Category: Governance

Dr Tim Coulson, the regional schools commissioner (RSC) for the East of England and North-East London, including Haringey, has announced that he will be stepping down from his post over the summer. He will take on a new role as chief executive of the Samuel Ward Academy Trust, a multi academy trust running 15 schools in Suffolk.

RSCs are responsible for making decisions about academy trusts and intervening in cases of underperformance. RSCs are part of the civil service and the Department for Education are currently advertising for Dr Coulson's replacement(external link).

The Department for Education (DfE) has published a Competency Framework for clerks. The new non-statutory guidance sets out the competencies required for professional clerking to school governing boards and multi academy trust boards.

The Framework details specific knowledge, skills and effective behaviours for clerks, grouped under the following competencies:

• understanding governance: understanding the board’s duties and responsibilities including governance legislation and procedures;
• administration: ensuring that the processes and procedures of governance are administered efficiently;
• advice and guidance: access to timely and accurate advice and guidance, or signposting to expert advice where appropriate;
• people and relationships: ensuring that the board has accurate records of its people and their skills.

If your school would like any information about Haringey’s Clerking Services please contact Carolyn Banks, Governance Services Manager at carolyn.banks@haringey.gov.uk

In February the House of Commons Education Select Committee published its report on the retention and recruitment of teachers. The report stated that the “number of different routes into teaching are not always understood by applicants and can be confusing”. The Department for Education (DfE) has responded by saying it has been “working to improve the support available”, aiming to make the application process more straightforward, while also emphasising the extent of existing support that applicants can access.

The report also called for the government to pursue its plan of launching a “national vacancy website which would be free to schools”. The DfE confirmed that it plans to produce information and guidance, including case studies, which will assist schools with advertising jobs at a low cost, as well as developing “common standards for vacancy adverts and application forms”.  The government agreed to create a vacancy website, “if there is sufficient benefit” in doing so. The completion of exit interviews was another key ask by the committee; the department said it “would welcome the contribution that this would make to help understand why teachers leave the profession”.

The government has published the School Governance (Constitution and Federations) (England) (Amendment) Regulations 2017 which will enforce changes to the constitutional arrangements of maintained school governing bodies, including federated governing bodies.

From 1 September 2017 maintained school governing bodies will have the power to remove elected parent and staff governors in the same way as they can remove co-opted governors – that is, by majority decision of the governing body.

From 1 May 2017, any person who has held office as an elected parent or staff governor and been removed from the governing body during their term of office, will be disqualified from serving or continuing to serve as a school governor for five years from the date of their removal.

Governing boards must ensure that their code of conduct provides a clear framework for basing decisions to remove individuals from the governing board, regardless of whether they have been elected or appointed.

The Department for Education (DfE) has launched a public consultation (external link)  on the future of the primary assessment system in England. Details are included in a statement (external link) made to Parliament on 30 March by Secretary of State for Education, Justine Greening.

The consultation sets out wide-ranging proposals for improving the primary assessment system. These include consideration of the best starting point from which to measure pupils' progress, how to ensure the assessment system is proportionate, and how to improve end of key stage assessments.

A parallel consultation (external link) is asking for views on the recommendations of the independent Rochford Review. The recommendations focus on the future of statutory assessment arrangements for pupils working below the standard of national curriculum tests at the end of key stages 1 and 2.

All those with an interest in primary education are encouraged to engage with these consultation exercises and to share their opinions and insights. Both consultations are open until 22 June 2017.

The DfE have invited those with any questions to contact the assessment policy team at PrimaryAssessment.CONSULTATION@education.gov.uk or Rochford.Review@education.gov.uk.

A new recruitment guide has been published for the Inspiring Governance service. ‘The right people around the table’ is a practical guide designed to help school governors and trustees plan and carry out recruitment and induction. The guide highlights good practice for induction, training and succession. Five short chapters cover:

• Evaluating: composition and current practice
• Recruiting: attracting good candidates
• Appointing: interviewing and references
• Inducting: training and support
• Succession planning: ensuring there is leadership of the board     

The guide is designed to complement the Inspiring Governance, which is a free online recruitment service connecting volunteers interested in serving as governors and trustees with schools who are looking for new recruits. Inspiring Governance is funded by the Department for Education and run by the charity Education and Employers in partnership with the National Governance Association.

Find out more here and download ‘the right people around the table’ (external link)