Category: Governance

We need to recruit more people to become school governors in Haringey. Any publicity that you can give to this campaign would  be helpful.

Make a difference – become a school governor

Would you like to make a difference to the life chances of pupils in Haringey schools and become a member of the largest pool of volunteers in England? The consider becoming a school governor!

Strong governance is vital for successful school leadership. Governors set the highest expectations, enabling every child to have the best start in life through a high quality school experience.

We are seeking committed and enthusiastic people with analytical skills to make a positive contribution to school leadership in Haringey’s schools.

Watch this short video of some Haringey residents explaining why they have become school governors.

To find out more, please contact Haringey Education Partnership on 020 3967 5093/5097 or email: governorservices@haringeyeducationpartnership.co.uk

The Chancellor of the Exchequer used his autumn statement to announce that school spending will rise by £7.1 billion over the next three years. Secondary schools will be given a minimum of £5,000 per pupil by 2020-21, while primary schools will receive £4,000 per pupil by 2021-22.

The government also plans to raise the starting salary for teachers to £30,000 within three years whilst the budget for supporting children and young people with special educational needs will rise by £700m compared to 2019-20 funding levels. A further £400 million was pledged to boost further education for 16-19 year olds.

The latest edition of the government’s safeguarding guidance, Keeping Children Safe in Education 2019, has been released with minor revisions. Governing boards must ensure that they are compliant with the document, and are aware of their responsibilities as a board. 

A model role profile for a governor with Safeguarding is available from Governors Services. Please contact Carolyn Banks, Lead for Governors Services at Haringey Education Partnership for a copy.

The Secretary of State for Education Gavin Williamson commented on the issue of pupil discipline, emphasising the government’s support for headteachers to be able to enforce “proper and full discipline” within their schools. Mr Williamson acknowledged that suspension and expulsion should not be the “first course of action” and that many schools already had “well-structured discipline.”

It was announced that “crack teams” would be sent to support the small number of schools that are “really stuck … making sure that the discipline that is so vital for their success is something that is going to be – the teachers will have the tools in order to be able to enforce that”

Meanwhile, Paul Whiteman, general secretary of NAHT, responded to Williamson’s comments with caution, noting that “tough talk on exclusion doesn’t help the pupils most at risk from it … exclusion is a legitimate, but limited, response to very challenging behaviour, physical violence or repeated disruption of learning.”

Inspection reports will now look significantly different, with Ofsted confirming that the primary audience for these reports will be parents. This week Ofsted released guides on what parents and schools can expect from new inspections. It details what schools can expect before, during and after inspection and how parents and schools can share their views with the inspectorate.

Of note for governors and trustees, the guidance states that the “inspection team will explain its judgements to the senior leadership team and those responsible for the governance of the school” and that “the school should invite all those responsible for the governance of the school to hear the feedback”. In terms of documentation, the guidance also states that Ofsted inspectors will want to see “the current school improvement plan or equivalent, including any planning that sets out the longer-term vision for the school, such as the school or the trust’s strategy” as well as “any reports from external evaluation of the school, including any review of governance or use of the pupil premium funding”.

Education Secretary, Gavin Williamson, revealed a number of new measures designed to improve school standards. One of these measures includes schools judged as ‘outstanding’ no longer being exempt from Ofsted inspections. The new measures are intended to ensure that parents have up to date information regarding the quality of education being provided as well as ensuring that school standards remain high. This follows analysis which revealed that a significant number of schools had not been inspected for a decade due to the exemption gifted to schools judged as ‘outstanding’.

There’ll be a consultation on how to include 'outstanding' schools in a regular inspection cycle (date not yet known). The decision will be subject to parliamentary approval, and isn't likely to take effect until September 2020.

The Cutler Trust is a scholarship fund for young people aged 16 – 25. The purpose of the fund is to assist children of teachers to pursue an education. To qualify for an award, you must be:

• a child of a teacher who taught in one of the 32 London boroughs;
• studying at a recognised school, university, college or in an apprenticeship;
• priority will be given to low income families

You can find further information and details on how to apply here (external link)

'The new iteration of Ofsted’s Education Inspection Framework which will take effect from September 2019 has been published.

The changes confirm Ofsted’s increased focus on the quality of the curriculum, with a single ‘quality of education’ judgement set to replace the existing ‘quality of teaching, learning and assessment’ and ‘outcomes for pupils’ categories. The current judgement for ‘personal development, behaviour and welfare’ will be split in to two separate categories – ‘behaviour and attitudes’ and ‘personal development’.

Ofsted have confirmed that there will be a ‘grace period’ until September 2020 as schools grapple with the shift in focus from outcomes to a 'broad and rich learning experience'. During this time, schools which have a plan in place to review their curriculum and can demonstrate genuine action to do so will not be downgraded.

The Department for Education (DfE) has opened a call for evidence on character and resilience. The deadline to complete the online form is 5 July 2019. The Character Advisory Group is seeking views on the development of character and resilience in young people from school and college staff, governors/trustees, young people, parents, carers and more.

Ian Bauckham CBE, chair of the advisory group, says:

"An excellent academic education and good qualifications sit alongside other important outcomes for young people. Developing aspects of character and resilience can also help young people to achieve their goals, overcome challenges, develop their readiness for adulthood, and help the most disadvantaged to compete more equally with their advantaged peers in the labour market.

The call for evidence will directly inform the advisory group, and therefore we are encouraging all those governing to respond to the call for evidence to inform the department about the state of character and resilience in your school(s) settings."