Children and Families Cabinet Member – Minutes – 19 November 2020
10 APPOINTMENT/RE-APPOINTMENT OF LOCAL AUTHORITY SCHOOL GOVERNORS – The Director: Learning, Skills and Culture submitted a report seeking the re-appointment of a suitable candidate to serve as a local authority (LA) governor on the governing body of St Peter and St Paul CE Primary School and the appointment of suitable candidates to serve on the governing bodies of various schools.
Governing bodies were the key strategic decision-making body for schools. It was the governing body’s role to set a school’s strategic framework and to ensure that all statutory duties were met. The Department for Education identified three main duties, which were:
• ensuring clarity of vision, ethos and strategic direction
• holding the head teacher to account for the educational performance of the school and its pupils, and the performance management of staff
• overseeing the financial performance of the school and making sure its money was well spent
Local authority governors must have:
• an interest in the future education and wellbeing of all children
• the skills and desire to make a difference
• a willingness to accept responsibility
• an ability to work in a team, ask questions, listen and learn
• time and commitment to undertake governor duties
• a commitment to fulfil the Nolan principles which related to Standards in Public Life.
When a LA governor vacancy occurred, the relevant governing body identified the necessary skills, knowledge and experience that would be required of the successful candidate(s). All potential applicants (including re-appointments) were required to complete an application form identifying their skills, knowledge and experience. The LA nominated suitable candidates to the school and the governing body decided whether the nominee met their requirements. The governing body may choose to reject or appoint the candidate accordingly.
Resolved – (a) That the proposal to nominate for re-appointment to the governing body of St Peter and St Paul CE Primary School governing body, the applicant detailed in Appendix 1, Table 2 to the report, be approved, and (b) that the proposal to nominate for appointment to the governing bodies of Castledyke Primary School, Scunthorpe CE Primary School and The Humber Estuary Federation, the applicants detailed in Appendix 1, Table 3 to the report, be approved.
11 RECONSTITUTION OF THE TRENTSIDE FEDERATION – The Director: Learning, Skills and Culture submitted a report seeking approval of the instrument of government to allow the governing body of The Trentside Federation to be reconstituted to be effective from 1 December 2020.
At the full governing body meeting of The Trentside Federation held on 16 March 2020, the governors voted to reconstitute the governing body in line with the School Governance (Constitution) (England) Regulations 2012 and the School Governance (Constitution) (Amendment) Regulations 2014.
The above regulations set out the options available to schools in terms of the overall number of governors, the categories of governor and the guiding principles for the constitution. The regulations gave the governing body more flexibility with their constitution and stated that they should be no bigger than they needed to be to carry out their statutory duties. The regulations stipulated the categories and number of governors for maintained schools as follows:
• 2 parent governors
• 1 Local Authority governor
• 1 staff governor
• 1 Headteacher
• As many co-opted governors as necessary to fulfil the skills requirements. Up to a maximum of one third of governors can be staff members
The constitution of each governing body was laid down in a document known as the instrument of government. A governing body may at any time request changes to their constitution, in accordance with the regulations, by varying their instrument of government.
Where changes are proposed, a maintained school’s governing body must prepare a draft instrument of government and submit it to the local authority for approval.
Resolved – That the new instrument of government for The Trentside Federation be approved.
12 RECONSTITUTION OF THE WINTERTON FEDERATION – The Director: Learning, Skills and Culture submitted a report seeking approval for the instrument of government to allow the governing body of The Winterton Federation to be reconstituted to be effective from 14 December 2020.
At the full governing body meeting of The Winterton Federation held on 8 October 2020, the governors voted to reconstitute the governing body in line with the School Governance (Constitution) (England) Regulations 2012 and the School Governance (Constitution) (Amendment) Regulations 2014.
The above regulations set out the options available to schools in terms of the overall number of governors, the categories of governor and the guiding principles for the constitution. The regulations gave the governing body more flexibility with their constitution and stated that they should be no bigger than they needed to be to carry out their statutory duties. The regulations stipulated the categories and number of governors for maintained schools as follows:
• 2 parent governors (minimum)
• 1 Local Authority governor (maximum)
• 1 staff governor (maximum)
• 1 Headteacher
• As many co-opted governors as necessary to fulfil the skills requirements. Up to a maximum of one third of governors can be staff members.
The constitution of each governing body was laid down in a document known as the instrument of government. A governing body may at any time request changes to their constitution, in accordance with the regulations, by varying their instrument of government.
Where changes were proposed, a maintained school’s governing body must prepare a draft instrument of government and submit it to the local authority for approval.
Resolved – That the new instrument of government for The Winterton Federation be approved.