GUIDE FOR SECRETARIES OF ACADEMIC COMMITTEES

October 2018

Contents

1. Introduction...................................................................................................................................3

2. Overview........................................................................................................................................3

3. Governance Structures at City, University of London....................................................................4

4. The Role of the Board of Studies and its Sub-committees.............................................................5

5. Role of Chair..................................................................................................................................5

6. Role of the Committee Secretary...................................................................................................6

6.1 Working effectively with the Chair.........................................................................................7

7. Roles of other members................................................................................................................8

8. Operation of Committees..............................................................................................................8

8.1 Standing Orders for BoS and their sub-committees.....................................................................8

8.2 Agenda setting.............................................................................................................................8

8.3 Classification of agenda items.....................................................................................................9

8.3.1 Unreserved and reserved business.......................................................................................9

8.3.2 Open, restricted and closed business.................................................................................10

8.4 Quorum.....................................................................................................................................11

8.5 Urgent business outside of meetings.........................................................................................11

8.6 Use of Chair’s Action..................................................................................................................12

9. Committee Minutes and Minute Writing.....................................................................................12

9.1 Language and Style....................................................................................................................12

9.2 Layout and Presentation............................................................................................................13

9.3 Approval and circulation of draft minutes.................................................................................14

9.4 Approval of minutes by the committee.....................................................................................14

10. Actions and matters arising.....................................................................................................14

11. Report Writing.........................................................................................................................14

12. Questions and advice...............................................................................................................15

Appendix 1: Responsibilities of the Secretary......................................................................................16

Appendix 2: Freedom of Information (FoI) considerations – further guidance...................................18

A2.1 Freedom of Information Exemptions......................................................................................18

A2.2 Length of Time Exemptions Apply...........................................................................................19

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A2.3 Dealing with requests for copies of closed minutes................................................................19

A2.4 Freedom of Information and data protection issues to consider when writing minutes.........20

A2.5 Records management issues...................................................................................................20

Appendix 3: Useful links......................................................................................................................21

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1. Introduction

This guide is intended to support the secretaries of formal academic committees within Schools. It covers the professional management of these committees and provides practical guidance on the presentation of minutes and reports. It is based on sector and internal good practice examples.

This guide should be used alongside the formal terms of reference of the committees and the agenda templates in the Quality Manual https://www.city.ac.uk/about/education/academic-services/academic-committees.

2. Overview

Universities are complex organisations in a rapidly changing external environment. Within this context, formal committees are essential for the full and critical review of decision making that affects the education and experience of students. The proper operation of governance structures ensures that the University is transparent and uses the experience of the wider City community in managing its affairs. Proactive engagement of those entrusted with committee responsibilities support City in delivering on its Strategy.

Responsibilities for the academic quality and standards of City’s programme are shared through City’s academic governance structure. Alignment and clear reporting between committees it enables City to demonstrate robust oversight of its responsibilities at institutional level.

At the highest level, City’s governing body, Council, must be able to provide assurance as part of the external regulatory environment that the academic quality and standards of City awards and the student experience are appropriately managed.

Council relies on Senate, as the supreme academic body of the University, to take critical oversight of academic quality and standards through the operation of a framework of approved policies and processes. Educational Quality Committee, which is a sub-committee of Senate, undertakes detailed scrutiny on behalf of Senate of the effectiveness of the quality and standards framework and its ongoing development.

The Board of Studies (BoS) has delegated authority for the management of quality and standards within a subject area and the detailed management of programmes (through its sub-committees) within City’s quality and standards framework. The BoS is also responsible for overseeing that programmes operate within the requirements of professional, statutory and regulatory bodies (PSRBs).

A short guide providing a brief summary of City’s approach to academic quality and standards can be found here https://www.city.ac.uk/__data/assets/pdf_file/0007/374929/Quality-and-Standards-Short-Guide-0917.pdf.

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3. Governance Structures at City, University of London

Latest governance diagram to be inserted

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4. The Role of the Board of Studies and its Sub-committees

Boards of Studies (BoS) are a critical part of the academic governance structure at City. There is a BoS for each School and one for the Learning Enhancement and Development Directorate which offers academic programmes. Each BoS has delegated authority for the following within its subject area:

Academic strategic direction of programmes and research effective implementation of Senate regulation and academic policy oversight of academic quality, standards and the quality of the student experience on all

award-bearing programmes within its remit.

The role of the BoS and its sub-committees is distinct from the role of staff who have management responsibility for activity and implementing various policies and procedures.

The full BoS Terms of Reference are in Senate Regulation 3 here:https://www.city.ac.uk/__data/assets/pdf_file/0009/334638/Senate_Regulation_3_Boards_of_Studies_2016-002.pdf

Each BoS has the following sub-committees which are responsible to it for oversight, at an operational level, of specific matters within its remit:

Programme Approval and Review Committee Programme Committees Staff-Student Liaison Committees (as sub-committees of Programme Committees) Learning and Teaching Committee/Forum Student Experience Committee Research Committee

(Note: this guidance focuses on committees responsible for award-bearing programmes. Boards of Studies may either establish a Programme Committee for research degree programmes, or require the Research Committee to oversee the quality and standards of research degree provision. This guidance and the associated templates do not cover any broader responsibilities of School Research Committees beyond research degree provision).

The Terms of Reference for these sub-committees are in Senate Regulation 5 here:https://www.city.ac.uk/__data/assets/pdf_file/0003/432066/Senate_Regulation_5_Boards_of_Studies_Committees_a_20180809__120816.pdf

The BoS is directly responsible for the quality of oversight that is undertaken by its sub-committees.

5. Role of Chair

The Chair should be well informed, impartial and should take an active leadership role in the conduct of committee meetings and management. It is the role of the Chair to encourage constructive peer scrutiny of the business of the committee by:

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facilitating full and factual discussion of items steering the committee towards a decision, when required ensuring responsibility for any actions is agreed supporting the contributions of members, including of student representatives where appropriate, reporting to the committee on the outcome of relevant discussions at

other committees and the context to items on the agenda

Committee members have a responsibility to ensure they have considered how their actions and decisions affect equality at City. The Chair will raise this as appropriate when the committee is required to make decisions.

The Chair of the BoS represents the BoS at Senate, and elsewhere, and reports on how the School is fulfilling its remit as well as reporting back to the School with any relevant Senate business as appropriate.

The most effective Chairs work in close partnership with the Secretary to ensure that there is wide understanding of the business of the committee.

6. Role of the Committee Secretary

The effective management of City’s academic committees is essential given the critical role that they play in the assurance and enhancement of academic quality and standards of City’s programmes. The role you undertake as Secretary is complex and challenging. It is core to the effectiveness of the committee and goes beyond taking the formal minutes of the meeting. As Secretary, you take professional responsibility for the operation of the committee and support the Chair in enabling the full and factual discussion of items. You will also be required to provide proactive, professional guidance in matters of academic quality and standards within the context of the committee for which you are responsible.

To be most effective, it is helpful for you to engage with the business of other relevant committees at School and University level, as well as the wider quality agenda. As such, it is recommended that you review the agendas and minutes of related committees in order to understand outcomes from the meetings and relevant actions and information for the committee that you are responsible for.

Your primary responsibilities as Secretary are to:

Understand and proactively engage in the business of the committee. Plan for the effective operation and cycle of business of the committee in accordance with

the:o Terms of Reference and Compositiono Standing Orders of BoS and their sub-committeeso Relevant business of more senior committees

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o Relevant business of the BoS sub-committeeso Associated operational guidance produced by Student and Academic Services.

Specific tasks are set out in Appendix 1. Collate and circulate the committee papers to members at least 7 days in advance of the

meeting. Ensure the effective and accurate reporting of discussions arising from the committee that

will ultimately assure Senate of the academic quality and standards of City’s educational provision.

Work closely with student representatives to actively support them in engaging with the business of the committee.

Oversee the timely consideration of, and response to, any consultations arising from Senate or other senior committees.

Manage the follow-up and monitoring of actions arising from the committee. Support the Chair through the production of contextual notes prior to the meeting to

highlight factors that are relevant to the committee’s discussion. Seek guidance from your School Quality team or from Student & Academic Services on the

management of Boards of Studies and sub-committees, where required. New Secretaries may also find it useful to attend Boards of Studies and sub-committees within other Schools where appropriate to see how they operate.

6.1 Working effectively with the ChairThe relationship between you and the Chair is critical to the effective operation of the committee and it is therefore helpful for you to understand and agree how you can best work together.

Prior to the committee meeting, it is part of your role to provide the Chair with a briefing of business to be discussed, highlighting the most important items and background. This will support the Chair in managing the time available at the meeting for each item effectively.

It is recommended you produce an annotated agenda with notes for the Chair to brief them on any background information they should be aware of and possible items of contention. It is good practice for you to also meet with the Chair in person before the meeting to discuss the business.

Sometimes agenda items are taken out of sequence at meeting, e.g. because a non-member has been invited for one item only. You should keep track to ensure that all items are discussed and alert the Chair if an item has been missed.

It is advisable for you to sit next to the Chair at meetings as this will facilitate any interaction that needs to take place between you and the Chair during the meeting, e.g. to seek clarity on the outcome of a discussion.

It is your responsibility to ensure that the minutes capture all relevant points from the committee’s discussion including decisions, actions, timescales and who is responsible for actions. It can sometimes be difficult to keep a track of the key points particularly when the discussion is complex, contentious or strays from the purpose of the item. If you miss a vital point or decision during the committee's discussion, you should alert the Chair to this and ask for re-iteration of the comment/decision for the purposes of the minutes.

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7. Roles of other members

To work effectively, committees need an engaged membership that takes collective oversight and responsibility for the quality of education and the student experience. The general responsibilities of members are to:

Understand the terms of reference and responsibilities of the committee Engage in the work of the committee and make a positive and effective contribution to peer

scrutiny of committee business Inform the committee of particular relevant programme/local issues Respect confidentiality and handle sensitive issues with discretion Act in good faith, honestly and properly, exercising appropriate care and diligence Disclose and, wherever possible, avoid conflicts of interest.

You should work with the Chair to ensure that new members are briefed on their role, as well as the terms of reference and priorities for the committee prior to their first meeting so that they can participate effectively. Please note that Senators have an open invitation to attend BoS meetings as attendees and so Chair/Secretariat(s) should ensure to circulate the meeting dates to Senators for information.

8. Operation of Committees

8.1 Standing Orders for BoS and their sub-committeesThe operation of Boards of Studies and their sub-committees is governed by a set of Standing Orders (Senate Regulation 5b) covering matters such as the timing and conduct of meetings, quorum, and management of reserved business. It is your responsibility as Secretary to support the Chair in ensuring that the committee operates in accordance with the Standing Orders. They can be found here https://www.city.ac.uk/__data/assets/pdf_file/0003/334641/Senate_Regulation_5b_Standing_Orders_for_Boards_of_Studies_and_their_Sub-committees_2016.pdf and further guidance is provided below.

8.2 Agenda setting

Standard agenda templates for the BoS and its sub-committees are provided in the Quality Manual https://www.city.ac.uk/about/education/academic-services/academic-committees which reflect each committee’s Terms of Reference and should be used to manage the business. Each template provides a schedule of reports and items that must be considered at relevant points during the year. Other items will be determined through the business of Senate, the sub-committees, University strategic objectives and School priorities. It is important that you are proactive in anticipating and planning for these other matters.

The agenda will set out what the committee needs to do with each item:

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To consider: for items that the committee is expected to give particular attention to and require substantive discussion. These items will usually result in a specific decision or recommendation being recorded in the minutes.

To approve/agree: for items which require formal approval by the committee in accordance with its powers as set out in its terms of reference. Items may be straightforward and not require active discussion or may overlap with ‘to consider’ items which require substantive discussion prior to approval.

To receive: for reports which are of relevance to the committee that may require some discussion but do not require the committee to take any action.

To note: for items that are for information only and do not require any action.

It is important that there is sufficient time allocated to manage items that are for consideration. Items that are denoted as to receive or to note do not require the same active discussion.

The most important business should generally be placed at the top of the agenda after the preliminary items (i.e. apologies, minutes, matters arising, Chair’s action) in case any members need to leave the meeting early. An exception to this would be if a non-member had been invited to be 'in attendance' for one agenda item only (perhaps to present a paper they have written): in this event, such an item should be placed as high up the agenda as possible so that the 'visitor' to the meeting can then leave as soon as his/her item has been considered.

You should use the relevant standard templates to schedule, organise and track the business of the committee to ensure that the terms of reference have been met and that subsequent reporting is timely. Requests to committee members for agenda items and any associated papers should be sent in good time and with a deadline sufficiently in advance of when the papers need to be circulated. You should ask the Chair to agree the agenda for each meeting prior to it being finalised.

The time needed for setting the agenda and collating the papers will depend on the committee, how frequently it meets and the complexity of its business, but you should normally aim to start the process at least 4 weeks before the date of the meeting.

The agenda and papers should normally be circulated at least 7 calendar days prior to the meeting of the committee. Tabled papers (papers which are circulated at the meeting rather than in advance), should be avoided as far as possible particular for items requiring consideration, so that they can be properly scrutinised by members.

8.3 Classification of agenda items

8.3.1 Unreserved and reserved business

Agendas for the BoS and its sub-committees are divided into unreserved and reserved business. Unreserved items are those which are discussed with all committee members present including student members. Reserved business covers items which relate to the personal position of an individual member of staff or of students, such as an application for staff sabbatical leave or a special scheme of study for one or more students. Student members cannot be present for discussion of

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reserved business and should not be sent papers for any items on the reserved section of the agenda.

In the interests of transparency and to support full engagement of students in our academic governance structures, most items will be on the unreserved section of the agenda. The standard agenda templates are split into unreserved and reserved business to support you in classifying items appropriately. Advice on the classification of non-standard items as unreserved or reserved can be sought from Student and Academic Services.

8.3.2 Open, restricted and closed business

In addition to being classified as unreserved or reserved, items will be classified as open, restricted or closed. For further details please see Ordinance D10: https://www.city.ac.uk/__data/assets/pdf_file/0006/334689/D.10_Publication_20161010.pdf

City is required to proactively publish certain information under Freedom of Information (FoI) legislation. However, some information discussed at committee meetings may not be suitable for disclosure in the public domain. Information will need to be restricted/closed if disclosure will undermine the:

Personal safety of City staff Security of City property Commercial interests of City or its partners – e.g. contracts with suppliers or with research

funding organisations or other universities Confidential relationships with individuals or commercial organisations e.g. agreements

with external examiners that names will be kept confidential The due process for confirming accuracy of unconfirmed minutes - e.g. draft minutes that

have been agreed by the Chair for circulation to members Privacy of individuals unless individuals have provided explicit consent for publication e.g.

business relating to individual members of staff by name in context of appointments, promotions or business which refers to individual students by names in context of admissions, academic assessment

City uses the following classification for committee papers including minutes:

Classification Publication/DistributionOpen Business “Open” papers will normally be made available to anyone lodging an FOI

request if they are not already published on the website.Restricted business

“Restricted” classifies a paper that is “Closed” but has been made available to staff who are not members of the committee. Staff should treat “Restricted” papers as confidential and not share or discuss them with anyone other than City staff. Restricted business will be available to student members of the committee if part of the unreserved agenda.

Closed: Papers are not published or made available to staff beyond the committee. Closed business will be available to student members of the committee if part of the unreserved agenda.

Papers may be also be “partly closed” or “partly restricted” and the open and closed/restricted elements are treated separately from one another following the processes described above.

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Further guidance on FoI considerations is provided in Appendix 2 and advice can be sought from the Information Compliance Team at foi@city.ac.uk.

All unreserved items can be discussed with student members of the committee present regardless of their open/closed/restricted status. Members should be made aware of when business cannot be shared beyond the committee members (closed items), or beyond City staff and students (restricted items), and the status of papers should be indicated on the agenda.

8.4 Quorum

The quorum is the minimum number of members of the committee that must be present at the meeting in order for the committee’s business to be conducted and for decisions to be made. The quorum for BoS and its sub-committees is 50% of the members. Those in attendance, such as the Secretary or a visitor invited for a particular item, who are not part of the formal membership of the committee should not be included when determining whether a meeting is quorate.

You should make a check at the start of the meeting as to whether the meeting is quorate and if it is inquorate, bring this to the Chair’s attention. The Standing Orders for BoS and sub-committees states that they do not need to have a quorum at the start of the meeting but do need a quorum to make decisions; conference calls from members can count towards them being present. If the meeting is inquorate preventing decisions being taken, it should be reconvened with at least a week’s notice.

8.5 Urgent business outside of meetings

There will be times when it is necessary for a committee to consider an item or respond to a Senate consultation in between scheduled meetings. This degree of flexibility is important to ensure that important business is not delayed. The Secretary and the Chair should consider whether it is appropriate to call a special meeting of the committee or whether the item can be managed via circulation. A special meeting might be appropriate where the matter for discussion is considered to be significant or potentially controversial.

If an item is circulated, it is important that, with the Chair, you encourage a wide response from committee members. You should seek input from student representatives and other members with a vested interest in the item, in particular.

Where an item requires a decision to be taken, the normal quorum rule applies. This means that at least 50% of the members must express a view by correspondence for a decision to be taken, and the decision will be determined by the majority view of those responding.

The outcome of business considered by circulation should be recorded and reported at the next meeting of the committee.

8.6 Use of Chair’s Action

Chair’s action enables the Chair to take decisions on behalf of the committee in matters of urgency between meetings. The Standing Orders only permit Chair’s action to be taken where that power has

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been specifically been delegated to the Chair by the relevant committee. In practice, this would normally be where a committee attaches conditions to an item being approved, but agrees for the Chair to take action to approve it prior to the next meeting when the Chair is satisfied that those conditions have been met. All decisions taken under Chair’s action must be recorded and reported at the subsequent meeting.

9. Committee Minutes and Minute Writing

Minutes should be an accurate, impartial and balanced record of committee meetings. They serve multiple purposes and are not just a record for members of the committee. In some cases committee minutes may be used in internal and external audits and occasionally in legal proceedings.

Senate expects the highest standards of reporting from its sub-committees. Formal minutes should provide a concise but informative record of the meeting. It should be possible for Senators (and others who were not at the meeting, including students) to be able to follow the decisions that were made and the actions that were agreed.

9.1 Language and Style

The University style of writing should be ‘lean, economical and business-like’ (Writing Style Guide, City, University of London). While the precise style of the minutes may vary from committee to committee, and from secretary to secretary, all minutes must follow the good practice points below.

Minutes must: Present information in succinct sentences, in plain English. Be written in the past tense, using active verbs wherever possible. For example:

o for things that happened at the meeting: ‘The BoS agreed to...’

o for things that happened before the meeting: ‘The BoS noted that at its previous meeting it had agreed to...’

o for things that were planned to happen after the meeting: ‘The BoS approved the response which the Chair would report to Senate.’ Or ‘The BoS agreed to recommend that the proposed policy should be implemented….’

Not reflect each individual opinion for every item, but should instead provide a collective record of the important points of each debate.

Provide brief, factual context to discussions. This is especially important in complex matters to ensure understanding and to support the implementation of actions. This context will help Senate to understand how risk has been managed.

Avoid the use of technical language, jargon and acronyms that are not widely understood outside of the committee. Where it is necessary to use such terms the minute should include an explanation of the term.

Avoid emotive language and words such as feel, hope, think.

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Focus on the main objective(s) of each item to ensure that irrelevant information is not captured. Items that are to consider will require a more detailed minute, items to receive or to note normally only require brief coverage.

Ensure that discussions are concluded and actions, timescales and responsibilities are clearly recorded. If an item is unresolved it must be clear what further steps will be taken to secure a resolution. Be sensitive to any matter of confidentiality within the minutes. Roles/job titles should be used instead of names. Personal information should not be included in unreserved minutes. Information about the General Data Protection Regulation and the Data Protection Act 2018 and the University’s legal obligations can be found here.: www.city.ac.uk/about/city- information/legal

Matters of Senate Regulation, policy and practice must be reflected accurately; the committee must appear clear on its responsibilities. Where there is confusion, you should work with the Chair to provide clarification at the meeting. If this is not possible, an explanation should be sought after the meeting and you should include this within the minutes as a Secretary’s note. This note should make clear that the clarification was provided after the meeting.

Draft minutes should be carefully proof read to ensure that there are no typographical errors. It is also advisable to undertake the following common sense checks before providing a copy to the Chair:

Does each minute make sense? Can the minutes be misinterpreted by the reader? Do the minutes reflect all of the information available to support the committee? Do the minutes provide BoS and Senate with sufficient assurance that the committee has

discharged its responsibilities?

9.2 Layout and Presentation

Write minutes in the order of the agenda, even if the actual discussion happened out of order.

Always use a sans serif font. Good examples are Arial and Calibri (size 11 or 12). Information should be presented in short, concise, paragraphs. It is good practice to use a

numbering system: for main sections use Arabic numbers (1, 2, 3); for sub-sections use decimal numbers (1.1, 1.2, 1.3). Divisions in sub-sections can be indicated further (1.1.1, 1.1.2, 1.1.3). Using this numbering style can make it easier to track actions.

Clear headings and subheadings should be used to help the reader to navigate the minutes. Use bold or underlined text to highlight headings.

Include page numbers at the bottom of the page.

9.3 Approval and circulation of draft minutes

Following a meeting, you should provide the Chair with a draft of the minutes for comment and approval before circulation to the wider committee. It is good practice to produce and circulate a

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draft within a week of the meeting. This may not always be possible and where there will be a small delay, a list of actions should be agreed with the Chair and circulated as a priority to the committee.

9.4 Approval of minutes by the committee

Once draft minutes have been approved by the Chair for circulation to the wider committee, they have the status of ‘unconfirmed’. Unconfirmed minutes require formal approval by the committee at its next meeting in order to be ‘confirmed’. If the committee agrees amendments to the minutes when approving them, the minutes of the meeting where the previous meeting’s minutes were considered should be specific about what changes are required. For example:

‘The minutes of the previous meeting on 10 January 2018 were approved, subject to an amendment to Item 2, bullet point 3. The wording would be revised to read as follows: ‘The Policy should clarify the specific role of the supervisor.’

10. Actions and matters arising

An important part of your role is to ensure that there is clarity about what actions need to be taken, by who and by when. These details need to be included within the minutes, and you should also capture them in a separate actions log for monitoring and review at subsequent meetings. Completed actions can be removed from the list once the committee has noted they have been completed. An Actions Arising template is provided in the Quality Manual https://www.city.ac.uk/about/education/academic-services/academic-committees.

It is good practice for you to highlight actions by contacting individual action-owners separately to the circulation of the minutes. You should always separately communicate the requirement for follow-up action to anyone not present at the meeting (e.g. because they were absent, or were not a member of the committee); a copy of the minute should be given to them to provide the context.

In advance of each meeting, you should seek an update from action-owners on the status of any actions for which an update to the committee is due. You should also send reminder prompts to action-owners between meetings when the deadline for completion of an action is approaching.

It is good practice to include a separate item for significant actions on the agenda of the future meeting where it is discussed, rather than as a generic matters arising item.

11. Report Writing

At times it may be necessary for you to produce a report for consideration at the committee or to report to Senate. Much of the above guidance (Writing minutes) is relevant to report writing.

The structure of a report will depend on its purpose but will normally include: A cover sheet with a brief summary of report covering item ‘headlines’. These should

include: who the report is for, the purpose of the report, the most significant

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findings/information, the main conclusions or recommendations and details of any consultation with committees or staff groups if relevant.

Brief context to the report and a summary of any related discussion (at previous meetings, for example) or information.

A summary of the facts, research, evidence and analysis that have been undertaken. The benefits of the proposal and when these will be realised. It might be helpful to identify

short, medium and long term impacts. A clear outline of any risks of the action or of failing to take action. Responsibilities for taking action. Recommendations for action that arise from the report. Is the report for consideration, for

approval, for comment? Are there any follow-up actions (e.g. sharing the report with others, circulation to sub-committees, for example). Be clear what the desired outcome is so that the committee can deliver what is required.

A timeframe or deadlines for action to be taken as a result of the report. Author’s name and contact details. Date

Ensure that the report has been proof-read before it is circulated to the committee or to others.

Further guidance on writing reports in plain English is available from the Plain English Campaign here.

12. Questions and advice

If you have any questions about this Guide or about any aspect of academic committee servicing at City, please contact Student and Academic Services:

NameEmailTelephone

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Appendix 1: Responsibilities of the Secretary

The responsibilities of the Secretary in relation to meetings include the following:

1. Before the start of the committee year

1.1 understand the role of the committee and its relationship to other committees including the limits to its authority, its operating rules (set out in the Terms of Reference and Standing Orders) and membership

1.2 update the membership as appropriate and brief any new members including student representatives

1.3 oversee an annual cycle of business to be agreed at the first meeting of the academic session which takes accounting of reporting lines and cycles of other committees

1.4 ensure all administrative arrangements are made: including setting dates for meetings, informing members of these dates, checking with members if they have any special arrangements requirements.

1.5 ensure rooms are booked for meetings and any appropriate refreshments and/or equipment are booked.

2. Before a meeting

2.1 arrange for any invitees to attend2.2 prepare the agenda for approval by the Chair and collate accompanying papers2.3 brief the Chair and produce Chair’s notes2.4 ensure appropriate records are kept2.5 ensure the compilation, presentation and distribution of papers 2.6 ensure that the committee receives minutes from any sub-committees and considers

relevant items accordingly to assure itself of the academic quality and standards programmes within its remit

2.7 oversee completion of the actions arising from previous meetings 2.8 ensure the archiving and accessibility of committee papers

3. At the meeting

3.1 arrive early and ensuring the room is prepared.3.2 take all appropriate documents including spare copies of the agenda and papers3.3 keep the attendance list3.4 check that the quorum for the meeting is met.3.5 taking notes3.6 provide information if required3.7 ensure all items of business are covered and prompt the Chair if not3.8 seek clarification of a discussion or decision if it is unclear

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4. After the meeting4.1 produce minutes as soon as possible and forward to the Chair for approval4.2 inform others of decisions and follow-up action required as appropriate (see guidance

notes for minutes Section 9).4.3 circulate minutes normally within 7 calendar days of the meeting4.4 publish minutes on the web (if appropriate).4.5 take any action for which the Secretary is responsible4.6 report back to the committee on actions if necessary4.7 ensure the formal record of committee business is maintained

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Appendix 2: Freedom of Information (FoI) considerations – further guidance

Committee papers should have text on the first page which describes their publication classification and if appropriate the Freedom of Information exemption that applies. The following are examples:

Publication: Open

Publication: ClosedDate/event on/following which the paper may be released: NeverFreedom of Information Act 2000 Exemption: 40Reason for Closed Classification: Personal information

Publication: RestrictedDate/event on/following which the paper may be released: not to be released Freedom of Information Act 2000 Exemption: 43Reason for Closed Classification: Commercial interests

This format is also recommended for all University minutes.

This classification may be reviewed at the meeting: for example: “Freedom of Information Review” is a regular agenda item for Senate meetings and provides the committee with an opportunity at the end of the meeting to consider if any changes are required to Open/Closed/Restricted classification of items.

A2.1 Freedom of Information Exemptions

The Freedom of Information Act provides a number of exemptions which the University may rely upon if appropriate to withhold information from publication or disclosure. The exemptions highlighted in bold indicate those exemptions which are likely to apply.

Freedom of Information Section

Exemption Title

Section 21 Information reasonably accessible to the applicant by other meansSection 22 Information intended for future publicationSection 22A Research Information Section 23 Information supplied by, or relating to bodies dealing with security

mattersSection 24 National securitySection 25 Certificates under ss. 23 and 24: supplementary provisionsSection 26 Defence

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Section 27 International relationsSection 28 Relations between the UK Government, the Scottish Executive, Welsh

Assembly and Northern Ireland Executive. Section 29 The economySection 30 Investigations and proceedings conducted by public authoritiesSection 31 Law enforcementSection 32 Court records Section 33 Audit functionsSection 34 Parliamentary privilegeSection 35 Formulation of government policySection 36 Prejudice to the effective conduct of public affairs (requires formal

approval of the President to use this exemption)Section 37 Communications with Her Majesty and the Royal Family and the

awarding of honoursSection 38 Health and safetySection 39 Environmental informationSection 40 Personal informationSection 41 Information provided in confidenceSection 42 Legal professional privilegeSection 43 Commercial interestsSection 44: Prohibitions on disclosure

The exemptions may only apply in specific circumstances so before citing the exemption please contact the Information Compliance Team for further advice.

A2.2 Length of Time Exemptions Apply

Some issues are sensitive for a shorter time period than others. If the sensitivity around the information is limited, it is best practice to state this on document and review when the time period expires.

Although, the General Data Protection Regulation and the Data Protection Act 2018 only applies to living individuals, the University may have obligations of confidentiality to the deceased or their representatives after death, so care needs to be taken before disclosure. Please consult the Information Compliance Team for further advice on a case by case basis.

A2.3 Dealing with requests for copies of closed minutes

Classifying information as restricted or closed indicates the level of sensitivity afforded to the information at the time of the meeting; this will still need to be reviewed if a Freedom of Information request is received by the University. It may be that upon review some or all of the information may be disclosed.

If you receive a Freedom of Information request for copies of committee minutes or papers, please forward to the Information Compliance Team at foi@city.ac.uk who will work with you to decide if the information requested may be disclosed. If disclosure is appropriate, it will approved through the formal Freedom of Information channels.

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A2.4 Freedom of Information and data protection issues to consider when writing minutes

1. Advise committee members that their names may be published on City’s website or in response to Freedom of Information requests. Publication of personal data on a website constitutes transferring personal data outside the European Economic Area and under the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and Data Protection Act 2018 this is only permissible with the explicit consent of the individuals affected. Any requests for non-disclosure should be directed to the Chair of Committee in the first instance and if further advice is required, please contact the Information Compliance Team.

2. Write the agenda so whole agenda is open even if some items or papers are closed. For example, if possible, give brief indication of content or state exemption that applies e.g. “Closed item. Closed due to substantial prejudice to Commercial Interests exemption”. It is important to let the public know that closed items exist.

3. Avoid naming individuals other than committee members and use job titles instead. Take particular care with minutes of boards of examiners because the University may have confidentiality agreements in place to protect the identity or opinions of individual examiners.

4. Write minutes so they can be open e.g. when discussing a closed paper you could record “the committee agreed the recommendations set out in the paper” rather than listing the recommendations in the paper.

A2.5 Records management issues

1. Keep track of exemptions and expiry dates and replace redacted versions of papers on website as soon as exemptions expire or sensitivities no longer exist.

2. Destroy draft agenda, minutes and papers and any notes made during the meeting as soon as they are no longer needed, except when a paper contains a major policy initiative and drafts are required to show changes in approach over time.

3. Committee members and attendees should destroy their copies of committee papers securely once they have completed their actions.

4. Exercise care in distribution of committee papers especially if restricted or reserved.

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Appendix 3: Useful links

Senate Regulation 3: Board of Studies Terms of Reference and Composition https://www.city.ac.uk/__data/assets/pdf_file/0009/334638/Senate_Regulation_3_Boards_of_Studies_2016-002.pdf

Senate Regulation 5: Board of Studies Sub-Committees Terms of Reference and Composition https://www.city.ac.uk/__data/assets/pdf_file/0003/443775/Senate_Regulation_5_Boards_of_Studies_Committees-20181017_120816.pdf

Standing Orders for Boards of Studies and their Sub-Committees https://www.city.ac.uk/__data/assets/pdf_file/0003/334641/Senate_Regulation_5b_Standing_Orders_for_Boards_of_Studies_and_their_Sub-committees_2016.pdf

Agenda templates:

Board of Studies https://www.city.ac.uk/__data/assets/word_doc/0004/372181/BoS-Agenda-2016-17.docx

Programme Approval and Review Committee https://www.city.ac.uk/__data/assets/word_doc/0018/125136/appendix6.doc

Programme Committees (taught provision) https://www.city.ac.uk/__data/assets/word_doc/0018/125109/appendix3.doc

Programme Committee for research degree provision/Research Committee research degree items https://www.city.ac.uk/__data/assets/word_doc/0010/125110/appendix4.doc

Staff-Student Liaison Committees (as sub-committees of Programme Committees) https://www.city.ac.uk/__data/assets/word_doc/0012/125112/appendix5.doc

Student Experience Committee https://www.city.ac.uk/__data/assets/word_doc/0012/125121/appendix7.doc

Minutes template: https://www.city.ac.uk/__data/assets/word_doc/0013/125122/appendix9.doc

Actions/matters arising template: https://www.city.ac.uk/__data/assets/word_doc/0019/125137/appendix8.doc

Quality and Standards Short Guide: https://www.city.ac.uk/__data/assets/pdf_file/0007/374929/Quality-and-Standards-Short-Guide-0917.pdf

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