Cardinal Newman Catholic School Minutes of the Full Governing … · 2019-09-24 · Henson CH...

Cardinal Newman Catholic School Minutes of the Full Governing Body

Meeting Date: Wednesday 17th July 2019 Meeting Time: 19.00 hours

Initials....................... of 12

Attendees Initials Role Attendees Initials Role Tim Williamson TW Foundation Governor

(Chair) James Kilmartin JK Principal

(Headteacher Governor)

Gerard Silverstone

GS Foundation Governor (Vice Chair)

Des McGuckian DM Foundation Governor (Vice Chair)

Carolyn Sheehan

CShe Co-opted Governor Bernadette Hopper

BH Foundation Governor

Christine Henson

CH Co-opted Governor Fr. John Hull JH Foundation Governor

Steve Walsh SW Foundation Governor Nick Wells NW Foundation Governor

Shaun Meaney SME Staff Governor Samer Bagaeen SB Foundation Governor

Antonella De Santo

ADS Foundation Governor Annemarie Porter AP Parent Governor

In attendance Initials Role In attendance Initials Role Fi Branagh FB Associate Member Roger Galvin RG Associate Member

Claire Jarman CJ Head of School Paul Miller PM Head of College

Graham Goldup [until Item 6].

GG Raising Standards Leader Y12&13

Peter Shears [until Item 6].

PS Careers Lead

Andy Thomas AT Clerk to the Governing Body

Apologies Initials Role Absent Initials Role James Westbrook

JW Parent Governor Martyn Howe MH Local Authority Governor

Paul Goss PG Co-Opted

Mel Fane MF Prospective Governor

The quorum is 50% of the current membership of the Full Governing Body, which was 17 at the time of the

meeting. The number of Governors attending was 14. The meeting was therefore quorate.

Minute

No.

Agenda item, discussion and decisions Action

1.1

1. Opening prayer

Reference was made to the tragic suicide of a fourteen-year old student at Selesian School, Chertsey; and to Noah Rees, a CNCS student having been involved in a serious accident, whose rehabilitation plan was moving forward



Initials....................... of 12

Minute

No.


1.2

positively.

The meeting was opened in prayer by JH and TW welcomed all those present to the meeting.

2.1

2.2

2. Apologies

Apologies for absence had been received from JW, PG and MF. MH was absent.

A welcome was extended to AP, who had been elected as Parent Governor. It was agreed that she would take the role of Link Governor for disadvantaged/ pupil premium following CShe’s departure.

AT

AT

3.1

3. Freedom of Information reminder

Governors were reminded that business should be conducted in an open way which stands up to public scrutiny, and that all non-confidential minutes would be published on the school's website.

4.1

4. Declarations of pecuniary and other interests

There were none.

5.1

5.2

5.3

5. Careers Strategy

GG and PS delivered a presentation, which had also been circulated in advance of the meeting. Reference was made to the following matters:

- New school/ college logo.

- The background to careers education and requirements.

- The eight ‘Gatsby Benchmarks’.

At this point TW requested that GG move to the ‘Next Steps’ section of the presentation as Governors had seen the detail of the presentation in advance.

GG referred to the ‘Next Steps’ section which contained the following:

- Launch careers portal (September 2019).

- Increase Careers information and guidance offer across school and College to all stakeholders.

- Whole staff CPD with Coast to Capital to share vision.

- Secure further NCOP and any Careers and Enterprise Funding and free resources –e.g. ‘Compass Extra’ which links to SIMS.

- Continue to develop and share best practice.

- Increase opportunities for employer engagement and work place



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Minute

No.


5.4

5.5

5.6

5.7

5.8

experience through year groups and subjects.

- Plan a whole school/ College Futures Fair (2019) and focus on Careers Spotlight week using alumni and contacts.

- Create a ‘World of Work Academy’- student body.

- Celebrate National Careers Week.

- Share Careers Information at all parent/carer information evenings.

- Explore ‘Quality in Careers Standard’- national accreditation.

In respect of point 4 of Next Steps above, it was remarked that NCOP funding related to poor postcode regions and that there was some overlap with Pupil Premium. There were 274 such students at CNCS. Both streams of funding were being taken forward.

In response to questions the following was stated:

- The ‘Coast to Capital’ region in which CNCS was located had been established by a Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP).

- The outcome of funding bids would be known in due course. A bid for £15k NCOP funding had been submitted on the previous day and a meeting had been scheduled for the Summer. A bid for the maximum possible Careers Enterprise finding had been made.

Further reference was made to the Gatsby Benchmarks [see 5.1] which were:

i. A stable careers programme.

ii. Learning from career and labour market information.

iii. Addressing the needs of each pupil.

iv. Linking curriculum learning to careers.

v. Encounters with employers and employees.

vi. Experiences of workplaces.

vii. Encounters with further and higher education.

viii. Personal guidance.

Further information would be circulated regarding the Gatsby Benchmarks, regarding which there was some further discussion.

A ‘Futures Fair’ initiative had been launched. There were 240 former Newman College students in a network through which they would become involved. A booklet was handed out to those present regarding an initial event which had been held on 1st July.

GG



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Minute

No.


5.9

5.10

5.11

5.12

5.13

5.14

5.15

The above event had met Gatsby Benchmarks i, iii, v and vii [see 5.6 above]. It had been an event for Years 9& 10 based on 10 interactions with employers. Alumni had been involved. A good spread of careers was represented. There had been positive feedback from students.

The Futures Fair event had created a significant level of interest in careers throughout the school. This had been a community event also involving staff and Governors. There had been massive support and co-operation on the part of staff. There was a growing awareness of the importance of careers.

PS stated that, in the following year, the priority would be to link subjects to careers – in line with Gatsby Benchmark iv [see 5.6].


- Further information on the Futures Fair had been included in an updated presentation which would be circulated to the Governing Body.

- It was feasible to extend the Futures Fair initiative beyond Years 9&10, potentially from Year 7.

- The key challenges over the next couple of years would be to integrate careers into the curriculum and to track student experiences – with regard to which a new tool would be used [see 5.14].

- Any careers encounters would be recorded.

JK stated that there were a number of opportunities already in place – including ‘Grill A Priest’.

A new careers portal had been added to the school website. A link would be sent to Governors. The portal contained links to resources and subjects together with a live link to the apprenticeships website. Governors remarked that the portal was excellent.


- The portal was at present an information site but it would be able to record work experience in the future.

- A Futures Fair event could indeed be held for Year 12. Some Year 12 students had attended the event on 1st July.

- This was the first time that Year 12 students had been involved in work experience. Various opportunities were available.

- Information on alumni career paths was made available at the 1st July Futures Fair event. This would be downloaded into a spreadsheet.

- Inviting parents and Governors to talk about their work was planned for the following year. Parents, Governors and indeed staff (e.g. career

GG/ AT

GG/ AT

GG/ PS



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Minute

No.


5.16

5.17

5.18

5.19

changes) had a lot of expertise to impart. Three Governors had taken part in Prefect Day.

Thanks were expressed to GG and PS for their hard work in this area and for raising the profile of careers. GG and PS thanked BH for her support.

In response to a question it was stated that the DfE guidance document circulated in advance of the meeting was statutory and required that regular reports be made to Governors. This would be added to the policy review schedule.

A further update on the aspects of curriculum, encounters and the portal would be given at the same time in the following year. It was noted that the curriculum aspect was a key issue.

Governors were invited to submit any further questions to GG and PS. At this point GG and PS left the meeting.

NW/ AT

GG/ AT

Govs.

6.1

6.2

6.3

6. Minutes of meeting held on 24th June 2019

The draft minutes of the previous meeting had been circulated in advance.

Accuracy

The minutes were agreed as a true record subject to noted amendments at paragraphs 6.4, 6.5, 10.3 and 10.6.

Action Log

Reference was made to the Action Log circulated in advance of the meeting, and updates/ amendments were agreed and noted accordingly.

AT

AT

7.1

7.2

7. Headteacher’s (Principal’s) Report

A written report had been circulated in advance of the meeting.

Strategic Plan

JK stated that he would address all goals in the context of the 3-year Plan. The aim was to achieve these goals and to move the school from ‘Good’ to ‘Outstanding’. Reference was made to the following:

- Attendance: This was key to Learning and Safeguarding. There had been some falling back and the factors involved in this had been identified from the data.

- Behaviour for Learning: There were lots of positives – in particular a reduction in fixed-term exclusions. There was a Safeguarding aspect involved. There was a need to look at consistency of approach with regard



Initials....................... of 12

Minute

No.


7.3

to awarding behaviour points.

- Disadvantaged students: Notably Catholic schools were originally set up to help the poor. Progress was being made in this area. Predications were generally accurate. Governors remarked that the data table in the separate disadvantaged students document was very good. This was a good Year group which would hopefully bear fruit.

- Enhancing the spiritual life of the school: Considerable progress was being made. The school was taking this forward to the best of its ability. A number of measures were in place. Students were increasingly involved in the planning and development of liturgies.

- Financial sustainability: This was a challenging issue. Certain decisions had been taken and savings realised. A particular aim was to improve fundraising and efforts were ongoing in this area. There were affordability issues in respect of parents. A number of staff were retiring after long periods of service [names were given]. The Governing agreed that its thanks should be expressed to the staff concerned. It was noted that parental donations had risen to £17k (equivalent to 10% of a potential £170k LCVAP funding). This was growing and the Business Manager was reviewing Direct Debit commitments.


- Students on study leave were marked as being on an authorised absence.

- Removing ‘outliers’ from the attendance data would not change the core truth regarding attendance levels at CNCS.

- Students undertaking exams were marked as present but not ‘in’ all the time.

- Efforts were ongoing to ensure that staff were awarding behaviour points as appropriate. More ‘teacher by teacher’ analysis was being undertaken.

- A factor in the above might be that teachers recognised that awarding behaviour points was not necessarily a good motivator for some Year groups.

- A ‘boys only’ class had been established as part of a trial of classes in Year 11 English.

- The predications in the separate document on disadvantaged students were indeed very positive but it was difficult to predict accurately.

- It was recognised that there was pressure associated with the number of subjects at KS3 and KS4, however 10% RE was not considered excessive and met the required Section 48 threshold. This had been addressed in

JK



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Minute

No.


7.4

7.5

7.6

7.7

7.8

7.9

7.10

the review of the Curriculum.

- Re: ‘Education Sunday’ the school was moving forward with the Deanery event in the following year.

- A summary of the Spiritual Task Force material would be circulated to the Governing Body.

Disadvantaged students review report

Further reference was made to the above document, which had also been circulated in advance. The Government definition of ‘disadvantaged student’ was confirmed. The key was to focus on high quality Teaching & Learning, together with attendance. Financial aspects were discussed.

In response to a question it was agreed that AP and JW would look at how best to assist disadvantaged students in relation to school trips (funding rationale/ help; establishing criteria; possible hardship fund).

It was noted that the above aspect had been raised in the equality-proofing exercise. There were different ways of approaching the matter. It was positive for Governors to take this forward.

Data

See above.

Section 48 update

The document circulated in advance represented a history of this matter over recent years. The school had received an ‘Outstanding’ assessment in 2 out of 3 areas – all three areas were required to be assessed as such for an overall Outstanding assessment.

There was a ‘10% rule’ (and 5% in Newman College) on lesson time [see above] which had to be complied with in order for an Outstanding assessment to be achieved.

An interim assessment process was due in the following year. Little was known on this as yet, including funding arrangements. In response to questions it was stated that:

- It was unknown when timescales would be confirmed.

- Further investigations would be made with the Catholic Education Service to establish both the timing of the assessment and associated funding.

Behaviour management issues

See above.

BH

AP/ JW

RG



Initials....................... of 12

Minute

No.


7.11

7.12

7.13

7.14

7.15

7.16

7.17

7.18

7.19

Revised KS3 assessment/ areas of challenge

CJ expressed thanks to Governors for their feedback and reported that associated changes were being made.

Teaching School Alliance

CNCS was a member of the Pavilion & Downs TSA. It had been hoped that this would develop in a positive direction. However there had been a change in Government policy towards ‘super-TSAs’. The current arrangement would therefore be dissolved.

There was however widespread agreement to continue collaboration, especially the deployment of Specialist Leaders in Education (SLEs) to lead improvements across all constituent schools.

In response to a question it was confirmed that there was a theoretical cost associated with TSAs (a requirement for a financial commitment) but that there were also financial benefits.

Assessment system proposals

This had been covered elsewhere.

IT policy

There was no update on this issue. An update on the ‘Bring Your Own Device’ project would be included in the next Newman College report to the FGB.

Mobile phone policy update

All responses from parents, apart from one, had supported the proposal to ban the use of mobile phones on site. This would be implemented from September 2019.

In response to questions it was stated that this was not a ‘whole City’ initiative but that the majority of schools had a similar policy – the policy would be thoroughly ‘policed’.

PM/ AT

8.1

8.2

8. Safeguarding Audit

BH reported that the audit report had been circulated prior to the meeting for questions. There had been a huge amount of work involved in undertaking the audit. The report needed to be signed off by the Governing Body at this meeting. The overall rating was ‘Green’ but there were some areas to be worked on.

The following changes to the report were reported/ noted:

- A better mechanism for feeding back to the Governing Body would be established.



Initials....................... of 12

Minute

No.


8.3

8.4

8.5

8.6

8.7

- Reference to an annual staff survey would be added together with the need to get the views of students and parents.

- A training package for Pastoral and Attendance Managers (PAMs) was being addressed.

- The complaints policy was being updated accordingly.

In response to a question it was stated that the audit was not a policy review but that the Governing Body did need to approve the report.

The Governing Body approved the report, which would now be submitted to the Local Authority.

It was reported that there was a new Safeguarding booklet, to which reference to Health & Safety (including working at height/ alone) and the staff Code of Conduct had been added.

In response to questions it was stated that:

- There was no reference to vehicles in the Safeguarding booklet. However three zebra crossings were being put in together with a 5mph speed limit and associated signage.

- The issue of lighting was an ongoing item of Health & Safety work.

- It had not been appropriate to add reference to vehicles to the Safeguarding booklet, as this was for staff, however something would be added in.

BH expressed thanks to the Safeguarding lead, Cindy Goddard, and fellow Governors for their hard work in this area.

BH

CJ

9.1

9. Staff Grievance case

This had been deferred to the next FGB meeting.

10.1

10. Resources Committee Report

BH reported that at the last meeting [on 3rd July] the following had been addressed:

- An update to the flexible working policy and procedure.

- Agreement to a report on Trade Union facility time.

- Savings of £50k over three years from a voluntary redundancy exercise.

- New Governor AP becoming Pupil Premium Link Governor [see above].

- 4G pitch.



Initials....................... of 12

Minute

No.


- Catering contract performance review/ increased use (a success story).

- Health & Safety issues including transport.

- Concern on Cashman building windows, in relation to which work was now in fact going ahead over the Summer.

- Thanks to CShe for her fantastic contribution as Resources Committee chair.

11.1

11.2

11.3

11.4

11. Governing Body

Membership update

TW made reference to mentoring arrangements for new Governors. Those present were were asked to express a need/ put names forward as necessary.

It was agreed that TW would mentor AP.

TW stated that he did not intend to stand for the position of Governing Body Chair in the next academic year. A replacement would be needed and reference as made to the two Vice Chairs currently in post.

Fi Branagh – appointment as Co-Opted Governor

It was proposed that FB be appointed as Co-Opted Governor to replace CShe following the latter’s departure. FB’s input, skills and thorough Governor Visit reports were noted. Her appointment as Co-Opted Governor was agreed.

Govs.

TW/ AT

AT/ Govs.

AT

12.1

12. AOB - notified to the Chair in advance of the meeting

i. Financial savings

Reference was made to list of identified financial savings that had been circulated prior to the meeting. It was remarked that a number of elements were to the benefit of students.

13.1

13. Date of next meeting

The next meeting was scheduled to take place on Thursday 12th September.

14.1

14. Close of Meeting

There being no further business the meeting was duly closed.

Signed________________________________ Chair of Governors



Initials....................... of 12

Date___________________ Documents attached to the minutes:

1. Draft minutes of FGB meeting on 24th June 2019. 2. Action Log (dated 11th July). 3. Careers presentation. 4. DfE careers guidance document. 5. Futures Fair booklet [handout]. 6. Principal’s Report. 7. Disadvantaged students review report. 8. Diocese Section 48 update document. 9. Safeguarding audit report. 10. Finance report (presented to Resources Committee meeting on 3rd July).

Action list

Minute Action Responsibility Date

2.2 Establish AP as Parent Governor. AT ASAP

2.2 Establish AP as Link Governor for disadvantaged/ Pupil Premium.

AT ASAP

5.7 Circulate further information of ‘Gatsby Benchmarks’. GG In due course

5.12 Circulate updated careers presentation to Governors. GG/ AT In due course

5.14 Circulate careers portal link to Governors. GG/ AT In due course

5.15 Download alumni career path information into spreadsheet. GG/ PS In due course

5.17 Add careers updates to policy review schedule. NW/ AT In due course

5.18 Update on careers in July 2020 as outlined. GG/ AT July 2020

5.19 Submit any further careers questions to GG and PS. Govs. ASAP

6.2 Amend draft minutes of the last meeting as indicated and publish the final version.

AT ASAP

6.3 Update Action Log as outlined. AT ASAP

7.2 Express Governing Body thanks to retiring staff. JK ASAP

7.3 Circulate summary of Spiritual Task Force material. BH In due course

7.5 Look at how best to assist disadvantaged students in relation to school trips.

AP/ JW In due course

7.10 Undertake further investigation into timescale/ funding of Section 48 assessment.

RG In due course

7.17 Include ‘Bring Your Own Device’ update in next Newman PM/ AT Future



Initials....................... of 12

College report. FGB meeting

8.4 Submit agreed Safeguarding audit report to the Local Authority.

BH As required

8.6 Add reference to vehicles in Safeguarding booklet. CJ ASAP

11.1 Governors to express mentoring needs/ volunteer to mentor. Govs. ASAP

11.2 TW to mentor AP. TW/ AT ASAP

11.3 Plan for Governing Body Chair election in September 2019. AT/ Govs. September FGB

11.4 Establish FB as Co-Opted Governor w.e.f. CShe’s departure at the end of the Summer term.

AT End of Summer term.

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