Welcome Agenda Welcome Julia Durcan, Leadership & Governance - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Tunbridge Wells District Governor Briefing

Spring 2016

Welcome

Agenda

• Welcome

Julia Durcan, Leadership & Governance

• SEN Briefing for Governors

Diana Robinson, Lead SEN Consultant

• Kent Governor Association

Deborah Bruce, Tunbridge Wells KGA Rep.

• Governor Recruitment

Julia Durcan, Leadership & Governance

• In the News / Governors’ Discussion Points & Networking

KGA Representatives / Julia Durcan, Leadership & Governance

Polite Reminders !

• Housekeeping
• Paper free !
• Have you signed the register?
• List two actions that you will complete following this

discussion.

• Please complete the online evaluations

(direct to you via email)

Diana Robinson Lead SEN Consultant

SEN briefing for Governors

Governor Training SEN Briefing for District meetings 2014 - 2015

Objectives:

• To understand the GB duties in relation to SEN.
• To understand changes to SEN & D legislation

Governing Body core functions

Para 1.2

• a. Ensuring clarity of vision, ethos and strategic

direction;

• b. Holding the headteacher to account for the

educational performance of the school and its pupils, and the performance management of staff; and

• c. Overseeing the financial performance of the school

and making sure its money is well spent.

Responsibilities of GB in relation to SEN 6.4.1

• GB have legal duties in relation to pupils with SEN
• GB can delegate to a committee, an individual

governor or to the HT: although the responsibility is still with the GB itself to ensure that the functions are carried out

• GB must set up appropriate staffing and funding

arrangements and oversee the work of the school

• GBs under a duty to make reasonable

adjustments to avoid substantial disadvantages experienced by disabled pupils

Legal duties

• use best endeavours in exercising their functions to

ensure that the necessary special education provision is made for any pupil who has SEN;

• ensure that parents or young person are notified by the

school when special educational provision is being made for their child, because it is considered that he or she has SEN;

• make sure that the responsible person makes all staff that

are likely to teach the pupil aware of the pupil’s SEN;

• make sure that the teachers in the school are aware of the

importance of identifying pupils who have SEN and of providing appropriate teaching;

• ensure that there is a qualified teacher designated as

special educational needs coordinator (SENCO) for the

• school. A newly appointed SENCO must be a qualified

teacher and, where they have not previously been the SENCO at that or any other relevant school for a total period of more than twelve months, they must achieve a National Award in Special Educational Needs Co-ordination within three years of appointment

• consult the LA and the governing bodies of other schools

when it seems necessary to co-ordinate special educational teaching in the area;

• ensure that pupils with SEN join in the everyday

activities of the school together with children without SEN, as far as is compatible with them receiving the necessary special educational provision; the provision of efficient education for all other pupils; and the efficient use of resources;

• take account of the ‘SEN Code of Practice’ when carrying
• ut their duties towards all pupils with SEN;
• where an LA or the First-tier Tribunal (SEND) names a

maintained school as the school the child will attend on an SEN statement or Education and Health Care Plan, the governing body must admit the child to the school. Before naming a maintained school on a statement, the LA must consult the governing body of the school (see below).

• cooperate with the local authority in developing the local
• ffer;
• ensure the school produce and publish online its School

SEN Information Report in accordance with section 69 of the Children and Families Act 2014; and

• ensure the school has arrangement in place to support

children with medical conditions (section 100 Children and Families Act 2014)

Template SEN policy / Information report

• http://www.kelsi.org.uk/inclusion-and-special-

education-needs/special-educational-needs/sen- forms

• 4 The name and contact details of the SEN Co-ordinator
• The SENCO at name of school is name of SENCO, who is a

qualified teacher and has been accredited by the National Award for SEN Co-ordination and also holds the following qualifications list of other qualifications.

Annual evaluation report

• Data drawn from RAISEonline therefore publish in

autumn term

– Details of SENCO and SEN Governor – SEN register and need types, incidence compared to national – Funding – SEN notional fund, High Needs Funding – Pupil outcomes (based on KS-KS progress) – Attendance comparisons (SEN – not SEN) – Destinations – Exam concessions – Transitions to and beyond school – Interventions in use with evaluation – Whole school professional training for SEN in last 2 years – Equality Objective and improvement actions for next year

Supporting medical conditions

http://www.kelsi.org.uk/inclusion-and-special- education-needs/special-educational-needs/sen- forms GB must

• Ensure arrangements are made
• Ensure a policy is developed and implemented
• Ensure pupils are enabled to fullest participation

possible in all aspects of the school

• Ensure sufficient staff have had sufficient training
• Ensure staff can access information and support

Children and Family Act 2014 SEN and D Code of Practice 0-25 years

• No change in definition of SEN
• Focus on parents and young people participation

in decision-making

• Focus on high aspirations, improved outcomes

and good transition to adulthood

• 0-25 guidance relating to disability and SEN

• Statement of SEN replaced with Education,

Health and Care Plans

• School action and school action plus replaced

with SEN support

• Parallel changes in Funding requires different

mechanism for High Needs Funding

• All current SSENs to transfer to EHCPs over next

3.5 years according to a timetable

High Needs Funding

• http://www.kelsi.org.uk/inclusion-and-special-

education-needs/special-educational-needs/high- needs-funding-for-schools

• Application process for top-up funding beyond the

first £6000 paid by the school

• Available for pupils at SEN Support and EHCP in

mainstream schools (but not in SRPs)

• On-line application process

Significant workload for SENCOs

• Transfer of SSEN to EHCP will be conducted

through annual review

• Ensuring all parents of pupils with SEN have 3

meetings a year to discuss provision plan

• High Needs Funding Applications
• New Statutory Assessment arrangements
• Please ensure SENCO has capacity for extra

workload

Everybody Included - Nasen

• https://shareweb.kent.gov.uk/Documents/KELSI/su

pporting-pupil- learning/SEN/SEN/Everybody%20Included%20- %20The%20SEND%20Code%20of%20Practice% 20Explained.pdf

Diana Robinson Diana.robinson@kent.gov.uk 01622 694299

Kent Governors Association

Deborah Bruce Spring 2016

Governor Recruitment

Julia Durcan GSDO West Kent

Spring 2016

Governor Vacancies – South Kent CPD Online as at November 2015

• No. of

Posts

• No. of

Posts Held No of Vacant Posts % Vacant Posts 4199 3316 878 20.90 1043 836 207 19.84 382 288 94 24.60 354 291 63 17.79 307 257 50 16.28 Overall

Kent South Ashford Dover Shepway

Governor Vacancies – East Kent CPD Online as at November 2015

Overall

• No. of

Posts

• No. of

Posts Held No of Vacant Posts % Vacant Posts Kent 4198 3316 877 20.89 East 914 716 197 21.55 Canterbury 331 259 72 21.75 Swale 304 251 52 17.10 Thanet 279 206 73 26.16

Governor Vacancies – North Kent CPD Online as at November 2015

Overall

• No. of

Posts

• No. of

Posts Held No of Vacant Posts % Vacant Posts Kent 4198 3316 877 20.89 North 900 700 186 20.66 Dartford 263 189 60 22.81 Gravesham 213 166 47 22.06 Sevenoaks 424 345 79 18.63

Governor Vacancies – West Kent CPD Online as at November 2015

Overall

• No. of

Posts

• No. of

Posts Held No of Vacant Posts % Vacant Posts Kent 4198 3316 877 20.89 West 1342 1064 288 21.46 Maidstone 489 375 114 23.31 Tonbridge and Malling 446 358 98 21.97 Tunbridge Wells 407 331 76 18.67

The Governance Handbook November 2015 – p22

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/governance-handbook

• Boards have a responsibility to fill governor

vacancies as soon as possible. In filling vacancies, boards and others responsible for nominating or appointing governors should make use of all available channels to identify suitable governors – further details on the help available from Academy Ambassadors, SGOSS Governors for Schools, and the Education & Employers Taskforce as well as information about the Inspiring Governors Alliance can be found in Section 14.

Governor Recruitment

Governors’ table discussion:

• How many vacancies do you have on your

GB?

• Which category of Governor?
• When was the GB’s last skills audit

completed?

Governor Vacancies

Governors’ table discussion

(Feedback to be presented to whole group)

• How does the GB communicate its skills needs to

prospective new Governors?

• What actions are the GB taking to recruit new

Governors?

• Elected or Appointed positions – does it make a

difference?

Governing Body Actions -1

• Ensure skills gaps are known at all times
• Recruiting to Elected or Appointed positions
• Ensure prospective new Governors are

clear about the role

– strategic not operational – representative of a group not a representative for an individual or group – Social media !

• Ensure prospective new Governors are invited to

meet with the Chair, Head and Vice Chair prior to any recommendation being made to the GB

Governing Body Actions - 2

• Be pro-active!
• Ensure the clerk is tasked with alerting the GB to vacancies

in good time

• Register vacancies with SGOSS – and communicate with

them regularly ! https://www.sgoss.org.uk

• Make good use of available resources http://www.inspiringgovernors.org
• Contact local businesses – be aware of Education &

Employers Taskforce (link in Governance Handbook)

• Consider local collaboration recruitment

– a whole collaboration recruitment campaign – Recruitment of senior/middle leaders to non-home GBs

• Succession planning – no Chair or Vice Chair, implications

In the News/ Discussion Points & Networking

KGA Representatives & Julia Durcan GSDO West Kent

Spring 2016

Governors’ Discussion Points and Networking

• Feedback from recent Ofsted/HMI visits – new criteria
• New Governance Handbook November 2015
• Ofsted Inspection Dashboard found on Raise Online
• HMCI Sir Michael Wilshaw commissioned survey on governance,

closed 31st January 2016

• Themes included right mix of professionals/ skills; Paid Governors;

right structures in place; training; effective guidance and support for HT appointments; succession planning;

• Greater focus when informing governance judgement on the training

undertaken by governors.

• The need to know the progress any pupils are making if they are

attending a PRU

• Kent Leadership Strategy

Governors’ Discussion Points and Networking

• EFA and DfE published guidance on 12th January

2016 called Schools financial health and efficiency, giving information, tools, training and guidance to help schools improve their financial management – providing direction and questions for governors of both the maintained and academy

• sectors. This includes the ability to access

financial benchmarking - https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/schools

• financial-health-and-efficiency

Governors’ Discussion Points and Networking

• DfE has produced Best Practice Advice for School

Complaints Procedures 2016 for maintained schools, maintained nursery schools and local authorities.

• How are Governing Bodies evidencing that all

school staff have read ‘Keeping children safe in education’ PART 1? Updated in July 2015

Governors’ Discussion Points and Networking

• Governing body responsibilities under the

assessment and reporting arrangements.

• Best practice in monitoring is for a governor to

watch the whole process for a KS1 and 2 SAT test from start to finish

• https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/2016-

assessment-and-reporting-arrangements-pdf- format-versions

• Any questions on other topics

Next Meeting

Are we M.A.D? Date of next meeting 16/05/16

Julia Durcan Julia.durcan@kent.gov.uk 03000 410298