Q. Have you consulted with parents?
A. Not as much as we would have liked. There will be one team of professionals which should make it easier for parents to access help. It will take 18 months to build teams.
Q. Attached Inspectors only visit once a year now. The focus is on results - other areas should be looked at.
A. The LEA recently had an Ofsted inspection and we were criticised for visiting on a termly basis. Schools can buy more HIAS time if required.
Martina thanked John for speaking to the Forum on this important and informative subject and for taking questions. John's handout from the evening is attached.
5 Bartley Slot - Phil Hand, Governor Services Co-ordinator
Ofsted
Phil explained that Hampshire findings for schools inspected since September 2003 indicated that governing bodies are being evaluated more rigorously and since September more governing bodies have been graded as unsatisfactory. Phil went through what good, satisfactory and weak governance looked like and how inspectors seek evidence. The handout from this discussion is attached.
There are however, new proposals which have just been announced indicating that further changes to the way Ofsted carries out its inspections are likely to come into effect in 2005. These are now the subject of consultation. Under these proposals schools will receive 2 - 3 days notice of an Inspection, inspections can will carried out every 3 years, less inspector days to be used for each schools, length of time for inspections to be 2 days, teaching will be observed once only and maybe not at all, shorter reports available within 2 weeks.
The grading system will change from the current 1 - 7 (1 being very good, 7 being not satisfactory) to the new proposed 4 being very good and 1 not satisfactory.
The implications of this are that there will be less paperwork, strong focus on self evaluation, more attention given to stakeholders and the LEA, governance likely to be less strongly focussed, schools graded `1' will be re-inspected quickly.
Ofsted have asked for feedback by 8 April 2004.
Q. How do we feel about lack of parental involvement prior to Inspections?
A. Governing Bodies should have already asked parental views using the form supplied by Ofsted.
Q. Will this new consultation affect Ofsted Inspections this year.
A. All inspections carried out between now and Easter 2005 come under the existing framework, which came into effect September 2003.
Training Issues
2004/05 - Governor Services are keen to do cluster training in patches in Totton & Waterside and New Forest. If a school will offer to be host, guarantee 12 delegates from 2 different schools, Governor Services will make the arrangements. This does not use up a school's entitlement to whole governing body training.
Phil asked that governing bodies discuss their requests for whole governing body training earlier in the year. We have been inundated during the Spring Term with last minute requests, which has placed a heavy burden on tutors. A governor from a special school felt that there was a lack of training for their governors as target setting and curriculum are different. Phil highlighted the Special School Conference.
6 Reports
County Governor Forum and Hampshire Governor Review Group - these minutes were handed out at the meeting but are published on the Governor Services web-site at www.hants.gov.uk/education/governors.
Martina Humber reported that the Education Policy Review Committee have been reviewing the provision of primary and special school places in East of the New Forest.
Mike Salt, Burley Primary talked about the Schools Forum which is currently looking at 2004/05 budgets. This is an advisory body comprising of governors/headteachers/and others looking at budgetary needs of the LEA. The County Council fixes its Council Tax at the end of February and schools are informed of their revenue budget at the end March. Standards fund will be not cut for 2004/05. Schools under financial stress flag this up with the LEA. Extra money may be available for schools with significant deprivation. A questionnaire was sent out to schools and many have not responded. Mike offered to talk to schools about the forum and to offer advice on finances.
7 Items for Summer 2004 Forum
The next meeting is on Tuesday 25 May 2004 at 7.30 pm at Lyndhurst Park Hotel.
Alistair Duncan, New Milton Infant requested a guest speaker to talk about Healthy Eating in Schools. There is currently an issue in his school with certain foods that are approved to be served in the kitchens whilst beef is still not allowed to be used.
This was agreed by the Forum and Phil Hand asked for governors to come along with pre-prepared questions.