Board of Directors
S. PETER’S COLLEGIATE SCHOOL GOVERNORS Minutes of the AGM and Meeting of the Board of Directors on Thursday 24 November 2016 at 5.30pm Present: Mr T Barnard Mr G Cresswell Mrs D Dalton Ms J Eminson - Chair Mr N Morgan
In Attendance: Mrs D Polowyj Mrs K Preston Revd Preb D Wright Mrs D Williams
Mr D Cooke – Associate Principal Mrs T Freemantle – Clerk
Opening Prayer The meeting opened with prayers led by Rev Preb Wright. 16.37
Apologies Apologies were received together with reasons for absence from Mr Bickley, Mrs Troth, Mr Randles, Mr Lewis. Mr Hopkins and Dr Primrose also sent their apologies and the Chair advised that Rev Preb Wright has been appointed as their proxy. Directors were advised that Mr Barnard would be arriving late and Mrs Dalton would have to leave the meeting early. Directors consented to the absences and accepted apologies.
16.38
Declaration of Business Interests and Confidentiality Directors were advised that there is an item on the agenda regarding Parent Governors in which Mrs Williams and Mr Cresswell will have an interest.
16.39
Safeguarding There were no Safeguarding issues to be discussed. Mr Barnard entered the meeting.
16.40
Decisions of FGB Reached by Email 4. Scheme of Delegation 5. 19/9/16 Consent to purchase of Risk Protection 6. 14/10/16 Approval of substantive Principal's pay grade 7. 31/10/16 Amendments to Scheme of Delegation 8. 4/11/16 Alterations to person spec for substantive Principal. The decisions were noted. Directors raised concern that after having made a decision with regard to item 4, they had to revisit the decisions due to action by Academicis.
16.41
Chair’s Decisions & Correspondence There was none.
Page 1 of 5
16.42
Decisions to be Made by Full Board of Directors (Appendix A) Directors discussed the decisions and the following was highlighted: 1. Co-option of Parent Governors Directors confirmed that Mr Cresswell and Mrs Williams should remain in the meeting. It was proposed that Mr Cresswell and Mrs Williams be co-opted onto the Board of Directors until the end of January 2017 whilst the process of electing new Parent Governors is underway. Directors felt that in the absence of this action, the day to day running of the Governing Body would be impossible to fulfil. Subject to the ballot, new Parent Governors will be appointed from the 12 December 2016. Directors agreed unanimously.
16.43
2. Approval of Funding for DT Extraction Unit The Chair advised that the Resources Committee has recommended that Governors‘ funds, which are restricted for capital use, are utilised to fund the work required to the DT extraction unit. This work will ensure that Health & Safety regulations are met and safeguard staff and students using the machinery. Directors agreed unanimously.
16.44
3. Funding of Chaplain Funding of the Chaplain role was discussed as recorded in confidential Appendix B.
16.45
4. PE Kit (appendix B) Directors felt that the school tracksuit is already expensive and parents advise that it is rarely worn. It was suggested that it should be optional or any dark blue tracksuit be allowed. However it was also felt that school teams should wear the same uniform. It was agreed that Mrs Preston would meet with the PE department to discuss the kit further and report back to Directors. Action KP The Associate Principal entered the meeting.
16.46
5. Curriculum Changes The following changes had been discussed by the Attainment & Progress Committee and recommended to the Full Governing Body: With effect from January 2017, lower ability students in Y11 for whom progress in languages is not good, will be given the opportunity to drop German and take additional English and Maths instead. Following a question from Directors the Associate Principal confirmed that parents will be consulted before any changes are made. These changes have been discussed by the Attainment & Progress Committee who are recommending them to the Full Governing Body. Directors agreed unanimously to the changes. With effect from September 2017, the proposals allow for the study of a second language by the top two sets in years 7 & 8. The lower sets will study one language and take additional English and Maths. In Year 9 the top sets will carry on with at least one language but lower sets will have the opportunity to drop languages. Agreement in principal only to the changes, with effect from September 17, Page 2 of 5
is sought at present. The Attainment & Progress Committee are recommending the changes but there are no Resources implications available as yet. Directors agreed to the proposals in principle and the Associate Principal confirmed that further information will be available by February. Action DCk 16.47
Presentation by External Auditors The Chair welcomed Mr Morris from Dains Accountants who referred Directors to the draft accounts and highlighted as follows: Audit Clearance Memorandum Item 2.1 shows that whilst there was a deficit in 2014/15 the trend has been reversed in 2015/16 and both staff costs and overheads have reduced. However, staff costs are set to rise in 2016/17. The Management Response on the following page explains that on-costs will actually be slightly lower than originally budgeted. Savings against budget of £35-£45k per month, are current being made. Four Management Points were raised in 2014/15, all of which have been actioned. One Management Point was raised in 2015/16; this was a best practise point only and was an isolated incident. Mr Morris confirmed that Accountants are happy to sign off the accounts confirming that the school can continue as a going concern (ie the school can pay their liabilities as they fall due) and this decision is documented in the notes. Draft Accounts Page 38, Note 15 – The statement of Funds shows a deficit in restricted funds of £76,541 brought forward, £97,553 was transferred in from general funds and £22,394 was carried forward. £123k was transferred from Governors’ funds. LGPS revenue funds were carried forward as (£1,277,541) but have been revised and now stand at (£1,871,000). This is due to actuary assumptions and have been applied across the board. Balance Sheet, page 21: Creditors (446K) includes an element of deferred income, accrued expenditure and £113k owed to the LA on a repayment plan. The narrative on page 24 confirms why the accounts are signed off as a going concern. Following a question from Directors as to whether the EFA might have any concerns regarding the accounts, Mr Morris advised that as the school was still vulnerable with reserves of only £22k, it may be on the EFA watch list. Directors agreed unanimously to approve the accounts and thanked the Business Manager and her team for their hard work. A Director queried whether the accounts for the Friends of S Peter’s should be audited. Mr Morris advised that it will depend on the constitution but unless specified to the contrary, no audit will be required due to the low amount of income. He also suggested that checks are made to ensure that the constitution is up to date and the Chair agreed to speak to the Chair of the Friends. Action JE Directors thanked Mr Morris who left the meeting.
Page 3 of 5
16.48
Decisions to be Made by Full Board of Directors 6. School Day (Appendix C) The Associate Principal referred Directors to appendix C regarding proposals for changes to the School day. During discussions the following was highlighted: Lunchtimes are currently too long and cause issues for the whole school. Lunchtime and catering were the biggest issues raised in the recent survey. It is therefore proposed that lunchtime is split into 3 x 25 minute sessions where students are in the dining room eating or out on the tennis courts. Proposal 1 - With effect from January; the school day will still start at 9am and lessons will be remain at 50 minutes with double lessons where possible. However lunchtimes will change and there will be a split lesson for one year group ie they will go to lesson for half an hour, break for lunch and then return to the same lesson. Mrs Williams left the meeting. Proposal 1 has not yet been discussed with staff but they are happy with proposal 2 which is the proposal from Sept 2017. Although the school day ends at 3.20, students catching the school bus will be able to remain in the dining room for homework club. Other students will be free to leave at 3.20. Directors were concerned that parents have not yet been consulted regarding the changes and felt that the new school bell system will need to be in place before the trial starts. It was suggested that proposal 1 is implemented on a trial basis up to February half term, to ensure that students have sufficient time to be served and eat lunch before any permanent changes are made. Directors agreed unanimously. Action DL Option 2 – with effect from September 2017: Parents must be consulted regarding the changes to the timings of the school day. Once this has been done and if the lunchtime trial has been successful, perhaps changes could commence after February half term. Action DL Staff terms and conditions will also need to be looked at. Action DL Directors asked that proposals with effect from February half term are referred back to them.
16.49
ANY OTHER BUSINESS Access Policy (Appendix D) Directors approved the Access Policy subject to a couple of minor changes. Action TF Information required for SIMS (Appendix E) To enable Directors to be contacted in the event of an emergency, details will have to be input into SIMS. Directors had no objections to this and were asked to let the Clerk have emergency contact details. British Values Copies of the British Values were distributed, for information. DATE OF NEXT MEETING The next meeting will be held on Tuesday 13 December at 5.30pm. The meeting closed at 7.35. Page 4 of 5
Signed:________________________________(Chair of The Board of Directors)
Date:__________________________________
FGB Meeting 24 November 2016 Action Log Action
By Whom
1. Meet with PE Dept to discuss kit 2. Further info on Curriculum changes wef Sept to FGB nyFeb after discussion at A & P & Resources 3. Speak to Chair of Friend’s re their constitution 4. Trial short lunchtimes until Feb half term 5. Consult parents re changes to timings of school day 6. Look at staff terms and conditions re school day changes 7. Update Access Policy
Page 5 of 5
KP DCK JE DL DL DL TF
In Attendance: Mrs D Polowyj Mrs K Preston Revd Preb D Wright Mrs D Williams
Mr D Cooke – Associate Principal Mrs T Freemantle – Clerk
Opening Prayer The meeting opened with prayers led by Rev Preb Wright. 16.37
Apologies Apologies were received together with reasons for absence from Mr Bickley, Mrs Troth, Mr Randles, Mr Lewis. Mr Hopkins and Dr Primrose also sent their apologies and the Chair advised that Rev Preb Wright has been appointed as their proxy. Directors were advised that Mr Barnard would be arriving late and Mrs Dalton would have to leave the meeting early. Directors consented to the absences and accepted apologies.
16.38
Declaration of Business Interests and Confidentiality Directors were advised that there is an item on the agenda regarding Parent Governors in which Mrs Williams and Mr Cresswell will have an interest.
16.39
Safeguarding There were no Safeguarding issues to be discussed. Mr Barnard entered the meeting.
16.40
Decisions of FGB Reached by Email 4. Scheme of Delegation 5. 19/9/16 Consent to purchase of Risk Protection 6. 14/10/16 Approval of substantive Principal's pay grade 7. 31/10/16 Amendments to Scheme of Delegation 8. 4/11/16 Alterations to person spec for substantive Principal. The decisions were noted. Directors raised concern that after having made a decision with regard to item 4, they had to revisit the decisions due to action by Academicis.
16.41
Chair’s Decisions & Correspondence There was none.
Page 1 of 5
16.42
Decisions to be Made by Full Board of Directors (Appendix A) Directors discussed the decisions and the following was highlighted: 1. Co-option of Parent Governors Directors confirmed that Mr Cresswell and Mrs Williams should remain in the meeting. It was proposed that Mr Cresswell and Mrs Williams be co-opted onto the Board of Directors until the end of January 2017 whilst the process of electing new Parent Governors is underway. Directors felt that in the absence of this action, the day to day running of the Governing Body would be impossible to fulfil. Subject to the ballot, new Parent Governors will be appointed from the 12 December 2016. Directors agreed unanimously.
16.43
2. Approval of Funding for DT Extraction Unit The Chair advised that the Resources Committee has recommended that Governors‘ funds, which are restricted for capital use, are utilised to fund the work required to the DT extraction unit. This work will ensure that Health & Safety regulations are met and safeguard staff and students using the machinery. Directors agreed unanimously.
16.44
3. Funding of Chaplain Funding of the Chaplain role was discussed as recorded in confidential Appendix B.
16.45
4. PE Kit (appendix B) Directors felt that the school tracksuit is already expensive and parents advise that it is rarely worn. It was suggested that it should be optional or any dark blue tracksuit be allowed. However it was also felt that school teams should wear the same uniform. It was agreed that Mrs Preston would meet with the PE department to discuss the kit further and report back to Directors. Action KP The Associate Principal entered the meeting.
16.46
5. Curriculum Changes The following changes had been discussed by the Attainment & Progress Committee and recommended to the Full Governing Body: With effect from January 2017, lower ability students in Y11 for whom progress in languages is not good, will be given the opportunity to drop German and take additional English and Maths instead. Following a question from Directors the Associate Principal confirmed that parents will be consulted before any changes are made. These changes have been discussed by the Attainment & Progress Committee who are recommending them to the Full Governing Body. Directors agreed unanimously to the changes. With effect from September 2017, the proposals allow for the study of a second language by the top two sets in years 7 & 8. The lower sets will study one language and take additional English and Maths. In Year 9 the top sets will carry on with at least one language but lower sets will have the opportunity to drop languages. Agreement in principal only to the changes, with effect from September 17, Page 2 of 5
is sought at present. The Attainment & Progress Committee are recommending the changes but there are no Resources implications available as yet. Directors agreed to the proposals in principle and the Associate Principal confirmed that further information will be available by February. Action DCk 16.47
Presentation by External Auditors The Chair welcomed Mr Morris from Dains Accountants who referred Directors to the draft accounts and highlighted as follows: Audit Clearance Memorandum Item 2.1 shows that whilst there was a deficit in 2014/15 the trend has been reversed in 2015/16 and both staff costs and overheads have reduced. However, staff costs are set to rise in 2016/17. The Management Response on the following page explains that on-costs will actually be slightly lower than originally budgeted. Savings against budget of £35-£45k per month, are current being made. Four Management Points were raised in 2014/15, all of which have been actioned. One Management Point was raised in 2015/16; this was a best practise point only and was an isolated incident. Mr Morris confirmed that Accountants are happy to sign off the accounts confirming that the school can continue as a going concern (ie the school can pay their liabilities as they fall due) and this decision is documented in the notes. Draft Accounts Page 38, Note 15 – The statement of Funds shows a deficit in restricted funds of £76,541 brought forward, £97,553 was transferred in from general funds and £22,394 was carried forward. £123k was transferred from Governors’ funds. LGPS revenue funds were carried forward as (£1,277,541) but have been revised and now stand at (£1,871,000). This is due to actuary assumptions and have been applied across the board. Balance Sheet, page 21: Creditors (446K) includes an element of deferred income, accrued expenditure and £113k owed to the LA on a repayment plan. The narrative on page 24 confirms why the accounts are signed off as a going concern. Following a question from Directors as to whether the EFA might have any concerns regarding the accounts, Mr Morris advised that as the school was still vulnerable with reserves of only £22k, it may be on the EFA watch list. Directors agreed unanimously to approve the accounts and thanked the Business Manager and her team for their hard work. A Director queried whether the accounts for the Friends of S Peter’s should be audited. Mr Morris advised that it will depend on the constitution but unless specified to the contrary, no audit will be required due to the low amount of income. He also suggested that checks are made to ensure that the constitution is up to date and the Chair agreed to speak to the Chair of the Friends. Action JE Directors thanked Mr Morris who left the meeting.
Page 3 of 5
16.48
Decisions to be Made by Full Board of Directors 6. School Day (Appendix C) The Associate Principal referred Directors to appendix C regarding proposals for changes to the School day. During discussions the following was highlighted: Lunchtimes are currently too long and cause issues for the whole school. Lunchtime and catering were the biggest issues raised in the recent survey. It is therefore proposed that lunchtime is split into 3 x 25 minute sessions where students are in the dining room eating or out on the tennis courts. Proposal 1 - With effect from January; the school day will still start at 9am and lessons will be remain at 50 minutes with double lessons where possible. However lunchtimes will change and there will be a split lesson for one year group ie they will go to lesson for half an hour, break for lunch and then return to the same lesson. Mrs Williams left the meeting. Proposal 1 has not yet been discussed with staff but they are happy with proposal 2 which is the proposal from Sept 2017. Although the school day ends at 3.20, students catching the school bus will be able to remain in the dining room for homework club. Other students will be free to leave at 3.20. Directors were concerned that parents have not yet been consulted regarding the changes and felt that the new school bell system will need to be in place before the trial starts. It was suggested that proposal 1 is implemented on a trial basis up to February half term, to ensure that students have sufficient time to be served and eat lunch before any permanent changes are made. Directors agreed unanimously. Action DL Option 2 – with effect from September 2017: Parents must be consulted regarding the changes to the timings of the school day. Once this has been done and if the lunchtime trial has been successful, perhaps changes could commence after February half term. Action DL Staff terms and conditions will also need to be looked at. Action DL Directors asked that proposals with effect from February half term are referred back to them.
16.49
ANY OTHER BUSINESS Access Policy (Appendix D) Directors approved the Access Policy subject to a couple of minor changes. Action TF Information required for SIMS (Appendix E) To enable Directors to be contacted in the event of an emergency, details will have to be input into SIMS. Directors had no objections to this and were asked to let the Clerk have emergency contact details. British Values Copies of the British Values were distributed, for information. DATE OF NEXT MEETING The next meeting will be held on Tuesday 13 December at 5.30pm. The meeting closed at 7.35. Page 4 of 5
Signed:________________________________(Chair of The Board of Directors)
Date:__________________________________
FGB Meeting 24 November 2016 Action Log Action
By Whom
1. Meet with PE Dept to discuss kit 2. Further info on Curriculum changes wef Sept to FGB nyFeb after discussion at A & P & Resources 3. Speak to Chair of Friend’s re their constitution 4. Trial short lunchtimes until Feb half term 5. Consult parents re changes to timings of school day 6. Look at staff terms and conditions re school day changes 7. Update Access Policy
Page 5 of 5
KP DCK JE DL DL DL TF
