Clerk to Governors

Hot off the press!

Posted on May 24, 2013 by Clerk to Governors

I know many people have wondered who is the pen behind the Clerk to Governors blog. If you want to find out more about who I am, and what I can offer in terms of governor training, please click here. (If not, just ignore the large colour photograph of “Clerkie” at the end of this post ……)

I mentioned in a previous post that at some point the wordpress blog would move to another site – this is still a work in progress, and I will be in touch nearer the time with more information. The new website will look and operate in the same way as now. For the moment, it’s business as usual (but no poems this time)

Kind regards, Clerkie

What else is new?

To look for the most recent Ofsted reports and publications, click here.
For DfE announcements on Gov.UK, click here.
The latest DfE pages mentioning governance are here
To search for Ofsted inspections, sort by date here.

“Clerkie”

Posted in General | 4 Comments

Index to Governors Handbook

Posted on May 20, 2013 by Clerk to Governors

Index to Governors’ Handbook May 2013.
(Grateful thanks are extended to a governor who compiled this index)

Download as a word doc: An Index to the Governors’ Handbook (May 2013)

A levels

performance tables 10

academies 5

admissions 6, 36, 37, 38, 75
Articles of Association 15
capital funding 89
careers guidance 33
charitable status 6, 80–1
childcare and other community services 73, 74
collaboration 27–8
collective worship 32
complaints 27
conversion to academy status 68–9
curriculum 31
delegation of functions 7
financial information 13
financial requirements 14, 79–80
governance arrangements 15, 19–20
governing body accountability 13
governing body functions 6
governing body procedures 25
governor training 16
information sharing 92, 93, 94, 95
Local Government Pension Scheme 66–7
organisational changes 69
ownership of land and buildings 6, 88
pupil behaviour and discipline 46, 47
pupils’ information 95
religious education 32
revenue funding 6
safeguarding 51–2
school companies 77
school day and school year 48
school food and milk 49
school premises 71, 72
school security 51
section 5 inspections 40
section 48 inspections 43–4
sex education 34
special educational need 35–6, 37, 38
staff appointments 55, 56
staff disciplinary and grievance procedures 62
staff pay and conditions of service 62
teacher and headteacher appraisal 59
teacher qualifications 58, 59
Teachers’ Pension Scheme 65
time off work for governors 24
transferring staff 62, 68–9
see also free schools; studio schools; university technical colleges

Academies Accounts Direction (EFA) 13

Academies Act 2010 79

Academies Financial Handbook (EFA) 13

academy trusts 13

delegation of functions 7
equality 24
governance 19–20

accessibility plans 37

Accounting Officer 79

additional health needs 50

admission authorities 6, 75

admissions see school admissions

Adoption and Children Act 2002 39

advisory bodies 20, 27

Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service (ACAS)

Code of Practice 61
governors’ time off work 24
trade union recognition 62

All-Party Parliamentary Group on Education Governance and Leadership 14–15

allowances (governors) 87–8

alternative provision 47, 49

appointments 54, 55

discrimination 55–6
Employer Access Online 58
employment checks 56–8
headteachers 8, 54–5
safe recruitment procedures 53, 54

appraisal 14, 59–60

Arbor 12

armed forces 86

Articles of Association 19, 20, 25

assessment 31, 40

information sharing 94

associate members 23

proxy vote 26

Association for College and School Leaders (ASCL) 25

attainment

assessing 31, 40
and pupil premium 86

attendance see school attendance

audit committees 79

authority governors 21, 22

barred list check 57–8

barring troublesome adults 51

Basic Need Capital 90

behaviour 8, 46–7

directing pupils off-site 47
exclusion 47–8
parenting measures 48

benchmarking 13, 84

budget 81–3, 86–7

Building Regulations 2010 90

buildings

design and construction 90
federation 29
ownership 6, 88–9

bullying 8

capability procedures 62

Capita Teachers’ Pensions 64

capital funding

Basic Need Capital 90
Condition Maintenance Capital 89
Devolved Formula Capital 90
VA schools 91

cared for children see looked after children

careers guidance 33

catch-up premium 86–7

chairs of governors 7, 25

allegations against staff and volunteers 52
convening meetings 25
governing body self-evaluation 14
induction of new governors 15
support 16

charging for school activities 87

charitable purpose requirement 73–4

charitable status 6

financial requirements 79
responsibilities of trustees 80–1

Charity Commission 79, 80–1

childcare 73

Ofsted registration and inspection 74

Children Act 2004 46

clerks 7, 25

written notice for meetings 25

co-opted governors 22

collaboration 27

academies 27–8
maintained schools 28
value for money 85

collaborative partnerships 27

collective worship 32–3

section 48 inspections 43–4

committees 25

community cohesion 51

community governors 21

community schools

admissions 75
foundation proposals 70
governing body functions 6
school security 50–1
trade unions 62

community services 71–2, 73

companies 76–7

Companies Act 2006 79

complaints 27

Condition Maintenance Capital 89

Consistent Financial Reporting 82

constitution 19

academies and free schools 19–20
maintained schools 21

curriculum 9

curriculum policy 33
national curriculum 31, 33
political bias 33
religious education 32
study programmes post-16 31–2

data 9–10, 12

benchmarking 84
Ofsted’s school performance dashboard 10
RAISEonline 11–12
school and college performance tables 10–11
school visits 12

Data Protection Act 1998 (DPA) 56, 95, 96

dedicated schools grant (DSG) 86

delegated budget 82, 85

delegation of functions 7, 25

Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) 24

Department for Education (DfE)

academy accounts 79
capital funding 89–91
financial information 13, 84
and local authorities 80
school performance information 94
school performance tables 10–11, 84
Teachers’ Pension Scheme 64
see also Secretary of State for Education

deputy headteachers

appointment 54

Devolved Formula Capital (DFC) 90

directing off-site 47

disability (pupils) 24, 35

accessibility plans 37
health and safety needs 50
reasonable adjustments 36

disability (staff) 55, 56

discipline (pupils) 46–7

directing off-site 47
exclusion 47–8

discipline (staff) 62

Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) 57–8, 64

discrimination 24, 54, 55–6

dismissal 55, 63

early retirement 65–6

Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) 34–5

Early Years Foundation Stage Profile (EYFSP) 94

education

assessing attainment 40
careers guidance 33
children with statements of special educational need 35–8
EYFS 34–5
looked after children 39–40
national curriculum 31–3
religious education 32
school inspection 40–5
sex education 34

Education Act 1996

section 547 51

Education Act 2002

section 27 74, 78
section 157 94
section 175 51–2

Education Act 2005

section 5 40

Education Act 2011 63

Education and Inspections Act 2006 46, 51, 71

Education Funding Agency (EFA) 14

Academies Accounts Direction 13
Academies Financial Handbook 13, 80
capital funding 89, 90
complaints process 27
section 5 inspections 42
16-19 year olds 32

Education (Independent School Standards) (England) Regulations 95

educational performance see school performance

Employer Access Online 58

employment see staff

Employment Rights Act 1996 24

employment tribunals 63

equality 24

Equality Act 2010 24, 50, 54, 68

Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) 24, 36

ethos 6, 14

exclusion 47–8

and school admissions 76

expenses (governors) 87–8

extended services 71–2, 73

pupils with disabilities and special educational needs 50

faith schools

admissions 76
collective worship 32
conversion to academy status 68
religious education 32
revocation proposals 70
section 48 inspections 43–4
staff employment decisions 56

federation

maintained schools 27, 28–30

finance see school finance

fire safety 51

first aid 50

Fisher Family Trust 12

floor standards 10, 12

food 9, 49

foundation governors 21, 22, 71

instrument of government 21
strategic direction 7–8

foundation schools

admissions 6, 75
charitable status 6, 80–1
closure 70, 89
financial accountability arrangements 80
foundation governors 21, 22
foundation proposals 70
governing body functions 6
governing body size 22
ownership of land and buildings 6
Parent Councils 78
removal of a trust 71
revenue funding 6
revocation proposals 70
school playing field 89
school security 51
section 5 inspections 42
section 48 inspections 43–4
sponsor governors 22
strategic direction 7–8
trade unions 62

free schools 5

constitution of governing body 20
governing body functions 6
Local Government Pension Scheme 67
teacher qualifications 59
see also academies

Freedom and Autonomy for Schools – National Association (FASNA) 16

Freedom of Information Act 2000 (FOIA) 96–7

Freedom of Information and Data Protection (Appropriate Limits and Fees) Regulations 2004 97

funding

for capital investment 89–91
pupil premium 14, 86
school budget 6, 81–2, 86–7
16-19 year olds 32

further education (FE) colleges 5

collaboration 28
study programmes 31–2
teacher qualifications 59

GCSEs

performance tables 10

governing bodies 5

accountability 13, 26
asking the right questions 8–9
collaboration and federation 27–30
committees 25
constitution 19–23
core functions 5–7
and data 9–12
dealing with complaints 27
equality 24
and financial performance 12–13
foundation proposals 70
information from headteacher 9, 93
information from LA 92
information to LA 92–3
information to parents 94–5
information to Secretary of State for Education 92
inspection 13–14
key activities 18
meetings 25–6
procedures 25–6
re-constitution 19, 21, 22–3
reducing bureaucracy 15
and school leaders 25
self-evaluation 7, 14–15
SEN responsibilities 35–6
setting strategic direction 7–8
size 21, 22
structure and membership 19–24
support and training 15–16, 19, 52
ways of working 24–30
see also local governing bodies

GovernorLine 16

governors

allowances and expenses 87–8
categories 21–2
delegation to individual governors 7
disqualification grounds 23
electing and appointing 22, 23
eligibility criteria 22, 23
induction 15
information from LA 92
personal liability 83
removal from office 23
removal of surplus governors 23
skills and commitment 7, 15, 19
suspension 25
terms of office 23
time off work 23–4

grievance procedures 62

headteachers 5

appointment 8, 54–5
appraisal 59–60
delegation to 7
and governing body 7, 25
as governor 22
holding to account 8, 14
information to governing body 9, 25, 93
see also principals

health and safety

fire safety 51
first aid 50
liability for 49
playground supervision 51
pupils with disabilities and special educational needs 50
pupils in school with additional health needs 50
pupils unable to attend school through ill health 49
school security 50–1

Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974 49

Health and Safety (First Aid) Regulations 1981 50

home-school agreement 95

ill health retirement 65

Independent Academies Association (IAA) 16

induction (governors) 15

induction (NQTs) 58

industrial action 63

infant class size 76

Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) 96, 97

information sharing 92

annual reports to parents 93
Data Protection Act 96
Freedom of Information Act 96–7
from governing body to LA 92–3
from governing body to parents 94–5
from governing body to Secretary of State for Education 92
from headteacher to governing body 93
pupils’ information 95–6
to governing body from LA 92

inspection see school inspection

Institute for Learning (IfL) 59

instrument of government 21, 92

federation 29

interim statements 42

joint committees 28

Key Stage 1

teacher assessment results 94

Key Stage 2

accountability measures 43
performance tables 10
RAISEonline 12
teacher assessment results 94

Key Stage 3

teacher assessment results 94

Key Stage 4

accountability measures 43
performance tables 10
RAISEonline 12

land

disposal and protection 89
federation 29
ownership 6, 88–9
sale 91
school closure 89

Leading governors (National College) 16

learning difficulty see special educational need

local authorities (LAs)

admissions 36, 37, 39, 75–6
authority governors 21, 22
capital funding 89, 90, 91
childcare and other community services 73, 74
federation 29
financial controls 14, 80
governor support services 16
headteacher vacancy 55
information from governing body 92–3, 94
information to governing body 92
instrument of government 21
looked after children 39
parental complaints 44–5
premature retirement 66
pupils unable to attend school through ill health 49
school alteration or closure 70
school budget 6, 81–3, 85, 86, 88
school companies 76–7
school land 89
school minibuses 87
school premises 71, 72, 74
school security 51
schools causing concern 43
section 5 inspections 42
special educational need 36, 37
support staff pay and conditions of service 61
suspension of delegated budget 85
Teachers’ Pension Scheme 64–5
value for money 83–4
whistleblowing 83
see also maintained nursery schools; maintained schools

Local Authority Designated Officer (LADO) 52

local governing bodies 5, 7, 20, 27

Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS) 66–7

Local Government Pension Scheme (Administration) Regulations 2008 66

Locally Co-ordinated Voluntary-aided Programme (LCVAP) 89

looked after children

designated teacher 39, 59
personal education plan 40
school admissions 39

lunches 49

mainstream schools 35

special educational need 35–6, 37, 38

maintained nursery schools

admissions 75
EYFS 34–5
section 5 inspections 40, 41

maintained schools

admissions 36, 37
capital funding 89
careers guidance 33
change of name 26
charging for school activities 87
childcare and other community services 73–4
collaboration 28
collective worship 32–3
companies 76–7
conversion to academy status 68–9
delegation of functions 7
federation 27, 28–30
financial accountability arrangements 14, 80–8
financial information 13
governing body accountability 13
governing body constitution 15, 21–3
governing body core functions 5–6
governing body procedures 25–6
governor training 16
information sharing 92–3
national curriculum 31
organisational changes 69
Parent Councils 78
parents’ views 77–8
pupil behaviour and discipline 46–7
pupils’ information 95
religious education 32
safeguarding 51–2
school day and school year 48
school food and milk 49
school premises 71
schools causing concern 43
section 5 inspections 40
sex education 34
staff employment decisions 56
staff pay and conditions of service 61
staff procedures 62
statutory policies 94
teacher and headteacher appraisal 59–60
teacher qualifications 58
Teachers’ Pension Scheme 64–5
time off work for governors 23–4
whistleblowing 83
see also community schools; foundation schools; trust schools; voluntary-aided schools; voluntary-controlled schools

medical needs 49–50

meetings

convening 25
quorum 26

milk 49

minibuses 87

misconduct (teachers) 63–4

multi-academy trusts 20, 27

delegation of functions 5, 7

National Association of Headteachers (NAHT) 25

National College for Teaching and Leadership 5

Academy Models & Governance Status 69
chair of governors 7
collaboration 85
Employer Access Online 58
governor support 16
headteacher appointments 8, 55
inspection 14
school business managers 84
school companies 77
self-evaluation 15
teacher regulation 63–4

national curriculum 31

disapplication 33
religious education 32

National Governors’ Association (NGA)

chair of governors 7
governor support and training 15, 16
headteacher appointments 8
RAISEonline 12
What governing bodies should expect from school leaders 25

National Leaders of Governance 16

National Standards for Headteachers 60

newly qualified teachers (NQTs)

statutory induction 58

nursery schools see maintained nursery schools

off-site behaviour 47

Ofsted

childcare 73, 74
governing body accountability 7
inspection 6, 13–14
interim statements 42
involvement in parental complaints 44–5
Parent View 77–8
RAISEonline 11–12
school performance dashboard 10
section 5 inspections 40–2
section 8 inspections 43
organisational changes 68–71

outsourcing

and pension provision 65

ownership of land and buildings 6, 88–9

parent governors 21, 22

academy trusts 20
multi-academy trusts 20

Parent View 77–8

parents

annual reports to 93
complaints 44–5
consultation on extended services 74
home-school agreement 95
information from governing body 94–5
interim statements 42
Parent Councils 78
parenting measures 48
pupils’ information 95
section 5 inspections 42
views of 9, 77–8

partnership governors 22

pay 8, 61–2

industrial action 63

pensions

Local Government Pension Scheme 66–7
Teachers’ Pension Scheme 64–6

performance see pupil level performance; school performance

performance management see appraisal

performance-related pay 8, 61

personal data 96

personal education plans (PEPs)

looked after children 40

personal liability 83

phonics screening check 40, 94

playground supervision 51

playing fields 89

political bias 33

premature retirement 65–6

premises

capital funding 89–91
day-to-day control 71
extended activities and community services 71–2
ownership of land and buildings 6, 88–9
regulations 91
security 50–1
Transfer of Control Agreements 72

primary schools

EYFS 34–5
infant class size 76
sex education 34
sponsor governors 22
see also Key Stage 1; Key Stage 2

principals

delegation to 7
as governor 20
information to governing body 93
see also headteachers

private finance initiatives (PFI) 88–9

procurement 84

prospectus 94

proxy vote 26

public sector equality duties 24

pupil admission number (PAN) 76

pupil level performance 6

asking the right questions 8
assessing attainment 40

pupil premium 14, 86

pupil referral units 5

governing body procedures 26
section 5 inspections 40, 41

pupils

annual reports 93, 95
behaviour and discipline 46–8
consultation on extended services 74
directing off-site 47
with disabilities 35, 36
exclusion 47–8
health and safety 49–51
information on 95–6
listening to 9
looked after children 39–40
with medical needs 49–50
parenting measures 48
performance 6, 8, 40
safeguarding 51–3
school attendance 48
school food and milk 49
with special educational need 35–8, 50
spiritual, moral, social and cultural development 31
unable to attend school through ill health 50
uniform 49
wellbeing 8–9, 46, 86

Qualified Teacher Learning and Skills (QTLS) 59

qualified teacher status (QTS) 58, 59

quorum

governing body meetings 26

RAISEonline 10, 11–12, 92

re-constitution 19, 21, 22–3

reasonable adjustments

pupils 36
staff 55, 56

reasonable force 46

reasonable time off 23–4

Recommended Code of Governance for Schools (Wellcome Trust) 15

recruitment see appointments

religious character see faith schools

religious education 32

collective worship 32–3

section 48 inspections 43–4

Residence Order 39

retired teachers 64–6

retirement see Teachers’ Pension Scheme

revenue funding 6

pupil premium 14, 86
school budget 81–2, 86–7

revocation proposals 70

safeguarding 8, 51–2

allegations against staff and volunteers 52
appointments 57
Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) 57–8, 64
safer recruitment procedures 53, 54

safety see health and safety

sale of school land 91

school admissions 75

admission appeals 76
admission authority 6, 75
admissions arrangements 75–6
governing body functions 6
looked after children 39–40
maintained school federations 28
pupils with special educational need 36, 37
special schools 38

school attendance 8, 48

parenting measures 48
pupils unable to attend school through ill health 49

school budget 6, 81–2, 86–7

suspension of right to a delegated budget 85

school business managers (SBMs) 84

school finance 14

academies 79–80
charging for school activities 87
data 9, 11
efficiency and value for money 83–6
funding for capital investment 89–91
governing body oversight 6, 12–13
governor allowances and expenses 87–8
information from LA 92
maintained school federations 28
maintained schools 80–8
school budget 6, 81–3, 86–7
school premises 88–9
schools forums 87–8
see also funding

School Governance (Constitution) (England) Regulations 2007 22, 23

School Governance (Constitution) (England) Regulations 2012 22, 23

School Governance (Federations) Regulations 2007 28

School Governance (Federations) Regulations 2012 28

School Information (England) (Amendment) Regulations 2012 42

School Information (England) Regulations 2008 94

school inspection 13–14

interim statements 42
Ofsted’s involvement in parental complaints 44–5
schools causing concern 43
section 5 inspections 40–2
section 8 inspections 43
section 48 inspections 43–4
timing 41

school performance 6

asking the right questions 8
assessing attainment 40
data 9, 10–12, 84, 92

School Staffing (England) Regulations 2009 54

School Standards and Framework Act 1998 70

School Teachers’ Pay and Conditions Document 8, 54, 61, 62

school visits 12

schools

annual reports to parents 93
childcare and other community services 73–4
closure 69, 70, 89
companies 76–7
food and milk 49
home-school agreement 95
minibuses 87
organisational changes 68–71
premises 71–4, 88–91
prospectus 94
school day and school year 48
security 50–1
self-evaluation 14
uniform 49
see also academies; free schools; maintained schools

Schools Adjudicator 70, 75

schools causing concern 43

Schools Financial Value Standard (SFVS) 81, 83–4

schools forums 81, 88

schools with a religious character see faith schools

secondary schools

sex education 34
sponsor governors 22
study programmes post-16 31–2
year 7 catch-up premium 86–7
see also Key Stage 3; Key Stage 4; sixth forms

Secretary of State for Education

academy and free school funding 6
complaints process 27
federation 29
Guidance on Sex and Relationship Education 34
information from governing body 92

section 5 inspections 40–2

section 8 inspections 43

section 48 inspections 43–4

security 50–1

selection 76

self-evaluation (governing bodies) 14–15

self-evaluation (schools) 14

sex education 34

SGOSS 16, 19

sick children 49

16-19 year olds

study programmes 31–2

sixth forms

inspection 42
performance tables 10
proposal to add 70
sixth-form colleges 5
charitable status 80–1
Condition Maintenance Capital 89

study programmes 31–2

skills audit 15

special educational need (SEN) 35

admissions 37–8
governing body responsibilities 35–6
health and safety 50
information sharing 93
SENCO 38
teacher qualifications 59

special educational needs co-ordinators (SENCOs) 36, 38

qualifications 59

Special Guardianship Order 39

special schools

admissions 38
section 5 inspections 40, 41
teacher qualifications 58, 59

spiritual, moral, social and cultural development 31

section 48 inspections 43–4

sponsor governors 21, 22

Schools Forums

Posted on May 19, 2013 by Clerk to Governors

The Government requires that each local authority maintain a Schools Forum to represent its schools’ views on matters relating to the total Schools’ Budget. There are national regulations which govern the composition, constitution and procedures of Schools Forums.

Who’s on the Schools Forum? In addition to non-schools members (such as representatives from the local authority), there must be Schools’ members, and if appropriate, Academies’ members, elected from these groups:

representatives of nursery schools, where there are any such schools in the authority’s area;
representatives of maintained primary schools other than nursery schools;
representatives of maintained secondary schools (provided there are any in the area);
representatives of special schools, where there are any such schools in the authority’s area; and
representatives of pupil referral units, where there are any such schools in the authority’s area.
and members elected to the schools forum by the proprietors of the academies in the authority’s area.

There is a requirement that schools and academies should have “broadly proportionate representation” according to pupil numbers in each category, and that the Schools Forum should review their membership to ensure that this balance is up-to-date.

Although they operate in a mainly consultative and advisory role, Schools Forums also have some decision making powers in relation to the balance between the delegated and centrally retained funds within the Schools’ Budget.

Guidance from the DfE says: “Schools Forums are more than just consultative bodies. They also have an important role to play in approving certain proposals from their local authority and are therefore involved in the decision making process surrounding the use of public money at local level. As a result, Schools Forums are required to be open to the public. Furthermore papers, agendas and minutes must be publicly available.”

The DfE guidance for the schools forum on their role can be downloaded here.

The Schools Forums (England) Regulations 2012 (the 2012 Regulations) replace the 2010 regulations and came into force on 1 October 2012. Schools forums therefore needed to have been reconstituted by this date to be compliant, and proceedings from that date will need to meet new requirements on public access and transparency.
eg: “Meetings and proceedings of schools forum:
8. —(1) The schools forum must meet at least four times a year.
8. – (2) All meetings of the schools forum must be public meetings.
8. – (13) The authority must promptly publish all papers considered by the forum and the minutes of their meetings on their website.”

The Schools Forums Regulations 2012 set out requirements relating to membership of schools forums, their proceedings and the financial issues on which they must be consulted. Guidance and the explanatory memorandum is available to download from the DfE website.

GUIDANCE ON SCHOOLS FORUM REGULATIONS 2012 (download)

1. The main changes to these regulations relate to the membership and proceedings of Schools Forums. The regulations will come into force on 1 October 2012, and Schools Forums will need to be reconstituted for this date.

Membership

2. The requirement that schools and Academies should have broadly proportionate representation according to pupil numbers in each category is maintained (regulation 4(6)). There is concern that the composition of Schools Forums has not changed quickly enough to reflect the pace of academy conversions. Local authorities are required to ensure their Schools Forum is compliant with this requirement based on the pupil numbers in each category as of September 2012 and that this is updated as more conversions take place.

3. There is no longer a requirement to have a minimum of 15 people on Schools Forum. Smaller authorities in particular may therefore wish to review the total size of their Schools Forum.

4. Where there is at least one maintained secondary school in an authority, at least one schools member must be a representative of a secondary school (regulation 4(7)). This is consistent with the arrangements for Academies, maintained nursery schools, maintained special schools and maintained Pupil Referral Units. Many authorities now have very few maintained secondary schools, so this will provide minimum representation as with other minority types of school.

5. In order to reflect their status of having a delegated budget from April 2013, where the authority maintains one or more Pupil Referral Units (PRUs) they are required to have a representative on the Schools Forum, who counts as a schools member (regulations 4(10) and 5(2)(e)).

6. Among the members representing maintained schools, at least one must be a representative of governing bodies and at least one must be a representative of headteacher’s (regulation 4(5)). This is a requirement of the primary legislation but has not previously been made explicit in the regulations.

Proceedings

7. There will be a restriction on local authority members and officers who are not members of the Schools Forum taking part in its meetings (regulation 8(4)). Participation will be limited to a Lead Member for education, children’s services or resources, Director of Children’s Services (or their representative), Chief Finance Officer (or their representative) or officers who are providing specific financial or technical advice to Schools Forum. Other officers will be able to participate where they are presenting a report, but their participation must be limited to their specific agenda item.

8. The Education Funding Agency (EFA) has been granted observer status at Schools Forum meetings (regulation 8(4)(f)). This will provide support to the local process and provide a national perspective if members think it helpful.

9. With regards to voting, the key change is with regard to the funding formulae. Only schools members (which includes mainstream schools, Academies, special schools and PRUs) and representatives of the Private, Voluntary and Independent (PVI) sector will be able to vote on the funding formulae (regulation 8(10)).

10. Additional requirements for the transparency of Schools Forum include holding all Schools Forum meetings in public and publishing Schools Forum papers, minutes and decisions in public areas of the local authority website (regulations 8(2) and 8(13)).

11. In order to reflect the complete delegation of funding for some services, the requirement to consult Schools Forums annually about arrangements for free school meals and insurance has been removed.

For further information on these regulations, please contact the Funding Reform Team at reformteam.funding@education.gsi.gov.uk .

Posted in Finance | Tagged schools forum | 2 Comments

What does the Governors’ Handbook say about apologies for absence?

Posted on May 15, 2013 by Clerk to Governors

As always, comments and updates on the content of these posts are welcome. Please let me know if anything is incorrect, or if any links are not working properly.

What does the 2013 Governors’ Handbook say about apologies for absence?

Nothing.

Nor does the Guide to the Law 2012, the 2007 Constitution Regulations, the 2007 statutory guidance, the 2003 Procedures Regulations or the 2003 Statutory Guidance.

The current regulations state that “a governor, who, without the consent of the governing body, has failed to attend their full governing body meetings for a continuous period of six months beginning with the date of the first such meeting he failed to attend, is, on the expiry of that period, disqualified from continuing to hold office as a governor of that school.” (2007)
(Apologies are not mentioned.)

It is not explicitly stated whether consent or non-consent must be formally recorded in the minutes, so any of the following could be argued ……

a) If consent is not formally recorded it was therefore not given, or

b) If apologies were recorded as having been “received” this had the meaning of having been accepted and consent given, or

c) If apologies were recorded as having not been received, this meant that consent had not been given, or

d) If non-consent is not recorded, then the governing body was deemed to have accepted apologies, even if they were not sent.

However you interpret the meaning of giving consent, it is undoubtedly the case that if a governor has not attended for two consecutive meetings, they are probably not contributing to the work of the governing body. Perhaps they are active in committees? Perhaps they have very good reasons for non-attendance, such as work commitments or illness? The governing body can still give consent to absence, whether apologies are sent or not – though naturally protocol and politeness dictate that the governor send word that he or she will not be present.

Back in 1999, the regulations were more explicit, and they were expressed as follows: “Where a governor has sent an apology to the clerk to the governing body before a meeting which he does not propose to attend, the minutes of the meeting shall record the governing body’s consent or otherwise to his absence and a copy of the minutes shall be sent to the governor concerned at his normal place of residence.” (1999 regulations, Schedule 5, paragraph 4:3) However, this wording was later revoked by the 2007 regulations and therefore does not now apply. Naturally, where a governor has sent apologies, the clerk will usually record them as part of the proceedings, but they are not to be confused with the giving of consent for absence.

What about a governor who does not attend FGB meetings, or who comes so infrequently that they take little part in the work of the governing body? How many chances should they be given? That is a matter for your GB to consider ….

Four points to note:

Does your clerk record apologies in the minutes and/ or whether consent is given or not?
The governing body does not have to make a formal decision about “imposing” disqualification on a governor – if no consent has been given and the six months has elapsed, the governor has disqualified themselves.
Once a governor attends again within the six months or consent is given, the six month cycle re-commences, starting from the date of next non-attendance.
Rules about non-attendance do not apply to associate members.

The science bit:

The 2013 Handbook (Section 2, page 22) refers you to the 2007 statutory guidance, which says:

2.1. A person is disqualified from being a governor or associate member if they:

have failed to attend the governing body meetings for a continuous period of six months, beginning with the date of the first meeting they failed to attend, without the consent of the governing body. This provision does not apply to the head teacher;

The 2007 regulations (schedule 6, paragraph 5) say: Failure to attend meetings

5.—(1) This paragraph applies to any governor who is not a governor by virtue of his office.

(2) A governor, who, without the consent of the governing body, has failed to attend their meetings for a continuous period of six months beginning with the date of the first such meeting he failed to attend, is, on the expiry of that period, disqualified from continuing to hold office as a governor of that school.

(3) A foundation governor (other than an ex officio foundation governor), LEA governor, community governor, partnership governor or sponsor governor who has been disqualified as a governor of a school under sub-paragraph (2) is not qualified for election, nomination or appointment as a governor of any category at that school during the twelve months immediately following his disqualification under sub-paragraph (2).

(NB If the governing body has been reconstituted under the 2012 regulations, the wording is at paragraph 9: Failure to attend meetings

9.—(1) This paragraph applies to every governor, other than governors who are governors by virtue of the office that they hold.

(2) A governor who, without the consent of the governing body, has failed to attend their meetings for a continuous period of six months beginning with the date of the first such meeting the governor fails to attend, is, on the expiry of that period, disqualified from continuing to hold office as a governor of that school.

(3) A foundation governor, authority governor, co-opted governor or partnership governor who has been disqualified as a governor of a school under sub-paragraph (2) is not qualified for election, nomination or appointment as a governor of any category at that school for twelve months starting on the date on which they are so disqualified. )

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Changes that reduce the burden on maintained school governors

Posted on May 14, 2013 by Clerk to Governors

This document from the DfE (published May 2013) summarises the duties and regulations that apply to governing bodies in maintained schools that have either been removed or simplified since 2010, or will soon be removed or simplified.

Removals and simplifications that have already been made

School admissions

We have removed the requirement on LAs to establish an admission forum for their area. This means that governing bodies no longer have to comply with a request made by an admission forum, which includes providing prescribed information and revising arrangements.

Governing bodies no longer have to advertise for new admission appeals panel members every three years and are subjected to a simpler set of admissions criteria and procedures.

Attendance

Governing bodies are no longer required to set annual attendance targets.

Behaviour

Many governing body duties in relation to exclusion remain unchanged. We have, however, introduced a new system of independent review panels to provide a fair and accessible process for reviewing a governing body’s decision to uphold a permanent exclusion. Under the new system, panels can no longer direct a governing body to reinstate a pupil. The statutory guidance that governing bodies must have regard to has been simplified to support them in carrying out their duties.

Complaints

The reduced scope of Local Government Ombudsman means that they no longer have the power to investigate complaints about the internal management of schools and therefore governing bodies do not have to comply with their directions. (Except where their duty to investigate complaints related to local authority provision of SEN Service remains).

Curriculum

Schools do not have to follow the ICT programmes of study for academic years 2012/13 and 2013/14.

Governing bodies are no longer required to provide a work related learning entitlement for Key Stage 4 pupils.

Guidance on the curriculum has been simplified and reduced.

Governing bodies no longer have to produce a curriculum policy, but they do have to publish online information on their curriculum.

Governing bodies no longer have to provide education and training support services, like Connexions personal advisers, access to pupils and facilities for those involved in providing education or support services.

Further duties around careers provision have been simplified; by removing the requirements to provide a programme of careers education, to cooperate with careers advisers and to provide up-to-date reference materials; and replacing these with a single duty focussed on ensuring pupils have access to independent and impartial careers guidance.

School Profile

Governing bodies no longer have to prepare and publish a school profile.

Intervention

Governing bodies are no longer obliged to work with a School Improvement Partner (SIP), because the duty on local authorities to appoint a SIP to all the schools they maintain has been repealed.

Safeguarding

Governing bodies are no longer subjected to providing information to list 99 but now operate under Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups Act 2006, which is more efficient and less burdensome. (There is a single L99 case remaining and when it concludes the legislation (s142 Education Act) will be repealed).

Staffing and workforce

Following abolition of the GTC, schools no longer have to provide them with information.

Following the abolition of the GTC constitution and membership, governing bodies are no longer subject to the demands and procedures of the GTCE.

Governing bodies are no longer required to deduct relevant fee from teachers’ wages in relation to GTCE.

Governing bodies can now consider whether to refer cases of serious misconduct to the new National College for Teaching and Learning.

Employers will no longer have to refer any cases of incompetence and will only be expected to refer cases of misconduct that are so serious that they warrant consideration of a ban from the profession.

Governing bodies are no longer required to follow the ‘Code of Practice on Workforce Matters in Public Sector Service Contracts’ (otherwise known as the ‘Two-tier Code’) in any contract that involved the transfer of staff.

School day/sessions

Governing bodies no longer have to consult on changes to the school day.

School performance

Governing bodies are no longer required set education performance targets and to submit these targets to the local authority.

Early years

The new Early Years Foundation Stage framework reduces bureaucracy for professionals, simplifying the statutory assessment of children’s development at age five. It also simplifies the learning and development requirements by reducing the number of early learning goals from 69 to 17.

Premises

Governing bodies are now subject to a clear set of regulations applied to all maintained schools. This provides clarity about the requirements for school premises, is deregulatory, and removes bureaucracy and unnecessary guidance.

Information

Schools no longer have a duty to publish a school prospectus. Regulations instead now prescribe information that they must make available on their websites.

What we intend to remove or simplify

Behaviour

We plan to remove the requirement for governing bodies to produce a written statement of general behaviour principles. The headteacher currently has to have regard to this when determining the behaviour policy. Governing bodies would be required to ensure that the headteacher determines the behaviour policy.

Inspection

We plan to remove the requirement for governing bodies to provide parents and others with reports relating to the inspection process. This will save them the administrative task of printing and distributing reports to parents and would reducing printing costs. Websites are the main mechanism to publish reports.

For GBs the process for notifying parents of an inspection outcome will be simplified.

Home-School Agreements

We plan to remove the requirement for governing bodies to adopt a home school agreement. This would remove an administrative burden on the governing bodies of maintained schools.

Early Years

If the relevant amendment is made law as part of the Children and Families Bill, Governing bodies would in future (from a date to be specified) no longer have to consult before offering community services or facilities, including wrap around care. They would also no longer need to follow guidance about how they make this offer. This should make it easier for schools to offer wrap around care.

Governance

We will soon lay new simplified regulations on the roles, procedures and allowance of governing bodies (The School Governance (Roles, Procedures and Allowances) (England) Regulations 2013). This will give governing bodies in maintained schools more freedom to determine how they operate, bringing their freedoms in to line with academies. We plan to review regulations on school collaboration in the light of these changes.

Charging

We plan to remove the requirement for governing bodies to meet certain requirements to publish their charging policy and make hard copies available at the school.

School organisation

Ministers are currently considering where changes might be made to the existing legislative and policy requirements for making significant changes to schools. The aim is for schools to be more in charge of their own decisions about size and offer and to be able to respond to what parents want locally without being unduly restricted by process.

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Governors’ Handbook

Posted on May 14, 2013 by Clerk to Governors

The Guide to the Law has now been replaced by a new Governors’ Handbook, published 14th May 2013. The Dfe site says:

The Governors’ Handbook (pdf) provides information about the role and legal duties of governing bodies in maintained schools and academies (including free schools).

The Handbook can be downloaded via the link on this page. Section 1 and an overview of the contents of sections 2 to 8 can also be read via the table of contents in these pages.

Section 1 of the Handbook outlines the core role and functions of school governing bodies. All governors should read this section.

Sections 2 to 8 of the Handbook summarise all of the specific legal duties on governing bodies, providing a first point of reference for those with a specific area of interest.

Further reading is signposted from within each section for those who would like more detailed information. Links are provided to relevant regulations, guidance and resources. A list of all the policies and documents that schools are required to have by law can be accessed from this page. Also available on this page is a list of changes that have, or will soon, reduce regulatory burdens on maintained school governors.

To assist readers, we have given links throughout the Handbook to relevant legislation on the legislation website. The legislation may, however, have been amended and the links will not always take you to a version that has been revised to show those amendments. Readers are advised to check whether the legislation has been updated by using the ‘Changes to legislation’ facility on the website. Most types of secondary legislation on the website are not revised and are shown as originally made. Readers should always make their own checks to see whether regulations have been changed.

The Handbook replaces the Governors’ Guide to the Law.

END

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FFT Governor Dashboard

Posted on May 11, 2013 by Clerk to Governors

On Friday 17th May the Fischer Family Trust (FFT) launched the new FFT Governor Dashboard in partnership with the National Governors’ Association and the Wellcome Trust. Find out more here.

The FFT Governor Dashboard contains information on overall school performance and context summarised in just 4 pages, and can be used by governor and school leaders to answer six key questions:

How does attainment and pupil progress at my school compare to national averages?
How are we performing in the core subjects (English, Maths and Science) and in other subjects?
Do we have any under-performing groups of pupils, or are there wide gaps in attainment between some groups of pupils?
How might the context of our school affect our performance?
How does pupil attendance compare to national averages?
What are the school’s strengths and weaknesses?

The dashboard provides governing bodies with the information they need to have sharply focused discussions with schools leaders about school performance and make sure that governors fully understand what is working well and where there are areas for improvement.

The NGA have published two booklets (one for primary, one for secondary schools) from their series, Knowing Your School, which explain the use of the new dashboard.

You can see what the FFT Governor Dashboard looks like by downloading these sample ones. Governors will need to ask their school to download the dashboard with school data from FFTLive.

Primary School Governor Dashboard (701k PDF)
Secondary School FFT Governor Dashboard [719k PDF]

The FFT website says: The FFT Governor Dashboard helps school governors hold schools to account, support and challenge the leadership team and make more informed strategic decisions. It provides governors with clear information about:

Summary school performance: analysis of the main school performance indicators including attainment (pupil results), achievement (pupil progress) and a summary of strengths and weaknesses
Subjects: an analysis of pupil progress in core subjects (primary) and GCSE subjects (secondary)
Pupil groups: a simple chart showing the progress made by different pupil groups over 3 years including pupil premium pupils.
School context: a breakdown of school cohort by pupil groups (school and national);
Attendance: an analysis of absence (by pupil groups) and attendance (by year group).

With the dashboard, school governors have all the information they need to answer questions about how results and pupil progress compares to other schools. They can look at pupil progress in all subjects and see which pupil groups (e.g. FSM/pupil premium) are making progress compared to other schools. All schools subscribing to FFT can download the FFT Governor Dashboard from FFTLive and share it easily with governors.
FFTLive provides school leaders and governors with information at three levels:

FFT Governor Dashboard – the best starting point for school governors
FFT Self Evaluation Booklet – more detailed booklet covering all areas of school performance, mainly aimed at school leaders but might be useful for some governors
FFTLive Interactive Reports – online reports for school leaders and teachers with a full range of school and pupil level value added analyses and estimates

Training and Support
Working with the National Governors’ Association, FFT has produced a brief training guide which will help all governors to make best use of the new dashboard.

They will be running a series of training events for school governors to introduce the new dashboard. If you are interested in attending one of the events, please email them at events@fft.org.uk or call 01446 776262.
(C2G note: I have no information yet on the cost of this training for governors - other FFT courses seem to be around £300 pp …)

Read more here.
Optional: Read a set of C2G verses on the governors’ role in monitoring ….

Posted in Monitoring, Understanding Performance Data | Tagged FFT Dashboard | Leave a comment

Performance related pay for teachers

Posted on May 5, 2013 by Clerk to Governors

The Department for Education (DfE) has updated the page on Teachers Pay and Conditions. (23rd April 2013)
Advice helping schools decide how to pay their teachers has been published. This is what the gov.uk website says (in big clear writing):

The advice is being sent to all schools in England, alongside a revised version of the School Teachers’ Pay and Conditions Document that reflects reforms to teachers’ pay. (C2G Note this is labelled as DRAFT still)

Schools will, from 1 September 2013, be able to link teachers’ pay to performance allowing them to pay good teachers more. This follows recommendations from the independent School Teachers’ Review Body, which last year called on the government to link teachers’ pay more closely to their performance.

By this September every school will need to have revised its pay and appraisal policies setting out how pay progression will in future be linked to a teacher’s performance. The first performance-linked pay increases will be made from September 2014.

The new arrangements provide increased flexibility for schools to develop pay policies tailored to their particular needs. These freedoms will support heads in attracting teachers in specific subjects based on their school’s needs. It will also help schools across the country recruit and retain excellent teachers.

Evidence shows that improving the quality of teaching is essential to raising standards in schools.

According to the Sutton Trust, for poor pupils, the difference between a very good teacher and a bad teacher may be a whole year’s education.

The advice published today highlights factors schools could consider when assessing teachers’ performance. This includes a teacher’s:

impact on pupil progress
impact on wider outcomes for pupils
contribution to improvements in other areas (eg pupils’ behaviour or lesson planning)
professional and career development
wider contribution to the work of the school, for instance their involvement in school business outside the classroom

Schools could consider evidence from a range of sources, including self-assessment, lesson observations, and the views of other teachers and of parents and pupils.

It is up to each school to decide how best to implement new pay arrangements – and each school must make the link between pay and performance clear.

Heads and school leaders are responsible for developing arrangements for performance-linked pay. Governing bodies will ensure schools adopt pay policies which clearly set out arrangements for linking appraisals to pay progression. School leaders will be responsible for explaining to teachers how appraisal outcomes lead to pay decisions.

A Department for Education spokesperson said: It is vital that schools can recruit and reward the best teachers. The advice published today will help schools to review their pay policies and put in place arrangements that enable them to pay the best teachers more. END

Here is the link to the draft STPCD: http://media.education.gov.uk/assets/files/pdf/d/130423%20draft%202013%20stpcd%20for%20website%20final%20updated.pdf

The Advice document (pdf) says:

This is advice from the Department for Education. It is non-statutory and has been produced to help schools and Governing Bodies with developing a process for decisions on teachers’ pay in relation to the School Teachers’ Pay and Conditions Document (STPCD) 2013.

Revised pay progression arrangements come into force with effect from 1 September 2013. September 2013 will be the last time that annual pay increments are awarded to teachers based on the length of their service. Thereafter, decisions about teachers’ pay progression will be linked to performance, with their first annual performance-related progression pay increases being made in September 2014.

……

Key points

The revised arrangements provide increased flexibility for schools to develop pay policies that are tailored to their particular needs.
Schools will need to revise their pay policies to reflect these changes and to clarify their approach to making pay decisions.
It is up to each school to decide for itself how best to implement the changes and develop policies accordingly.
No single approach will suit all schools.
School appraisal policies may also need to change to reflect closer links between performance and pay.
Schools are free to withhold progression pay without any requirement to initiate or consider capability proceedings.

…….

Summary of changes

The main changes to the existing system are:

removing pay progression based on length of service and linking all pay progression to performance
giving schools the option of increasing individual teachers’ pay at different rates based on their performance
replacing the current threshold test for progression from the main to the upper pay range with new simpler criteria
discontinuing the current Advanced Skills Teacher (AST) and Excellent Teacher (ET) designations and creating a new pay range for leading practitioners whose primary purpose is to model and lead the improvement of teaching skills
giving schools more freedom to determine starting salaries of teachers new to the school
removing any obligation on schools when recruiting to match a teacher’s existing salary.

Royal College of Teaching

Posted on May 3, 2013 by Clerk to Governors

This is a proposed organisation, still at discussion stage.

Tom Bennett, “behaviour guru” at the TES, has commented about the benefits of having a Royal College of Teaching. He says: “So what could a RCOT be? It could be what the GTC was meant to be, but wasn’t. …

A regulatory body. Membership could be seen as a badge of credibility, something to be striven towards. At first, an aspiration. Later on, perhaps a minimum bar.
A body of advocacy- not for pay, conditions, the profession of teachers- but for the practice of teaching. It could observe, analyse, dispute or promote the very best thinking in education- from both research and the collective well of experience, and take a lead in promoting and disseminating these treasures.
A critical friend to itself. Teaching is not nursing or medicine. It is far more prone to dispute than either, because even the building blocks of educational debate are disputed. Because of this an RCOT needs to be a fluid, genuinely introspective body that welcomes, absorbs and accommodates the inevitable challenges from within and without that such a large and broad church will entail.
A guarantor of CPD- or even a provider.
An independent voice for teaching and teachers, (……)
A certifier of teacher development- what Tim Oates of Cambridge Assessment calls an ‘advanced certifier’. Doctors are required to evidence continued commitment to professional development; imagine if teachers had to do the same, not by ruinous days spent in mid-price conference hotels scooping up pens and shortbread, but revisiting their subjects, and learning skills they genuinely want and need. “
Read more…

Debra Kidd, in her blogpost, wrote that “A Royal College should have at its heart, a philosophy of positivity and hopefulness. It should not be a punitive organisation with a role to punish or banish a teacher – this is the role of governing bodies and ultimately, government. We should set out, from the beginning, to be an organic institution which promotes growth. Where there is weakness, provide scaffolding. We should apply the same learning principles to educators as we do to those they educate.”

A booklet, “Towards A Royal College of Teaching: Raising the status of the profession“, was published in April 2013. It is a report exploring the various potential roles of a royal college, with essays from a wide range of contributors including teaching unions, subject associations and the existing College of Teachers. Download it here: Towards a Royal College of Teaching April 2013 (pdf) or via the Teacher Development Trust website. The following are extracts from the booklet:

David Weston Chief Executive, Teacher Development Trust

Teaching is one of the great altruistic professions. We join it to help others: to nurture their talents, to overcome the disadvantage of their backgrounds, and to share with them our joyful love of learning. Our work is a complex combination of art, craft and science that must be delivered instinctively and flexibly to large groups of children and young people with incredibly diverse needs, aspirations and enthusiasms. Our profession carries the hopes of society for the next generation, a heavy burden that we cannot possibly hope to deliver to everyone’s liking and yet also an incredibly empowering and energising opportunity. Our profession carries the hopes of society for the next generation, a heavy burden that we cannot possibly hope to deliver to everyone’s liking and yet also an incredibly empowering and energising opportunity. It is time to create an organisation that will reflect our collective aspirations for the profession. It must represent our vocation and foster a sense of collegiality. It must inspire, support, and lead us to follow our passion and create ever better outcomes for children. We must discover the best of our practices and share them and then seek to do even better with innovative and rigorously evaluated research. Above all else it must recognise that we grow as teachers as we become more successful at helping our pupils and that the most skilled practitioners should be at the pinnacle of our profession. We will only stop politicians and the media lecturing us with their solutions to problems when we grasp the nettle and show that we can make the hard changes ourselves. Others will stop trying to force change on us when we are seen as trustworthy leaders of change.

Steve Munby – Chief Executive, CfBT Education Trust

As someone who is passionate about school leadership and the difference that effective leaders can make, I am very keen to endorse the concept of a Royal College of Teaching. We know from the excellent work of people like Professor Viviane Robinson (Student-Centred Leadership, 2011), that leaders are at their most powerful and influential when participating in, and leading, teacher learning and development. A Royal College of Teaching, led by education professionals, focusing on evidence-based research and the professional development of teachers, would be a great step-forward for education in this country. It would help to give greater status to the teaching profession and attract more of our talented young people to want to have a career in teaching. It would need to be led by credible education professionals and to build its credibility through direct engagement with the teaching profession.

Matthew Martin – Chief Executive Officer, College of Teachers

Teaching as a profession is unique. It is made up of experts in every subject imaginable who are simultaneously expert in the science of pedagogy and skilled in the art of teaching. Teachers can be found in formal and non-formal settings in schools, colleges, universities, hospitals, businesses, factories, homes, military establishments and youth groups. In no other profession do the practitioners come from such a wide variety of backgrounds or practise in such a wide variety of settings with such a wide variety of qualifications and training.

And yet, unlike other professions, teaching has no single body which independently represents, pulls together and supports the development of the myriad professionals and organisations that work to support them. Such a body is vital for the long-term growth, health and independence of a profession.

The College could play a critical role in defending the long-term development of the profession and the career-long development of everyone who calls themselves a teacher, while informing and advising governments on shorter-term political goals.

Becky Francis – Director, Academies Commission, and Professor of Education, King’s College London

There is overwhelming evidence showing that teaching quality is the key element in successful educational outcomes, and this illustrates the importance of professional development and evidence-informed practice. As the Academies Commission highlighted, school autonomy and innovation needs to be supported by teacher development and a culture of peer learning, in order to get the best from an autonomous system. An independent Royal College of Teaching is urgently needed to build such a culture, to enhance the quality and professional status of teaching, and to disseminate best practice. One of the College’s key objectives should be the encouragement of school-to-school collaboration, including peer challenge and support.

Toni Fazeali – Chief Executive, Institute for Learning

We welcome the idea of a new Royal College of Teaching for school teachers. We know that it is important for teachers to have a membership organisation of their own, whose primary focus is on professional matters throughout their careers, in whichever schools they may work. We hope that the College will open up the wider world of research in teaching and learning for members and give new opportunities for teachers to collaborate with each other. The Institute for Learning is the independent professional body for individual teachers and trainers across further education and skills, and we look forward to working in partnership with a new college for teachers in schools.

Sir Tim Brighouse – Non-Executive Director, RM, and former Schools Commissioner for London ; and Bob Moon – Professor of Education, Open University

Teaching is one of the most important professions in our country. Without teachers, it is arguable we would struggle to claim to be a civilised society founded on justice, liberty and freedom – never mind a place where we know our children will encounter a group of professionals committed to treating them not as they (often infuriatingly) are, but as they might become. Through their infectious enthusiasm, commitment to standards and professional skill, teachers enable our future generations not just to acquire the skills knowledge and habits to lead a fulfilled life but to think for themselves and act for others. Yet uniquely this profession suffers from few – and haphazardly organised – opportunities for professional development and teachers are treated with mistrust by government. Their intellectual curiosity, which is the foundation of all they do, is left to chance. That’s why we need a Royal College of Teaching – to speak for the profession, to resist on occasion Secretaries of State when they are tempted to cross the political– professional line, to maintain standards both of the profession and its professional development opportunities, and, in doing so, to safeguard our society’s claim to be civilised.

John Bangs – Honorary Visiting Fellow, Cambridge University, and former Head of Education, National Union of Teachers

The abolition of the General Teaching Council (GTC) sent all sorts of wrong messages about the future of the teaching profession in England. It looked as if the profession itself had acquiesced in taking a step backwards in defining its own status. Nothing, however, could be further from the truth. The lesson to be learnt from the GTC’s fate is that imposing a professional body on teachers is doomed to fail. That is why the initiative to establish a Royal College of Teaching is very welcome. Such a body could take over the responsibility for setting teachers’ professional standards. It could coordinate and publicise quality professional development such as that which is provided by teacher and subject organisations. It could provide a professional site for teachers and their organisations to come together to discuss educational developments. However, above all, it should be seen as a body which will add value to teachers’ professional lives. In short it has to be seen by teachers as theirs. The debate on how establish a college has real potential. I hope it will lead to something which teachers will own and value and which will raise the status of teaching as a profession.

Download the full report here: Towards a Royal College of Teaching April 2013 (pdf) or via the Teacher Development Trust website.

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Disapplying the current national curriculum

Posted on May 3, 2013 by Clerk to Governors

Can schools choose not to teach the national curriculum? No, they can’t, as it is still a statutory requirement for maintained schools. (Academies are not required to teach the national curriculum, but to provide a “broad and balanced curriculum“.) However, the government is proposing to allow maintained schools to “disapply” (ie not abide by) certain parts of the current national curriculum, from this September, in order to start using the new national curriculum that is due to come into effect from September 2014.

The DfE website says that the Government has announced its intention to disapply elements of the current national curriculum for a time limited period, from September 2013. This is in order to “give schools greater flexibility to manage the transition from the existing national curriculum to the new one. This will mean that while maintained schools will still be required to teach national curriculum subjects, they will not be required to teach the centrally prescribed programmes of study (or use attainment targets as part of statutory assessment arrangements) from September 2013 for the following subjects:

English, mathematics and science for pupils in year 3 and year 4
all foundation subjects for pupils at key stages 1 and 2
all subjects for pupils at key stage 3 and key stage 4.

Schools can choose to continue to teach the current programmes of study or they may use the flexibility that disapplication to adapt their curricula to ensure that pupils are well-prepared to start learning the new programmes of study which will be introduced from September 2014 (or September 2015 for key stage 4 English, mathematics and science).

Further announcements about the new national curriculum, including the content of the programmes of study for national curriculum subjects, will be made in due course.”

These plans are subject to a one month statutory consultation, ending on 3rd June 2013. To comment on the proposals, respond online or write to: nationalcurriculum.statutory@education.gsi.gov.uk or by post to Maleck Boodoo, Department for Education National Curriculum Review Division, Level 2 Sanctuary Buildings Great Smith St London SW1P 3BT. The DfE website says:

“The reports summarising the consultation responses received on these matters have been published. A draft of the legislation required to make these changes has also been published, and a statutory one month public consultation on that legislation will run until 3 June.”

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