Please find attached the minutes from the BASG meetings held on 17 January 2022 and 15 February 2022
BASG Executive minutes 17 January 2021
BASG Executive minutes 15 February 2022
Our next meeting will be held via Zoom on Thursday 31st January 2021 at 5pm
| Meeting: | BASG EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE
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| Date & Time: | Monday 13 December 2021 at 6.00pm
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| Location: | Virtual meeting via Zoom
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| Present:
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Paul Randall (PR) (Chair), Anne Sheddick (AS) (Vice Chair), Maggi Bull (MBL), Bernadette Allison (BA), Andrew Brown (AB), Gwyneth Langley (GL) (Secretary), Martin Baxter (MBR) |
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Agenda Item
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Action |
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| 1. | Apologies for Absence | |
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Jo Pearce (JP) and Peter Lerner (PL) had sent apologies for absence.
Andrew Brown (AB) advised that he would need to leave the meeting at 6.30pm
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| 2 | Notification of Any Other Business | |
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It was agreed that the following item would be discussed under Any Other Business:
– School places in Burnham
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| 3 | Declarations of Interest | |
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Gwyneth Langley – BEP
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| 4 | Approval of Minutes from the Meeting Held on 8 November 2021 and Review of Actions | |
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The minutes of the meeting held on 8 November 2021 were confirmed as an accurate record and approved.
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| 5 | Communications with Bucks Council
There had been limited communication with the LA over the past two weeks due to the ongoing Ofsted inspection.
It was noted that the LA had consulted BASG members about governance issues and structures. |
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| 6 | Local Networking Groups | |
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The following dates were planned for the Spring Term 2022
Aylesbury Group – Monday 24 January 2022 Chesham, Amersham, Wendover and Great Missenden Group – February date (before half term). AB would confirm this. Jordans Group – February date (after half term). AS would confirm this.
The inclusion of governors / Chairs from across the LA, regardless of geography, was discussed. There were some pros and cons of this but the issues facing Governing Boards were similar throughout the County.
Jordans Group – Feedback
The Jordans Group had met on 20 November 2021.
A concern had been raised within the discussions about the current SEN consultation. There had been very little awareness of the consultation amongst networking group attendees. A key change proposed was that services recommended within EHCPs would no longer be provided directly but would be replaced by advice to teachers. It was thought that there were many questions around how this new arrangement would be supported, managed and monitored.
A number of the meetings at which the consultation would have been discussed had been postponed due to the current inspection of Children’s Services. MBL confirmed that the consultation had not been raised at the Education Select Committee meeting in November 2021.
The consultation was due to end on 19 December 2021.
Following discussion it was agreed that MBL would contact Hero Slinn to express concern about the limited awareness of the consultation and inform her of the discussions at the Jordans Networking Group and BASG. There would be a request that the consultation be extended.
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AB
AS
MBL
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| 7 | BEP Update | |
| GL updated the group that BEP continued to support multiple Boards with panel processes to the end of term. Concern was expressed about the number of issues that schools were currently dealing with. |
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| 8 | BASG Newsletter | |
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PR had provided content for inclusion within the BEP end of Autumn Term newsletter and was thanked for turning this round within the tight deadlines.
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| 9 | Buckinghamshire Challenge Group | |
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MBR updated the group on the activities of the Buckinghamshire Challenge Group.
There had been two communications sent to Chairs w/c 6 December 2021 with information on current plans. MBR noted that much of this information had been available since June 2021 and expressed frustration at the delay.
There had been a meeting of the Challenge Group on 17 November 2021. Marc Rowlands had not been present at this meeting. A new Headteacher, Jo Divers, had joined the group. The attendees had provided challenge to Gareth Drawmer on all aspects of the plans. Katherine Wells had presented a useful set of slides. It had been requested that these be made available to circulate to governors.
Andrew Brown left the meeting
It was noted that the budget for the Challenge Group was £34,000, of which £15,000 was committed to consultancy fees.
MBR expressed concern that the overall vision for the programme had not been shared with the Challenge Group.
Governance of the Closing The Gap project would be through the Buckinghamshire Challenge Group going forwards. MBR shared detail of the Terms of Reference as follows:
The Challenge Board will:
– Review of the implementation plans and monitoring and evaluation of milestones. – Take final decisions as they arise in relation to the implementation of the programme. – Quality Assure the delivery of the programme.
It was currently unclear who would be undertaking the quality assurance work and whether there was a budget to do this.
It was highlighted that small schools were struggling to release staff to attend the planned sessions.
A Challenge Group newsletter had been sent to Chairs w/c 6 December. 2021. Concern was expressed that not all Chairs had received this. PR would forward the newsletter to the group and would contact Hazel David to highlight the distribution issue.
There had been a literacy session held on Friday 10 December 2021. MBR had attended this and considered it to be very good and practical input. It would be helpful if this could be made available to all schools and governors via a recording.
It was noted that the BEP / EEF presentation on developing evidence based Pupil Premium strategies (12 November 2021) had been well received. Recordings of this had been made available on request.
There would be another Challenge Group meeting w/c 20 December 2021. MBR would feedback to PR after this meeting.
MBL would ask questions relating to the work of the Challenge Group in advance of the Education Select Committee meeting in January 2022
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PR
MBR
MBL
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| 10 | Side by Side Board | |
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There had been a meeting of the Side by Side Board on 16 November 2021. There had been a number of useful slides shared at the meeting but there had been no follow up and no future meeting dates had been set despite the Terms of Reference for the Board. PR would pick this up.
PR expressed concern that it was difficult to hold the LA to account on the Side by Side work due to the structure and last minute nature of the meetings.
The group discussed that the reports and meetings held as part of the Side by Side programme were of variable quality. Some were very helpful and others were much poorer. The QA process was unclear. It was unclear how the impact of the work was being measured.
MBL would ask questions on the programme at the meeting of the Education Select Committee in January 2022.
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PR
MBL
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| 11 | Schools Forum | |
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There was no update on this occasion. |
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| 12 | Governance Consultative Board | |
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The meeting of the Consultative Board scheduled for December 2021 had been postponed. The next meeting date currently planned was in March 2022. It was thought that this needed to be brought forward. PR / PL would pick this up.
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PR / PL
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| 13 | AOB | |
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MBL highlighted that a working group was currently looking at non-selective school places in Burnham. This had become an issue since the closer of Burnham Upper School. There was concern that the Burnham Upper School site would be redeveloped for housing. Parents in Burnham were currently incurring costs to send their children to school in Slough, Maidenhead or to Bourne End Academy.
A member of the working group had attended the Education Select Committee meeting in November 2021 and had been allowed 5 minutes to speak on the issue. This had not been sufficient time for him to explain the issue thoroughly unfortunately.
There was a concern that there would be a shortage of non-selective school spaces in Burnham in the future – particularly as Maidenhead was experiencing a boom as a result of Crossrail. Anita Kramner was thought to be aware of the issue.
It was agreed that this should be raised at the next meeting of the School Governance Consultative Board. |
PL
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| 14 | Dates / Times of Future Meetings | |
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A date / time for the next meeting was agreed as follows:
Monday 17 January 2022 5pm
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| Meeting: | BASG EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE
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| Date & Time: | Monday 8 November 2021 at 5.00pm
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| Location: | Virtual meeting via Zoom
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| Present:
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Paul Randall (PR) (Chair), Anne Sheddick (AS) (Vice Chair), Maggi Bull (MBL), Bernadette Allison (BA), Andrew Brown (AB), Gwyneth Langley (GL) (Secretary), Martin Baxter (MBR), Peter Lerner (PL) |
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Agenda Item
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Action |
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| 1. | Apologies for Absence | |
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Jo Pearce (JP) had sent apologies for absence.
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| 2 | Notification of Any Other Business | |
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It was agreed that the following item would be discussed under Any Other Business:
– Memorandum of Understanding with Buckinghamshire Council (circulated in advance by PR)
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| 3 | Declarations of Interest | |
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Gwyneth Langley – BEP
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| 4 | Approval of Minutes from the Meeting Held on 11 October 2021 and Review of Actions | |
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The minutes of the meeting held on 11 October 2021 were confirmed as an accurate record and approved.
Actions from the meeting were reviewed as follows:
Minute 6 AS advised that the Jordans networking group would next meet on Saturday 20 November 2021.
Minute 6 AS had written a communication regarding Headteacher Performance Management processes and MBR had forwarded this to the Aylesbury networking group.
PR joined the meeting
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| 5 | Communications with Bucks Council
PR / AS gave an update on the BESST governor training programme. Current take up of the programme was relatively low. It was thought that the booking processes were clunky and there had been some communication and organisation issues. The requirement for governors to seek permission from their School Business Manager / Bursar before booking a course was thought to be a barrier. It was also difficult to book multiple places on courses.
PR / AS would meet with Katherine Wells on Friday 12 November 2021 to discuss how things would be taken forwards.
PR / AS had fed back on the proposed job description for the Governor Support Officer but it was not thought that this role had been advertised as yet.
It was discussed that while training and input from Bucks Council trainers was extremely valuable to governors, a robust infrastructure was required to run a training programme at any scale. GL explained that BEP had offered to support LA trainers with BEP infrastructure to run courses – and a couple of departments were engaged with this – but generally there was not an ongoing dialogue relating to this.
The meeting with Councillor Patricia Birchley on Thursday 4 November 2021 was considered to have been positive. AB was thanked for setting this up. It was hoped that contact with Cllr Birchley would raise the profile of governance at Bucks Council and that engagement with BASG would give Cllr Birchley some additional questions to ask.
Cllr Birchley’s invitation to BASG to raise questions at the Children and Education Select Committee was welcomed. There would be a need to consider appropriate questions in advance of the Committee meeting on 20 January 2022 so that these could be submitted in advance.
PL raised concerns about the lack of engagement of Councillor Julie Ward. Councillor Ward had been invited to attend the School Governance Consultative Board meeting but had declined this three times without adequate apologies. She has responsibility for education and SEND but there was little indication that she was engaged in these areas and this was a concern.
MBL highlighted that a number of papers on SEND had been circulated in advance of the Children and Education Select Committee meeting on Thursday 11 November 2021 and these were available online.
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PR / AS
All
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| 6 | Local Networking Groups | |
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Jordans Group
The Jordans Group would next meet on Saturday 20 November 2021. GL would circulate details via GovernorHub.
Chesham, Amersham, Wendover and Great Missenden Group
This group met on Monday 1 November 2021. Approximately 20 Chairs had attended.
There had been discussion about the Bucks Challenge Group and the events organised by this group. A number of Chairs were unaware of these activities. Those that were aware suggested that short notice of event meant it was very difficult for some schools to send representatives. This was particularly the case for small schools. There had been positive feedback from schools that had managed to attend. Other schools would be interested in the output or feedback.
Discussion at the networking group meeting had been positive and valuable. A number of new Chairs had attended. This included Chairs from standalone Academies – who were thought to be quite isolated in some cases.
The next meeting would take place in January 2022. AB would circulate the date when this was agreed.
It was noted that some Chairs from the Marlow area had attended the meeting. It was understood that a group of Chairs in the Marlow were meeting regularly but they were keen to keep the group small. |
AS / GL
AB
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| 7 | BEP Update | |
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GL updated the group that there had been a number of discussions with Boards about succession planning. There were a number of Boards that did not have natural successors for the position of Chair at the beginning of the Autumn term. These Boards were being supported and options discussed with them. BEP would be raising the profile of succession planning at courses and briefings over the next few months to reinvigorate work in this area.
It was thought that a shortage of Clerks was a national issue and there had been recent discussion of this at NCOGS and ERCOGS. The importance of the clerking community was agreed by the group.
A number of schools were finding it harder to attract parent governor nominees than in previous years. This had been a surprise to a number of Boards where there has not been an issue historically.
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| 8 | BASG Newsletter | |
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GL confirmed that the next BEP newsletter would be at the end of the Autumn term 2021 and GL / PR would discuss this nearer the time.
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GL / PR
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| 9 | Buckinghamshire Challenge Group | |
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MBR explained that the Challenge Group plans should have been rolled out to schools in the Summer Term 2021. There had been a delay to this and the plans had not yet been made public.
The next meeting of the Challenge Group was planned for Wednesday 17 November 2021. It was thought that the plans that this group had developed may take up to five years to implement. The issues would not be quick to fix.
It was noted that there had been positive feedback on the Pupil Premium planning session held recently.
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| 10 | Side by Side Reference Group | |
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PR had followed up on meeting dates. The next meeting of this group was now planned for Tuesday 16 November 2021. PR would remind the reference group that meeting dates should be set for the year in advance in line with the Terms of Reference. Dates would need to dovetail with those set for the School Governance Consultative Board.
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PR
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| 11 | Schools Forum | |
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There was no update on this occasion. |
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| 12 | Governance Consultative Board | |
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PL would be meeting with Simon James in advance of the next meeting of the School Governance Consultative Board.
There would be a reminder of some of the issues previously raised to ensure that they did not slip off the radar. These would include HR support and information that was outstanding from Gareth Drawmer.
PL asked that any issues to be raised be sent directly to him.
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PL
All
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| 13 | AOB | |
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PR had drafted and circulated a Memorandum of Understanding between BASG and Buckinghamshire Council and this was reviewed by the group.
The following additions were proposed: – Bucks Council will circulate BASG information – Bucks Council will ensure that the views of school governors are made known to elected members who are making decisions on school related matters.
It was agreed that BASG representative on committees and working parties would not be limited to members of the BASG Executive Committee.
PR would make the amendments discussed and circulate this to PL and Simon James in advance of their meeting on 17 November 2021.
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PR
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| 14 | Dates / Times of Future Meetings | |
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A date / time for the next meeting was agreed as follows:
Monday 13 December 2021 6pm
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Please find copies of our minutes from our recent BASG Executive Group Meetings
BASG Executive minutes 13 September 2021
BASG Executive minutes 11 October 2021
MEETING MINUTES
| Meeting: | BASG EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE
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| Date & Time: | 21 June 2021 at 5.00pm
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| Location: | Virtual meeting via Zoom
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| Present:
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Paul Randall (Chair), Anne Sheddick (Vice Chair), Maggi Bull,
Peter Lerner, Bernadette Allison, Jo Pearce, Martin Baxter, Gwyneth Langley (Secretary) |
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Agenda Item
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Action |
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| 1. | Apologies for Absence | |
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Andrew Brown had sent apologies for absence.
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| 2 | Notification of Any Other Business | |
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The following items were tabled for discussion under Any Other Business:
– Update from the Marlow Chairs Networking Group (this would be covered under item 5) – Bucks Council Traded Services Proposal / Focus Groups
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| 3 | Declarations of Interest | |
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Gwyneth Langley – BEP |
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| 4 | Approval of Minutes From the Meeting Held on 10 May 2021 and Review of Actions | |
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The minutes of the meeting held on 10 May 2021 were approved.
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| 5 | Local Networking Groups | |
| Chesham, Great Missenden, Amersham and Wendover Group
AB had circulated a summary of the networking group meeting that had been held on 24 May 2021.
Jordans Group
The Jordans Group had met on 12 June 2021. The group had discussed a number of issues including:
– Guidance on exam appeals. It had been requested that the LA support on this when results were released. – Covid infection protocols – Support for disadvantaged pupils – Wellbeing – Safeguarding – Arrangements for governor meetings going forwards
The recent Ofsted review of safeguarding policies and peer on peer abuse had been discussed at length. This was a local as well as national issue. There would need to be significant amount of work to understand the issue and consider how to address this in schools.
Marlow Group GL gave a brief update from the Marlow Chairs Networking Group. This small group has been meeting since February and would meet again on 29 June 2021.
Sally Brooks, one of participants, had feedback that at their last meeting the group had discussed:
– SEND and the challenges of securing support from the LA – Remote Learning – Pupil Premium – Arrangements for governor meetings going forwards. – Clerking – and concerns about recruitment and development of new clerks. |
| 6 | BEP
The BEP Conference had taken place on Friday 18 June 2021. GL thanked PR for representing BASG at the conference and contributing to the panel discussion. There was positive feedback on the event. The topics covered were considered thought-provoking, relevant and timely. The session on EdTech had highlighted the potential for identifying and sharing expertise in this area. Many schools had strong EdTech strategies, but it was thought that others did not and may not have the relevant experience to do this effectively. It was not thought that there was an EdTech plan or strategy at the LA.
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| 7 | Communications with Bucks Council | |
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PR, PL and AS had met with Simon James on Friday 18 June 2021. This had been a positive meeting.
Work was continuing to improve HR support following recent discussions on this at the Governance Consultative Board. Simon James would be circulating information on this. It was felt that progress was being made with HR issues and policies.
PR considered that the Education Services team were recognizing the importance of governance and were moving things forwards. Processes were now in place to hold the LA to account. There was a need for BASG to continue to work with the structures in place and continue to raise and engage with issues.
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| 8 | BASG Newsletter | |
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PR / GL would discuss this. |
PR / GL
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| 9 | Buckinghamshire Challenge Group | |
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MB had circulated a summary of the Bucks Challenge Group meeting held on 14 June 2021, with details of attendees.
MB raised concerns about the effectiveness of the group and the strength of its leadership.
There had been a proposal to engage School Liaison Groups to deliver the work proposed by the Group. MB expressed concerns about the ability of Liaison Groups to do this without appropriate support or training.
It was unclear how the work of the Bucks Challenge Group fitted with other strategies being pursued. Concern was raised about coherence.
There had been positive feedback on the Closing The Gap sessions run by Marc Rowland on behalf of Bucks Council, but it was less clear what the impact of these sessions was having on disadvantaged children and schools requiring support.
Some concern about the commissioning process for consultancy work was raised. Concern was also expressed that there had not been targeted invitations to the Closing The Gap sessions to ensure that schools most requiring support attended. The importance of inviting Pupil Premium Governors or other governors with a specific interest or responsibility in this area was also highlighted, rather than limiting invitation to Chairs. |
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It was agreed that the School Governance Consultative Board was the correct forum for governors to raise questions about the strategies being pursued by the LA, even if these were challenging questions. It was important that the strategy for School Improvement was understood. It was noted that the LA would be recruiting two new members of the School Improvement team and it was important to understand how these roles fitted within the strategy.
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| 10 | Side by Side Reference Group | ||
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PR gave an update on the last meeting of the group. Views had been sought as to the process and effectiveness of the group. There had been some honest views expressed and there had been helpful, challenging discussion.
The agenda had been very packed, and the meeting been cut short. The next meeting would be on Thursday 24 June 2021.
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| 11 | Schools Forum | ||
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JP confirmed that the last meeting had been held on 23 March 2021. Another meeting was due to take place on Tuesday 29 June 2021.
JP would circulate the agenda for the meeting on 29 June, along with the reporting pack. If there were any questions on this JP would be happy to take these to the meeting.
It was noted that the current Chair of the Forum was Kevin Patrick (Headteacher of Chiltern Hills Academy). Draft minutes / notes of the meeting on 23 March 2021, plus a webcast, were available on the Buckinghamshire Council website.
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JP / All
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| 12 | Governance Consultative Board | ||
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The next meeting of the Consultative Board would take place on 8 July 2021. PL had held a pre-meeting with Simon James.
Julie Ward, Anita Cranmer’s Deputy, had been invited to the meeting and it was hoped she would attend.
PL requested that any items for the agenda be sent to him. |
All
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| 13 | AOB | ||
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13.1 |
Bucks Council Traded Services Communications
It was noted that Bucks Council were holding two focus groups w/c 21 June 2021 to discuss possible future traded services. A survey and e-mail detail had been circulated with suggestions for potential new services, including governor support services. Concerns were raised about the capacity of the LA and the expertise, resources and infrastructure required to run traded services sustainably. Given the multiple issues requiring the attention of the LA currently this was not considered a priority. The importance of retaining NGA membership and Learning Link for Buckinghamshire schools was agreed. The governor support services already available locally provided by the Bucks Education Partnership were also noted. It was acknowledged that the decision to outsource services was often difficult.
JP, MB, AS and PR would be attending the focus groups w/c 21 June 2021 and would feedback views and concerns.
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JP, PR, MB
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| 14 | Dates / Times of Future Meetings | ||
| A date / time for the next meeting was agreed as follows:
Monday 13 September 2021 5pm |
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The meeting closed at 6.55pm
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Meeting Minutes
| Meeting: | BASG EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE
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| Date & Time: | 19 April 2021 at 5.00pm
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| Location: | Virtual meeting via Zoom
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| Present:
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Paul Randall (Chair), Anne Sheddick (Vice Chair), Maggi Bull,
Peter Lerner, Bernadette Allison, Jo Pearce, Martin Baxter, Andrew Brown, Gwyneth Langley (Secretary) |
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Agenda Item
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Action |
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| 1. | Apologies for Absence | |
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There were no apologies for absence.
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| 2 | Notification of Any Other Business | |
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There were no items tabled for discussion under Any Other Business
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| 3 | Declarations of Interest | |
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Gwyneth Langley – BEP |
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| 4 | Approval of Minutes From the Meeting Held on 1 March 2021 and Review of Actions | |
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The minutes of the meeting held on 1 March 2021 were approved.
BASG Bank Account (Minute 4) – All outstanding payments from the BASG bank account had now been arranged. The ongoing issue relating to correspondence was being resolved with the bank.
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JP / PR
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| 5 | Local Networking Groups | |
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Aylesbury Group
The Aylesbury Group had met on 23 March 2021. There were a number of topics for discussion including an update on a recent Ofsted Inspection. It was noted that there had been a strong focus on safeguarding during the inspection. Governing Board meeting minutes had been scrutinised to establish how well governors were challenging the leadership team in this area.
The next meeting would be on 4 May 2021. It was confirmed that the meeting was open to all governors.
Jordans Group
The Jordans group had met on 27 March 2021. There had been a number of topics for discussion including: – Well-being – Review of the return to school – Managing allegations – Safeguarding – Policies
It was considered that the meeting had been more upbeat than the previous session.
The next meeting would be on 12 June 2021.
The Chesham, Great Missenden, Amersham and Wendover Group would meet on 24 May 2021 at 7pm.
PR would signpost future meeting dates at the LA Executive Directors Briefings w/c 19 April 2021 |
PR
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| 6 | BEP | |
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GL highlighted that there had been a number of recent discussions with current Chairs regarding succession planning for their roles. BEP were advising on potential options, including Co-Chairing.
It was agreed that the LA should be encouraged to extend invitations to events to Vice-Chairs and other Governors to support succession planning and development of potential future Chairs.
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| 7 | Communications with Bucks Council | |
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PR, AS and PL had met with Simon James and Gareth Drawmer regarding BASG and its current / future role. There had been two meetings and they had both been positive.
Historical issues with HR support for governors had been discussed at the second meeting and Simon James would be meeting with the Bucks HR team to discuss this. AS was encouraged that there had been engagement on this issue following the paper that had been written.
There had been a number of other topics for discussion during the meetings including: – Learning Link – Governor training – Networking Meetings
A pro-forma will be developed to facilitate feedback to the LA from local networking groups. This would be anonymised but ensure that there was a mechanism for raising issues or areas of concern.
It was noted that the Marlow Networking Group had not met since June 2019. There had been some interest in reviving this. GL would contact Sally Brooks to establish whether there had been any progress with this.
JP had been elected to Schools Forum and gave an update on the meeting held on 23 March 2021. There had been discussion and updates on a number of areas including: – Budgets – Contingency Funding – High Needs Funding – Special School funding – Sparsity funding
It was noted that contingency funding was still available and schools should apply if relevant.
Post-16 requirements were currently putting pressure on High Needs Funding.
JP would forward a copy of the Schools Forum Constitution along with current membership. The next meeting would take place on 29 June 2021 and JP would feedback on this.
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GL
JP |
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| 8 | BASG Newsletter | |
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Future plans for newsletters would be considered at a later date. |
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| 9 | Buckinghamshire Challenge Group | |
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MB gave an update on the Buckinghamshire Challenge Group (formerly the Disadvantaged and Vulnerable Reference Group).
The group had met on 19 April 2021.
MB considered the meeting to have been more positive than previous meetings. Gareth Drawmer had attended and listened to suggestions from group members.
It was noted that only 1 of the original 9 Headteachers had attended the meeting.
It was highlighted that many schools now had more pupils eligible for Pupil Premium funding as a result of job losses during the Covid crisis. A workshop Does it make a difference: evaluating the impact of your disadvantage strategy on learners, led by Marc Rowland, would take place on Thursday 22 April 2021 and governors had been invited to this. MB had written a paper proposing options for governor training in this area. Georgina Masefield was currently reviewing this.
JP highlighted that Gareth Drawmer had suggested that BEP would be approached to deliver Pupil Premium training to governors in the Consultative Board meeting on 17 March 2021. It was unclear whether this had been agreed. GL confirmed that BEP had not been contacted on this as yet.
MB would forward a report on the meeting on 19 April to the committee.
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MB
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| 10 | BASG Event – Governance for SEND and Inclusion – 27 May 2021 | |
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Approximately 80 governors had registered for the event to date. This was scheduled to take place via MS Teams. AS was exploring other platforms should numbers grow to a level where MS Teams may be unstable.
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AS |
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| 11 | Governance Consultative Board | |
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PL gave an update on the meeting that had taken place on 17 March 2021. It was felt that the meeting had gone well. It had been very helpful that written input from board members had been circulated in advance.
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| 12 | AOB | |
| 12.1
12.2
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Committee Membership
PR informed the group that Joanne Marchant had decided to step down from the committee. She had also resigned from her governor role at Heritage House School. The committee acknowledged the significant work that Joanne had done for BASG and thanks would be passed on to her on behalf of the group.
Ofsted Inspections
MB highlighted that John Hampden Grammar School had not been inspected since 2008. Members were aware of number of other schools in Bucks who were in a similar position.
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| 13 | Dates / Times of Future Meetings | |
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Dates and times for future meetings were agreed as follows:
Monday 10 May 2021 5pm |
The meeting closed at 6.55pm
| Meeting: | BASG EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE
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| Date & Time: | 1 March 2021 at 7.00pm
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| Location: | Virtual meeting via Zoom
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| Present:
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Paul Randall (Chair), Anne Sheddick (Vice Chair), Maggi Bull,
Peter Learner, Bernadette Allison, Jo Pearce, Martin Baxter, Andrew Brown, Gwyneth Langley (Secretary) |
| Absent: | Joanne Marchant |
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Agenda Item
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Action |
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| 1. | Apologies for Absence | |
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Joanne Marchant had sent apologies for absence
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| 2 | Notification of Any Other Business | |
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It was agreed that the following would be discussed under Any Other Business: – Schools Forum
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| 3 | Declarations of Interest | |
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Gwyneth Langley – BEP |
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| 4 | Approval of Minutes From the Meeting Held on 1 February 2021 and Review of Actions | |
| The minutes of the meeting held on 1 February 2021 were approved.
Book Donation (Minute 8) – Books donated by Emma Knights had been sent to the governors that had e-mailed in following the communication in the BASG newsletter. There had been 25 entries for the 4 books.
BASG Bank Account (Minute 11) – JP / PR would arrange to make any outstanding payments from the BASG bank account.
BASG Website (Minute 11) -. PR would ask Tomas Pukalski about the stacking arrangements on the BASG website.
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JP / PR
PR
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| 5 | Local Networking Groups | |
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Jordans Group
The Jordans Group had met on 6 February 2021. Approximately 25 governors had attended. There were a number of topics for discussion including: – Information dissemination. There was a feeling that communication from the LA had improved, but that there could be further improvement. – Information sources. There was some clarification required on free services vs paid services. – Management of difficult situations such as allegations and grievances. – Governor resignations – there was an acknowledgement that governors were having to balance home and work life differently during the pandemic and this had led to some governor resignations. – The challenge of staying strategic in the pandemic environment.
The quality of HR and Legal advice from the LA had been an area of concern and this was discussed. Toolkits provided for governors were not always current or fit for purpose. PL suggested that this be raised at the Consultative Board meeting on 17 March 2021.
PR noted that a number of governors at the meeting appeared to be struggling with workload. Well-being of governors was an issue during this time.
Chesham, Amersham, Great Missenden and Wendover Group The group had met on 17 February 2021. Approximately 26 governors had attended. There had been 6 key topics of discussion: – Well-being – Staying Strategic – Energising the Governing Board – Remote Education – Support for the Headteacher – Ofsted
The small group format, using breakout groups within Zoom, was considered to have worked well.
There had been good feedback following the meeting with attendees finding it a helpful source of support. There had been enthusiasm for another meeting during the Summer Term 2021 and AB would organise this.
AB would share training and experience of breakout groups within Zoom and MS Teams.
Future Meeting Dates
Jordans Group 20 March 2021 Aylesbury Group 23 March 2021 |
PL
AB
AB
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| 6 | BEP | |
| GL highlighted the BEP Chairs Briefing on Friday 5 March 2021.
The next edition of the BEP Newsletter would be sent to all governors via GovernorHub at the end of term. BASG updates could be included within this. This would be further discussed under item 8.
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| 7 | Communications with Bucks Council | |
| There had been an Ofsted review of Safeguarding at the LA but the group was not aware of any feedback from this. | ||
| 8 | BASG Newsletter | |
| JM and BA were thanked for their excellent work on the BASG Newsletter.
Following discussion it was agreed that BASG updates and information would be included within the end of Spring Term BEP newsletter. GL confirmed that the deadline for receipt of content was 24 March 2021. This would be sent out via GovernorHub. GL would liaise with JM and PR on this. |
GL / JM / PR |
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| 9 | Disadvantaged and Vulnerable Reference Group | |
| MB gave an update on the Disadvantaged and Vulnerable Reference Group. MB is a governor representative on the group, alongside Katy Simmons, Chair of Cressex Community School.
MB expressed concern that Headteachers had stopped attending the group meetings and that the governor representatives felt marginalized.
The criteria for choosing schools to support was currently unclear as were the KPIs of the group.
There had been a suggestion that the name of the group be changed to be more positive.
MB explained that 1 or 2 evening meetings were planned for governors to update on the work of the group. These were likely to be held in late June or early July. The format was currently unclear. PR / MB had suggested including the NGA in this work.
MB expressed concern that elected Members were not directly involved in the process. It was unclear why there was a lack of enthusiasm for their involvement given their role in decision making and funding.
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| 10 | Governance Consultative Board | |
| The next meeting of the Consultative Board would be on 17 March 2021.
PL proposed that the following items be included on the agenda for discussion and would be raised by BASG members as follows:
– Schools Forum (JP) – HR and Legal Support for Governing Boards (AS) – Schools as Polling Stations (MB) – Ofsted Review (AB) – Disadvantaged and Vulnerable Reference Group (JP)
PL would make Simon James aware of these topics in advance of the meeting.
JP confirmed that she had put herself forwards for election to Schools Forum. The outcome of this process would be known by 9 March 2021. The next meeting of Schools Forum would be 23 March 2021. The previous meeting had been on 19 January 2021 and it was anticipated that a report from this meeting would be available to the Consultative Board on 17 March 2021.
AS would prepare a paper on HR and Legal Support for the Consultative Board meeting and would send a draft to PL.
It was noted that national funding had been made available to avoid using schools as polling stations for the May 2021 elections. It was agreed it would be useful to seek clarity on the Bucks position at the Consultative Board meeting.
PR would also raise plans for school improvement at the meeting.
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PL
AS
PR
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| 11 | AOB | |
|
Schools Forum JP would seek clarify on the process for electing members to Schools Forum
Chair of Governors Required – Junior School in the Amersham Area
JP highlighted that a Junior School in the Amersham area required an experience Chair of Governors and asked for any suggestions.
BASG Communication AS was thanked for circulating information on vaccination and potential vaccination policies and for signposting Stone King legal guidance. The importance of governors asking questions about these areas was discussed. It was acknowledged that these were difficult issues and there were no definitive answers.
Co-operative Schools Conference MB highlighted that he had attend a Co-operative Schools Conference discussing ‘What will schools look like Post-Covid?’ and this had been very interesting. |
JP
All
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| 12 | Dates / Times of Future Meetings | |
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Dates and times for future meetings were agreed as follows:
Monday 19 April 2021 5pm
The meeting closed at 8.30pm |
| Meeting: | BASG EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE
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| Date & Time: | 1 February 2021 at 5.00pm
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| Location: | Virtual meeting via Zoom
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| Present:
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Paul Randall (Chair), Anne Sheddick (Vice Chair), Maggi Bull,
Joanne Marchant, Peter Learner, Bernadette Allison, Jo Pearce, Martin Baxter, Andrew Brown, Gwyneth Langley (Secretary) |
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Agenda Item
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Action |
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| 1. | Apologies for Absence | |
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There were no apologies for absence
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| 2 | Notification of Any Other Business | |
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It was agreed that the following would be discussed under Any Other Business: – BASG Website – Clerks Well-Being – BASG Bank Accounts
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| 3 | Declarations of Interest | |
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Gwyneth Langley – BEP |
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| 4 | Approval of Minutes From the Meeting Held on 11 January 2021 | |
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The minutes of the meeting held on 11 January 2021 were approved.
Matters arising within the minutes including follow up actions are covered within this agenda.
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| 5 | Local Networking Groups | |
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Aylesbury Group The Aylesbury networking group had met on 20 January 2021. This had been Chaired by MB and AS / PR had attended. There had been a useful and wide ranging discussion which had included: – BASG – Lack of face to face contact with schools – The difficulties of parental engagement with home learning in some cases – Lateral flow tests
PR had received feedback from a Chair that the meeting had provided very useful support.
It was agreed that all schools were doing remarkable work in the area of home learning. The importance of blended learning was discussed as the amount of screen time could be an issue for all age groups. It was agreed that schools needed to do what was right for their community. – AB shared his experience of secondary home learning where a shortened timetable had been introduced on one day in the week to support students and teacher well-being. – MB shared messages from a seminar recently attended and highlighted the importance of considering learnings from this period and what should kept, lost and developed going forwards. – PL shared experience of the Working Group on Covid-19 at his school. Communication was acknowledged to be key as well as thanks and encouragement to staff.
AS highlighted the implications for governors and monitoring. It was important that governors understood what was being done, what elements of the curriculum were currently being delivered and the impact of this.
Jordans Networking Group The group would meet on 6 February 2021. 25-35 attendees were expected.
Chesham, Amersham, Great Missenden and Wendover Group The group would meet on 17 February 2021. 17 people had confirmed attendance so far. AB would be using breakout rooms during the session.
It was agreed that a strong communication flow from local networking groups to the Local Authority was essential to ensure that issues were captured and raised.
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| 6 | Governance Consultative Board | |
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PL gave an update on the December 2020 meeting of the Governance Consultative Board. There had been good discussion and interaction between governors and members of the LA. Progress appeared to be being made in a number of areas and it was important that this continued.
The next meeting of the Consultative Board would be on 17 March 2021 and potential issues to raise would be discussed at the next BASG meeting (1 March 2021)
It was noted that there was no direct link with Schools Forum on either BASG or the Consultative Board. PL had raised this at the Consultative Board and there was likely to be a report from Schools Forum at the next meeting.
It was noted that there had been no national decision as yet whether local elections scheduled for May 2021 would take place or would be postponed to the Autumn 2021. MB raised concerns that schools may be asked to close for a day to act as a polling station. JM highlighted that they did not need to close if they were able to operate safely during an election but schools may not be aware of this.
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Agenda 1 March ‘21 |
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| 7 | BEP | |
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GL gave a brief update on BEP services going forwards:
– The Key would now be offered as an option as part of BEP subscriptions. – BEP would be recruiting for an additional Governance Adviser for Bucks services and this may be an opportunity for a Governor or Clerk in the County.
A number of concerns had been raised by Chairs and Clerks around the quality of investigations, particularly HR investigations, some carried out by members of the LA HR team. In some cases there appeared to be a lack of clarity around the role of governors in these processes.
Concerns around HR investigations were discussed. Poor investigation processes and lack of understand regarding the role of governors could put all parties into difficult positions and be extremely expensive to resolve.
It was agreed that this issue should be raised at the Consultative Board. PL proposed a paper to summarise key issues. AS had already progressed a draft paper and would speak to other members of the group to seek input on this.
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AS
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| 8 | BASG AGM | |
| The minutes of the BASG AGM held on 14 January 2021 were approved.
AS had sent an Amazon voucher to Emma Knights thanking her for her participation at the event. Emma had kindly donated this back to Bucks governors. It was proposed that this be spend on a number of books. Potential mechanisms for distributing the books were discussed and this would be progressed.
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AS
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| 9 | Communications with Bucks Council | |
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This has been discussed under item 6.
PR considered it positive that Gareth Drawmer had sought the views of BASG during the decision making period on school re-opening at the beginning of January 2021.
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| 10 | BASG Newsletter | |
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The aim was for this to be circulated by February half term. JM and BA continued to work on this. The newsletter would be circulated to all those who have signed up via the BASG website. Hazel David would also be asked to circulate this to Chairs and Clerks.
AS would forward details of a recommended book for inclusion.
MB would forward a handout on governance of SEN.
AB and MB would forward mini-biographies to JM / BA for inclusion within the newsletter and on the BASG website.
The frequency of the BASG newsletter would be discussed at the next meeting on 1 March |
AS
MB
AB / MB Agenda 1 March ‘21
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| 11 | AOB | |
| BASG Bank Account
The issue with bank account signatories had now been resolved. JP / PR would arrange to make any outstanding payments.
Clerk Well-Being The importance of including Clerks within discussions on well-being was highlighted. This was suggested for possible inclusion within the BASG newsletter.
BASG Website It was noted that some items on the BASG website were hard to find due to the stacking arrangements. PR would ask Tomas Pukalski about this. |
JP / PR
PR
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| 12 | Dates / Times of Future Meetings | |
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Dates and times for future meetings were agreed as follows:
Monday 1 March 2021 5pm Monday 19 April 2021 5pm
To note next meeting of the Governance Consultative Board 17 March 2021
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| Meeting: | BASG AGM
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| Date & Time: | 14.1.2021 at 17.00
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| Location: | Virtually via Teams
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| Present:
Apologies: |
Executive Committee
Paul Randall (Chair), Anne Sheddick (Vice Chair), Jo Pearce (Treasurer), Maggi Bull, Joanne Marchant, Peter Lerner, Gwyneth Langley, Bernadette Allison (Secretary)
None |
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Agenda Subject
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Action |
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1. |
Welcome
Apologies |
Chair (PR) welcomed everyone, with over seventy attendees virtually through Teams
None |
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2. |
Minutes of the AGM held on 27.11.2019 |
Minutes of our AGM held on the 27.11.2019 – have been seen by our Executive Committee who are happy to approve. They will also be posted on the web site.
Minutes approved. |
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3. |
Matters arising
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None |
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4. |
Adoption of the accounts for the year ending 31 August 2020
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Adoption of the accounts for the year ending 31 August 2020
• Balance stands at £3506.59 • Currently membership of BASG is free and all schools are members so we have no further income. • At present we have a balance in the accounts for the current year.
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PR/JP |
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5.
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Report of BASG activities in 2019/2020
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Report of BASG activities in 2019/20 – some of the main ones are:
• Meetings with BC continue in order to best serve governance across the authority. • The LA has most recently ensured that communication emails and updates linked to the Leadership & Management of schools is also sent to Chairs for their information. This is very helpful and removes the additional responsibility for headteachers to have to communicate this to Chairs. • Thank you to the LA for maintaining the link with NGA through membership for schools within the authority. This has ensured that governors have immediate access to this professional organization for guidance through the NGA. It also provides the most valuable Learning Link. This platform enables all members to access online up to date training for the roles and responsibilities of governors. • BASG new website was launched during 2020. A special thank you to Tomas Pukalski who made this possible and hosts the site for BASG – Framework Digital – Google Partner & CRM in Aylesbury. • BASG are also thankful to PR’s daughter (AR) who through the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award youth achievement scheme, keeps the site updated and linked to social media and Twitter. • The highlighting training needs for Governors to BC has resulted in virtual training meetings taking place for governors. These sessions have been very well attended. BASG welcomes these continuing. • BASG representatives continue on the School Governors Consultative Board which is attended by Senior LA officers and elected Members • Representatives from BASG also attend Side by Side meetings • BASG represent views of governors through network groups, which is anticipated will continue and further blossom through the present year • It is hoped Mentoring will move forward for new Chairs with robust, effective and passionate governance throughout Buckinghamshire.
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8. |
Election of Officers |
Election of Officers – the following have highlighted their willingness to stand again
Chair – Paul Randall – proposed and seconded Vice Chair – Anne Sheddick – proposed and seconded Treasurer – Jo Pearce – proposed and seconded Secretary – Gwyneth Langley – proposed and seconded
The Executive Committee are also willing to stand again:
Maggi Bull Peter Lerner Joanne Marchant Tomas Pukalski Gwyneth Langley Bernadette Allison
We have two further nominations to join the Executive Committee:
Martin Baxter – proposed and seconded Andrew Brown – proposed and seconded
We have a vacancy for 1 more committee member. If anybody would like to join BASG Executive Committee, please contact Paul Randall.
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9. |
Open members discussion |
Open Members discussion – no questions. |
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10. |
AOB |
No other business
BASG is the local voice for governing boards and can only act on information that is provided to us. Please engage with us via web site, or using PR contact details.
Contact details are:
07818453741
AGM meeting closed at 17.20.
PR welcomed guest speaker Emma Knights OBE, Executive Director NGA who presented on ‘The Governors’ role.
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| Keynote Speaker | Emma Knights
Emma begun by explaining the role of the NGA. She thanked schools and the BASG for what is being done for pupils and communities, especially during COVID times. NGA aims to be our voice with the DfE and other national agencies.
She discussed the top six priorities which governors have identified during lockdown as:
Ø Balancing the budget 40% Ø Staff wellbeing including workload 36% Ø Ensuring a broad and balanced curriculum 28% Ø Improving attainment 28% Ø Pupil wellbeing 28% Ø Support for pupils with SEND 22%
Emma shared with us what she saw as positive legacy from COVID Ø Some new ways of governing will be retained in part: improving attendance & efficiency Ø The central importance of schools to their community Ø Better collaboration across the localities, including with other agencies Ø Is there evidence of formal groups of schools (MAT or federation) providing support, especially for smaller schools
However, there are concerns, especially: Ø Recruitment & retention of school leaders Ø Disadvantaged gap
Her thoughts for the future: Ø Stronger relationships with parents Ø Renewed emphasis on different groups of children Ø Curriculum to remain central stage Ø School improvement via CPD Ø More diverse board Ø More sharing of tasks and responsibility
Emma talked about creating a strategy to turn vision into reality by taking control of your own destiny. Good governance is ethical, effective and accountable. She also spoke about the Visible Governance Campaign which promotes the value that good governance brings to the school system and the Outstanding Governance Awards 2021.
In part, the future of schools is in the hands of governors. Emma also made us aware that not all authorities have such a group as BASG. She thanked the BASG for the invitation.
Emma then answered a variety of questions covering: • Recruitment • Funding • Diversity of Boards • Localism • Safeguarding • Academisation • Remote Education • Service Providers
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PR thanked Emma for her thought provoking presentation and for giving of her time to attend the meeting. PR also thanked the attendees for joining the meeting and asked for them to engage with us through the links on the BASG website.
The event finished at 18.33pm |
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| Meeting: | BASG EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE
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| Date & Time: | 11 January 2021 at 17.00 hours
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| Location: | Virtual meeting through Zoom
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| Present:
Apologies: |
Paul Randall (Chair), Anne Sheddick (Vice Chair), Maggi Bull,
Joanne Marchant, Peter Learner, Bernadette Allison (Secretary)
Gwyneth Langley join the meeting at 17.10
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|
Agenda Subject |
Action |
||
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1. |
Apologies for absence
|
GL will be able to join just after the start of the meeting. |
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2. |
Notification of any other business
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None |
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3. |
Declaration of interest
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Gwyneth Langley – BEP |
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4. |
Approval of minutes from the meeting held on 9.11.2020
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Matters arising within the minutes including follow up actions are covered within the agenda.
Minutes approved.
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5.
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Future of BASG & membership
|
GL joined the meeting. PR is finalizing signatories for the accounts. PR explained that the working relationship with LA continues to blossom. The COVID situation has meant governorship has had to develop as a virtual role. It was felt that the further development and linking with the Networking groups would be a good dovetailing for governorship across the authority. Two possible new members had contacted PR and they will be attending the AGM for nomination. Their presence on the Executive group may well facilitate further links with and development of networking groups across Bucks. It was felt in the present pandemic situation we need to encourage networking across the authority. Governors are not having the opportunity to meet face to face with little opportunity for networking. It was also agreed that the group would like to ensure that a more regular BASG newsletter is made available through the link on the website. The purpose of this will be to communicate, signpost events and happenings for governors in their role. JM and BA will liaise to ensure this happens with one being finalized and published before the Spring half term. Contributions will be sort from the Executive group. |
Email sent to the BASG Executive group 12.01.21 |
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6. |
BEP update |
In order to ensure there is an overview of the needs of governors across the county, GL on behalf of BEP, fed back the following information from BEP’s awareness:
· Training bookings have increased · Queries on the role of governors during the pandemic situation · Remote Education · Number of pupils in school · Information on how to complete present procedures/processes · Various questions linked to the present situation · Chairs briefing on 5th March
The group were pleased to receive this overview. |
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7. |
Schools |
The present situation has put tremendous additional pressure on Headteachers in schools. The LA is aware of this and support for schools is a priority. The group discussed the issue of making testing available for all school staff as a priority. PL has been looking into this and he will continue to follow up on this. This could provide further confidence for schools to be open for all pupils as soon as possible. It may also lessen the anxiety from parents which has meant they do not wish their children to attend school during the COVID situation. This in certain sectors of communities, further exasperates disadvantaged pupils.
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8. |
BASG AGM |
The BASG AGM will be on 14.01.2021. The minutes from the previous AGM were reviewed with no further action required. Martin Baxter and Andrew Brown are keen to join the Executive group. They will attend the AGM and will be nominated. Martin Baxter co-ordinates the Aylesbury Networking group and Andrew Brown is keen to resurface the Chesham networking/partnership group.
The AGM will be held virtually through Teams.
AGM Timings: 17.00 – 17.30 – AGM 17.30 -18.00 – Guest Speaker, Emma Knights 18.00 – 18.15 – Questions for Emma Knights
PR & AS are co-ordinating the AGM with the link to go out to 80 attendees. Minutes from the previous AGM will be on the BASG website.
Emma Knights OBE – (Chief Executive NGA) will be the Keynote speaker |
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9. |
Communication with BC |
PR informed the group that he is involved in on-going communication and discussions with the LA. The training programme from the LA continues with a further agenda being issued for the second half of the Spring Term.
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10 |
AOB |
None
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Date and venue of next meeting |
The date for the next meeting of the BASG Executive group 1.2.2021 at 17.00
Meeting closed at 18.15
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